Deformation Operator Playbook
Controlled figure warps with safety locks and continuity
Intent → Anchors → Constraints → Prompts → Transforms
Deformation Operator Playbook
The AI image generation industry has oriented entirely around correcting anatomical distortions rather than controlling them intentionally. This closes off a vast expressive territories that art has explored for centuries, from Giacometti’s impossible elongation to Bacon's flesh distortions. This attempting to systematically reopen this creative space. To push past the defaults and even get closer to some of these artist’s original intent, vs the “corrected” engine path which pacifies even these artists into norms.
Example: Native engine → 1x logic applied → 2x logic applied
What This System Actually Is
The Deformation Operator Playbook is a research methodology for systematically exploring controlled anatomical distortion. It functions as a conceptual scaffold that helps navigate an area where few established methods exist.
The core insight: treat distortion as a separate mechanical object, then instruct the system to integrate it seamlessly. This sidesteps AI systems' tendency to "correct" anatomical impossibilities by making the impossibility explicit and controlled.
Separation of concerns: Mechanics of deformation vs. aesthetics of integration
Permission structure: Gives AI explicit license to break anatomy in specific ways
Systematic vocabulary: Provides consistent language for complex spatial relationships
Cross-engine transferability: Same logical structure works across different AI systems, especially instruction-following bias engines such as GPT and Gemini, while it still produces unpredictable results in aesthetic prior > literal geometry engines such as MidJourney and OpenArt.
Examples: Sora and Gemini
The Unexplored Problem
Creating controlled, graceful anatomical distortions in AI-generated images is genuinely difficult. Most distortion work relies on accidental latent space artifacts or post-processing or are just coherently applied across multiple factors (such as all limbs) of the image so AI can “understandably” generate that fits within the defaults. Getting AI systems to generate purposeful and isolated anatomical impossibilities - like a spiraling arm that maintains anatomical coherence - during initial generation is uncharted territory and can be difficult to achieve.
Examples: Glitched → Predictable Distortion → Failed Distortion
FULL DISCLAIMER:
Results vary by engine, model version, settings, and randomness. These operators describe intent, not guaranteed geometry, so expect iteration. Many platforms treat strong body deformations as low-quality “collapse” or safety risk; vendors routinely retune models to suppress such prompts, so behavior can change without notice. For the fastest path, work interactively with a conversational model and ask for platform-specific rewrites or adjustments. Track versions/seeds and export accepted results promptly. Use only material you have rights to and follow each platform’s terms and content policies. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Deformation Operator Playbook should be evaluated as a translation protocol and systematic prompting framework, not as a direct mathematical control system. Its value lies in bridging the gap between AI systems that can reason mathematically and those that generate images through learned associations.
Examples: Sora same prompt, one collapse, one success.
Prompts and image examples from Sora. Can be translated to different mediums and modes, using just classic figure studies for illustrative purposes.
Arm extensions, bends and curls:
Arm Stretch: A charcoal drawing, soft diffused light. A female clothed figure in a neutral, relaxed pose. Seamless integration between body and any distortion; no seams or joints. Her left arm extends outward, stretched noticeably longer than normal, about one and a half times its usual length. The extension originates cleanly at the elbow and continues in a smooth, natural line toward the lower right of the frame. The forearm and hand remain thin and proportional, without swelling or distortion, as though gracefully elongated. Maintain original thickness across the figure. Keep anatomy and proportions elsewhere. Material consistency: charcoal grain and tonal shading applied uniformly across the figure and the extended limb. Avoid grotesque enlargement; aim for graceful distortion with coherent volume and shadow.
A charcoal drawing, soft diffused light. A female clothed figure in a neutral, relaxed pose. Seamless integration between body and any distortion. Her left arm extends straight outward from the shoulder, stretched noticeably longer than normal, about one and a half times its usual length. The arm turns downward at the elbow and continues in a smooth, natural line toward the lower right of the frame. The forearm and hand remain thin and proportional, without swelling or distortion, as though gracefully elongated. Maintain original thickness across the figure. Keep anatomy and proportions elsewhere. Avoid grotesque enlargement; aim for graceful distortion with coherent volume and shadow.
