21 Best Prompts for AI Art Generators to get Stunning Images (Free Method)

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I am about to show the best AI art prompts that will make your content go from unnoticed to unforgettable.

In just a few clicks. And only using free tools.

best AI art prompts for free

But you are not only getting my favorite prompts I‘ve collected over the last year!

I will show you a secret method that will make your AI prompts instantly better.

The Best AI Art Prompts

To create better AI art than 99% of people, you must try these unique art styles.

They will set your images apart from the rest.

You can discover the best AI art prompts grouped into 9 categories.

And every prompt has a customizable template – allowing you to tailor them to whatever you envision.

All you have to do:

  • copy a prompt
  • fill in the brackets
  • start creating attention-grabbing images that will elevate your content instantly.

**Each reference image was made with Dall-E, which you can use for free with Bing Create.

AI Prompts for 3D Art

You can generate 3D art to appear lifelike, but I prefer a more stylistically unique look.

3D Characters

“3D character of a guy wearing a black hoodie, shades with his arms crossed, Chibi proportions, soft shading, pastel colors, white background”

“3D character of a businesswoman with glasses leaning on the purple Instagram logo with arms crossed, Chibi proportions, soft shading, pastel colors, long-shot full body view, white background”

“3D character of a [character description] [pose/ expression], Chibi proportions, soft shading, pastel colors, long-shot full body view, [background composition]”

3D Objects

“3D object of a tube-tv with glitch screen, minimal details, soft shading, pastel colors, long-shot full view, white background”

“3D object of a megaphone shooting flames, minimal details, soft shading, pastel colors, full view long-shot, white background”

“3D object of a [object] [additional descriptors], minimal details, soft shading, pastel colors, full view long-shot, white background”

AI Prompts for Watercolor Art

Watercolor art is one of my favorite styles to create with AI image generators. It’s expressive and the textures add depth and interest to the images.

Watercolor Painting

floating astronaut entering a red portal door in space, distant starlight, in the style of a watercolor painting with contrasting colors and intricate brushstrokes

pirate ship with skull-flag sailing on the amazon river, dark jungle landscape, red lighting from the sunset, in the style of a watercolor painting with contrasting colors and intricate brushstrokes

[character/object description] [action] [background], in the style of a watercolor painting with contrasting colors and intricate brushstrokes

Guache Painting

low angle shot of gazing women wearing a flower crown in guache painting style, vibrant colors, loose washed

low angle shot of a laughing devil in guache painting style, vibrant colors, loose washed

low angle shot of a [character description] in guache painting style, vibrant colors, loose washed

Calligraphy

Mammoth as a dark calligraphy artwork with expressive brushstrokes.

Meditating monk as a dark calligraphy artwork with expressive brushstrokes.

[subject] as a dark calligraphy artwork with expressive brushstrokes

AI Prompts for Pixel Art

Pixelart works great for creating game-like designs.

But you can give any image a blocky aesthetic, such as landscapes, icons, portraits, and animals by adding „pixel art“ to your prompt.

Pixel Character Design

character in pixel art style of a green ogre holding a large wooden club, kawaii fantasy game aesthetic, long-shot full body view, white background

character in pixel art style of a female archer holding a bow, kawaii fantasy game aesthetic, long-shot full body view, white background

character in pixel art style of a [character description] [pose/ expression], kawaii fantasy game aesthetic, long-shot full body view, [background composition]

Retro Pixel Game

Top-down pixel art of an giant frog in a cyberpunk city, retro game aesthetic

Top-down pixel art style of a cyborg in the Jurassic era, retro game aesthetic

Top-down pixel art style of a [subject] in [environment] , retro game aesthetic

AI Prompts for Anime

Exaggerated expressions, dynamic actions, and distinct character designs characterize anime art styles. While the older, „vintage“ animes use muted colors, the newer anime styles are typically colorful and use vibrant accents.

