The full prompt
a young woman in Song-dynasty robes, standing under an old plum tree in light snow, narrow palette of indigo, ivory and faded crimson, ink wash illustration with light watercolor texture, three-quarter view, soft diffused light, traditional composition with empty top half, restrained brushwork, subtle gold leaf accents --ar 2:3 --niji 6 --s 300
Structure breakdown
Three load-bearing moves: narrow palette of (3 colors) blocks chromatic drift; ink wash + light watercolor stops the model from defaulting to thick anime paint or Western digital illustration; empty top half preserves the traditional vertical breathing space.
3 rewrites
a Tang-dynasty dancer in flowing silk robes, surrounded by drifting clouds, narrow palette of ochre, deep teal and dusty rose, mineral pigment illustration with mural texture, frontal view, warm diffused light, dense ornamental border composition, gold leaf details --ar 2:3 --niji 6 --s 350
Palette swap to ochre + deep teal + dusty rose; brush swap to mineral pigment + mural texture; composition becomes dense ornamental.
a court lady in late Ming-dynasty attire, holding a paper fan, narrow palette of jade green, cream and antique gold, gongbi fine-line painting with meticulous detail, three-quarter view, very soft light, traditional silk-scroll composition with empty top third, hairline brushwork --ar 2:3 --niji 6 --s 250
Fine-line illustration: hairline brushwork + meticulous detail + jade/cream/gold palette.
a contemporary young woman in modernized robes blouse and wide-leg pants, standing in a minimalist tea room, narrow palette of celadon, ivory and warm grey, semi-flat digital illustration with light texture, three-quarter view, soft natural light, modern minimalist composition --ar 3:4 --niji 6 --s 300
Wardrobe modernized, brush switched to semi-flat digital, palette becomes celadon + ivory + warm grey.
Common pitfalls
Without "narrow palette of", models default to a colorful average. Always specify 2–4 colors explicitly.
"Chinese style + anime + watercolor + oil painting" makes the model pick at random. One dominant brush per prompt.
"Hanfu" is too generic. Use "Song-dynasty hanfu", "Tang-dynasty attire", "late Ming-dynasty robe".
Without "empty top half", traditional breathing space disappears. Specify it.
Tends toward kitsch. Use "soft diffused light" or "warm diffused light".
Parameter table
| Style branch | Recommended model | Stylize | Aspect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ink wash | Niji 6 | --s 300–400 | --ar 2:3 | Demands narrow palette + heavy negative space |
| Mural / mineral | Niji 6 / MJ v6 | --s 350–500 | --ar 2:3 | Dense composition, mineral palette |
| Fine-line / Gongbi | Niji 6 | --s 200–300 | --ar 2:3 | Precise lines — keep --s lower |
| Modern minimal | Niji 6 / SDXL | --s 250–350 | --ar 3:4 | Editorial illustration feel |
| SDXL style LoRA | SDXL | CFG 6.5 | 1024×1360 | Style LoRAs at 0.7–0.9 |