Ollie & Dot
Home
Draft 2
Overview Generations Feedback Mockup Planning Instructions Characters References Comments Final Batch Corrected Batch
Style Tracing Book Drafts Draft 1

Style Tracing

Tracing the prompt evolution from earliest style explorations through to the final book pages. A diagnostic reference showing how we arrived at the current illustrations.

Phase 1 — Style Exploration Phase 2 — Character Dev Phase 3 — D10 Breakthrough Phase 4 — NBP Evolution Phase 5 — Style Concepts Phase 6 — Current Pages Phase 7 — Depth System

Phase 1 — Style Exploration

Mar 23, 2026

6 initial style directions explored from Bethany's 25 reference images. The earliest AI generations used Nano Banana Pro to test mood, depth, and visual language.

Nano Pro Test Images

The very first AI-generated images for the project, testing shallow reef, depth, wonder, and distance.

Nano Pro 01 - Shallow nano_pro_01_shallow
Nano Pro 02 - Depth nano_pro_02_depth
Nano Pro 03 - Wow nano_pro_03_wow
Nano Pro 04 - Distance nano_pro_04_distance

Core Style Directive

2D Collage Directive Mixed media collage illustration. Torn paper textures, layered elements with visible edges. Gouache-painted characters over collaged backgrounds. Transparent tissue overlays for atmospheric depth. Handmade tactile quality — each element retains its own material truth.

6 style directions explored: Cosmic Tessellation, Beacon in the Deep, Living Reef Tapestry, Warm Machine, Iridescent Depths, Surreal Realness

Phase 2 — Character Development

Mar 24-25, 2026

Three distinct Ollie character styles were tested, along with dedicated character reference sheets for both Ollie and Dot.

O1 — Gold Stipple

O1 Character Prompt White background. Gold foil stipple brush effect with gradient detail (light orange → yellow → white). Two star-shaped sparkles in pupils. Fine, intricate stipple dots. Full body with all eight arms displayed.
O1 v1 O1_v1
O1 v2 O1_v2
O1 v3 O1_v3
O1 v4 O1_v4

O2 — 3D Real

O2 Character Prompt 3D REAL baby octopus photographed underwater with cinematic on-set lighting. Real physical mass, volume, dimension — like a soft plush creature in a real ocean. Glass-layer eyes with golden iris, pure black pupils, pointed crystal star glimmers. Dense masterpiece-level gold foil stipple. Subsurface scattering. Macro view.
O2 v1 O2_v1
O2 v2 O2_v2
O2 v3 O2_v3
O2 v4 O2_v4

O3 — Watercolor

O3 Character Prompt Illustrated cartoon baby octopus. Watercolor-like rendering. Big round dark pill-shaped pupils with warm golden star catchlight sparkles. Small curved mouth. Subtle rosy-pink cheeks. Golden-amber skin with fine small stipple dots. Arms flowing naturally. Watercolor quality with transparent washes.
O3 v1 O3_v1
O3 v2 O3_v2
O3 v3 O3_v3
O3 v4 O3_v4

Ollie v2 Character References

Ollie v2 01 ollie_v2_01
Ollie v2 02 ollie_v2_02
Ollie v2 03 ollie_v2_03
Ollie v2 04 ollie_v2_04
Ollie v2 05 ollie_v2_05
Ollie v2 06 ollie_v2_06

Dot v2 Character References

Dot v2 01 dot_v2_01
Dot v2 02 dot_v2_02
Dot v2 03 dot_v2_03
Dot v2 04 dot_v2_04
Dot v2 05 dot_v2_05
Dot v2 06 dot_v2_06

Phase 3 — D10 Mixed Media Breakthrough

Mar 24-26, 2026

The D10 style is what became the book style. This mixed media directive was the turning point, combining torn paper, gouache, tissue overlays, and metallic paper into a coherent visual language.

The Style Prompt That Changed Everything

D10 Style Directive Mixed media collage on heavy paper. Torn paper edges for coral, painted gouache for characters, transparent tissue overlays for water atmosphere, metallic iridescent paper for shell interiors. Each element has its own material truth. Handmade tactile depth impossible in single-medium work.

D10 Character Descriptions

Ollie — D10 Character Baby golden-yellow octopus. Pill-shaped horizontal pupils with YELLOW IRIS. White part of eye gives width and cuteness. Sparkle glimmers in eyes. Small cute mouth with subtle cheeks. Rounded baby face. Long flowing arms (2-3x body). Body texture inspired by real baby octopus — soft, organic chromatophore shimmer.
Dot — D10 Character TINY pearlescent white sphere robot — MUCH smaller than Ollie. Perfect sphere with nacre/mother-of-pearl iridescent surface. Eyes PROJECTED directly on sphere surface as soft line-based expressions (default: happy squinty crescents). NO antenna, NO display screen. Whole surface can glow soft blue in dark/emotional moments.

