A paper cut folk illustration prompt for ChatGPT
Updated November 2026

What this style is
A paper cut and gouache folk illustration where each motif looks cut with scissors from coloured paper and pasted on a dark ground, with little hand drawn cream details. Mirrored arrangements echo embroidery and quilts.
What makes it look like this
- mirrored plants and birds
- checkerboard or sunburst medallion
- sun face in the top band
- cream doves in corners
- each shape slightly irregular
Colours
#161412#EFE3BC#E6382B#2E5FBF#2FAE4A#E8398D
Near black ground with cream, tomato red, cobalt, leaf green and magenta cutouts. For a brand, keep the black ground and recolour red and cobalt to the brand pair.
The prompt
Paste this into ChatGPT with image creation on. Change the subject and the three lines of words for your own, and check the spelling before you send it.
Create a finished graphic design: a poster in A3 portrait (1:1.41) format. It is for: Midsummer craft market at a community hall.
It must look designed and made by hand by a skilled human designer and illustrator, in the style described below. Treat the style as a strict art direction.
STYLE: Folk Cutout Garden
A paper cut and gouache folk illustration where each motif looks cut with scissors from coloured paper and pasted on a dark ground, with little hand drawn cream details. Mirrored arrangements echo embroidery and quilts.
Signature moves to keep:
- mirrored plants and birds
- checkerboard or sunburst medallion
- sun face in the top band
- cream doves in corners
- each shape slightly irregular
SUBJECT
Show Midsummer craft market at a community hall in this style. Make the subject the hero and fit everything to it: props, setting and details should belong to this subject, not to the example the style came from.
COMPOSITION
Mirror symmetric arrangement around a central star or checkerboard sunburst with plants rising from the bottom and animals on a top band. Dense but ordered: every motif has black breathing room. Leave a plain band at the top or bottom for the title.
TYPOGRAPHY
Hand drawn rounded capitals in cream, slightly uneven, as if cut from paper, with a small handwritten line beneath.
Render exactly these words, spelled exactly as written, and no other text anywhere:
- headline: "Midsommar Marknad"
- second line: "Handmade crafts, honey, flowers and folk music"
- small details: "Sat 21 June, 11 to 17, Folkets Hus"
Give them a clear hierarchy: the headline large and dominant, the rest much smaller.
COLOUR
Palette: #161412, #EFE3BC, #E6382B, #2E5FBF, #2FAE4A, #E8398D. Near black ground with cream, tomato red, cobalt, leaf green and magenta cutouts. For a brand, keep the black ground and recolour red and cobalt to the brand pair.
TEXTURE AND FINISH
Cut paper edges with tiny irregularities, soft ink speckle and a risograph like grain on coloured shapes.
AVOID
- perfect vector smoothness
- gradients
- glossy 3D
- gibberish text
- random asymmetry
- generic floral clipart
- anything that looks AI generated: plastic sheen, airbrushed skin, overly smooth gradients, glow and lens flare, HDR, stock photo smiles
- gibberish letters, made up words or any text other than the exact words given
- watermarks, signatures, UI elements, borders or frames around the design
- filler decoration: sparkles, floating dots and stars, confetti, random geometric shapes, gradient orbs, ornamental dividers
- uniform line weight, plastic or airbrushed shading, soft storybook gloss, perfect symmetry, melted or merging details, impossible objects
- showing the design as a mockup (a poster on a wall, a phone, a hand holding it): the artwork itself must fill the whole canvas edge to edge, flat and straight on
Do not search the web or look anything up: work only from this brief, so nothing from elsewhere leaks into the design.
Make the image now, in A3 portrait (1:1.41) format, without asking questions first.
(Brief written with OpenTempl, the free, open source design app at opentempl.org. The designer brings the picture back there to set and edit the words.)How to use it
- Open ChatGPT and check that image creation is available on your account.
- Paste the prompt. Replace the subject line and the words in quotes.
- Send it. If something is off, ask for one change at a time.
- Check every word on the poster. A typo in your prompt is copied into the picture.
Three versions for common jobs
The same prompt, set for a gig poster, an Instagram post and a menu. The words are examples; replace them.
Gig poster
Create a finished graphic design: a poster in A3 portrait (1:1.41) format. It is for: a live music night with three bands at a small venue.
It must look designed and made by hand by a skilled human designer and illustrator, in the style described below. Treat the style as a strict art direction.
STYLE: Folk Cutout Garden
A paper cut and gouache folk illustration where each motif looks cut with scissors from coloured paper and pasted on a dark ground, with little hand drawn cream details. Mirrored arrangements echo embroidery and quilts.
Signature moves to keep:
- mirrored plants and birds
- checkerboard or sunburst medallion
- sun face in the top band
- cream doves in corners
- each shape slightly irregular
SUBJECT
Show a live music night with three bands at a small venue in this style. Make the subject the hero and fit everything to it: props, setting and details should belong to this subject, not to the example the style came from.
