# Ink scroll

Fill in a subject, a season, the brushwork and a few details to get an ink painting prompt with plenty of empty space.

Web page: <https://promptseen.dev/en/templates/ink-scroll/>  
Other languages: [简体中文](https://promptseen.dev/zh-hans/templates/ink-scroll/index.md)

Version v1 · 5 fields

![Five grey bamboo stalks and drifting leaves on warm paper, with a red seal at lower right.](https://promptseen.dev/media/a_116/bamboo-grove-scroll-detail-c6d00d76e5c4.webp)

*This image comes from the default sample. Other values give other results.*

## Prompt · English

```text
Traditional Chinese ink painting of a bamboo grove in summer, on warm rice paper with generous empty space.
Brushwork: soft grey washes with crisp dark nodes.
Details: five tall stalks, drifting leaves.
Mark the corner with a small red artist's seal.
Aspect ratio: 21:9.
```

## Template with placeholders

```text
Traditional Chinese ink painting of {{subject}} in {{season}}, on warm rice paper with generous empty space.
Brushwork: {{brushwork}}.
Details: {{elements}}.
Mark the corner with a small red artist's seal.
Aspect ratio: {{aspectRatio}}.
```

## Fields

| Field | Type | In the default sample |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subject (`subject`) · Required · One main subject, such as “a bamboo grove”. | Text: Up to 80 characters | a bamboo grove |
| Season (`season`) · Required | Choice: Spring (`spring`), Summer (`summer`), Autumn (`autumn`), Winter (`winter`) | Summer |
| Brushwork (`brushwork`) · Required | Choice: Soft washes, crisp nodes (`soft grey washes with crisp dark nodes`), Loose wet washes (`loose wet washes`), Dry brush (`dry brush with visible texture`) | Soft washes, crisp nodes |
| Details (`elements`) · Optional · Things you can count work best, e.g. “five tall stalks”. | List: 0–4 items | five tall stalks, drifting leaves |
| Aspect ratio (`aspectRatio`) · Required | Choice: 21:9 (`21:9`), 16:9 (`16:9`), 3:4 (`3:4`), 1:3 (`1:3`) | 21:9 |

## What is it good for?

Banners, wide scroll wallpapers and covers that need a quiet, East Asian feel. In wide ratios the empty space matters more than the subject.

## How do I fill it in?

- **Subject**: one main subject, such as “a bamboo grove” or “a lone pine”. More subjects leave less empty space.
- **Brushwork**: decides the texture. Wet washes are soft; dry brush is rough.
- **Details**: up to four, and countable, such as “five tall stalks”.

The prompt itself stays in English: in testing, brushwork described in English came out more consistently.

## Made with this template

- [Plum blossom avatar](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/plum-avatar/)
- [Branch across a wide scroll](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/branch-across-a-scroll/)
- [Pine on a winter cliff](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/pine-on-a-winter-cliff/)
- [Plum blossoms in spring](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/plum-blossoms-in-spring/)
- [Misty ridges at first light](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/misty-ridges-first-light/)
- [Bare winter branch](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/bare-winter-branch/)
- [Bamboo grove scroll](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/bamboo-grove-scroll/)
- [Plum branch in ink](https://promptseen.dev/en/prompts/plum-branch-in-ink/)

## Test prints

### 2026-10-28 · GPT Image 2.5

- Provider: OpenAI
- Template v1: [Ink scroll](https://promptseen.dev/en/templates/ink-scroll/)

Prompt used for this print:

```text
Traditional Chinese ink painting of a lone pine on a winter cliff in winter, on warm rice paper with generous empty space.
Brushwork: dry brush with visible texture.
Details: a single leaning trunk.
Mark the corner with a small red artist's seal.
Aspect ratio: 1:3.
```

![Lone leaning pine on a winter cliff in textured ink on a tall warm-paper scroll, with a small red seal.](https://promptseen.dev/media/a_164/pine-on-a-winter-cliff-detail-af5f2489719c.webp)

### 2026-10-28 · GPT Image 2.5

- Provider: OpenAI
- Template v1: [Ink scroll](https://promptseen.dev/en/templates/ink-scroll/)

Prompt used for this print:

```text
Traditional Chinese ink painting of misty mountain ridges in autumn, on warm rice paper with generous empty space.
Brushwork: loose wet washes.
Details: five receding ridges, a pale sun behind the far range.
Mark the corner with a small red artist's seal.
Aspect ratio: 16:9.
```

![Grey-blue ridges fading into mist, with a pale sun behind the far range.](https://promptseen.dev/media/a_143/misty-ridges-first-light-detail-43ad118c1f90.webp)

### 2026-10-28 · GPT Image 2.5

- Provider: OpenAI
- Template v1: [Ink scroll](https://promptseen.dev/en/templates/ink-scroll/)

![Five grey bamboo stalks and drifting leaves on warm paper, with a red seal at lower right.](https://promptseen.dev/media/a_116/bamboo-grove-scroll-detail-c6d00d76e5c4.webp)