Let’s get real for a second, AI art is addictive.
If you’ve ever typed “cyberpunk cat in Tokyo” into Midjourney or DALL·E, you know the thrill I’m talking about.
But after that first dopamine rush, most people hit a wall:
What now? Which styles should you actually try? Which ones make your art pop, and which are just overhyped noise?
Well, I’ve spent the past year experimenting with AI Image generation tools, not just for fun but for actual work, prints, social posts, and, yes, even commissions. I’ve broken models (accidentally), trained LoRAs (intentionally), and learned which styles are worth your time.
So, here we have come up with a list of 30 art styles that can be explored using AI. With prompt tips, uses, and tricks only an obsessed human artist could share.
1. Studio Ghibli
The infamous Ghibli style is soft, emotional, and deeply nostalgic, illustrated by dreamlike environments, pastel skies, and gentle lighting.
It grows on, capturing “the feeling of wonder,” often through nature, retro towns, and expressive characters. AI tools like Midjourney and Leonardo.ai can recreate this tone well with the right wording.
Prompt tips: Use words like Ghibli-inspired sky with drifting clouds, lush forest path, or whimsical village. Also, make sure to avoid overloading with sharp or hyper-realistic terms; they break the softness of this style.
Note: We are using the Ghibli style, but this is just for learning, not to mimic mindlessly. Respect the Originals.
Also see: How to Use AI Tools as an Artist (the smart way)
2. Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk images are loud, complex, and chaotic in the best way. It has flashing neon signs, dystopian cityscapes, chrome surfaces, and shadows of rebellion.
It reflects the tension between high-tech and low-life. AI is great in this aesthetic but can easily overdo the contrast and saturation.
This style is perfect for music video thumbnails, book covers, or fictional cityscapes in world-building projects.
I once created a “neon samurai” poster in this style for my friend. The character’s backstory wasn’t written yet, but the image was so strong it inspired an entire script of the story.
Prompt tips: Use phrases like neon-lit city, rain-soaked alley, cyberpunk Tokyo, cinematic lighting, and dystopian ambiance.
Midjourney is the best tool for this style; combine it with Photoshop to soften rough spots.
Also see: 9 Best Image to Art AI Websites (tried & tested)
3. Low Poly
The low poly art style reduces a subject to simple geometric shapes, giving it a clean, modern, often playful look.
Think of early 3D games or stylized mobile apps. It’s ideal for branding, game assets, and websites that need clarity and personality.
I designed a low-poly fox mascot using AI for a client’s productivity app, which was appreciated by many. You can use it for mobile game previews, startup mascots, or even NFT collections.
Prompt tips: Use words like Low poly island, minimal shading, pastel palette, blocky trees, and stylized clouds to achieve this style.
Not all AI models get this right. Only specialized LoRAs or trained diffusion models work better.
4. Oil Painting (Impressionism)
This classic style imitates the textured, brush-heavy look of oil on canvas.
With AI, you can infuse the charm of Impressionist masters like Van Gogh or Monet, especially when painting light, landscapes, or everyday scenes.
The secret lies in emulating motion and emotion, not photorealism. It has a wide range of uses, from art prints, decor mockups and album covers.
Prompt tips: Use Impressionist oil painting of street café, evening light, heavy brush strokes, and Monet-style in prompts to guide AI for this style.
Use lighting cues like “golden hour” or “sunlit haze” to create mood depth.
5. Vaporwave
This aesthetic is a digital fever dream. Think 90s nostalgia with a futuristic twist with those gradient skies, Greek sculptures, palm trees, glitch effects, and retro tech.
Vaporwave isn’t just a visual. It’s an ironic internet-born culture. AI handles it well but needs balance to avoid becoming a mess.
This style is suitable for music visualizers, Instagram aesthetics, and merch.
Prompt tips: For prompting, use words like vaporwave landscape, synth-wave sky, grid horizon, nostalgic 90s tones, and VHS texture. Stick to purple, pink, blue, and neon orange for authenticity.
6. Pixel Art
Pixel art is minimal, detailed, and built from tiny squares. While it’s iconic in retro gaming, AI surprisingly struggles to generate it cleanly without trained models.
