Places & eras
Ukiyo-e / Japanese WoodblockCut, inked, pressed.
Fluid brush-cut outlines and flat color planes build a scene in indigo and vermilion, with a bokashi gradient sky and figures cropped at the edges.
Make it yoursA good fit for
Coastal natural history, harbor field guides, and quiet literary fiction.
A little art direction
Ask for a scene with a clear foreground, middle, and distance in the notes. Keep the subtitle short enough to fit a cartouche.
The palette
From these words to these book covers
Now make it yours See the style in action.
Open larger viewNonfictionThe Bay at Dusk
Open larger viewFiction or poetryLow Tide
Open larger viewNonfictionA Field Guide to Harbors
Open larger viewFiction or poetryFog Signals
Open larger viewFiction or poetryThe Riptides
Real generated examples; your own result will vary. The exact prompt behind each one is further down the page.
Your idea, this style
Make it yours.
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The prompts behind these book covers.
Each cover above was generated from the prompt below it, unedited. Copy one as-is or change the details. Your image-making app may interpret the style differently each time.
Nonfiction · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstThe Bay at DuskRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a nonfiction book, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: The Bay at Dusk Subtitle: A natural history of the San Francisco shoreline Author: Ruth Okafor Publisher: Twin Peaks Editions ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Ukiyo-e / Japanese Woodblock style. Visual vocabulary: bold fluid outlines from a brush-cut keyblock; flat colour areas with no Western-style shading; bokashi — gradated colour within a single area, horizontal bands of lighter-to-darker; strong asymmetric composition; nature or urban scene with distinct foreground/mid/background planes. Lettering direction: Japanese text integrated as a cartouche within the composition; calligraphic artist seal as a design element; Latin text adapted to sit within the visual logic of the print. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, black, cream, muted green; woodblock colour range. Composition: asymmetric; large sky or water area; cropped elements at edges. Atmosphere: serene, composed, atmospheric, technically precise. Keep out of the design: Western Japonisme interpretation (this is the original, not the Western response), gradient shading suggesting Western tonal rendering, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A great wave curling in the foreground, a headland in the middle, a low sun in a graded sky. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstLow TideRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: Low Tide Author: Owen Marram Tagline: A summer, a harbor, a secret kept too long Publisher: Foghorn Books ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Ukiyo-e / Japanese Woodblock style. Visual vocabulary: bold fluid outlines from a brush-cut keyblock; flat colour areas with no Western-style shading; bokashi — gradated colour within a single area, horizontal bands of lighter-to-darker; strong asymmetric composition; nature or urban scene with distinct foreground/mid/background planes. Lettering direction: Japanese text integrated as a cartouche within the composition; calligraphic artist seal as a design element; Latin text adapted to sit within the visual logic of the print. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, black, cream, muted green; woodblock colour range. Composition: asymmetric; large sky or water area; cropped elements at edges. Atmosphere: serene, composed, atmospheric, technically precise. Keep out of the design: Western Japonisme interpretation (this is the original, not the Western response), gradient shading suggesting Western tonal rendering, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES Beached boats on flat sand up close, a small harbor town beyond, distant hills under graded sky. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Nonfiction · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstA Field Guide to HarborsRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a nonfiction book, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: A Field Guide to Harbors Author: Owen Marram Tagline: Boats, birds, and the tide table Publisher: Foghorn Books ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Ukiyo-e / Japanese Woodblock style. Visual vocabulary: bold fluid outlines from a brush-cut keyblock; flat colour areas with no Western-style shading; bokashi — gradated colour within a single area, horizontal bands of lighter-to-darker; strong asymmetric composition; nature or urban scene with distinct foreground/mid/background planes. Lettering direction: Japanese text integrated as a cartouche within the composition; calligraphic artist seal as a design element; Latin text adapted to sit within the visual logic of the print. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, black, cream, muted green; woodblock colour range. Composition: asymmetric; large sky or water area; cropped elements at edges. Atmosphere: serene, composed, atmospheric, technically precise. Keep out of the design: Western Japonisme interpretation (this is the original, not the Western response), gradient shading suggesting Western tonal rendering, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A fishing boat cropped at the edge, gulls mid-distance, a pier and headland far off. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstFog SignalsRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: Fog Signals Subtitle: Stories Author: Ines Calloway Publisher: Posterage Press ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Ukiyo-e / Japanese Woodblock style. Visual vocabulary: bold fluid outlines from a brush-cut keyblock; flat colour areas with no Western-style shading; bokashi — gradated colour within a single area, horizontal bands of lighter-to-darker; strong asymmetric composition; nature or urban scene with distinct foreground/mid/background planes. Lettering direction: Japanese text integrated as a cartouche within the composition; calligraphic artist seal as a design element; Latin text adapted to sit within the visual logic of the print. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, black, cream, muted green; woodblock colour range. Composition: asymmetric; large sky or water area; cropped elements at edges. Atmosphere: serene, composed, atmospheric, technically precise. Keep out of the design: Western Japonisme interpretation (this is the original, not the Western response), gradient shading suggesting Western tonal rendering, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A lighthouse on rocks in the middle distance, foreground reeds, flat bands of fog above. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Fiction or poetry · GPT Image 2.5 SunburstThe RiptidesRead the exact prompt
Create a finished front cover for a work of fiction, in a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio. Produce the flat front cover artwork only, without spine, back cover, book mockup, or shelf. COVER TEXT Use the following book information exactly as written. The labels before each colon are for you, not for the cover; print only the text after them. Do not invent extra text, quotes, or awards. Title: The Riptides Author: Cal Ortega Tagline: A surf noir ART DIRECTION Interpret the supplied brief in Ukiyo-e / Japanese Woodblock style. Visual vocabulary: bold fluid outlines from a brush-cut keyblock; flat colour areas with no Western-style shading; bokashi — gradated colour within a single area, horizontal bands of lighter-to-darker; strong asymmetric composition; nature or urban scene with distinct foreground/mid/background planes. Lettering direction: Japanese text integrated as a cartouche within the composition; calligraphic artist seal as a design element; Latin text adapted to sit within the visual logic of the print. Suggested colors: indigo, vermillion, black, cream, muted green; woodblock colour range. Composition: asymmetric; large sky or water area; cropped elements at edges. Atmosphere: serene, composed, atmospheric, technically precise. Keep out of the design: Western Japonisme interpretation (this is the original, not the Western response), gradient shading suggesting Western tonal rendering, artificial yellowing or ageing. Apply the visual language to the supplied brief; do not invent historical affiliations, endorsements, or extra copy. ILLUSTRATION NOTES A surfer cropped at the frame edge riding a curling wave with cliffs behind. These notes guide the imagery; do not print them as text. Make the title the strongest text element and the author name the second. Keep everything else small. Check spelling and retain the supplied wording. Do not include these instructions, labels, watermarks, or extra slogans in the artwork.
Prompt version 1 · 5 generated examples · Copy-and-paste guide →
