It’s been more than a year since AI shook the world and, since then, it’s been normalized. Everyone’s using ChatGPT — from students to industry professionals, mostly for personal use. What if I told you there’s a lot of money to be made in AI, especially with AI art generators?
But there’s a catch with AI image generators: they’re limited, even in their paid plans. That means you can’t really “trial-and-error” your way to success. Instead, you’ll have to learn from others.
Well, don’t you worry. The goal of this article is to document everything I’ve learned in my months of using Midjourney and DALL-E, and turn it into an accessible collection of money-making prompts.
The Prompts That Can Make You Money
For each image, I’ll give you the exact prompt I used and highlight the keywords that you should keep in mind. I will also list some use cases for each of these art types, so you’d know how to market these and where.
I’ll use my preferred AI image generator for this article: Midjourney. You can always use these prompts with DALL-E, Firefly, or Stable Diffusion, but the results might not be the same. You also have to consider the strict copyright rules of DALL-E, which prevents you from using an artist’s name as a prompt.
For Digital Illustrations
What’s The Market? For general art like digital illustrations, your market is mostly commissions. There’s also a demand for modern clip art and stock images which I highly recommend exploring. You can also sell these as NFTs, but there’s a lot of volatility in that market.
Prompt 1:
a double exposure of a [foreground subject] with [background subject], isolated on beige background, watercolor
Prompt 2:
a [subject], vector art, clip art, minimalist
Prompt 3:
a 3d mockup, [subject], bold colors, in the style of vincent van gogh [or any artist name]
Prompt 4:
a digital art of a [subject], vector art, flat, contour, clean background
Prompt 5:
a [subject], atmospheric, dark fantasy illustration, lithography, 1980s illustration, gothic dark and macabre, larry elmore [or any artist name]
Prompt 6:
fantasy illustration, the [subject], in the style of vintage comics
Prompt 7:
a [subject], [time of day], in the style of studio ghibli [or any other artist], [season], wide view
Prompt 8:
digital illustration, [subject], flat illustration, 2d art, looking at the camera, in the style of nft, animated comics
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: technocore, cyberspace, analog, minimalism, dreamworks, pixar, bitmap, vector graphics, low poly, geometric, glitchcore, detailed, elegant, glassmorphism, psychedelic, fractal art, hifi, lofi, realism, surrealism, magical realism
For Landscape Art
What’s The Market? You have two options here. First, you can go commission-based, but you need to have an extensive portfolio. Second is going into decor, particularly for homes and office spaces. You can also license these as stock images.
Prompt 9: a [subject], winter, wide view, landscape art, disposable camera –ar 16:9
Prompt 10: [subject], painted by vilhelm hammershoi –ar 16:9
Prompt 11: [subject], analog, fujinon 90mm f/3.5 lens, fujifilm pro 400h, film photography –ar 16:9
Prompt 12: [subject], landscape art, golden hour, inspired by antonio lopez garcia –ar 16:9
Prompt 13: [subject], landscape, watercolor, muted colors, intricate –ar 16:9
Prompt 14: [subject], gloomy, atmospheric, thunderstorm, expressive oil painting –ar 16:9
Prompt 15: landscape art, [subject], thomas kincade, sunny day –ar 16:9
Prompt 16: [subject], calming, serene, in the style of clyde aspevig –ar 16:9
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: james gurney, zdzislaw beksinski, claude lorrain, edward hopper, max ernst, jim burns, john constable, wide view, macro view, aerial view, scene, portrait, ultra-wide, panorama, toyo-view 45aii, kodak portra, blue hour, dusk, dawn, fpov
For Patterns
What’s The Market? Patterns are hot in the home decor market, particularly for pillow cases, bed sheets, and shower curtains. There’s also a market for awesome patterns in the fashion industry and for people looking for patterned desktop wallpapers.
Prompt 17: topographic lines, [colors], high contrast –tile
Prompt 18: [subject], inspired by renaissance art –tile
Prompt 19: Japanese floral pattern, [colors] –tile
Prompt 20: [subject], inspired by edward hopper –tile
Prompt 21: [subject], industrial, steampunk –tile
Prompt 22: [subject], intricate, anime key visual, sense of wonder –tile
Prompt 23: spheres, rose gold, surrealism –tile
Prompt 24: falling sakura leaves, inspired by hayao miyazaki –tile
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: clear background, minimalist, seamless pattern, collection, vibrant, muted, high contrast, waves, baroque, art nouveau, bauhaus
For Stickers
What’s The Market? Stickers are always in demand. It’s a great way to personalize your devices without being permanent.
