prompt-techniques

AI Art Styles List: 70 Style Prompts to Copy and Combine

Eren KorayNovember 30, 202510 min

ai art stylesart styles for ai promptsstyle promptsmidjourney stylesstable diffusion styles

Editorial status: Verified
Last verified: 2026-10-15
Sources: 1 listed

On this page

How to use a style keyword
Art movements
Painting and drawing media
Digital and 3D styles
Illustration and cartoon styles
Photography styles
Mixing styles
Tips
Build your prompt
Primary sources

Key takeaways

How to use a style keyword
Art movements
Painting and drawing media
Digital and 3D styles

Advantages and limitations

Quick tradeoff check

Advantages

Style keywords change the look of an image more than almost any other words
Works as plain text in Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, SDXL, FLUX and others

Limitations

Each model knows some styles better than others
Stacking many styles usually blurs them into one generic look

A style keyword tells the model what kind of picture to make: an oil painting, a pixel art sprite, a 1970s film photo. This list has 70 styles in five groups. Each row gives keywords you can copy, and each group ends with a full example prompt.

The keywords describe the visual traits of a style instead of only naming it. "Impressionist painting" alone works, but "impressionist painting, visible brushstrokes, dappled light" gets you closer, more consistently.

How to use a style keyword

[subject], [style keywords], [color or light]

a lighthouse on a rocky coast, impressionist painting, visible brushstrokes, dappled light, soft pastel colors

Put the subject first and the style after it. If the style is weak, move it to the front or repeat its key trait.

Art movements

Style	Keywords to copy
Renaissance	`Renaissance oil painting, balanced composition, soft modeling, classical figures`
Baroque	`Baroque painting, dramatic chiaroscuro, deep shadows, rich warm tones`
Romanticism	`Romantic landscape painting, sublime nature, stormy sky, tiny figures`
Impressionism	`impressionist painting, visible brushstrokes, dappled light, soft edges`
Post-Impressionism	`post-impressionist painting, bold outlines, thick swirling brushstrokes, vivid color`
Art Nouveau	`Art Nouveau illustration, flowing organic lines, floral borders, decorative frame`
Art Deco	`Art Deco poster, geometric shapes, gold and black, streamlined symmetry`
Cubism	`cubist painting, fragmented geometric planes, multiple viewpoints, muted palette`
Expressionism	`expressionist painting, distorted forms, raw emotional color, heavy brushwork`
Surrealism	`surrealist painting, dreamlike impossible scene, melting forms, precise realism`
Bauhaus	`Bauhaus design, primary colors, simple geometric shapes, clean grid`
Pop Art	`pop art, bold flat colors, halftone dots, comic-style outlines`
Minimalism	`minimalist art, large empty space, few simple shapes, limited palette`
Ukiyo-e	`ukiyo-e woodblock print, flat color areas, bold outlines, Edo period style`
Chinese ink wash	`Chinese ink wash painting, monochrome ink, soft gradients, empty space, mountains in mist`

a fox in a winter forest, ukiyo-e woodblock print, flat color areas, bold outlines, snow falling, muted indigo and red

Painting and drawing media

Style	Keywords to copy
Oil painting	`oil painting, rich layered color, visible canvas texture`
Impasto	`thick impasto oil paint, heavy textured brushstrokes, palette knife marks`
Watercolor	`watercolor painting, soft bleeding edges, transparent washes, white paper showing`
Gouache	`gouache painting, matte opaque color, flat clean shapes, slightly chalky finish`
Acrylic	`acrylic painting, bright opaque color, crisp edges`
Charcoal	`charcoal drawing, smudged dark tones, rough paper texture, expressive strokes`
Graphite pencil	`detailed graphite pencil drawing, fine hatching, grey tones, sketchbook page`
Pen and ink	`pen and ink illustration, cross-hatching, black lines on white paper`
Pastel	`soft pastel drawing, powdery texture, gentle blended color`
Colored pencil	`colored pencil drawing, layered strokes, visible paper grain`
Linocut	`linocut print, bold carved lines, limited two-color palette, rough edges`
Etching	`vintage etching, fine engraved lines, sepia ink, antique book illustration`
Screen print	`screen print poster, flat layered colors, slight misregistration, grainy texture`
Stained glass	`stained glass window, bright colored glass, thick black lead lines, light shining through`
Mosaic	`ancient mosaic, small tiles, visible grout, earthy colors`

a cat sleeping on a windowsill, watercolor painting, soft bleeding edges, transparent washes, white paper showing, warm morning light

