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A single bright lightning bolt strikes from storm clouds across a dark rippled sea with a glowing reflection

About this illustration

Moody watercolor painting of a turbulent lightning storm over a dark ocean, with the bright bolt casting a glowing reflection on choppy waves. This atmospheric piece works well for weather themed designs, book covers or moody nature backgrounds.

Prompt: “watercolor painting of a lightning storm over a dark sea with a single bright bolt” — AI-generated and reviewed for quality before listing.

Editor's note (8.5/10): Strong composition matching the brief, with natural watercolor texture, correct lighting and no visible AI flaws.

Also searched as: lightning over ocean · stormy sea painting · watercolor storm art · dark weather landscape

Direct file: 1280×1600 JPG

Using this illustration — common questions

Can I use this lightning storm over dark sea illustration for free, commercially?
Yes. This illustration is licensed CC BY 4.0, so you can use it in commercial and personal projects — websites, ads, social media, videos and client work — at no cost. The one condition is the credit: “Lightning Storm Over Dark Sea” by BudgetPixel AI (https://budgetpixel.com/images/lightning-storm-over-dark-sea-dafc7037) — CC BY 4.0
What size is this illustration?
The original is 1280×1600 pixels (JPG); it also downloads at 1280 px and 640 px on the long side. Its portrait shape suits phone wallpapers, Pinterest pins, Instagram and TikTok posts and magazine-style layouts.
Is this illustration AI-generated?
Yes. It was generated by AI from the prompt “watercolor painting of a lightning storm over a dark sea with a single bright bolt” and it passed an AI review for quality and safety before listing. The downloaded file carries the IPTC “AI-generated” marker and its licence details.
Where can I find more nature images like this?
Browse the Nature collection, see the similar images below, or describe the exact picture you need and generate it free on this page.

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Need a different take? Tweak the prompt and generate — free, no account

Safe-for-work images only — no nudity or sexual content, no real or famous people, no children. Blocked requests still count toward today’s limit.

Takes under a minute. Good results join the library for everyone, with their prompt.

Want it private, larger or edited? The image workshop generates with every model and keeps your images to your account. A free account comes with 300 credits a month.

Get images like this from your AI agent or your code

The whole library is searchable through the BudgetPixel MCP connector and the developer API, on every plan, Free included. A search costs 10 credits and returns each result's download link and credit line, so the 300 credits a free account gets every month cover 30 searches.

Ask your AI agent

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor to your BudgetPixel account once, with no API key, then ask in plain words:

Find a free stock illustration like “Lightning Storm Over Dark Sea” and give me the download link and its credit line.

Call the API

One request, with an API key from the developer console:

curl -G https://api.budgetpixel.com/v1/stock/images \
  --data-urlencode "query=lightning storm over dark sea" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BUDGETPIXEL_API_KEY"

Nothing in the library fits? On any paid plan the same connector and API generate images to order, and the models also come as plugins for ComfyUI, WordPress and Cursor.