Watercolor cafe breakfast with a croissant, cappuccino and teaspoon viewed from above.

Example result illustrating this prompt's visual direction. Actual results may vary by model, reference image and settings.

Cafe Breakfast Watercolor Sketch

Transform a breakfast photo into a loose watercolor illustration with recognizable food and tableware.

Prompt

Transform the uploaded reference photo into a hand-painted watercolor illustration. Use the supplied photograph as the authoritative source for subject structure and visible details. Work from a breakfast or cafe tabletop photograph. Keep the exact dishes, food portions, cup handles, utensil placement and viewing angle. Do not add steam unless visible, invent garnishes or change printed text into new words. Render food with warm transparent layers and short dry-brush texture marks. Use sparse brown-gray contour accents for tableware, maintaining accurate ellipses. Connect objects with light tabletop shadows and leave generous white gaps between color passages. Retain the original arrangement and reduce distracting background objects to pale shapes; omit unreadable incidental lettering rather than generating gibberish. The result must read as a new watercolor painting on subtly textured cold-press paper, with translucent pigment, purposeful brushwork and varied edge softness, not a photograph with a texture overlay. Avoid oil-paint impasto, glossy 3D rendering, heavy cartoon outlines, decorative text, signatures and watermarks. Return a single finished illustration, not a before-and-after comparison, collage or framed mockup.
Recommended: ChatGPT
Upload your photo to the AI tool first, then use this prompt. The prompt asks the model to preserve identity and key visual features.

How to use it

  1. Upload a clear reference photo showing breakfast or cafe tabletop photograph.
  2. Paste the full prompt and request one finished watercolor illustration.
  3. Compare the result with your reference for subject accuracy and apply a relevant failure fix if needed.

Common failure fixes

  • If the cup looks tilted incorrectly, restore its rim ellipse and handle angle from the photo.
  • If pastry looks like a smooth roll, add short directional dry-brush marks along its folds.
  • If extra food appears, restrict the illustration to the reference dishes and portions.