Most outputs get blurry or inconsistent unless you use platforms tailored for pixel-level generation. Game prototypes, icons, stickers, or nostalgic design assets are the main use case of this art style.
Prompt tips: Use terms like 8-bit pixel art, top-down RPG style, a character with a red cape, or tile-based background to generate pixel art.
For this style, try the Stable Diffusion with the PixelArtDiffusion model or run post-processing filters on regular AI images.
7. Line Art
Simple yet expressive, line art reduces subjects to their core form. It’s excellent for icons, tattoos, and minimalist branding.
AI can be surprisingly good at generating clean linework, especially for portraits and flora. It is useful for Branding, tattoo design, and editorial illustrations.
Prompt tips: Use terms like Minimalist line art portrait, black ink on white, elegant strokes, and no shading to try this style.
8. Pop Art
Pop art is bold, graphic, and rooted in commercial culture. It is known for repeated imagery, flat color zones, and satire.
AI can simulate Warhol-style art well if you guide it, but it tends to overdo patterns or miss the playful irony.
Prompt tips: Keywords to insert while prompting are pop art portraits, bold primary colors, halftone dots, and Roy Lichtenstein style.
Also, add speech bubbles or comic-style frames to the post for added flair.
9. Fantasy Concept Art
If you’ve ever seen a game trailer or Dungeons & Dragons cover, you know this style: sweeping landscapes, mythical creatures, and epic lighting.
AI does incredibly well here with rich prompts. It is used all over, from posters to merch and parody content.
Prompt tips: Terms like epic fantasy battle in snowy valley, elven archers, cinematic lighting, high detail, and Weta Workshop influence work well in prompts.
Always mention the time of day or atmosphere (misty dawn, stormy dusk) for depth.
10. Realism
AI-generated realism has gotten terrifyingly good. It is sometimes even better than stock photography.
From food and faces to cityscapes and products, it’s practical, fast, and hyper-customizable.
I once replaced a stock photo of a Studio with an AI-generated one for a blog. No one noticed. In fact, a reader commented, “Where did you shoot this?” My reply: “In the Matrix.”
Prompt tips: Realistic photo of a street market at dusk, shallow depth of field, Canon DSLR quality. Use post tools like Canva or Photoshop to tweak lighting and avoid that “too perfect” look.
11. 3D Render Style
This style mimics professional 3D software outputs like Blender or Cinema4D, featuring soft shadows, realistic reflections, and clean depth.
AI-generated 3D visuals are ideal when you need realism without modeling anything manually. It is highly useful for product mockups, tech illustrations, YouTube thumbnails, and landing pages.
Prompt tips: 3D render of a futuristic home office, soft shadows, isometric view, high poly, cinematic lighting. Add terms like “unreal engine,” “octane render,” or “volumetric light” for a hyperreal edge.
12. Anime Style
Anime art has universal appeal. It has expressive faces, dramatic shading, and larger-than-life poses.
While AI can now nail the “anime aesthetic,” capturing emotion and scene composition is what separates a good output from a generic one.
You can use this style for Avatars, fan art, VTuber designs, and manga previews.
Prompt tips: Use keywords like Anime girl in school uniform, standing under cherry blossoms, golden hour, soft lighting, and Makoto Shinkai style for image generation.
13. Watercolor
Watercolor brings emotion through fluid edges, organic blending, and imperfect textures.
AI struggles a bit here as too much sharpness ruins it, but subtle prompts can guide it to generate expressive, print-worthy art.
You can use watercolor for greeting cards, digital prints, children’s books, and fashion illustrations.
Prompt tips: Use words like Watercolor painting of a rainy Paris street, soft bleed, muted tones, and traditional brush style for AI watercolor art. Always specify “soft edges” and “no harsh outlines” for up-to-mark results.
14. Dark Fantasy or Gothic Art
Gothic and dark fantasy styles are rich in symbolism, shadows, and otherworldly drama.
AI does wonders with this when guided well. It is ideal for metal band covers, game storyboards, or tarot-style illustrations. People widely use this style for book covers, album art, and AI horror comics.
