Set the Book Foundation
Build the visual foundation with project structure, manuscript context, and style references that keep the artwork workflow anchored.
Whitehand Publishing · Limnforge
Illustrate your own work. Keep every page in style.
Limnforge helps picture-book, comic book, and graphic novel creators build artwork with your own characters, art style, and visual language across an entire project.
Desktop control
Forge your story's look.
Limnforge is a desktop illustration and publishing studio for creating book artwork with continuity. Choose a style, define your cast, generate poses and scenes, place story text, and carry the same look across pages, chapters, covers, and series work.
If you already have original artwork, Limnforge can help you replicate that look at scale and amplify your workflow. If you are still discovering the look of your story, Limnforge helps you build original art styles, character illustrations, and story-world visuals from scratch.
Create characters and build a world for them in a style that is your own. Add story text to pages and spreads with control over font, size, colour, placement, alignment, straight text, speech bubbles, and narration boxes, with interactive guidance when text drifts near bleed, fold, or gutter risk areas.
When an illustration is close but not quite right, refine the current image or preserve continuity from a previous scene while changing characters, props, composition details, or page-specific needs.
From concept to complete publish-ready files, Limnforge gives creators a practical platform for producing picture books, comic books, graphic novels, covers, and eBook files quickly and cost-effectively.
The name is pronounced LIM-forge. "Limn" is an old word for drawing or painting in fine detail; "forge" is the act of making with heat, craft, and intent. Together, Limnforge means detailed illustration, made deliberately.
Version 1.0 uses your own OpenAI API account for image generation. Your API key is saved locally on your computer and is not included in project folders or export packages. Future versions are expected to support additional image-generation models through their own APIs.
Character Studio
Build a durable character library, then generate reference poses.
Comic-book workflow
Plan panels, direct scenes, manage a cast, add lettering, and build a complete comic page by page.
Workflow
From idea to illustrated.
Choose the Visual Language
Create original characters, poses, and scene continuity from style references and character records, so the book feels like one coherent world.
Export for Production
Prepare publish-ready print and eBook files locally, including bleeds, single pages, double-page spreads, and formatted cover files for Amazon KDP workflows.
Built differently
A complete creative system, not a prompt box.
Book Style DNA and Anchors
Define the visual rules, reference anchors, mood, rendering intensity, lighting, motifs, and recurring details that hold the whole book together.
World Module
Develop the locations, props, recurring details, and visual rules that make a story world feel rich, recognisable, and ready to revisit.
Style Lab
Use Limnforge's style preset system to begin with structured visual directions, then adapt the look until it belongs to your book.
Character Studio
Build multiple character libraries for primary, secondary, and supporting characters, with reusable references and identity poses for a consistent cast.
Master Prompt Compiler
Limnforge's unique internal Source System builds coherent prompts from style rules, character records, spread instructions, exclusions, and production context before they reach the Image Engine.
Co-Pilot Work Orders
Choose from guided work orders that assemble the right project context into copy-ready briefs, helping your AI assistant create useful field input for Limnforge.
Refinement and Continuity
Refine a current illustration or use a previous spread as a continuity anchor when the next image needs to match the story world.
Cover Production
Bring your front, spine, and back cover together as a complete production file that carries the book's visual language from first impression to final export.
Text Overlay System
Place titles, narration, captions, page text, and speech bubbles with the font, size, colour, placement, alignment, and treatment your book needs.
Publish-Ready Export
Export correctly prepared single pages, double-page spreads, cover files, and eBook formats, with bleed and gutter guidance built into the workflow.
Co-Pilot Work Orders
Know what to create next.
Choose a guided work order for your story, style, character, scene, cover, continuity, or lettering task. Limnforge assembles the relevant project context into a focused, copy-ready brief.
- 01
Choose
Select the creative task you need next from thirteen guided work orders.
- 02
Review
See the copy-ready brief and the relevant context already saved in your project.
- 03
Use
Copy it, then use it with the AI assistant of your choice to create ideal field input for Limnforge.
Your project stays in your hands. Co-Pilot prepares the work order locally. It does not send your project data anywhere; you decide if and where to paste the copied brief.
Made with Limnforge
Three stories. Three complete visual worlds.
See examples of how Limnforge supports the different visual languages of picture books and comics—from a warm, character-led double spread to sequential panel storytelling, lettering, and atmosphere.
Picture book
Pip and the Moonseed
A finished picture-book world with expressive characters, a consistent illustrated style, story text, and cinematic double-page spreads.
- Character and style continuity
- Full-bleed double spreads with text overlays
- Print-ready page composition
Comic book
The Last Tram to Luna Bay
A complete comic-book world that uses panel composition, recurring character and location detail, narration, dialogue, and moody sequential storytelling.
