justrob on BudgetPixel
@justrob Β· 8/27/2026
I ran the same prompt through five models. The thing to compare is how each one handles the clash between Ryden's smooth porcelain skin and Liepke's loose brushwork. Some come out glassy, some look heavily painted, and the red stripes either stay crisp or smear into the fabric. Also worth checking whether the circus tents and that orange sphere survive the background. Models, in order: 1. seedream-5.0-pro 2. flux-2-pro 3. gpt-image-2 4. nano-banana-2-lite 5. grok-imagine-image-2 Reference image: https://images.nightcafe.studio/ik-seo/jobs/81x632xQzLZ2vIHlLjRw/81x632xQzLZ2vIHlLjRw--0--w4956/under-circus-stars-she-waits-in-red-and-silence-moonlight-on-her-lips.jpg?tr=w-1600,c-at_max

AI Model: seedream-5.0-pro
Prompt: Mark Ryden + Malcolm Liepke + oil on a distressed craquelure board, where Ryden's porcelain glazing builds luminous high-key flesh against a near-black ground through smooth blended transitions and one saturated red note held at the mouth, and Liepke's loose alla prima brushwork produces fabric and atmosphere via confident directional strokes and softly lost edges. The fusion manifests as glassy modelled skin over broken scumbled darks, warm ochre-and-vermilion lights on ivory black, and paint scuffed, cracked and flaked toward the borders. A young woman with a short blonde bob, blue eyes, bold red lipstick and rosy cheeks, wearing a red and white vertically striped V-neck top and a thin gold necklace with a small pendant. Portrait crop from the chest up at eye level, the woman turned slightly with her chin lifted and gaze directed off to the side, shoulders angled toward the frame, sharp focus on her face with circus tents and a spherical ornament softer behind her. Scene set at a circus fairground at night, with a dark star-speckled sky, red and white striped tents topped by finials and orbs, and a large orange sphere floating above one tent.
![[Aged cracked oil portrait of a blonde circus performer, with striped big top tents under an orange full moon night sky]](https://cdn.budgetpixel.com/posts/2917/1787858152107900026-8ea41780-d68f-47eb-9b83-e4bfff9e4dae.png)
Tags: vintage circus art, surreal portrait, pop surrealism, carnival painting, orange full moon, circus performer art, retro carnival, distressed oil painting, big top tents, dark circus aesthetic, blonde portrait, vintage illustration, surreal carnival, night circus artwork, whimsical dark art
AI Model: flux-2-pro
Prompt: Mark Ryden + Malcolm Liepke + oil on a distressed craquelure board, where Ryden's porcelain glazing builds luminous high-key flesh against a near-black ground through smooth blended transitions and one saturated red note held at the mouth, and Liepke's loose alla prima brushwork produces fabric and atmosphere via confident directional strokes and softly lost edges. The fusion manifests as glassy modelled skin over broken scumbled darks, warm ochre-and-vermilion lights on ivory black, and paint scuffed, cracked and flaked toward the borders. A young woman with a short blonde bob, blue eyes, bold red lipstick and rosy cheeks, wearing a red and white vertically striped V-neck top and a thin gold necklace with a small pendant. Portrait crop from the chest up at eye level, the woman turned slightly with her chin lifted and gaze directed off to the side, shoulders angled toward the frame, sharp focus on her face with circus tents and a spherical ornament softer behind her. Scene set at a circus fairground at night, with a dark star-speckled sky, red and white striped tents topped by finials and orbs, and a large orange sphere floating above one tent.