Prompt tips: Use terms like Gothic cathedral ruins, misty moonlight, hooded figure, dark fantasy art, and moody shadows to generate Gothic art. Use modifiers like “desolate,” “ethereal,” and “haunting” to control emotion.
15. Paper Cut or Collage Style
Think of layers of cut-colored paper that are flat but have dimensional shadows. AI can simulate this crafty look, which is perfect for modern editorial design, posters, or children’s illustrations.
This style is popular for magazine spreads, animated explainer videos, and DIY-themed brands.
Prompt tips: Feed words, like the layered paper cut forest, pastel colors, drop shadows, and clean vector feel, to guide AI tools for this style. Also, you can mention “drop shadows” and “layered paper texture” to enhance realism.
16. Grunge or Distressed Style
Grunge art leans into texture, decay, and visual rebellion. With AI, you can generate gritty overlays, punk-style graphics, or album art that feels worn and real. The key layering roughness over bold composition.
This style can be seen on Album covers, protest art, and streetwear visuals.
Prompt tips: For image generation, use terms like Grunge poster of a screaming face, newspaper collage texture, chaotic lines, and red and black ink. Add words like “cracked,” “dusty,” “vintage xerox,” or “ink smudges” for extra details.
17. Steampunk
This retro-futuristic style combines Victorian classiness with mechanical imagination, cogs, goggles, brass, and steam.
AI can produce amazing steampunk characters or inventions if you layer visual cues into your prompts.
Prompt tips: Use keywords like steampunk airship over London, brass pipes, gears, cloudy sky, and Jules Verne style for prompts. Use storytelling terms like “inventor’s lab” or “mechanical marvel” for depth.
18. Flat Design or Vector Style
The flat design is clean, minimal, and modern. It’s built for infographics, UI, and brand visuals.
AI doesn’t generate true SVGs (yet), but it can simulate the flat aesthetic, which is great for placeholders or conception.
Vectors are extremely useful for App onboarding screens, explainer graphics, and pitch decks.
Prompt tips: Use words like Flat vector illustration of a digital marketer on a laptop, bold colors, long shadows, and simple shapes. Mention “long shadows” or “modern color palette” for extra glow.
19. Surrealism or Dreamcore
Surreal AI art feels like a dream or a nightmare. Uncanny juxtapositions, impossible logic, floating islands, or twisted proportions dominate.
AI loves surrealism but needs balance to avoid gibberish. You can use this style for editorial storytelling, album art, and poster design.
Prompt tips: Use Keywords like surreal dreamscape, clock melting over the mountain, sky full of eyes, and Dali-inspired for generating AI art of this style. Use contrast that is something real as well as something impossible.
20. Comic Book Style
From Marvel-like realism to indie sketch styles, comic art is defined by its bold lines, exaggerated motion, and ink-heavy rendering.
AI does well here with precise, prompt direction and a bit of post-cleaning. Comic book style is useful for storyboarding, webcomic pitch, and educational comics.
It can easily turn a boring FAQ into something share-worthy.
Prompt tips: Use words like comic book panel of a superhero landing, dynamic pose, inking lines, bold halftone background, and 90s comic style. Mention “speech bubble,” “inking,” or “cel-shading” for authenticity.
21. Pointillism
Inspired by Seurat, this style builds forms using dots. AI can fake it surprisingly well with the right prompt, especially when mixed with a soft color palette.
It has several use cases, from art prints to calendars and educational content.
Prompt tips: Use terms like pointillism painting of a spring meadow, soft dots, and Georges Seurat style for image generation. Include “dot technique,” “stippling,” or “soft focus.”
22. Cubism
Cubism is wild, which breaks perspectives and reshapes reality. It’s messy on purpose. AI can mimic Picasso and Braque or even push Cubism in new directions. Popular among people, it is used in editorials, art zines, and experimental projects.
Prompt tips: For prompt, use words like a cubist portrait of a jazz musician, abstract geometry, and multiple perspectives. Also, combine “asymmetry,” “fragmented face,” and “pastel cubism” for a modern vibe.