- Comic-panel layout and page rhythm
- Continuity across character, setting, and light
- Narration, dialogue, and graphic storytelling
Picture book
Fenn's Paper Garden
A gentle watercolour picture-book world where a young fox discovers that the village's bright paper flowers only blossom for stories told honestly.
- Distinctive world rules and recurring motifs
- Consistent characters across a warm, hand-painted setting
- Emotion-led storytelling with full-bleed double spreads
Built for
Creators who need a complete visual world, not one lucky image.
Indie Picture-Book AuthorsSelf-publishers who need access to a complete illustration workflow.
Comic and Graphic Novel CreatorsStorytellers who need consistent characters, settings, and a repeatable visual language as well as full Comic-Panel control.
Illustrator-AuthorsArtists who want to scale an original style, explore variants, and produce more finished work without losing their hand.
Small PublishersTeams needing repeatable, on-brand illustration across a book or series.
Pricing
One licence. Your whole book.
Limnforge Studio
US$299 US$199 launch price
- One-off purchase, licensed for commercial use
- 12 months of updates and support included
- Optional renewal: US$59/year for continued updates and support
- Your licence keeps working even if you don't renew
- Bring your own OpenAI API key; image generation is billed separately by OpenAI and is typically measured in cents per image—you control the pace and spend
Payments are processed securely by Paddle.com, our merchant of record. Prices are in US dollars; local taxes are calculated at checkout. 14-day money-back guarantee, see our Refund Policy.
Release candidate
Download Limnforge.
Limnforge V1.0
Desktop illustration studio with OpenAI image generation, local project files, style presets, cast continuity, and commercial export tools.
Installer coming soonGuide pack
Get the Limnforge Guide Pack.
Quick Start GuideFollow the core workflow from setup to export.
Limnforge User GuideComplete feature reference, from project setup to Commercial Export.
Co-Pilot Work Orders Mini-GuideUse Co-Pilot to create project-ready planning input with your chosen AI assistant.
OpenAI API Key GuideCreate, save, and test your OpenAI API key.
OpenAI setup
Use your own API account.
- Sign in at platform.openai.com.
- Create a new secret key for the API project you want Limnforge to use.
- Paste the key into Limnforge Settings and choose your preferred image model.
- Click Test Key before generating artwork.
FAQ
Common questions.
Does Limnforge include image generation credits?
No. Limnforge V1.0 uses your own OpenAI API account, and OpenAI billing is managed by OpenAI.
What does image generation cost?
Limnforge uses your own OpenAI API account, so you control your image-generation spend. At OpenAI's current published GPT Image 2 rates, a single image output is typically measured in cents—approximately US$0.04–$0.21 for the common medium- and high-quality sizes in its cost table, before any input-image or prompt-token charges. Your total project cost depends on the size and quality selected, reference images, edits, and the number of variations you make. OpenAI can change its pricing, so always check its current rates.
What is Co-Pilot?
Co-Pilot is Limnforge's guided work-order workspace. Choose the creative task you need next and it prepares a copy-ready brief using the relevant context already saved in your project, such as your style DNA, world rules, characters, manuscript, and page planning. Copy the work order, then paste it into the AI agent of your choice to help develop the next part of your project.
Does Co-Pilot send my project to an AI service?
No. Co-Pilot prepares the work order locally and places it on your clipboard only when you choose Copy Work Order. You decide whether, where, and when to paste that brief into an AI service.
Are my project files stored locally?
Yes. Your Limnforge project files, references, generated artwork, and exports live on your computer. When you choose to generate or edit an image, Limnforge sends the prompt and reference inputs needed for that request to OpenAI through your own API account. Your API key is stored locally and is not included in project folders or export packages.
Is the API key stored in exported projects?
No. Your API key is saved locally on your computer and is not written into project folders or export packages.
Can Limnforge create comics as well as picture books?
Yes. Limnforge supports picture books, comic books, and graphic novels, including full-page art, panel layouts, scene continuity, narration, dialogue, speech bubbles, Comic SFX, and print-ready exports. The Last Tram to Luna Bay in the showcase is an excerpt from a complete Limnforge comic-book project.
Does Limnforge replace illustrators?
No. Limnforge is designed for creative control and continuity. It can help authors access illustration workflows they could not otherwise commission, and it can help illustrators amplify output, explore variations, and create more work at scale from an original visual style.
Can I use my own artwork and reference images?
Yes—use artwork, photos, character designs, and references that you own, have licensed, or otherwise have the right to use. Limnforge is intended for original visual development, not for copying another artist's protected work, characters, brands, or recognisable style without permission. Use the workflow to build a visual language that belongs to your project.
Support
Questions, keys, exports, and launch help.
For support, include your Limnforge version, operating system, the step you were taking, and any error message shown by the app. Do not send API keys in screenshots, emails, or support tickets.