Tags: vintage circus art, oil portrait painting, 1920s flapper, circus performer art, big top carnival, nostalgic artwork, antique oil painting, striped costume, starry night art, dark carnival aesthetic, retro circus, melancholy portrait, vintage illustration, carnival wall art
AI Model: gpt-image-2
Prompt: Mark Ryden + Malcolm Liepke + oil on a distressed craquelure board, where Ryden's porcelain glazing builds luminous high-key flesh against a near-black ground through smooth blended transitions and one saturated red note held at the mouth, and Liepke's loose alla prima brushwork produces fabric and atmosphere via confident directional strokes and softly lost edges. The fusion manifests as glassy modelled skin over broken scumbled darks, warm ochre-and-vermilion lights on ivory black, and paint scuffed, cracked and flaked toward the borders. A young woman with a short blonde bob, blue eyes, bold red lipstick and rosy cheeks, wearing a red and white vertically striped V-neck top and a thin gold necklace with a small pendant. Portrait crop from the chest up at eye level, the woman turned slightly with her chin lifted and gaze directed off to the side, shoulders angled toward the frame, sharp focus on her face with circus tents and a spherical ornament softer behind her. Scene set at a circus fairground at night, with a dark star-speckled sky, red and white striped tents topped by finials and orbs, and a large orange sphere floating above one tent.

Tags: vintage circus portrait, antique oil painting, 1920s fashion, blonde woman portrait, retro carnival art, aged painting aesthetic, dark circus art, nostalgic illustration, striped blouse, big top tent background, glowing full moon, vintage wall decor, whimsical portrait, antique paint finish, moody figurative art
AI Model: nano-banana-2-lite
Prompt: Mark Ryden + Malcolm Liepke + oil on a distressed craquelure board, where Ryden's porcelain glazing builds luminous high-key flesh against a near-black ground through smooth blended transitions and one saturated red note held at the mouth, and Liepke's loose alla prima brushwork produces fabric and atmosphere via confident directional strokes and softly lost edges. The fusion manifests as glassy modelled skin over broken scumbled darks, warm ochre-and-vermilion lights on ivory black, and paint scuffed, cracked and flaked toward the borders. A young woman with a short blonde bob, blue eyes, bold red lipstick and rosy cheeks, wearing a red and white vertically striped V-neck top and a thin gold necklace with a small pendant. Portrait crop from the chest up at eye level, the woman turned slightly with her chin lifted and gaze directed off to the side, shoulders angled toward the frame, sharp focus on her face with circus tents and a spherical ornament softer behind her. Scene set at a circus fairground at night, with a dark star-speckled sky, red and white striped tents topped by finials and orbs, and a large orange sphere floating above one tent.
![[Aged vintage oil portrait of a blonde circus woman in a striped top, with carnival tents and red moon in a dark background]](https://cdn.budgetpixel.com/posts/2917/1787858152917956756-d8854e72-9470-4ece-92ae-b4d4f2d53295.jpg)
Tags: vintage circus portrait, antique oil painting, blonde circus woman, striped carnival aesthetic, haunted carnival art, red moon painting, classical portraiture, cracked painting texture, melancholy art, big top tent artwork, dark carnival aesthetic, romantic gothic art, retro circus illustration, vintage portraiture, eerie carnival art
AI Model: grok-imagine-image-2
Prompt: Mark Ryden + Malcolm Liepke + oil on a distressed craquelure board, where Ryden's porcelain glazing builds luminous high-key flesh against a near-black ground through smooth blended transitions and one saturated red note held at the mouth, and Liepke's loose alla prima brushwork produces fabric and atmosphere via confident directional strokes and softly lost edges. The fusion manifests as glassy modelled skin over broken scumbled darks, warm ochre-and-vermilion lights on ivory black, and paint scuffed, cracked and flaked toward the borders. A young woman with a short blonde bob, blue eyes, bold red lipstick and rosy cheeks, wearing a red and white vertically striped V-neck top and a thin gold necklace with a small pendant. Portrait crop from the chest up at eye level, the woman turned slightly with her chin lifted and gaze directed off to the side, shoulders angled toward the frame, sharp focus on her face with circus tents and a spherical ornament softer behind her. Scene set at a circus fairground at night, with a dark star-speckled sky, red and white striped tents topped by finials and orbs, and a large orange sphere floating above one tent.
Comments
darkmario
Very beautiful images; the first one has something that captivated me. π
NielsCarlsen
lovely
MagnusGibson
My profile in NC is the same, @MagnusGibson
TTRPG_Player
Well done!
MagnusGibson
Very interesting, Rob! I remember that I used this prompt some time ago on NC, it reminded me of a Ray Bradbury book.
legion
Beautiful!
justrob
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