Prompt 25: [subject], inspired by tarot card, lithography, vector, in the style of sticker design graphics, contour, clean background
Prompt 26: a sticker of [subject], whimsy, pop art style –niji 5
Prompt 27: a sticker design of a [subject], cottagecore, atmospheric, [color]
Prompt 28: [subject], cute, vinyl sticker, simple design
Prompt 29: [subject], graphic novel style, sticker design, vinyl sticker
Prompt 30: a sticker of a [subject], cozy, warm –niji 5 –s 180
Prompt 31: a [subject], die cut sticker, in the style of animated comics, vectorized
Prompt 32: [subject], detailed, sense of wonder, vinyl sticker, clear background, high quality, bright colors
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: None for this one! Just mix it up. For stickers, the most important thing is how well crafted your subject is.
For T-Shirt Designs
What’s The Market? T-shirts are the one item of clothing that will never go out of style. It’s easy to style, comfortable, and relatively cheap. It’s a great way to package your AI art designs. Oh and by the way, if you’re interested, I wrote a full tutorial on how to automate your entire t-shirt design business here!
For this one, I won’t give you a prompt for Midjourney. Instead, I’ll give you this prompt for ChatGPT:
Hey GPT, can you give me prompts based on this strict formula?
“[Subject of the image], [Artwork style], [Artwork mood], [Artwork lighting], vector, in the style of t-shirt design graphic, contour, clean background”
Don’t change anything that isn’t inside the brackets. The prompt must have cohesion because it’s for an image generative AI. Don’t reference any line of the original formula in the new prompts. Got that?
This will allow ChatGPT to generate countless t-shirt design prompts for Midjourney. From there, just input the prompts given by the chatbot and you’re good to go. Here are a couple examples of shirt designs that I received using this method:
Prompt Subject: Astronaut
Prompt Subject: Greek Statues
Prompt Subject: Film Reel
Prompt Subject: Horror Clocks
For Postcards
What’s The Market? Postcards may have less of an audience ever since social media, but don’t discount the market on nostalgia. If you’re well-established in the space, you can expect high returns for your postcard designs.
Prompt 33: a postcard design of a [subject], inspired by tarot card, halloween, lithography, medieval, retro vintage, 1980s illustration –ar 3:4
Prompt 34: a postcard design of a [subject], halloween postcard, dark fantasy, vilhelm hammershoi, 1970s illustration –ar 3:4
Prompt 35: a postcard design of [subject], inspired by jessie wilcox smith, feeling of hearth, christmas tree, fireplace –ar 3:4
Prompt 36: a postcard design of [subject], intricate, inspired by john simmons, watercolor, feeling of romance, christmas, home –ar 3:4
Prompt 37: a postcard design of [subject], intimate, romantic, inspired by oil paintings, night sky –ar 3:4
Prompt 38: a postcard design of [subject], blue hour, romantic, magical realism, ultra-detailed illustration –ar 3:4
Prompt 39: a postcard design of [subject], earthy, inspired by beatrix potter, watercolor, detailed, easter sunday –ar 3:4
Prompt 40: a postcard design of [subject], inspired by chinese painting, colored ink, brushstrokes, mythology, chinese new year, modern, evening, fireworks, red and gold –ar 3:4
Other Keywords Worth Exploring:
- Christmas: santa claus, snowman, reindeer, stockings, presents, gingerbread house, snowy landscape, home, family, expressive oil painting, warmth, snowflakes, children’s book illustration
- Halloween: pumpkin, ghost, witch, haunted house, tim jacobus, spooky, scary, lithography, army of dead, goosebumps, cobweb, things that go bump in the night, horror
- Fourth of July: american, flag, stars, rosie the riveter, barbeque, texas, patriotism, star spangled banner
- Thanksgiving: family, turkey, cornucopia, harvest, stuffing, thankfulness, gratitude, feast, table setting, autumn, celebration, sharing, togetherness
- Valentines: hearts, cupid, roses, chocolate, valentine’s card, affection, passion, sentimental and tender, vincent van gogh, claude monet
For Fashion
What’s The Market? Fashion is, by far, one of the most profitable markets in the world today. If you’re inclined to pursue this career but have no talent in illustrations, AI art could be an easy way to generate designs based on your descriptions. You could also sell fashion prompts to designers if you’re a freelancer.