Digital and 3D styles

Style	Keywords to copy
Concept art	`digital concept art, painterly, cinematic composition, atmospheric perspective`
Matte painting	`matte painting, epic wide landscape, photoreal details, film background`
Pixel art	`pixel art, 16-bit, limited palette, crisp square pixels, retro game sprite`
Low poly	`low poly 3d, flat shaded triangles, simple geometric forms`
Isometric	`isometric 3d illustration, 45-degree view, miniature diorama, clean shading`
Voxel art	`voxel art, small 3d cubes, blocky shapes, bright colors`
3D render	`3d render, soft studio lighting, smooth materials, clean background`
Claymation	`claymation, plasticine figures, fingerprint texture, stop-motion look`
Paper cut	`layered paper cut art, stacked paper layers, soft shadows between layers`
Vaporwave	`vaporwave, pink and teal gradient, Roman bust, retro computer graphics`
Synthwave	`synthwave, neon grid horizon, purple and magenta sunset, 1980s retro-futurism`
Cyberpunk	`cyberpunk, neon-lit rainy streets, dense signage, high-tech low-life`
Solarpunk	`solarpunk, green city with gardens on buildings, solar panels, bright optimistic light`
Steampunk	`steampunk, brass gears, Victorian machinery, copper pipes, steam`
Glitch art	`glitch art, RGB channel shift, digital distortion, scan lines`

a small coffee shop on a street corner, isometric 3d illustration, miniature diorama, clean shading, soft pastel colors

Illustration and cartoon styles

Style	Keywords to copy
Children's book	`children's book illustration, soft colors, gentle shapes, warm and friendly`
Comic book	`comic book art, bold ink outlines, halftone shading, dynamic panel composition`
Manga	`black and white manga, screentone shading, expressive ink lines`
Anime	`anime style, cel shading, clean line art, vivid colors`
Hand-painted anime background	`hand-painted anime film background, lush detailed scenery, soft clouds, nostalgic light`
Flat vector	`flat vector illustration, simple shapes, no gradients, limited palette`
Line art	`clean line art, single weight black lines, no shading, white background`
Chibi	`chibi style, big head small body, cute rounded features`
Rubber hose cartoon	`1930s rubber hose cartoon, black and white, bendy limbs, pie-cut eyes`
Tattoo flash	`traditional tattoo flash, bold black outlines, limited red green yellow palette`
Sticker	`die-cut sticker design, thick white border, simple bold shapes`
Storybook fantasy	`fantasy storybook painting, rich detail, golden light, whimsical`
Caricature	`caricature, exaggerated features, playful ink and wash`
Woodcut	`medieval woodcut illustration, rough black lines, hand-carved texture`
Infographic	`clean infographic illustration, icons, simple diagram style, flat colors`

a dragon reading a map in a library, children's book illustration, soft colors, gentle shapes, warm and friendly, cozy lamp light

Photography styles

These change how a photo looks rather than what is in it. For focal length and camera terms, see the lens prompt cheat sheet.

Style	Keywords to copy
Analog film	`35mm film photo, fine film grain, slightly faded colors`
Instant photo	`instant film photo, soft focus, washed-out colors, white border`
Black and white documentary	`black and white documentary photography, high contrast, grainy, candid`
Cinematic still	`cinematic film still, anamorphic widescreen, teal and orange grade`
Fashion editorial	`high fashion editorial photo, studio lighting, bold pose, clean backdrop`
Long exposure	`long exposure photo, silky water, light trails, sharp static elements`
Double exposure	`double exposure, silhouette filled with a landscape, blended images`
Infrared	`infrared photography, white foliage, dark sky, dreamlike tones`
Tilt-shift	`tilt-shift photo, miniature effect, narrow band of focus`
Product photography	`product photography, softbox lighting, clean seamless background`

an old diner at night, 35mm film photo, fine film grain, slightly faded colors, neon sign glowing, empty parking lot

Mixing styles

Two styles can work together when one sets the medium and the other sets the theme:

[subject], [medium style], [theme style]

a futuristic city skyline, ukiyo-e woodblock print, cyberpunk neon signs

a robot gardener, watercolor painting, solarpunk greenery

a knight in armor, pixel art, Art Nouveau floral frame

Three or more styles usually blend into a vague average. If a style disappears, give it more weight: in Stable Diffusion UIs, (watercolor painting:1.3); in Midjourney, put it at the start of the prompt.

Tips

Describe the traits, not just the name. "Art Deco" plus "geometric shapes, gold and black" is more reliable than "Art Deco" alone.
Match style and subject. A photography style needs a photographable scene; a pixel art style works better with simple subjects.
Use the negative prompt to stop style drift. For an illustration, add photograph, photorealistic, 3d render to the negative field. See the negative prompt lists.
Movements over living artists. Naming movements and techniques gives you the look without copying a specific living artist's work.
Expect differences between models. Anime checkpoints do anime better than base models; photo checkpoints resist painterly styles. For SDXL specifics, see the SDXL prompt guide.

Build your prompt

The prompt generator lets you pick a style and combine it with your subject, lighting and camera terms. It runs in your browser and does not generate images.