Vintage Paper Sketch Portrait with Watercolor Details

### SMALL CENTERED SUBJECT + STRONG FACE IDENTITY LOCK + EXACT POSE

## INFORMATION TO REQUEST BEFORE GENERATION

Ask only:

**“Please upload one clear, high-quality photo of your face. Front-facing or slightly angled, with the full face clearly visible.”**

Then **STOP and wait for the upload.**

Do not generate the image until the face photo is provided.

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# AFTER THE USER UPLOADS THEIR PHOTO

Create a **premium minimalist hand-drawn paper-cover portrait illustration** using the uploaded person's photo as the **absolute identity reference**.

Use the supplied pose-reference image **ONLY for pose, body positioning, framing, clothing direction, arm placement, and overall composition**.

The final artwork must clearly look like the **same person from the uploaded identity photo**, not the person in the pose reference.

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# HIGHEST PRIORITY — FACE IDENTITY LOCK

Preserve the uploaded person's real facial identity as accurately as possible.

Match:

- face shape
- forehead proportions
- natural hairline
- hairstyle
- hair texture
- eyebrow shape
- eye shape
- eyelids
- eye spacing
- nose structure
- nostril shape
- lips
- mouth width
- cheek structure
- jawline
- chin shape
- ears where visible
- beard and moustache pattern
- skin tone
- natural age
- facial asymmetry
- distinctive facial features

The final result must remain **immediately recognizable as the uploaded person**.

Do not:

- beautify the face
- replace it with a generic AI face
- alter skin tone
- redesign facial proportions
- smooth away natural details
- make the subject look like a different model

Even though the final result is illustrated, **identity accuracy must remain stronger than stylization**.

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# EXACT POSE LOCK

Reproduce the same sleeve-adjusting pose from the pose reference.

Maintain:

- torso facing mostly toward camera
- slight body rotation
- relaxed shoulders
- upright head
- chin subtly raised
- confident posture
- one arm extending diagonally downward
- opposite arm crossing the torso
- crossing hand gripping/adjusting the opposite sleeve near the forearm
- extended hand hanging naturally with relaxed fingers

Preserve the correct overlapping order:

**torso → crossed arm → gripping hand → extended forearm → extended hand**

Do not:

- reverse the arms
- fold both arms
- put hands in pockets
- leave both arms down
- change the sleeve-adjusting gesture
- create awkward wrists or fingers

Hands must remain anatomically correct.

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# SUBJECT SIZE & POSITION — VERY IMPORTANT

Keep the **main subject relatively small in the overall canvas**.

The person should occupy approximately:

**35–45% of the total image height**

and should **NOT fill the frame**.

Position the subject:

- exactly or almost exactly centered
- balanced horizontally
- around the visual center of the canvas
- with generous empty space above the head
- with generous empty space on both sides
- with generous breathing room around the entire figure

The overall image must feel like a **minimalist paper-cover artwork**, not a close-up portrait.

### Negative-space rule

At least **55–65% of the overall canvas should remain mostly clean background / negative space**.

Do not zoom in.

Do not crop tightly around the body.

Do not enlarge the subject to dominate the page.

The small centered figure with large surrounding blank paper space is a **mandatory composition feature**.

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# FRAMING

Use a vertical portrait composition.

Show approximately:

**upper thighs to slightly above the head**

while still keeping the overall person visually small within the full page.

The figure should be completely readable without awkward cropping.

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# CLOTHING

Use the same premium casual outfit direction:

- dark charcoal or black button-up shirt
- shirt slightly open around upper chest
- sleeves rolled or pushed toward the forearms
- dark blue denim jeans
- brown leather belt

Maintain realistic clothing folds generated by the arm pose.

Do not add:

- logos
- typography
- graphics
- jackets
- bright colors
- unrelated accessories

Minor jewelry from the identity photo may be preserved subtly.

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# SUNGLASSES

Add classic dark aviator-style sunglasses.

They must:

- fit naturally on the uploaded person's real face
- align correctly with the nose bridge
- follow facial perspective
- use realistic dark lenses
- include subtle natural reflections
- not distort the facial structure

The sunglasses must never be used to hide inaccurate identity.

