Visual Art Prompts
The prompt IS the composition.
Words replace brushstrokes. The same principles apply — composition, contrast, mood, negative space. The difference: you direct with language instead of muscle memory.
The Template
Every image prompt maps to the same anatomy:
| Element | What It Controls | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Medium and aspect ratio | "Oil painting, 16:9" |
| Subject | What's in the frame | "A lone astronaut on a coral reef" |
| Style | Visual reference | "In the style of Moebius" |
| Colour | Palette and mood | "Muted earth tones, single red accent" |
| Mood | Emotional register | "Melancholic, golden hour light" |
| Negative | What to exclude | "No text, no watermarks, no humans" |
| Parameters | Technical controls | --ar 16:9 --v 6 --s 250 |
Order matters. Front-loaded words carry more weight in most models.
Techniques
Spatial Composition
Direct the camera, not just the subject.
"Wide establishing shot, subject in lower-third, vast sky occupying two-thirds of the frame, rule of thirds composition"
Style References
Blend artists and movements for novel aesthetics.
"Combine the line work of Alphonse Mucha with the colour palette of Edward Hopper. Art nouveau meets American realism."
Colour Control
Name specific palettes rather than moods.
"Duotone — deep indigo and warm amber. High contrast. No pastels."
Negative Prompting
What you exclude shapes the result as much as what you include.
"No blur, no chromatic aberration, no lens flare, no text overlays, no stock photo aesthetic"
The Prompt
A complete image generation prompt using every template element. Shows how structure beats adjectives — format, subject, style, colour, mood, negative prompting, and technical parameters.
MIDJOURNEY PROMPT:
A solitary lighthouse keeper standing at the top of a spiral staircase,
viewed from below looking up. The staircase wraps around the interior
of a weathered stone lighthouse. Golden hour light enters through a
single window, casting a sharp diagonal beam across the spiral. The
keeper is a silhouette against the light.
Style: Combine the dramatic chiaroscuro of Caravaggio with the
architectural precision of M.C. Escher. Oil painting texture with
visible brushstrokes on the stone walls.
Colour: Restricted palette — deep indigo shadows, warm amber light beam,
cool grey stone. One accent: the keeper holds a brass lantern that
glows orange. High contrast. No pastels.
Composition: Extreme low angle, looking directly up the spiral. The
staircase creates a natural leading line to the figure. Rule of thirds —
keeper positioned at upper-right intersection. Negative space in the
dark center of the spiral.
Mood: Solitude without loneliness. The weight of quiet duty. A
painting you'd stop and stare at in a museum.
Negative: No text, no watermarks, no modern elements, no blur, no
chromatic aberration, no stock photo aesthetic, no AI artifacts.
--ar 3:4 --v 6.1 --s 400 --q 2
---
DALL-E / STABLE DIFFUSION VERSION:
"An oil painting of a lighthouse keeper standing at the top of a
spiral stone staircase, viewed from extreme low angle looking up.
Golden hour light enters through a single window creating a sharp
diagonal beam. Caravaggio chiaroscuro lighting meets M.C. Escher
architectural geometry. Deep indigo and warm amber palette. Visible
brushstrokes. The keeper holds a glowing brass lantern. Dramatic,
museum-quality composition. 3:4 portrait orientation."
Paste the Midjourney version into Midjourney Discord or web. Use the DALL-E version for DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, or Flux.
Tools
| Tool | Strength | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Midjourney | Aesthetic quality, stylistic range | midjourney.com |
| DALL-E | Instruction following, text in images | openai.com/dall-e |
| Stable Diffusion | Open source, fine-tuning, ControlNet | stability.ai |
| Flux | Speed, prompt adherence | blackforestlabs.ai |
| Ideogram | Typography in images | ideogram.ai |
| Leonardo | Game art, concept art workflows | leonardo.ai |
Context
- Visual Prompting — Full template and parameter reference
- Image Generation — Tool comparison and capabilities
- Creativity Prompts — Ideation techniques that feed visual work
- Prompts — First principles across all modalities
Structure beats adjectives.
Questions
When does prompt craftsmanship become a substitute for visual taste?
- What separates a prompt that generates a good image from one that generates YOUR image?
- If negative prompting shapes results as much as positive, what does that say about creative direction?
- At what point does style-referencing become plagiarism with extra steps?