Art bible template
Six linked documents that keep a game’s look consistent from the first concept to the last outsourced prop: the visual pillars, color and light, shape language, characters, environments, and the budgets and reviews behind them. Download them as Markdown files: they open in any editor, and import into Nodary as a map you can fill with pictures.
6 Markdown files in a .zip, 5 kB
Free, no account, no email. Use it, change it, share it.
Read every page before you download
The overview fits on one screen and links to five parts, so a new artist or an outsourcing studio starts from the rules that matter most. Italic lines say what to write; the examples come from Saltmarrow, the sample game this site uses everywhere.
Documents
File Art bible template/Art bible.md
Art bible
How to use this template: italic lines are guidance. Replace them with your own words, then delete them. Values in square brackets are yours to fill in. Keep this page to one screen, and add pictures under every rule once the files are imported: an art bible is read with the eyes.
At a glance
| Field | Your game |
|---|---|
| Game | [Title] |
| Art director | [name] |
| The style in one line | [...] |
| Camera | [first person, third person, top-down, side view] |
| Platforms | [...] |
| Last reviewed | [date] |
Visual pillars
Three to five rules every asset must serve, each one checkable on a finished picture.
- [Pillar one]: [what it means on screen]
- [Pillar two]: [what it means on screen]
- [Pillar three]: [what it means on screen]
Example (Saltmarrow, a sample game): Salt keeps, the sea takes. What the salt preserves is crisp and pale; what the sea touches is soft, dark and blurred.
The rules that matter most
If a new artist reads only this list, their first asset should still fit the game.
- [Rule]
- [Rule]
- [Rule]
The rest of the bible
Each part is its own document. Link to it rather than copy from it, so every rule lives in one place.
- Color and light: the palette with each color’s role, and the light
- Shape language and style: shape language, detail, materials, do and don’t
- Characters: proportions, silhouettes, costumes, expressions
- Environments: each area’s mood, landmarks and props
- Production specs: budgets, formats, naming, reviews and outsourcing
This template is free to use, change and share. It comes from Nodary, where these files import as a map of linked documents.
File Art bible template/Art bible/01 Color and light.md
Color and light
Every color has a job. Name it, give its value, and say where it is used and where it never is.
Palette
| Role | Name | Hex | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Background] | [...] | [#hex] | [...] |
| [Primary] | [...] | [#hex] | [...] |
| [Accent] | [...] | [#hex] | [what the player can use] |
| [Text] | [...] | [#hex] | [...] |
| [Danger] | [...] | [#hex] | [never the only sign of danger] |
Example (Saltmarrow, a sample game): Ink navy for the drowned city, bone white for the salt, oxidised rust for the old machines, and lantern glow only for what the player can use.
Check the contrast of text and interface colors, and never let color be the only way a piece of information is shown: some players will not see it.
Light
| Light | Color and direction | Mood | Gameplay purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Key] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Fill] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Rim] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Interactive] | [...] | [...] | [draws the eye to what can be used] |
Times and moods
| Moment | How the palette shifts | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| [Day] | [...] | [...] |
| [Night] | [...] | [...] |
| [Danger] | [...] | [...] |
File Art bible template/Art bible/02 Shape language and style.md
Shape language and style
Shape language
Which shapes mean what in this game. Players read shapes before colors and long before details.
| Element | Shapes | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| [Allies and safe places] | [...] | [...] |
| [Threats] | [...] | [...] |
| [Things the player can use] | [...] | [...] |
Detail and readability
- Silhouettes read at: [distance or share of the screen]
- Detail is dense: [where]
- Detail is sparse: [where, so the eye can rest]
- Outlines: [none, or how thick and where]
Materials
| Material | Look | Do | Don’t |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Stone] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Metal] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Cloth] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
Do and don’t
Pair each rule with an approved picture and a rejected one once imported. Two pictures side by side settle what a paragraph cannot.
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| [...] | [...] |
| [...] | [...] |
File Art bible template/Art bible/03 Characters.md
Characters
Proportions
| Character type | Height in heads | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| [Player character] | [...] | [...] |
| [Adult] | [...] | [...] |
| [Creature] | [...] | [...] |
Silhouettes
Every character should be recognizable from its silhouette alone, filled in black, at gameplay distance.
- [Character]: [what makes the silhouette unique]
- [...]
Example (Saltmarrow, a sample game): The Drowned Archivist is the only tall, narrow figure in the game, with a lantern held high: readable across the flats at dusk.
Costumes and props
- Materials and wear: [...]
- Colors: [taken from the palette, with their role]
- Props each character carries: [...]
Expressions and movement
- Expressions needed: [...]
- How they move: [...]
Character sheet checklist
- Turnaround: front, side and back
- Colors with their hex values
- Expressions
- Scale next to the player character
- Material notes
File Art bible template/Art bible/04 Environments.md
Environments
Areas
| Area | Mood | Palette shift | Landmark | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Area] | [...] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Area] | [...] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
Example (Saltmarrow, a sample game): The salt flats at low tide: bright, wide and calm, with the lighthouse as the one landmark. The archive below: dark teal, closed in, lit only by lanterns.
