Deformation Operator Playbook

Controlled figure warps with safety locks and continuity

Intent → Anchors → Constraints → Prompts → Transforms

A black and white sketch of a humanoid figure with a long, curved, trumpet-like head and elongated neck, wearing a sleeveless top. The figure has one arm bent with a twisted bracelet on the wrist, and its hand is gracefully positioned with fingers slightly curled.

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 playbook 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

Three sculptures of elongated, slender female figures with textured surfaces, each with different stylized poses and body proportions, displayed against plain backgrounds.

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: Th 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 literal geometry engines such as MidJourney and OpenArt.

Examples: Sora and Gemini

Two charcoal drawings of women with tentacle-like arms. The left depicts a nude woman with her eyes closed, and the right shows a woman in a sleeveless dress with her eyes open.

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

Three sketches of people: a woman with curly hair, a man with a shaved head, and a woman with long straight hair. The woman on the left appears to be a classical-style drawing in pencil, the man in the middle is a modern dance pose, and the woman on the right is a pencil sketch of a girl with a spiral shape extending from her shoulder.

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.

Two sepia-toned portrait sketches of a young woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a short-sleeved dress, sitting with her left arm raised and resting on her head, and her right hand on her lap, with a calm expression.

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:

A realistic drawing of a young woman with short hair, wearing a dress, reaching out with her right arm to the side, with a calm and contemplative expression.

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 monochrome drawing of a woman standing against a plain wall, with her head slightly bowed, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and her right arm extended downward with an elongated, bent appearance.

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 grayscale drawing of a young girl standing against a wall. She is wearing a T-shirt and skirt, with her head slightly bowed and eyes closed. Her left arm hangs down naturally, while her right arm is extended straight out to the side, with her hand relaxed and fingers slightly curled.

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 detailed pencil sketch of a young woman with closed eyes, wearing a T-shirt, with one arm raised above her head and the other resting on her lap.

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 detailed pencil drawing of a woman with short hair, wearing a simple dress, sitting against a plain background. Her right arm is relaxed, and her left arm is distorted, transforming into a snake that coils upward.

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 black and white drawing of a woman with dark hair tied back in a bun, wearing a short-sleeved top and a skirt. She is looking downward with a calm expression. A large, spiral-shaped object is attached to her left arm, wrapping around it and extending downward.

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 pencil drawing of a woman with an elongated neck sitting in profile, wearing a simple dress, with her hands resting on her lap

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 monochrome drawing of a woman with a calm expression, wearing a long dress. Her torso appears to be a spiral shape, blending seamlessly into her dress.

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.

Sketch of a Labrador Retriever dog lying down with its front paw extended forward, facing to the right.

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 black and white charcoal drawing of a nude woman with her head tilted down, eyes closed, leaning against a wall. Her right arm is extended downward, blending into a long, elongated, bird-like hand.

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 drawing of a nude woman with a long neck and elongated face, with her head tilted back and eyes closed.

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 grayscale drawing of a nude woman with a large, curled hair lock on her shoulder.

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

A painting of a man in dark armor with a tall, slender neck, and a serious expression, standing next to a table with a helmet on it, holding the helmet with one hand.

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 woman with curly hair tied in a bun, wearing a dark long-sleeved dress, sitting on the floor in a dimly lit room, looking down and holding her knees. The room has wooden walls and a window with light coming in from outside.

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 somber painting of a thin, emaciated dog sitting on a grassy field, with two small houses in the background under a cloudy, overcast sky.

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.

For the Full Playbook
A surreal painting of a woman with a human upper body and a lower body made of a large, twisted, orange-brown mass that resembles a shell or spiral. The woman is posed with one arm raised and the other extended downward, against a textured, abstract background in shades of blue and orange.

Mix, Match and Experiment

Give user intent → GPT (mathematical reasoning) → Deformation Operator Playbook specification → Image Model → Visual output. For example:

  • User: "Make the torso 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. Sora and GPT are by far the most adapt at deformations, but other engines such as Gemini, MidJourney and Open art show varying degrees of success. Tips and tricks in the Playbook.

A pink flower with a yellow center on a green, curly stem.
Yellow fire hydrant on sidewalk near street, with a curved yellow hose attached, marked with the word 'OPEN'.
A building with a large beige spiral structure wrapping around it, topped with a smaller rectangular section with multiple windows, in an urban area with other buildings and trees.
A proud-looking gerbil standing upright on its hind legs against a plain, neutral background.