Folklore Anime

vintage Japanese folklore illustration of a princess wearing oni mask inside a magical forest, exaggerated expression, flat and muted colors, dynamic lighting, bold textures

vintage Japanese folklore illustration of an anthropomorphic koi-samurai holding katana, exaggerated expression, mount fuji background, flat and muted colors, dynamic lighting, bold textures

vintage Japanese folklore illustration of a [character description] [pose/ expression], exaggerated expression, [background], flat and muted colors, dynamic lighting, bold textures

Shonen Jump

Anime illustration of a spiky green-haired man with a scarred face holding three swords with his hands and mouth, exaggerated features and dynamic action, ancient temple ruins background, Muted flat colors with vibrant accents, minimal shading, Sharp details

Anime illustration of a blonde elf with red eyes and a threatening expression, exaggerated features and dynamic action, dark whimsical forest, Muted flat colors with vibrant accents, minimal shading, Sharp details

Anime illustration of [character description] [pose/ expression], exaggerated features and dynamic action, [background] Muted flat colors with vibrant accents, minimal shading, Sharp details

Moe Style

Anime illustration of a smiling woman holding a pizza-box, exaggerated pose and expression, tiny planet landscape, bright aesthetic with flat colors and vibrant accents, cartoonish charm

Anime illustration of a guy holding a chubby orange cat, exaggerated pose and expression, cloudy sky background, bright aesthetic with flat colors and vibrant accents, cartoonish charm

Anime illustration of a [character description] [pose/ expression], exaggerated pose and expression, [background], bright aesthetic with flat colors and vibrant accents, cartoonish charm

AI Prompts for Abstract Art

„Abstract art dives into a world beyond representation“. And there is no better tool to recreate your wildest imaginations than AI art generators.

Dream Art

Dream-art of a black cat, morphing effect creating sunflowers, forest background

Dream-art of a female profile, morphing effect creating leafs, white background

Dream-art of a [subject], morphing effect creating [object], [background]

Mixed Media Art

Mixed media art of a yellow mouse, abstract composition, blending various artistic techniques and materials

Mixed media art of an apple tree, blending various artistic techniques and materials

Mixed media art of a [subject], blending various artistic techniques and materials

Abstract Patterns

Abstract illustration of a male profile, double exposure effect creating colorful patterns

Abstract illustration of blue whale, double exposure effect creating colorful patterns

Abstract illustration of a [subject], double exposure effect creating colorful patterns

AI Prompts for Realistic Images

AI does a fantastic job recreating a realistic look, but the tools struggle to capture the imperfections of our world, leading to a sterile and overly perfect look. Still, here are a few simple prompts you can use to get professional-looking photographs.

Street Photography

High resolution photograph of a smiling women holding an umbrella in rainy London, resembling a photo taken on a digital camera.

High resolution photograph of a female athlete running on a track, resembling a photo taken on a digital camera.

High resolution photograph of a [subject], [action], [location], resembling a photo taken on a digital camera.

Macro Photography

Macro Photography of a chili tortilla chip laying on a marble countertop, close focus with narrow depth, super detailed, soft lighting, shot on a Nikon D850

Macro Photography of a gold beetle on a green leaf, blue sky, sharp focus with narrow depth, super detailed, soft lighting, shot on a Nikon D850

Macro Photography of a [subject], [setting], close focus with narrow depth, super detailed, soft lighting, shot on a Nikon D850

Black and White Photography

Horizontal black and white photo-shoot of an 1920 bearded fisherman standing on the dock, shot on a professional camera, soft lighting, strong contrast, detailed

Vertical black and white photo-shoot of brutalism architecture in an apocalyptic landscape, shot on a professional camera, soft lighting, strong contrast, detailed

Vertical black and white photo-shoot of a [subject], [action], [setting], shot on a professional camera, soft lighting, strong contrast, detailed

AI Prompts for Simple Art

Simple Illustrations are great for capturing people’s interest with minimal elements. Their clean look is perfect for web design, articles, and social media posts.

Minimalist

Line art illustration of a [subject], white background

Minimalist illustration of a [subject] [action], limited pastel color palette, white background

Flat Illustrations

Flat illustration of a [subject] [action], white background

Flat 3D illustration of [subject] [action], muted colors with vibrant accents, white background

Vector Art

Vector-art of a [subject] enclosed in a circle, few solid colors, bold-outlines, white background

Vector Pop-art illustration of a [subject], bold outlines, white background

AI Prompts for Icon Art

From basic, to 3D – these AI icon prompts can give your web design or content a unique look.

