PROMPT GUIDE

Coloring Style Prompts (Anime Coloring, Galge Style, Painterly, Flat Color, Lineart)

For anime-style coloring use anime coloring or cel shading, for glossy visual-novel (galge) style coloring use game cg, and for flat coloring with few shadows use flat color. The trick is to narrow coloring tags down to one or two and not mix them with other art style tags. There's no exact tag for a thick painterly style, so you get close by combining paint-medium tags with a tag that removes the lines.

Last updated: 2026-10-16 approx. 2 min read

日本語版

List of coloring style tags

Coloring tags decide how shadows are applied. Pick one from the table below and write it around just before your quality tags.

Coloring style tags

Tag	Meaning	Note
`anime coloring`	Anime coloring	Shading like a TV anime
`cel shading`	Cel shading (crisp shadows)	Makes anime coloring even sharper
`game cg`	Galge / CG-style coloring	Coloring with gloss and gradients
`flat color`	Flat color (few shadows)	For pop, clean images
`watercolor (medium)`	Watercolor	Soft coloring with bleeding
`oil painting (medium)`	Oil painting	Gets closer to a thick painterly style
`realistic`	Leaning realistic	Too much makes it look photographic

Example of anime coloring with cel shading — anime coloring, cel shading

Example of the watercolor medium style — anime coloring, cel shading

Illustration usage rules

Tags that change the lines (main outlines)

The impression of the coloring also changes a lot with line thickness. Remove the lines for a painterly style, and make the lines clear for an anime look.

Line tags

Tag	Meaning	Note
`lineart`	Lineart	Lines only, no color
`no lineart`	No lineart	For painterly or painting-like styles
`thick outlines`	Thick outlines	For pop styles and chibi characters
`sketch`	Rough sketch	Lines like an underdrawing

Monochrome, manga-style and era-style tags

Manga and era styles

Tag	Meaning	Note
`monochrome`	Monochrome	Uses a single color Details
`greyscale`	Greyscale	Only shades of gray
`screentones`	Screentones	Manga-style halftone dots
`comic`	Comic panels	For images split into panels
`spot color`	One color kept	Black and white plus an accent color
`1990s (style)`	1990s anime style	A retro cel animation vibe
`retro artstyle`	Retro art style	The vibe of older anime and manga

Combinations by the coloring you want

Coloring you want	Combination	Notes
Anime coloring	anime coloring, cel shading	Crisp shadow edges
Galge coloring	game cg, shiny hair, soft lighting	Hair shine defines the look
Painterly	oil painting (medium), no lineart, dramatic lighting	Remove the lines and strengthen the light
Flat color	flat color, simple background, thick outlines	Fewer shadows for a pop look
Watercolor	watercolor (medium), pastel colors, white background	Keep the colors soft
Monochrome manga	monochrome, greyscale, screentones	Remove color-related quality tags
1990s anime	1990s (style), retro artstyle, anime coloring	Colors like old cel animation

Rinka's tips

Use at most one or two coloring tags. Mixing anime coloring and oil painting (medium) gives coloring that's neither
If the effect is weak, boost it just a little like (anime coloring:1.2). Going above 1.5 tends to break the image
Coloring tags are written the same way in both NovelAI and Illustrious

For medium and style tags like watercolor, oil painting and pixel art: Art Style Tags Encyclopedia: Mediums, Retro and Art Movements →

For how to strengthen or weaken tags: The Complete Guide to Prompt Weight Syntax and BREAK →

To unify color tone and mood: Give Your Images a Signature Look with Color and Mood Tags →

Copy-paste templates

Just swap out the parts in [brackets]. The first is anime coloring, the second is a painterly style, and the third is monochrome manga style.

1girl, solo, [hairstyle], [outfit], smile, looking at viewer, anime coloring, cel shading, classroom, upper body, masterpiece, best quality

1girl, solo, [hairstyle], [outfit], looking at viewer, oil painting (medium), no lineart, dramatic lighting, backlighting, portrait, masterpiece, best quality

1girl, solo, [hairstyle], [outfit], smile, monochrome, greyscale, screentones, upper body, masterpiece, best quality

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the prompt for anime coloring?

anime coloring is the basic tag, and you add cel shading when you want crisper shadows. It works the same way in Illustrious, NoobAI and NovelAI.

Is there a prompt for a thick painterly style?

Danbooru has no tag that exactly matches thick painterly coloring (atsunuri). Combining oil painting (medium) and no lineart, and strengthening the light with dramatic lighting, gets you an image close to that style.

The coloring tags aren't working.

Check that they aren't mixed with other art style or paint tags. Narrow the coloring tags down to one or two, and if they're still weak, boost them slightly like (anime coloring:1.2).