Prompt 41: [subject], plants, in the style of orange and green, postmodern photography, shadow play, elegant figures, art nouveau fashion
Prompt 42: [subject], cottagecore, earth tones, candid photography, fashion, elegant, closeup, leica m6
Prompt 43: [subject], hasselblad 500cm, carl zeiss planar 100mm f/3.5 lens, bauhaus, postmodern photography, bright colors, fashion, realism, bubbles
Prompt 44: [subject], street photography, postmodern, asian fashion, fuji gw690 with fujinon 90mm f/3.5
Prompt 45: [subject], in the style of blue and gold, canon ae-1, canon fd 35mm f/2 lens, kodak portra 400, inspired by alex webb
Prompt 46: [subject], modern haircut, detailed, atmospheric lighting, kodak portra 800 film smc takumar 35mm, fashion, suit and tie, haggard elegance
Prompt 47: [subject], inspired by van gogh, inspired by guy bourdin, postmodern, fashion, full body, atmospheric, art nouveau
Prompt 48: [subject], inspired by lauren greenfield, analog, toyo-view 45aii, rodenstock grandagon-n 75mm f/4.5, slight surrealism, fashion photography, in the style of pink and blue
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: Similar to stickers, the most important aspect of these prompts are the subject. Keywords are easy to come by (for fashion, literally just try everything — it’s a great playground for creativity!) but designers will pay for well-thought out subject lines, ones that describe the outfit in full detail.
For Logos
What’s The Market? Graphic designers who can create personalized logos are paid well, but one of their disadvantages is the amount of time it takes from ideation to creation. Don’t expect to receive the same amount of pay — but you can absolutely make some money selling logos made from DALL-E or Midjourney.
Prompt 49: a clean logo of [subject], in the style of paul rand, clean background
Prompt 50: a postmodern logo of [subject], inspired by massimo vignelli, modernist, geometric
Prompt 51: a clean logo for [subject], in the style of saul bass, vivid, soft curves, clean background
Prompt 52: a logo for [subject], in the style of milton glaser, art nouveau
Prompt 53: a clean logo for [subject], inspired by rob janoff, bold colors
Prompt 54: a clean logo for a [subject], fauvism, [element associated with your subject] imagery, clean background
Prompt 55: a minimalist logo of [subject], inspired by marcel duchamp, dadaism, clean background
Prompt 56: a minimalist logo [subject], inspired by van gogh art, dark background, brushstrokes, oil painting
For Product Design
What’s The Market? Product designs are useful if you’re a freelancer but, if you’re looking to develop the product itself, it could yield you a lot more money. The key to unlocking large amounts of sales is knowing the right keywords for the best product mockups.
Prompt 57: product photography, [subject], studio lighting, shadow play, lavender, soft
Prompt 58: commercial photography, [subject], in the style of rose gold, beautiful contrasts, minimalist
Prompt 59: product photography, [subject], view from above, vivid, punchy colors, pop art inspired
Prompt 60: commercial photography, [subject], retro inspired colors, photorealistic, morning light from the window
Prompt 61: product photography, [subject], eggshell color inspired, natural light, soft and dreamy, hearth
Prompt 62: product photography, [subject], in the style of larry sultan, macro shot, elegance, opulence
Prompt 63: product mockup, [subject], earth tones, natural light, macro shot, lakes, golden hour, portra 400
Prompt 64: product photography, [subject], sandalwood, earthcore, evoking feelings of warmth and serenity, magical surrealism, 8k, hd, ultra-detailed
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: sleek, modern, futuristic, high-tech, eco-friendly, sustainable, luxury, high-end, bold designs, graphic, artisanal, high-resolution, photorealistic, intricate, natural shadows, bokeh, shallow depth of field, cinematic composition, still life photography, nori inoguchi, timothy hogan
For Architecture and Interior Design
What’s The Market? If you’re an architect, AI art generators are a good way of unleashing your creativity. Now, you don’t have to painstakingly create renders of your own idea. You just need to describe it with Midjourney and DALL-E.
Prompt 65: exterior, brutalist but well-designed [subject], frank lloyd wright, blue light
Prompt 66: exterior, neoclassical [subject], golden hour aesthetics, rustic, moody atmosphere, academia
Prompt 67: exterior, a postmodern [subject], inspired by zaha hadid, soft curves
Prompt 68: exterior, [subject], mies van der rohe, japanese-inspired, zen, kinkaku-ji
Prompt 69: interior, [subject], elegant, green and gold, bathtub, art nouveau, luxurious, candles for atmosphere
Prompt 70: interior, a stylish [subject], rustic, plants, muted colors, with personality, natural light
Prompt 71: interior, [subject], minimalist, clean lines, warm colors, soft lighting, light wood
Prompt 72: interior, [subject], bohemian, northwestern, cottagecore, natural, whimsy, biophilic
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: futurism, parametric, deconstructivism, modular, tiny house, industrial, art deco, mid-century, scandinavian, sustainable, columns, skylights, open floor plan, cozy nook, reading corner, bold colors, patterned wallpaper, le corbusier, frank gehry, tadao ando, norman foster, i.m. pei, alvar aalto
For Storyboarding
What’s The Market? Everyone has a story to tell — but not everyone can execute it on a visual medium. With AI image generators, you can easily create industry-level concepts for films. With enough images in your portfolio, this can fetch you a couple bucks in the freelance market.
