# van-gogh-gen — Prompt Guide **Model:** `cryptomfer/van-gogh` (Flux LoRA, fine-tuned by cc0toshi on 60 archival Van Gogh works from the Art Institute of Chicago + Wikimedia Commons, all public domain) **Trigger word (auto-prepended, comma-separated):** `a van gogh oil painting` **Style anchor:** post-impressionist oil on canvas — visible thick impasto brushstrokes, swirling motion in skies and fields, vivid yellow / cobalt blue / orange / olive palette. Training captions were auto-generated by LLaVA-13b, which produces a specific flat-descriptive register your prompts must match. --- ## CRITICAL: write in the LLaVA register This is the single biggest factor in output quality. The LoRA learned to associate the trigger with **flat declarative sentences in a specific voice**, not poetic art-historian prose. ### ❌ Wrong (poetic art-historian) > *a wheat field at high summer with golden stalks bending in the wind, > a crow flying low across the horizon, swirling sky in cobalt and > yellow* The LoRA never saw "high summer", "cobalt and yellow", or "bending in the wind" during training. Output drifts to generic impressionism. ### ✅ Right (LLaVA register — matches training) > *The image features a wheat field at sunset with golden stalks > stretching toward the horizon. The sky is filled with swirling > yellow and orange clouds, creating a dramatic atmosphere. A few > crows are scattered across the sky. The dominant color palette > consists of warm yellows, oranges, and deep blues. The brushwork > is visible, giving the painting a textured and expressive feel. > post-impressionist painting with visible brushstrokes.* Notice the differences: - Opens with **"The image features..."** or **"The artwork features..."** or **"The image depicts..."** (canonical training openers) - Flat declarative sentences, not breathless run-ons - A **"The dominant color palette is..."** sentence — appears in every training caption - A **"The brushwork is visible, giving the painting a textured and [adjective] feel"** sentence — also every caption - **Closes verbatim with:** `post-impressionist painting with visible brushstrokes.` --- ## The 6-slot caption template Every training caption fits this skeleton. Use it. ``` The . . . The dominant color palette . The brushwork is visible, to the painting. post-impressionist painting with visible brushstrokes. ``` Five sentences. Close with the style hint verbatim. --- ## Subject clusters (from training) The LoRA saw ~90 captions across these themes: ### Wheat fields, harvest, rural landscapes Wheat at sunset, reapers, sheaves stacked, scarecrows, vineyards, poppy fields, country roads, ploughed fields, distant hills. ### Cypress trees, olive groves, Provence Tall cypress against turbulent sky, olive groves at midday, cypress-lined country lanes, Provençal hillsides with blue mountains. ### Starry nights, twilight, dramatic skies Starry night over villages, crescent moon over rooftops, twilight country roads, moonlit gardens, windmills against pink sky. ### Sunflowers, irises, still lifes Vase of sunflowers, dying sunflowers, iris bouquets, vegetables on tables, apple still lifes, wildflower bouquets, old shoes still life. ### Self-portraits and portraits Red-bearded man with intense blue eyes, bandaged-ear self-portrait, postman in blue uniform, peasants in straw hats, old man weeping. ### Interiors — bedroom, café, kitchen The yellow bedroom, café terrace at night, billiard café interior, weaver at his loom, peasant family eating potatoes, attic with skylight. ### Orchards, gardens, blossom Peach orchard in pink blossom, almond branch close-up, iris garden, public park with autumn leaves, hospital garden with patients. ### Boats, fishermen, sea Fishing boats at Saintes-Maries, fishermen mending nets, beach shellfish gatherers, sailing boats on calm sea. ### Villages, churches, narrow streets Small villages with red roofs, narrow village streets, country church with graveyard, thatched cottages, village square with fountain. --- ## Things to ALWAYS include 1. **Open with "The image features..." / "The artwork features..." / "The image depicts..."** — canonical training openers. 2. **A "The dominant color palette..." sentence** — every training caption has one. The LoRA learned to bind style activation to this exact phrase. 3. **A "The brushwork is visible..." sentence** — same as above. 4. **Close with `post-impressionist painting with visible brushstrokes.`** verbatim. The trailing period is part of the training token sequence. ## Things to NEVER do - ❌ Don't use poetic vocabulary ("impasto", "vermilion", "cobalt"). LLaVA used plain English: "yellows", "blues", "earthy tones". - ❌ Don't write one cinematic run-on sentence. The training register is 5-7 short declarative sentences. - ❌ Don't omit the style closer. - ❌ Don't write the trigger word yourself. The backend prepends it. ## Prompt length Max 1000 characters after auto-prepend. Van Gogh prompts run 500-700 chars because the LLaVA register is verbose. That's the right length. ## Two more verbatim training examples ``` The artwork features a portrait of a postman in a blue uniform with brass buttons. He has a full beard and is seated against a wallpaper of flowers. The dominant color palette is a mix of deep blues, yellows, and warm browns. The brushwork is visible, adding texture and warmth to the painting. post-impressionist painting with visible brushstrokes. ``` ``` The image features a tall cypress tree rising against a swirling night sky. The sky is filled with thick yellow stars and curving blue clouds, with a crescent moon visible. The cypress dominates the composition, its green flame-like shape standing against the dark sky. The dominant color palette consists of deep blues, yellows, and dark greens. The brushwork is visible, giving the painting a textured and expressive feel. post-impressionist painting with visible brushstrokes. ```