Pencil Renderer
Translate aesthetic DNA codes into Pencil.pen frames via MCP.
Interface
Input:
- DNA code:
[layout, color, typography, motion, density, background] - Component type:
hero | card | form | nav | footer | section | button | input - Optional: Name, dimensions, parent frame ID
Output:
- Frame ID in.pen file
- Screenshot of rendered frame
Workflow
1. Ensure Document Ready
// Check if editor open
mcp__pencil__get_editor_state({ include_schema: false })
// If no editor, open or create
mcp__pencil__open_document({ filePathOrTemplate: "new" })2. Get Style Foundation
// Get available style guide tags
mcp__pencil__get_style_guide_tags()
// Get style guide matching DNA mood
// Map DNA to relevant tags:
// - dark color → ["dark-mode", "moody"]
// - light color → ["light", "clean"]
// - spacious density → ["airy", "whitespace"]
// etc.
mcp__pencil__get_style_guide({ tags: [mapped_tags] })3. Translate DNA to Pencil Properties
Reference: references/dna-to-pencil.md
DNA axis → Pencil property mapping is deterministic. Example: centered layout → alignItems: "center", symmetric padding
4. Execute Design Operations
Reference: references/batch-design-patterns.md
mcp__pencil__batch_design({
filePath: "<path>.pen",
operations: `
frame=I(document, {type: "frame", name: "Hero-Brutalist", ...properties})
heading=I(frame, {type: "text", content: "Headline", ...typography})
// ... additional operations
`
})5. Capture Result
// Screenshot for visual verification
mcp__pencil__get_screenshot({ nodeId: "frameId" })6. Return
Frame ID: [id]
DNA: [layout, color, typography, motion, density, background]Plus screenshot image.
Component Templates
| Type | Structure |
|---|---|
hero | Container + headline + subhead + CTA buttons |
card | Container + image area + content + actions |
form | Container + labels + inputs + submit |
nav | Container + logo + links + actions |
footer | Container + columns + links + legal |
section | Container + heading + content grid |
button | Frame + text + icon slot |
input | Frame + label + field + validation |
DNA Translation Quick Reference
| DNA Axis | Key Pencil Properties |
|---|---|
| Layout: centered | alignItems: "center", equal padding |
| Layout: asymmetric | Offset positions, varied gaps |
| Layout: bento | Grid with varied spans |
| Color: dark | Dark fill, light foreground |
| Color: gradient | fill: {type: "linear", stops: [...]} |
| Typography: display-heavy | Large heading sizes, high contrast |
| Typography: minimal | Restrained scale, single family |
| Density: spacious | gap: 24-48, generous padding |
| Density: compact | gap: 8-16, tight padding |
| Background: solid | Single fill color |
| Background: textured | G() for patterns/images |
Constraints
- Single concern: Render DNA → frame. No interview, no iteration.
- Pencil MCP required: Fails fast if unavailable
- Deterministic mapping: Same DNA always produces same structure
- Composable: Called by orchestrators, not users directly
References
references/dna-to-pencil.md— Complete axis mappingreferences/batch-design-patterns.md— Common operation sequencesaesthetic-system/references/dna-codes.md— DNA axis definitions
Integration
Called by:
design-explorationorchestrator (when Pencil backend available)
Composes:
aesthetic-system(for DNA interpretation)