Mariner's Astrolabe Vintage Instrument
Stable DiffusionAn SDXL prompt for a vintage scientific illustration of a mariner's astrolabe in fine-line ink with a sepia brass wash, blank degree numerals, and the four star-shaped spokes of a period nautical instrument.
Last tested: August 2026 with Stable Diffusion SDXL 1.0
Part of the Stable Diffusion prompt library · see more line art prompts .
How to use this prompt
Three-quarter view is the angle that shows both the graduated rim and the alidade sight vane — straight-on flattens the instrument into a clock face and loses the depth that makes an astrolabe read as a real tool. The four star-shaped spokes are the visual signature of a mariner's (not astronomer's) astrolabe; without them the model defaults to a solid decorative disc. The faint sepia wash on the brass is the only colour allowed — it signals "aged metal" without competing with the line. Blank degree numerals are deliberate — the model will engrave pseudo-Arabic numerals if you don't ban them, and they always render as noise. Hatching for patina, not for shading.
Variations to try
- Add a second astrolabe in exploded view beside the assembled one, showing the separate plates
- Swap the mariner's astrolabe for a nocturnal — a pointer and a central hole on a slotted disc
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What to do next
Adapt it →
Open this prompt in the Stable Diffusion builder, pre-filled, and change one layer at a time.
Explore more →
Browse the full Stable Diffusion prompt library — every entry tested with its settings.
For developers — copy this prompt as JSON
{
"title": "Mariner's Astrolabe Vintage Instrument",
"prompt": "A vintage scientific illustration of a mariner's astrolabe in three-quarter view, the brass disc with a graduated outer ring, a central alidade sight vane, four star-shaped spokes connecting to a heavy outer rim, engraved tick marks around the rim, a suspended ring at the top for hanging, thin even black ink linework on aged cream paper with a faint sepia wash on the brass, fine hatching for the metal's patina, blank areas where engraved degree numerals would be, no text, no letters, no numerals",
"negative_prompt": "color, photorealistic, 3d, modern, glossy, text, watermark, numerals, modern font, bright lighting",
"model": "Stable Diffusion",
"model_version": "SDXL 1.0",
"settings": {
"aspect_ratio": "1:1",
"steps": 32,
"cfg": 7,
"sampler": "DPM++ 2M Karras"
},
"style_tags": [
"line-art",
"vintage"
],
"use_case_tags": [
"wall-art",
"illustration"
],
"source_url": "https://promptkoi.com/prompts/stable-diffusion/mariners-astrolabe-vintage-instrument/"
}The whole library is available as an open JSON dataset · developer docs.