COMPOSITION
Mirror symmetric arrangement around a central star or checkerboard sunburst with plants rising from the bottom and animals on a top band. Dense but ordered: every motif has black breathing room. Leave a plain band at the top or bottom for the title.
TYPOGRAPHY
Hand drawn rounded capitals in cream, slightly uneven, as if cut from paper, with a small handwritten line beneath.
Render exactly these words, spelled exactly as written, and no other text anywhere:
- headline: "Three Bands, One Night"
- second line: "Doors 20:00, entry 100 kr"
- small details: "Fri 14 Nov, Kolingsborg, Stockholm"
Give them a clear hierarchy: the headline large and dominant, the rest much smaller.
COLOUR
Palette: #161412, #EFE3BC, #E6382B, #2E5FBF, #2FAE4A, #E8398D. Near black ground with cream, tomato red, cobalt, leaf green and magenta cutouts. For a brand, keep the black ground and recolour red and cobalt to the brand pair.
TEXTURE AND FINISH
Cut paper edges with tiny irregularities, soft ink speckle and a risograph like grain on coloured shapes.
AVOID
- perfect vector smoothness
- gradients
- glossy 3D
- gibberish text
- random asymmetry
- generic floral clipart
- anything that looks AI generated: plastic sheen, airbrushed skin, overly smooth gradients, glow and lens flare, HDR, stock photo smiles
- gibberish letters, made up words or any text other than the exact words given
- watermarks, signatures, UI elements, borders or frames around the design
- filler decoration: sparkles, floating dots and stars, confetti, random geometric shapes, gradient orbs, ornamental dividers
- uniform line weight, plastic or airbrushed shading, soft storybook gloss, perfect symmetry, melted or merging details, impossible objects
- showing the design as a mockup (a poster on a wall, a phone, a hand holding it): the artwork itself must fill the whole canvas edge to edge, flat and straight on
Do not search the web or look anything up: work only from this brief, so nothing from elsewhere leaks into the design.
Make the image now, in A3 portrait (1:1.41) format, without asking questions first.
(Brief written with OpenTempl, the free, open source design app at opentempl.org. The designer brings the picture back there to set and edit the words.)Instagram post
Create a finished graphic design: a instagram post in 4:5 portrait format. It is for: an announcement post for a new product launch from a small shop.
It must look designed and made by hand by a skilled human designer and illustrator, in the style described below. Treat the style as a strict art direction.
STYLE: Folk Cutout Garden
A paper cut and gouache folk illustration where each motif looks cut with scissors from coloured paper and pasted on a dark ground, with little hand drawn cream details. Mirrored arrangements echo embroidery and quilts.
Signature moves to keep:
- mirrored plants and birds
- checkerboard or sunburst medallion
- sun face in the top band
- cream doves in corners
- each shape slightly irregular
SUBJECT
Show an announcement post for a new product launch from a small shop in this style. Make the subject the hero and fit everything to it: props, setting and details should belong to this subject, not to the example the style came from.
COMPOSITION
Mirror symmetric arrangement around a central star or checkerboard sunburst with plants rising from the bottom and animals on a top band. Dense but ordered: every motif has black breathing room. Leave a plain band at the top or bottom for the title.
TYPOGRAPHY
Hand drawn rounded capitals in cream, slightly uneven, as if cut from paper, with a small handwritten line beneath.
Render exactly these words, spelled exactly as written, and no other text anywhere:
- headline: "Now In Store"
- second line: "The autumn collection is here"
- small details: "Open daily 10 to 18"
Give them a clear hierarchy: the headline large and dominant, the rest much smaller.
COLOUR
Palette: #161412, #EFE3BC, #E6382B, #2E5FBF, #2FAE4A, #E8398D. Near black ground with cream, tomato red, cobalt, leaf green and magenta cutouts. For a brand, keep the black ground and recolour red and cobalt to the brand pair.
TEXTURE AND FINISH
Cut paper edges with tiny irregularities, soft ink speckle and a risograph like grain on coloured shapes.
AVOID
- perfect vector smoothness
- gradients
- glossy 3D
- gibberish text
- random asymmetry
- generic floral clipart
- anything that looks AI generated: plastic sheen, airbrushed skin, overly smooth gradients, glow and lens flare, HDR, stock photo smiles
- gibberish letters, made up words or any text other than the exact words given
- watermarks, signatures, UI elements, borders or frames around the design
- filler decoration: sparkles, floating dots and stars, confetti, random geometric shapes, gradient orbs, ornamental dividers
- uniform line weight, plastic or airbrushed shading, soft storybook gloss, perfect symmetry, melted or merging details, impossible objects
- showing the design as a mockup (a poster on a wall, a phone, a hand holding it): the artwork itself must fill the whole canvas edge to edge, flat and straight on
Do not search the web or look anything up: work only from this brief, so nothing from elsewhere leaks into the design.
Make the image now, in 4:5 portrait format, without asking questions first.