A charcoal drawing of a clothed female figure, posed in a calm and neutral stance. Her left arm extends outward in a long exaggerated stretch, then sharply bends at the elbow in an unnatural angle before continuing downward to the hand. The extension is thin and proportionally consistent, reading as an impossible but continuous anatomy rather than a break. Charcoal drawing with soft diffused lighting, emphasizing subtle form and quiet distortion.
A charcoal drawing, soft diffused light. A female clothed figure in a neutral, relaxed pose. Seamless integration between body and any distortion; no seams or joints. Shape the left arm into a smooth, graceful arc with the elbow as the high point. The curve runs from shoulder to wrist as one continuous sweep. Keep the arm full—no sausage bulges, no hard crease. Add a faint shadow along the inner side of the arc to make the curve read. Maintain original thickness across the figure. Keep anatomy and proportions elsewhere. Material consistency: charcoal grain and tonal shading applied uniformly across the figure and the extended limb. Avoid grotesque enlargement; aim for graceful distortion with coherent volume and shadow.
A charcoal drawing, soft diffused light. A female clothed figure in a neutral, relaxed pose. Seamless integration between body and any distortion; no seams or joins. Make the left arm itself twist into a gentle anatomical coil starting at the elbow, with one clear overlap that casts a soft occlusion shadow; keep the arm’s thickness and the hand intact. Maintain original thickness across the figure. Keep anatomy and proportions elsewhere. Material consistency: charcoal grain and tonal shading applied uniformly across the figure and the extended limb. Avoid grotesque enlargement; aim for graceful distortion with coherent volume and shadow.
A charcoal drawing of a clothed female figure in a neutral, relaxed pose. The figure's left arm is a distinct, sculpted coil that spirals away from the body with the hand at the end. The arm is a piece of flexible form, with a taut, smooth surface and an internal, spiraling torsion. This coiled form is then placed onto the figure, maintaining its connection to the shoulder and hand. The entire composition should be a single, seamless image, with no visible seams or joints, where the organic body meets the spiraling, un-resolvable form.
Transferable.
A charcoal drawing, soft diffused light. A female clothed figure in a neutral, relaxed pose. Seamless integration between body and any distortion; no seams or joins. Stretch the neck upward gradually so it lengthens more near the collar and less near the head; keep its width proportional and the jawline and shoulders coherent; leave the rest of the body unchanged. Maintain original thickness across the figure. Keep anatomy and proportions elsewhere. Material consistency: charcoal grain and tonal shading applied uniformly across the figure and the extended limb. Avoid grotesque enlargement; aim for graceful distortion with coherent volume and shadow.
A charcoal drawing of a clothed female figure in a neutral, relaxed pose. The figure's torso is a distinct, sculpted coil that spirals linking the bottom half of the body with the top. The coil is a piece of flexible form, with a taut, smooth surface and an internal, spiraling torsion. This coiled form is then placed onto the figure, maintaining its connection to the chest and hip. The entire composition should be a single, seamless image, with no visible seams or joints, where the organic body meets the spiraling, un-resolvable form.
A drawing, soft diffused light. A dog in a neutral, relaxed pose. Seamless integration between body and any distortion; no seams or joins. The left legs extends precisely along a vector originating at the left elbow, oriented toward the lower-right (≈ 0.65, 0.18 direction) and lengthened by a factor of 1.8× while maintaining original thickness across the forearm and hand. Keep curvature continuity at the knew, preserve anatomy and proportions elsewhere. Material consistency: charcoal grain and tonal shading applied uniformly across the figure and the extended limb. Avoid grotesque enlargement; aim for graceful distortion with coherent volume and shadow.
Manipulate or let it glitch.
