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Writer's pictureLocutus

Exploring Prompts - Abstract Dystopias

November 19, 2024

Dystopian surreal abstract image of a dryad in an autumn forest of bonsai trees.
Dryad (Dall-e3 in ChatGPT)

In this post I will explore the "Abstract Dystopias" prompt. This "prompt" is more of a process in which I take certain core modifiers, add a (typically) vague subject, and ask the AI Art Assistant to generate a prompt. The AI Art Assistant (a GPT I created) then typically creates a long, very detailed prompt. I then ask the AI Art Assistant to create an image using this prompt.


This process cedes a great deal of "creative" control to the AI. Dall-e3 excels at embellishing prompts, but of course modifications can be made to the prompt at any point of the process.


Basic Prompt Elements

Artist Modifiers - No artist modifiers are needed in this prompt.


Style Modifiers - the "core" style modifiers include: post impressionist study ink sketch overlaid with [see optional modifiers], impasto, abstract figures showing geometric frameworks beneath their surfaces, expressionism, dystopian surrealism. Optional modifiers include: I have "overlaid" the ink with oil-based paints, gouache, and watercolors, and sometimes included impasto and moody. I have also added create a deep texture using layers and wet on dry technique, particularly when using watercolors, and worked on various versions of the geometric frameworks modifiers (favoring geometric underpinnings in later prompts).


Color Modifiers - No specific color modifiers are used.


Subject Modifiers - any subject matter is permissible - in the image above I used dryad in a rainy autumn bonsai forest


Prompt to AI Art Assistant

Create a prompt for a post impressionist study ink sketch overlaid with watercolors, create a deep texture using layers and wet on dry technique, abstract figures showing geometric frameworks beneath their surfaces, expressionism, dryad in a rainy autumn bonsai forest, dystopian surrealism, moody


Prompt AI Art Assistant 'Created'

A post-impressionist study combining intricate ink sketches with layered, textured watercolors, depicting a hauntingly beautiful dryad standing in a rainy autumn bonsai forest, rendered with wet-on-dry techniques. The forest, a dense tangle of miniature, gnarled trees in muted amber, rust, and ashen green tones, is shrouded in a thin veil of rain, with drops streaking the scene in shimmering, translucent layers. The dryad, her form abstract and fragmented, blends seamlessly with the trees, her geometric framework subtly visible beneath the expressive watercolor strokes. Her skin, textured with bark-like patterns, glows faintly against the moody, dystopian backdrop of an overcast sky and distant, crumbling industrial structures. Expressionistic brushstrokes convey motion and unease, while puddles reflecting the trees and glowing autumn leaves bring depth and emotion to the composition. The atmosphere is one of melancholic beauty, capturing the fragile, surreal connection between nature and decay in a broken world.


Notes

This prompt works best with Dall-e3, although you can use it (or versions of it) and get some interesting results with other models.


Variation - My Street

Dystopian surreal abstract image of a city street.
My Street (Dall-e3 in ChatGPT)

This was one of the first images created using this process.


Prompt to AI Art Assistant

 Create a prompt for a post impressionist study ink sketch overlaid with oil-based paints, impasto, abstract figures showing geometric frameworks beneath their surfaces, expressionism, urban landscape, dystopian surrealism, moody


Prompt AI Art Assistant 'Created'

An intricate post-impressionist study combining ink sketches and oil-based paints, depicting a dystopian urban landscape with abstract figures showing fragmented geometric frameworks beneath their textured surfaces. The ink lines form a foundation of chaotic, angular architecture—crumbling skyscrapers and labyrinthine streets etched with precision and shadowy detail. Overlaid, thick impasto strokes in muted tones—grimy ochres, bruised purples, and decaying greens—create a tactile, almost gritty atmosphere. The figures, both human and machine-like, are distorted yet translucent, their fractured frameworks visible beneath expressive brushstrokes. The scene pulsates with tension, as twisted streetlights and jagged wires slice through a smoky, oppressive sky. The expressionistic use of texture and color adds an eerie vibrancy to the decayed urban sprawl, blending the raw energy of oil paint with the stark precision of ink to create a moody, surreal composition


If you use this prompt, enjoy! And if you use it on NightCafe, please let me know (@Locutus_of_Borg).

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