23. Chiaroscuro
This one’s all about light and shadow. Inspired by Renaissance painters like Caravaggio, chiaroscuro gives depth, emotion, and drama to a scene.
AI can make breathtaking results here if you focus on contrast. Create classic portraits, film posters, and digital fine art using this style.
Prompt tips: Use words like chiaroscuro portrait, candlelight, and Rembrandt lighting in prompts for image generation in this style. Mention “tenebrism,” “high contrast,” and “Baroque lighting” for better nuance.
24. Whimsical or Storybook Style
Soft, cute, and quirky, this style feels hand-drawn and dreamy. Think “children’s book meets Wes Anderson.” AI can pull this off well, especially for publishing or product packaging.
I once illustrated a bedtime story using AI in this style. Parents loved it, and surprisingly, one kid refused to read anything else for a week.
Prompt tips: Use whimsical forest with animals wearing hats, pastel colors, and storybook illustrations for image generation. For better results, try “soft brush,” “hand-painted,” or “storybook texture.”
25. Retro Futurism
Imagine the future, but as seen from the past. Chrome robots, pastel-colored planets, and women in cone bras sipping soda on the moon. That’s Retro Futurism.
It’s the kind of vibe that sci-fi paperback covers from the ’70s were drenched in.
Prompt tips: Guide the model with the right references: “Jetsons,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” or “retro-tech magazine illustration.” Skip the modern sci-fi cues, or you’ll end up with sterile Star Wars renders. And yes, don’t forget to filter out anything hyper-realistic. That kills the vibe.
26. Doodle Art
Doodle art is what happens when your brain wanders and your pen follows. The result? Chaos, jokes, eyeballs with legs, and even pizza flying through space.
I actually tested this for a children’s product packaging idea. The results were charming as I used specific artists’ names, such as Jon Burgerman or Mr Doodle, for reference.
It’s not perfect. You’ll often need to upscale or refine the outputs, especially if you’re using it commercially. But if you want raw, happy randomness, doodles are your friend.
Prompt tips: Include messy, hand-drawn, and asymmetrical in your prompt. Remove clean lines, symmetry, or realistic proportions. Trust me.
27. Zine Style
Now, we’re entering the riot zone. Think black-and-white scans, ransom-note typography, political rage, and pages that look made with glue sticks and attitude.
This one took a bit of experimentation. Most AI tools want to polish everything that doesn’t fit. I had to force the model to get ugly like zines are supposed to be.
Prompt tips: Throw in terms like photocopy texture, grunge overlay, and cut-out magazine, and you’ll see a difference.
28. Claymation
There’s something nostalgic about claymation. Maybe it’s the fingerprints in the clay or the slightly awkward poses. Think Wallace & Gromit or Coraline.
Prompt tips: AI can mimic this style surprisingly well if you’re specific. Add phrases like hand-modeled, soft lighting, or felt texture. Avoid terms like “3D render” unless you want Pixar vibes.
Downside? This style eats up prompt tokens quickly. You’ll often need multiple runs to get the face right.
29. Ukiyo-e (Japanese Woodblock Print Style)
Ukiyo-e is elegant and controlled but packed with drama. Whether Hokusai’s waves or delicate courtesans, this style works on balance, texture, and bold outlines.
You’d think AI might struggle with this, but it nails it pretty well if you use artists’ names like Hiroshige or Kuniyoshi.
Prompt tips: Use prompts grounded in tradition. Avoid modern lighting or depth terms. Think flat color, rice paper, and block-printed texture.
30. Scribble (Sketchbook Style)
Lastly, a raw style and one of the favourite to traditional artist. Rough pencil lines, crossed-out mistakes, little notes in the corner. It feels honest.
This style is perfect for storyboarding, mood boards, or showing the early stages of a concept without the pressure to make it look perfect.
Prompt tips: AI struggles here sometimes. It likes to finish things. Prompt right with something like a rough pencil draft, unfinished sketch, or cross-hatched lines to get an unpolished scribble effect.
I hope you have loved this post on “30 AI Art Styles You Can Steal Today.”
Now, tell which art style you are going to try today.
I’ll wait for your comment!