A charcoal drawing of a female figure. Her body is in a neutral, relaxed pose, contrasting with her left arm which is dramatically stretched towards the bottom-right corner of the frame. The elongated arm and hand remain thin and in proportion to the rest of the body, creating a sense of graceful distortion rather than monstrous enlargement. The drawing uses soft, diffused lighting with subtle shadows, enhancing the charcoal texture and the figure's form without harsh lines. The overall style is expressive and slightly melancholic, highlighting the tension between the figure's contained body and the outstretched limb.
A pastel drawing of a female figure. Her body is in a neutral, relaxed pose, contrasting with her neck which is dramatically stretched towards the top of the frame. The elongated neck remains thin and in proportion to the rest of the body, creating a sense of graceful distortion rather than monstrous enlargement. The drawing uses soft, diffused lighting with subtle shadows, enhancing the charcoal texture and the figure's form without harsh lines. The overall style is expressive and slightly melancholic, highlighting the tension between the figure's contained body and the outstretched limb.
A charcoal drawing of a nude female figure, posed with her head gently tilted down. Her left arm begins normally at the shoulder but then twists into a sculptural coil, spiraling outward in a continuous loop before descending into a hand. The coil feels taut and smooth, with an internal torsion that suggests controlled distortion rather than collapse. The rest of the body remains calm and still, contrasting with the coiled, impossible limb. Charcoal rendering with soft, diffused light and atmospheric shading.
Put it to work
El Greco painting of a knight in armor with elongated limbs, dramatic lighting. Seamless integration between body and any distortion; no seams or joins. Make neck dramatically stretched towards the top of the frame. The elongated neck remains thin and in proportion to the rest of the body, creating a sense of graceful distortion rather than monstrous enlargement. The left arm stretches toward a helmet on a table precisely along a vector originating at the left elbow, oriented toward the lower-right and lengthened by a factor of 1.8× while maintaining original thickness across the forearm and hand. Keep curvature continuity at the elbow, preserve anatomy and proportions elsewhere. Material consistency: paint stroke and tonal shading applied uniformly across the figure and the extended limb. Avoid grotesque enlargement; aim for graceful distortion with coherent volume and shadow.
A painting in the style of Andrew Wyeth. A lone female figure is in an old barn. The figure's body is contorted with grief and sorrow. Her head is bowed, and her neck appears painfully elongated, pulling her gaze downwards. Her arms are drawn in towards her body, perhaps also elongated and thin, emphasizing a sense of collapse and internal suffering. The overall mood is one of profound, desolate grief and physical strain. The color palette is muted, with heavier shadows, browns, grays, and earthy tones, enhancing the somber atmosphere.
A painting in the style of Andrew Wyeth's 'Christina's World.' A lone dog lies in a field of dry, tawny grass. The dog’s body is a gaunt, skeletal form, hunched and pulled inward by an immense, unseen force. Dog's elongated neck and spine are painfully strained, forcing the dog head to bend deeply towards the ground. Dogs arms are drawn in tightly, pressing against her chest in a gesture of profound suffering. The overall mood is one of desolate physical pain and internal collapse. The color palette is muted, with heavier shadows, browns, grays, and earthy tones.
Mix, Match and Experiment
User Intent → GPT (mathematical reasoning) → Deformation Operator Playbook specification → Image Model → Visual output. For example:
User: "Make the arm spiral gracefully"
GPT: Generates structured domain specific language with appropriate turns, scale, continuity parameters
Image model: Processes structured language for more consistent results
Future systems: Could potentially execute the mathematical operations directly
Value Proposition
The system's strength lies in systematic transferability rather than precision control:
Converts intuitive requests into structured specifications
Provides consistent vocabulary across different AI systems GPT → Sora/Gemini, for example
Creates a pathway for future AI architectures with genuine mathematical capabilities
Improves current results through better structured prompting
The core insight: treat distortion as a separate mechanical object, then instruct the system to integrate it seamlessly. This sidesteps AI systems' tendency to "correct" anatomical impossibilities by making the impossibility explicit and controlled.
For the full playbook, with code, please see the link.