Prompt 73: animated movie still, [subject], inspired by hayao miyazaki, whimsical, magical realism, clean lines, detailed, 8k –ar 16:9
Prompt 74: animated movie still, [subject], inspired by pixar, cozy, natural light, realism –ar 16:9
Prompt 75: cinematic film still, [subject], evoking feelings of juvenile happiness, inspired by edward yang, asian cinema –ar 16:9
Prompt 76: film still, [subject], psychological thriller, horror, inspired by stanley kubrick, 1970s cinema, slight sepia tones –ar 16:9
Prompt 77: cinematic film still, [subject], dutch angle, ultra-detailed, atmospheric, gloomy, moody, neo-noir, 8k –ar 16:9
Prompt 78: cinematic film still, [subject], inspired by wes anderson, symmetrical, blue and gold, bold colors, bright, nihilist humor –ar 16:9
Prompt 79: cinematic film still, [subject], inspired by good will hunting, academia, boston aesthetics, autumn, 8k, noise –ar 16:9
Prompt 80: cinematic film still, [subject], inspired by saving private ryan, war, closeup, gloomy –ar 16:9
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: For concept arts, it’s best to stick with naming your favorite directors, films, TV shows, or genres. Beyond that, just use the keywords I highlighted above, specifically 8K, to get that feeling of cinema.
For Gaming
What’s The Market? The gaming industry is already one of the most profitable markets of all time but, with the pandemic, even more people are paying attention. If you’re a game developer, using AI art is a great way to jumpstart your game design. If not, you can sell your artwork to game developers. It’s a win-win.
Prompt 81: [subject], in the style of pixel art, dark fantasy, 32-bit, game design, snes
Prompt 82: pixel art scene, [subject], atmospheric, 16-bit
Prompt 83: [genre]-based, game asset sprite sheet, medieval, magical, clean lines
Prompt 84: video game still, a [genre] platformer, game cube graphics, decrepit cyborgs, life bar
Prompt 85: 32-bit pixel art role play game, [subject], evoking feelings of romance, tsundere
Prompt 86: video game still, view from top, [subject], inspired by skyrim, cinematic, unreal engine, concept art, rpg
Prompt 87: a video game still, [subject], inspired by left 4 dead, atmospheric, dread, first person, crowbars and knives, horror
Prompt 88: a [genre] themed main menu screen, UI UX game design, evoking feelings of [own choice]
Other Keywords Worth Exploring: isometric, steampunk, cyberpunk, lowpoly, cartoon, dark, eerie, mysterious, space, expansive, open-world, linear, 2D, 3D, side-scrolling, first-person, third-person, puzzle, inspired by [favorite game],
Other Niche Prompt Ideas
Character Designs
Prompt 89: character creation screen, [subject], inspired by skyrim, magical fantasy, heavy armor, unreal engine
Prompt 90: [subject], inspired by the expanse, game avatar, close up, sci-fi, evoking feelings of exploration
Prompt 91: [subject], post-apocalyptic, dystopian, urban setting, gritty, 2d, unity game engine, rainy atmosphere, blue hour
Prompt 92: an anime character with [descriptors], in the style of mappa animation, cozy, warmth –niji 5
Album Covers
Prompt 93: old 80’s japanese [genre] album cover, [subject], nihilism, worn-out
Prompt 94: [subject], surrealism, gritty, atmospheric, ethereal, lovecraftian, dark green and dark blue, unfathomable
Prompt 95: album cover, [subject], dadaist, art nouveau, bauhaus, retro, inspired by marcel duchamp, indie
Prompt 96: Not exactly a prompt, but you can always try using the song’s lyrics as a prompt. This works best for lyrics with vivid imagery. For example, here’s what I got after using Pearl Jam’s Black as my prompt.
Coloring Books
Prompt 97: [subject], clean line art, coloring book page, inspired by pixar, simple artstyle
Prompt 98: coloring book page, [subject], no fill, white background, detailed lines
Prompt 99: [subject] coloring page
Prompt 100: [subject], simple outline and shapes, coloring page black and white comic book flat vector, white background
So, What Now?
And there you have it. A hundred AI art prompts for your next venture. Before I let you go, here are my parting words:
Prompts and keywords can only take you so far. These are only meant to enhance your creativity. The only way you can square up against actual artists is with ideas of your own. Be as specific as you can in your prompts — it’s the only way you’re getting ahead of the curve.
With your creativity and these keywords, it’s only a matter of time before you’re raking in big bucks. Good luck on your journey!