(Brief written with OpenTempl, the free, open source design app at opentempl.org. The designer brings the picture back there to set and edit the words.)Menu
Create a finished graphic design: a poster in A3 portrait (1:1.41) format. It is for: a one page menu for a neighbourhood cafe.
It must look designed and made by hand by a skilled human designer and illustrator, in the style described below. Treat the style as a strict art direction.
STYLE: Folk Cutout Garden
A paper cut and gouache folk illustration where each motif looks cut with scissors from coloured paper and pasted on a dark ground, with little hand drawn cream details. Mirrored arrangements echo embroidery and quilts.
Signature moves to keep:
- mirrored plants and birds
- checkerboard or sunburst medallion
- sun face in the top band
- cream doves in corners
- each shape slightly irregular
SUBJECT
Show a one page menu for a neighbourhood cafe in this style. Make the subject the hero and fit everything to it: props, setting and details should belong to this subject, not to the example the style came from.
COMPOSITION
Mirror symmetric arrangement around a central star or checkerboard sunburst with plants rising from the bottom and animals on a top band. Dense but ordered: every motif has black breathing room. Leave a plain band at the top or bottom for the title.
TYPOGRAPHY
Hand drawn rounded capitals in cream, slightly uneven, as if cut from paper, with a small handwritten line beneath.
Render exactly these words, spelled exactly as written, and no other text anywhere:
- headline: "Cafe Menu"
- second line: "Coffee, pastries and lunch"
- small details: "Filter coffee 35 kr, Cinnamon bun 40 kr, Soup of the day 120 kr"
Give them a clear hierarchy: the headline large and dominant, the rest much smaller.
COLOUR
Palette: #161412, #EFE3BC, #E6382B, #2E5FBF, #2FAE4A, #E8398D. Near black ground with cream, tomato red, cobalt, leaf green and magenta cutouts. For a brand, keep the black ground and recolour red and cobalt to the brand pair.
TEXTURE AND FINISH
Cut paper edges with tiny irregularities, soft ink speckle and a risograph like grain on coloured shapes.
AVOID
- perfect vector smoothness
- gradients
- glossy 3D
- gibberish text
- random asymmetry
- generic floral clipart
- anything that looks AI generated: plastic sheen, airbrushed skin, overly smooth gradients, glow and lens flare, HDR, stock photo smiles
- gibberish letters, made up words or any text other than the exact words given
- watermarks, signatures, UI elements, borders or frames around the design
- filler decoration: sparkles, floating dots and stars, confetti, random geometric shapes, gradient orbs, ornamental dividers
- uniform line weight, plastic or airbrushed shading, soft storybook gloss, perfect symmetry, melted or merging details, impossible objects
- showing the design as a mockup (a poster on a wall, a phone, a hand holding it): the artwork itself must fill the whole canvas edge to edge, flat and straight on
Do not search the web or look anything up: work only from this brief, so nothing from elsewhere leaks into the design.
Make the image now, in A3 portrait (1:1.41) format, without asking questions first.
(Brief written with OpenTempl, the free, open source design app at opentempl.org. The designer brings the picture back there to set and edit the words.)Layout, type and finish
Layout. Mirror symmetric arrangement around a central star or checkerboard sunburst with plants rising from the bottom and animals on a top band. Dense but ordered: every motif has black breathing room. Leave a plain band at the top or bottom for the title.
Type. Hand drawn rounded capitals in cream, slightly uneven, as if cut from paper, with a small handwritten line beneath.
Finish. Cut paper edges with tiny irregularities, soft ink speckle and a risograph like grain on coloured shapes.
What to keep out
- perfectly smooth digital edges
- gradients
- glossy 3D
- gibberish text
- random asymmetry
- generic floral clipart
Make your own in OpenTempl, free
Bring your own OpenAI key and the Generate tab uses this exact art direction, called a Look. It can leave room for your words, so you set them as live text and fix a typo without making the picture again. OpenTempl is free and works offline. OpenAI bills you for the images you make, and OpenTempl takes nothing.
More styles
- Stitched Pixel Type: Letters and flowers woven from tiny squares, like a sampler stitched on a screen.
- Bold Flat Colour: Fat red shapes on emerald, yellow type stacked tight, a Seoul canteen poster.
- Grain Shape Animals: Blocky animals built from clean shapes, sprayed with soft grain on warm yellow.
- Folk pattern templates in the editor
- All 31 prompt styles
Questions
Can ChatGPT make a real a paper cut folk illustration print?
It makes an image that imitates the look. For a physical version, use the image as artwork and take a print file to a printer that can reproduce the medium: a paper cut and gouache folk illustration where each motif looks cut with scissors from coloured paper and pasted on a dark ground, with little hand drawn cream details.
What size should I ask for?
This style is set up for poster (A3 portrait), Instagram post (4:5), story (9:16), square post, flyer (A5). Name the format in the prompt, as the examples do, and the layout follows it.
Why do the words come out wrong?
Image models draw letters as pictures, and they sometimes get them wrong. Keep the words short, put them in quotes, and check every letter. In OpenTempl you can leave room for the words and add them as live text.