1960s Sci-Fi Paperback

Illustration · Book Cover · Science Fiction

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1960s Sci-Fi Paperback, Gouache planets, floating geometry and yellowed pulp paper — Front cover, floating monolith·Nano Banana Pro

Recipe

The style is the recipe. The subject is yours.

The examples above were generated with Nano Banana Pro and Seedream 4.5. The recipes below are written for GPT Image and Midjourney, so treat the settings as a starting point rather than the exact run.

A description in plain sentences. This is the version to start with, and it works on any current image model. Settings below are the ones we used on GPT Image; treat them as a starting point.

Make it yours

The recipe is the style, not the picture. Put your own subject in and the highlighted part of the prompt changes.

Prompt

The cover of a 1965 mass market science fiction paperback, painted in gouache. A single small figure in a white suit stands on a chalky orange plain looking up at an enormous floating geometric form. Chalky matte colour, visible brush texture, a hard horizon, no visible light source. Title in a condensed sans serif at the top, small price box in the corner, yellowed pulp paper, creased spine, slight edge foxing.

The prompt gets you close. Feed one of the examples in as a style reference for the rest. Download the images

Use the examples as a reference

Download the examples

Send the example as an input image to the images.edits endpoint alongside the prompt, or attach it in ChatGPT. It follows composition closely, so describe your subject firmly or it will copy the example.

Settings on GPT Image

Size: 1024 x 1536
Quality: High
Background: Opaque
Output: PNG

Tips

1Gouache is the key word. It gives the chalk finish that oil and digital cannot fake.
2Keep one figure and one object. The period covers were nearly always that simple.
3Foxing and yellowing should be uneven. Say so or you get a flat sepia wash.