Composition
- The main landmark is visible from: [...]
- The way forward is shown by: [light, color, shape]
- Background layers: [...]
Props
| Prop family | Style notes | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [...] | [...] | [...] |
File Art bible template/Art bible/05 Production specs.md
Production specs
Budgets
| Asset family | Triangles | Texture size | Texel density | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Characters] | [...] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Environments] | [...] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Props] | [...] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
| [Effects] | [...] | [...] | [...] | [...] |
Formats and naming
- Source files: [.psd, .blend, ...]
- Exported files: [...]
- Naming: [typeareanamevariantv01]
Reviews
Who approves what, at which stage, and how feedback is given: on the picture itself, pinned to the spot it is about. It saves a round of “which one, on the left?”
| Stage | Reviewed by | Approved when |
|---|---|---|
| [Concept] | [...] | [...] |
| [Blockout or sketch] | [...] | [...] |
| [Final] | [...] | [...] |
References and credits
Keep each reference’s source and credit next to it. A reference without a source cannot be checked, or cleared, later.
Outsourcing pack
- This bible
- The palette file
- Approved example assets
- Budgets and naming rules
- Who answers questions, and how fast
How to use it
Start from the pillars
Write three to five visual pillars with the art director, each one checkable on a finished picture. Every other page applies them.
Add pictures under every rule
Once imported, put reference images under each rule and say what to take from each: the palette, the light, the shapes. Never “everything”.
Write the budgets down
Fill in the production specs before the first asset is made: triangle counts, texture sizes, naming. They are cheap to set early and expensive to fix late.
Update it from approved work
When a finished asset is approved, use it as the new reference. The bible should show the game as it looks now, not as it was imagined.
Import it into Nodary as a map
Nodary is an AI-native workspace where a team’s documents link instead of piling up. Import the .zip and the bible arrives with its five parts filed under it and its links kept. Then add what Markdown cannot hold: moodboards of references with their source and credit, a palette with roles and contrast checks, and a decision on each picture, approved, sent back or rejected, signed with who and when. Notes are drawn on the picture itself, and an outsourcer gets one printable feedback sheet.
- Open a project’s map and choose Import.
- Choose the Folder or ZIP tab, then Choose a ZIP.
- Pick the downloaded file, check the tree, and import.
The Free plan holds ten documents per workspace, the project’s own page included: the template’s six leave room for three more. Pictures count against storage: 50 MB on Free. Nodary also has a one-page Art Bible template built in, with a palette and a moodboard ready to fill.
How Nodary handles art review
Writing an art bible artists actually follow
An art bible fails when its rules are moods nobody can check, or when the game has moved on and the bible has not. These habits prevent both.
Rules you can check
“Moody” cannot be checked on a finished asset. “Every silhouette reads at thirty meters” can, by anyone, in a minute.
Show, then say
Put a picture under every rule, and say what to take from it. A reference without a note is copied whole, flaws included.
Say what to avoid
A do-and-don’t table settles more arguments than a page of adjectives. Show a rejected picture next to an approved one.
Give color a job
Each color in the palette has a role: background, the player’s path, danger, what can be used. A color without a role is noise.
Write the budgets down
Triangle counts, texture sizes and naming are art direction too. Outsourcers deliver to the numbers they are given.
Update it from approved work
Replace concept references with approved in-game assets as they arrive. The best example of the style is the game itself.
Questions about art bibles
What is an art bible?
An art bible is the document that defines how a game looks: its visual pillars, palette and lighting, shape language, how characters and environments are built, and the production rules behind the assets. Artists, outsourcing studios and reviewers use it so that work made by different people, months apart, looks like one game.
What should an art bible include?
Visual pillars, the rules that matter most, the palette with each color’s role, lighting and mood, shape language, character and environment guidelines, materials, do and don’t examples, asset budgets, file formats and naming, and how art is reviewed. This template has a document for each group.
How is an art bible different from a style guide?
A style guide often covers a brand: logos, fonts, colors for marketing. An art bible covers the game itself, down to how a prop is modeled and how much texture it may use. Some studios keep both, linked.
How long should an art bible be?
As short as the rules allow, with as many pictures as the rules need. The overview should fit on one screen; each part grows with approved references, not with paragraphs.
How do I share an art bible with an outsourcing studio?
Send the bible with the palette, approved example assets, the budgets and the naming rules, and say who answers questions. In Nodary, you can share a document and what sits under it as a read-only link that ends on a date you choose, and send feedback as a printable sheet with the notes drawn on each picture.
Can I use the template for a commercial game?
Yes. Use it, change it and share it for any game, commercial or not, with or without a Nodary account. A mention is welcome, never required.
Keep the look of the game where the team works.
Import the template into Nodary and the art bible becomes a map of rules, references and decisions that your team, your outsourcers and your AI agents read. Free with two members, one project and ten documents, no card needed.