Simple Icons

[object] as a minimalist website icon, white background

[object] as a minimalist website icon in-front a solid [color] circle, white background

Flat Icons

Minimalist emoji-style icon of a [subject/object], 2 flat colors, white background

Flat icon art of an [object a] with [object b], white background

3D Icons

3D icon of a [object], [color] gradient, white background

3D icon of a [object], [color] monochromatic colors, white background

AI Prompts for Horror Art

Need unsettling images? Then try these prompts.

Metal Album Cover Art

Grim Reaper riding a skeleton horse, exaggerated features, red and dark color palette, Strong lines, high contrast, unsettling, macabre, daunting forest with moonlight background

giant ogre with antlers holding a giant bone in hell, exaggerated features, red and dark color palette, Strong lines, high contrast, unsettling, macabre, daunting cave background

[subject description] [action] exaggerated features, red and dark color palette, Strong lines, high contrast, unsettling, macabre, [background composition]

Taro Cards

Card styles work best using Dall-E with ChatGPT, since you can change the aspect ratio to vertical, but you get similar results using Bing Create.

vertical tarot-art style wooden puppet with long nose wearing a straw-hat, sunny landscape background, vintage-effect, muted colors with vibrant accents

vertical tarot-art style plague doctor at a decaying church, red dawn with crows, vintage-effect, muted colors with vibrant accents

tarot art style of a [subject] [pose/ expression], [background setting], vintage effect, muted colors with vibrant accents

Now that you have the best AI art prompts to generate captivating images..
You should discover how to use AI to boost your social media!

How to write the best AI art prompts

We all know how important images are to stand out on social media.

They elevate your content by visually telling your audience a story, grabbing their attention, and evoking emotions greater than words could ever.

But can AI recreate emotion? It’s just a tool using complex algorithms – no emotions evolved.

While this might be true, there’s a way to get AI images that capture the essence of any feeling.

And here is the secret to writing the best AI art prompts:

  • Think about what you want your audience to feel.
  • Focus on details that evoke strong emotions.

Since it‘s difficult to describe feelings with words, I‘ve gathered a list of powerful descriptions that will enrich your AI images with emotion:

Emotion Descriptors
Happiness Radiant, bright, uplifting colors, Laughter, Exuberant, dancing lights and colors, laughter, warm, sunny fields
Sadness Cool, muted colors, fading light, candle burning out, gloomy
Anger Aggressive shades of red or deep black. Lightning strikes, and scenes of destruction, fuming, boiling
Fear Shadowy, daunting imagery, fog-shrouded forests, abandoned places, and startled eyes peering into the dark, daunting, terrified
Surprise Stark contrasts with sudden splashes of rainbow hues. Wide-eyed expressions, gift unwrapping, and awe-inspiring natural phenomena, shocked, gasp
Disgust Sickly, unappealing shades of green or brown. Rotting food, cluttered spaces, slime, and wrinkled noses in distaste.
Trust Harmonious, gentle colors like sky blue or pastel green. Firm handshakes, loyal pets beside their owners.
Anticipation Energetic scenes, seeds about to sprout, and calendars marked with special dates, keen, eager, ready for.
Optimism Dawn’s first light, paths leading into lush landscapes, and faces aglow with hope, bright, sunny, positive, hopeful.
Pessimism Darkening skies, the last leaves falling from a tree, and deserted paths leading nowhere, doubtful, bleak.
Love Deep, heartfelt scenes with rosy hues, warm, sweet, cozy.
Pride Majestic, triumphant imagery. Standing atop a mountain, flags waving in victory.
Hope Gentle rays of sunlight breaking through darkness, plant emerging from barren land, and eyes gazing towards distant possibilities.
Curiosity Bright, inquisitive scenes. Fingerprints on dusty windows, maps and compasses on an adventure, and telescopes pointed at the stars.
Awe Grand, breathtaking vistas. Gazing up at towering waterfalls, the expanse of the galaxy above, and individuals lost in the magnificence of nature.

The rest is quite simple. Describe your subject, the action that is happening, its environment and art style. Want to learn how to become a better AI artist in 6 easy steps? Then check out my guide on how to make AI art.