Transforming Art Styles with AI - Converting to Manga and Watercolor

Introduction

You know how the same landscape photo feels completely different when you change Instagram filters? AI art is the same! Just changing the style creates a completely different work.

When I first discovered this, it was really amazing. I drew "sunset beach" in watercolor style, oil painting style, and animation style, and all three felt like completely different works. Watercolor was emotional and soft, oil painting was luxurious and dimensional, and animation was bright and fantastical.

Why is style transformation important? The same idea needs different styles depending on its purpose. For example, clean minimalist style is good for blog thumbnails, watercolor style suits children's book illustrations, and digital art style fits game concept art.

Today, we'll transform one theme into multiple styles while learning the characteristics of each style and which situations they're suitable for. After reading this, you'll be able to freely choose styles that fit your purpose!

Major Art Style Categories

1. Painting Styles

• Watercolor, oil painting, acrylic, pastel

2. Illustration Styles

• Comics, animation, children's books, magazine illustrations

3. Digital Styles

• Digital art, 3D rendering, pixel art

4. Classical Art Styles

• Impressionism, realism, expressionism, cubism

5. Contemporary Styles

• Minimalism, flat design, vector art

Practice: One Theme in Various Styles

Base Theme: "Sunset Beach"

1. Watercolor Style

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, watercolor painting style,
soft flowing colors, wet-on-wet technique,
delicate washes, pastel colors,
artistic paper texture, gentle blending,
traditional watercolor aesthetic

Prompt (Korean - DALL·E 3):

Sunset beach scene, watercolor style,
softly blending colors, water blending technique,
delicate paint blending, pastel colors,
artistic paper texture, soft mixing,
traditional watercolor feel

Characteristics:

• Soft and dreamlike feel
• Natural color bleeding
• Emotional and lyrical atmosphere

Use Cases: Emotional cards, diary illustrations, calendar art

2. Oil Painting Style

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, oil painting style,
thick impasto brush strokes, rich textures,
vibrant colors, classical painting technique,
impressionist influence, visible brush marks,
painted by a master artist

Prompt (Korean):

Sunset beach scene, oil painting style,
thick impasto brush strokes, rich texture,
vivid colors, classical painting technique,
impressionist influence, visible brush marks,
painted by a master

Characteristics:

• Three-dimensional texture
• Intense and rich colors
• Luxurious and artistic

Use Cases: High-end interior art, exhibition works

3. Cartoon/Comic Style

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, cartoon style,
bold outlines, flat colors, simplified shapes,
cheerful and vibrant, comic book aesthetic,
clean line art, family-friendly style

Prompt (Korean):

Sunset beach scene, cartoon style,
bold outlines, flat colors, simplified shapes,
bright and vivid, comic book feel,
clean line art, family-friendly style

Characteristics:

• Clear and easy to read
• Friendly and fun feel
• Exaggerated expressions

Use Cases: Children's content, educational materials, webtoons

4. Animation Style (Anime)

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, anime style,
cel shaded, vibrant colors, dramatic clouds,
Japanese animation aesthetic,
studio ghibli inspired, detailed background art,
cinematic composition

Prompt (Korean):

Sunset beach scene, animation style,
cel shading, vivid colors, dramatic clouds,
Japanese animation feel,
Ghibli-style inspiration, detailed background art,
cinematic composition

Characteristics:

• Vivid and fantastical colors
• Emotional and dramatic
• Narrative atmosphere

Use Cases: Animation backgrounds, light novel illustrations

5. Pixel Art Style

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, pixel art style,
8-bit retro aesthetic, limited color palette,
nostalgic gaming feel, pixelated,
vintage video game graphics

Prompt (Korean):

Sunset beach scene, pixel art style,
8-bit retro feel, limited colors,
nostalgic game feel, pixelated,
old video game graphics

Characteristics:

• Retro and cute
• Simple but charming
• Nostalgic

Use Cases: Indie games, retro design, icons

6. Photographic Style

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, professional photography,
golden hour lighting, natural colors,
sharp focus, realistic details,
wide angle lens, landscape photography,
National Geographic quality

Prompt (Korean):

Sunset beach scene, professional photography,
golden hour lighting, natural colors,
sharp focus, realistic details,
wide angle lens, landscape photography,
National Geographic quality

Characteristics:

• Realistic and vivid
• High detail
• Trustworthy and realistic

Use Cases: Travel blogs, magazines, advertising

7. Minimalist Style

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, minimalist style,
simple geometric shapes, limited color palette,
clean composition, flat design,
modern and elegant, negative space,
abstract simplification

Prompt (Korean):

Sunset beach scene, minimalist style,
simple geometric shapes, limited colors,
clean composition, flat design,
modern and elegant, use of white space,
abstract simplification

Characteristics:

• Clean and sophisticated
• Clear message delivery
• Modern and contemporary

Use Cases: Branding, posters, web design

8. Sketch Style

Prompt (English):

Sunset beach scene, pencil sketch style,
hand-drawn lines, crosshatching shading,
rough texture, artistic sketch,
black and white or light sepia tones,
preliminary drawing aesthetic

Prompt (Korean):

Sunset beach scene, pencil sketch style,
hand-drawn lines, cross-hatching shading,
rough texture, artistic sketch,
black and white or light sepia tone,
preliminary drawing feel

Characteristics:

• Human and warm
• Shows creative process
• Fine art feel

Use Cases: Concept art, illustration drafts, art books

Emulating Famous Artist Styles

Van Gogh Style

Prompt:

Sunset beach, in the style of Vincent van Gogh,
swirling brush strokes, post-impressionist,
bold colors, expressive style,
dynamic movement, emotional intensity

Characteristics: Dynamic brushwork, intense colors

Monet Style

Prompt:

Sunset beach, in the style of Claude Monet,
impressionist painting, soft light effects,
capturing the moment, loose brush work,
atmospheric perspective

Characteristics: Expression of light, soft color mixing

Picasso Style

Prompt:

Sunset beach, in the style of Pablo Picasso,
cubist style, geometric shapes,
multiple perspectives, abstract interpretation,
fragmented composition

Characteristics: Geometric decomposition, multiple viewpoints

Hokusai Style

Prompt:

Sunset beach, in the style of Hokusai,
Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print,
bold outlines, flat colors,
traditional Japanese art aesthetic

Characteristics: Ukiyo-e woodblock print feel, traditional Japanese art

Modern Styles

Synthwave

Prompt:

Sunset beach, synthwave aesthetic,
80s retro futuristic, neon colors,
grid lines, palm trees silhouette,
vaporwave influence, nostalgic 1980s style

Characteristics: Neon colors, 80s nostalgia, futuristic

Low Poly

Prompt:

Sunset beach, low poly 3D style,
geometric polygons, faceted surfaces,
modern digital art, clean geometry,
colorful triangulated design

Characteristics: Geometric, 3D modeling feel, modern

Glitch Art

Prompt:

Sunset beach, glitch art style,
digital corruption aesthetic,
color distortion, scanline effects,
cyberpunk glitch, digital noise

Characteristics: Digital error effects, cyber feel

Combining Styles

Watercolor + Animation

Prompt:

Sunset beach, watercolor anime style,
soft painted look with anime composition,
dreamy and ethereal, Japanese animation meets
traditional painting

Pixel Art + Cyberpunk

Prompt:

Sunset beach, pixel art cyberpunk style,
neon colors, retro futuristic,
8-bit meets sci-fi aesthetic

Style Transformation by Tool

DALL·E 3

• Describe style in natural language
• Add "draw in ~ style"

Example:

Draw sunset beach in Van Gogh style

MidJourney

• Use --style parameter
• Utilize style reference --sref

Example:

sunset beach --style raw --sref [imageURL]

Stable Diffusion

• Apply style with LoRA models
• Emphasize style prompts

Example:

(watercolor style:1.5), sunset beach,
detailed painting

Leonardo.ai

• Select pre-trained style models
• Enhance style with "Alchemy" option

Style-specific Usage Guide

Style	Best Use	Mood	Difficulty
Watercolor	Emotional content, diary	Warm and soft	⭐⭐
Oil Painting	Interior, exhibition	Luxurious and artistic	⭐⭐⭐
Cartoon	Education, children's content	Friendly and fun	⭐
Animation	Storytelling, illustration	Emotional and dramatic	⭐⭐
Pixel Art	Games, retro design	Cute and nostalgic	⭐⭐⭐
Photo	Advertising, news, realism	Realistic and trustworthy	⭐
Minimalist	Branding, web design	Sophisticated and modern	⭐⭐
Sketch	Concept, art books	Pure and artistic	⭐⭐

Practice Assignments

Assignment 1: Style Comparison

Create the same image in 5 different styles and compare

Assignment 2: Finding Your Style

Try various styles and choose your favorite

Assignment 3: Style Mixing

Create unique work combining two styles

Style Selection Tips

Recommendations by Use

SNS Posts:

• Animation, cartoon, minimalist

Blog Thumbnails:

• Watercolor, illustration, photo

Commercial Use:

• Photo, digital art, minimalist

Personal Portfolio:

• Oil painting, watercolor, concept art

Conclusion

Style is a crucial element that determines a work's identity. Experiment with various styles to find your own signature style!

In the next post, we'll learn how to enhance hand-drawn sketches with AI.

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💡 Today's Tip: Using MidJourney's Vary Region feature, you can change only specific parts of an image to a different style!