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You've got a cartoon character idea in your head. A girl with pigtails. A grumpy wizard. A golden retriever with big dreams.
But when you type your prompt, the AI gives you... something else entirely.
Here's the fix.
The Anatomy of a Perfect Prompt
Every great character prompt follows the same structure:
Who → Features → Outfit → Personality
The AI cartoon prompt formula looks like this:
[Who they are] + [Specific features] + [What they wear] + (Optional) [Personality]
Who they are: A young girl, an elderly wizard, a golden retriever puppy.
Specific features: Long brown hair and bangs, bright curious eyes, fluffy fur.
What they wear: Yellow raincoat and boots, purple robes with golden stars, red collar with a bone-shaped tag.
Personality (optional): Shy but kind, wise and caring, curious and adventurous.
That last part matters. A short phrase like "curious and adventurous" gives your character depth and shapes how they show up in every scene.
But it's a bonus, not a replacement. The visual details always come first.
Example in action:
❌ "A young girl who loves exploring nature and is always curious about the world around her"
This tells us who she is inside, but not what she looks like. The AI has nothing to draw.
✅ "An 8-year-old girl with short brown hair and freckles, wearing a yellow raincoat and red boots. She's curious and loves adventure."
Now the AI knows what to draw AND who she is. The personality shapes her expressions and body language naturally.
5 Prompting Rules That Make All the Difference
Writing prompts for image generation isn't like chatting with ChatGPT. These five rules will dramatically improve your results.
1. Describe one specific moment
Break your story into clear, visual scenes. Don't paste your entire story as a prompt.
✅ "Girl reading a book in the library"
❌ "Girl goes to library, finds a book, reads, then leaves"
2. Focus on ONE character per prompt
Create characters individually first. Combine them in a scene later using Multi-Character tools.
✅ "A girl with brown hair and bangs, wearing a yellow raincoat and boots"
❌ "A girl and boy playing together"
3. Use positive phrasing only
Say what you want, not what you don't want. Phrases like "no hat" or "without glasses" confuse the AI.
✅ "Clean-shaven" instead of "no beard"
✅ "Clear blue sky" instead of "no clouds"
4. Be specific, not vague
Stay away from words like "maybe," "a bit like," or "kind of."
✅ "A man typing fast on a keyboard"
❌ "A man hacking the system"
5. Write full prompts every time
Don't assume the AI remembers your last image. Always write the complete description.
✅ "Boy with curly hair wearing a yellow raincoat, holding an umbrella"
❌ "Use the last one but make him hold an umbrella"
The Anchor Image Trick
For your first generation, always use this action:
"Full body front view, standing, smiling"
This creates the perfect reference image. Everything after (different poses, expressions, scenes) stays consistent because the AI has a clean foundation to work from.
Open Character Turbo. Fill in the three fields:
Description: Young boy with curly red hair and big round glasses, wearing a green sweater and brown pants. He's inventive and a little mischievous.
Action: Full body front view, standing and smiling
Background: Plain white background
Hit generate. That's your anchor.
7 Character Personalities to Inspire Your Next Story
Not sure where to start? These personality types work for almost any story. Each one comes with a ready-to-use prompt example.
1. Curious and Adventurous
”A cheerful 8-year-old explorer with bright curious eyes, wearing a safari hat, khaki vest with pockets, and carrying a small backpack.”
2. Wise and Caring
”A kind elderly wizard with a long silver beard, warm twinkling eyes, purple robes with golden stars, holding a wooden staff.”
3. Determined and Confident
”A confident young woman in her 30s with professional but approachable style, wearing a blazer, holding a tablet, with determined yet friendly expression.”
4. Loyal and Loving
”A golden retriever puppy with expressive brown eyes, fluffy fur, red collar with a bone-shaped tag, sitting with head tilted in curiosity.”
5. Dreamy and Creative
”A teenage girl with curly rainbow-colored hair, paint-splattered apron, holding a paintbrush, surrounded by floating art supplies. Dreamy expression.”
6. Inventive and Clever
”A young inventor with messy hair, safety goggles, lab coat over casual clothes, holding a remote control.”
7. Brave and Protective
“A young knight with shining armor, determined expression, holding a wooden sword and shield decorated with a heart symbol.”
Want more variations and action ideas for each? Check out 7 AI Cartoon Character Prompts You Can Copy-Paste Today.
Your turn
The best prompt isn't clever or creative. It's clear.
Describe exactly what you see, add a touch of who they are inside, and let the AI bring them to life.
