City Nights Keepsake Diptych

The artwork showcases a unique keepsake diptych featuring a woman against a city skyline. The top half presents a true-to-life photograph while the bottom half captures the same moment in a looser gouache illustration, blending realism with artistic expression.

prompt

FACE MATCH FIRST: the exact woman in the attached photo - same hairline, brows, eye shape and spacing, nose, lips, jaw, cheeks, skin tone. Never beautify or slim the face.

STYLE: a two-part keepsake stacked vertically with no border between the halves. TOP HALF: a clean real photograph. BOTTOM HALF: the same moment redrawn as a flat gouache illustration on cream paper - looser, simplified, generous paper around it.

THE MOMENT, identical in both halves: She stands at a rooftop parapet at night, a hazy lit skyline behind, in a black top under an open denim jacket, gold hoops. One forearm rests on the parapet, hand open and countable, the other at her side, warm string bulbs above and ahead lighting her face.

FACE IN BOTH HALVES: in the photographic half the face is PHOTO-TRUE with real skin texture and clear catchlights. In the illustrated half it is simplified but drawn to the reference's exact proportions - same hairline, brow shape, eye size and spacing, nose, lips and jaw - unmistakably the same person, never a generic face. High resolution, clean edges, no artefacts.

One text only: City Nights in fine handwritten script beneath the illustration, spelled exactly C, i, t, y, space, N, i, g, h, t, s, with a small star flourish beside it, clear of every face and touching nothing. No other lettering anywhere.

CHECK: the face must match the reference in both halves.

This image was generated with AI.

About this look

Combining two distinct visual languages, the diptych features a striking photograph at the top that accurately reflects the essence of the subject. The clean, detailed imagery highlights her features and the urban backdrop, with warm lighting adding a cozy ambiance, while the bottom half transforms the scene into a simplified gouache representation. This approach allows for an exploration of both realism and artistic interpretation, creating a harmonious visual relationship between the two halves.

How to use this prompt

Provide a high-resolution reference photo of the subject to ensure a faithful face match. The prompt should expect a clean, photo-realistic top half showcasing the subject against a skyline, and a simplified, flat gouache style for the lower half. Make sure to confirm the proportions remain true to the reference. Check the alignment of the text beneath the illustration for optimal placement without interfering with the artwork.

Tips to customize it

Ensure the subject's black top and denim jacket are clearly visible in the reference photo.
Use warm lighting in the photograph to capture the ambiance of the rooftop setting.
Select a cream-colored background for the gouache illustration to maintain visual coherence.
Adjust the text size if the handwritten script appears too small or large in relation to the illustration.