Universal Rules

  • IRIDESCENCE: ONLY on mussel shell interiors
  • COLOR: Restrained warm base. Shells = single saturation peak
  • LIGHT: Directional late-afternoon from upper right
  • DEPTH: Cinematic atmospheric perspective
  • 16:9 widescreen. Full bleed. No text.

Round 3 Style Concepts — Shallow

P1 3D Depth Tulle p1_3d_depth_tulle
P1 Den Coral Shells p1_den_coral_shells
P2 Kelp Real Foreground p2_kelp_real_foreground
P2 Snail Bubbles p2_snail_bubbles
P3 Reef Edge Split p3_reef_edge_split
P3 Threshold Characters p3_threshold_characters

Round 3 Style Concepts — Depth

Page 07 Frozen Dark Whale Shadow page07_frozen_dark_whale_shadow
Page 08 Dot Blue Glow page08_dot_blue_glow_pearlescent
Page 10 Single Bubble Bioluminescent page10_single_bubble_bioluminescent
Page 14 Warming Arms Loosening page14_warming_arms_loosening

Round 3 Style Concepts — Wow

Concept 1 Wide Constellation concept1_wide_constellation
Concept 2 Dense Starfield concept2_dense_starfield
Concept 3 Closeup Jellyfish concept3_closeup_jellyfish
Concept 4 Maximum Wow concept4_maximum_wow

Phase 4 — NBP Version Evolution

Mar 27+, 2026

Progression from early NBP outputs through iterative version refinement to the final production pages.

NBP Final Samples

Page 01 v4 page01_v4
Page 02 v1 page02_v1
Page 05 v1 page05_v1
Page 10 v1 page10_v1
Page 17 v1 page17_v1

NBP v14 — Kelp Collage

Page 02 Collage v1 page02_collage_v1
Page 02 Collage v2 page02_collage_v2

NBP v20 — Near-Final

Front Cover v1 front_cover_v1
Page 02 v1 page02_v1
Page 03 v1 page03_v1
Back Spread 1 v1 back_spread1_v1

Phase 5 — Style Concept Gallery

Generation Round 1

Full style concept grid from the first generation round, organized by category. Each style direction was tested with 3-4 variants.

STYLE-2D-COLLAGE
v1
v2
v3
v4
STYLE-3D-COLLAGE
v1
v2
v3
v4
STYLE-PAINTED-REAL
v1
v2
v3
v4
STYLE-UNDERWATER-PHOTO
v1
v2
v3
STYLE-WATERCOLOR
v1
v2
v3
v4
EFFECT-COLLAGE-IMMERSE
v1
v2
v3
v4
EFFECT-IMMERSED
v1
v2
v3
v4
EFFECT-INK-WASH
v1
v2
v3
v4
EFFECT-STIPPLE-GOLD
v1
v2
v3
v4
IRID-2D-COLLAGE
v1
v2
v3
v4
IRID-3D-REAL
v1
v2
v3
v4
IRID-KELP-NATURAL
v1
v2
v3
IRID-REALISTIC-RAINBOW
v1
v2
v3
v4
IRID-WATERCOLOR
v1
v2
v3
v4
OSH (Shell Studies)
v1
v2
v3
v4

Phase 6 — Current Book Pages

Draft 2

The 20 final book pages as they stand in Draft 2, the end result of all the style evolution above.

Page 1Page 01
Page 2Page 02
Page 3Page 03
Page 4Page 04
Page 5Page 05
Page 6Page 06
Page 7Page 07
Page 8Page 08
Page 9Page 09
Page 10Page 10
Page 11Page 11
Page 12Page 12
Page 13Page 13
Page 14Page 14
Page 15Page 15
Page 16Page 16
Page 17Page 17
Page 18Page 18
Page 19Page 19
Page 20Page 20

Phase 7 — Depth-Based Style System

Style Architecture

The illustration style shifts with ocean depth. Each zone has its own medium, lighting, and palette rules, creating a visual arc that mirrors the emotional arc of the story.

Shallow Reef

Pages 1-11
2D Collage with torn paper, gouache, and tissue overlays. Warm golden late-afternoon light from upper right. Rich coral textures, kelp forests, and visible material layers.

Mid-Depth

Pages 12-17
Watercolor + ink wash blend. Colors desaturate as light fades. Tissue overlays become translucent blue-grey washes. Characters begin to lose warm tones.

Abyss

Pages 18-21
Ink wash darkness. Near-black backgrounds with Dot's blue glow as the only light source. Bioluminescent accents. Maximum emotional weight — isolation, vulnerability, trust.

Ascending

Pages 22+
Color returning. Mixed media re-texturing as characters rise back toward the reef. Warm tones re-emerge through cool washes. Resolution and reunion.
© 2026 electrosaas
Lightbox