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# ART STYLE — LOCKED

Create a **minimalist hand-drawn paper-cover illustration** combining:

- fine ink sketch lines
- hand-drawn contour work
- subtle pencil-like detailing
- light watercolor washes
- dry-brush texture
- restrained pigment
- handcrafted imperfections
- premium editorial illustration quality

The rendering should feel like:

**a realistic portrait carefully translated into a refined handmade sketch-and-watercolor illustration printed on textured paper.**

Keep the face slightly more detailed than the rest of the body.

Avoid:

- cartoon style
- anime
- comic-book exaggeration
- thick oil paint
- glossy digital painting
- 3D rendering
- vector-flat appearance
- hyper-polished plastic skin
- excessive watercolor blur

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# BACKGROUND — MINIMAL PAPER COVER

Use a warm vintage paper background.

Background qualities:

- ivory
- warm cream
- soft beige
- subtle handmade paper grain
- light natural fiber texture
- slight aged-paper appearance

Keep the background predominantly clean.

Behind the subject, add only a **small restrained cluster of loose watercolor / dry-brush strokes**.

Use:

- tan
- beige
- muted ochre
- very light brown
- subtle gray-brown accents

The brush strokes should stay **close to the subject** and must not cover the whole page.

Do not create a full environmental scene.

No:

- buildings
- furniture
- rooms
- landscapes
- objects
- decorative borders
- typography

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# BRUSHWORK PLACEMENT

The background brushwork should function only as a subtle visual anchor behind the person.

Keep it:

- centered around the subject
- slightly larger than the person
- organic
- irregular
- understated
- softly faded at the edges

Add only minimal:

- paint splatter
- light drips
- broken dry-brush marks

Do not make the splashes too large or visually noisy.

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# SUBJECT EDGE TREATMENT

Keep the face and upper torso relatively crisp.

Toward the:

- lower shirt
- jeans
- outer sleeves
- bottom of the figure

allow the drawing to softly transition into:

- unfinished pencil strokes
- light watercolor fading
- dry-brush edges
- broken pigment marks

Do not dissolve the face.

Do not blur facial features.

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# HEAD & EXPRESSION

Keep:

- head nearly upright
- slight three-quarter orientation
- chin subtly raised
- composed expression
- confident presence
- relaxed or closed lips

Do not create an exaggerated smile.

The uploaded person's facial structure always takes priority.

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# CAMERA / REALISM FOUNDATION

Build the portrait as if photographed using:

- 70–85 mm portrait perspective
- natural facial proportions
- minimal lens distortion
- realistic head-to-shoulder scale
- anatomically correct arms and hands

Then translate that photographic structure into a hand-drawn illustration.

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# QUALITY PRIORITY

Prioritize in this exact order:

1. **Uploaded person's facial identity**
2. **Small centered subject composition**
3. **Large clean negative space**
4. **Exact sleeve-adjusting pose**
5. **Correct arms, hands, and fingers**
6. **Minimalist hand-drawn paper-cover style**
7. **Premium editorial finish**

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# NEGATIVE CONSTRAINTS

Do not:

- enlarge the subject excessively
- make the person fill the frame
- place the person near the edge
- crop tightly
- reduce the negative space
- create a busy background
- copy the pose-reference person's face
- alter the uploaded person's identity
- generate a generic handsome face
- change skin tone
- significantly alter age
- alter facial proportions
- reverse the arm pose
- create extra fingers
- create missing fingers
- merge hands
- deform wrists
- shorten or stretch arms unnaturally
- create an oversized head
- create a tiny head
- hide the face in shadows
- cover too much of the face with sunglasses
- use cartoon/anime/3D/CGI style
- add text
- add logos
- add watermarks

## FINAL VISUAL GOAL

The finished artwork should look like a **premium minimalist illustrated paper cover featuring a small, centered, recognizable portrait of the uploaded person**, surrounded by **large areas of clean warm paper**, with subtle hand-drawn lines and restrained watercolor brushwork behind the figure.