Día de los Muertos falls on November 1 and 2, and every year my feed fills up with painted faces, marigold crowns, and candlelit portraits. The look is bold and colorful, but it also carries a lot of warmth. It’s a celebration of family and the people we’ve lost, not a scary costume.
That mix of beauty and meaning is exactly why these portraits work so well with AI. Google Gemini’s Nano Banana Pro model handles detailed face paint, flower textures, and candlelight surprisingly well, so you can get a festival-ready portrait without hours in a makeup chair.
To try these, open gemini.google.com or the Gemini app, start a new chat, and pick the Pro model. You can paste any prompt below as it is. If you want the portrait to look like you, upload a clear front-facing photo first and add “keep my face exactly the same” at the start of the prompt.
Classic Catrina With a Marigold Crown
This is the look most people picture first. Elegant face paint, a big floral crown, and a soft, dignified expression.
Create a close-up portrait of a young woman in classic La Catrina style makeup. Her face is painted with a soft white base, black detailed eye sockets with orange petal designs around them, a delicate black nose tip, and fine stitched lines across her lips. She is wearing a large crown of bright orange and yellow marigolds mixed with deep red roses. Her dark hair is styled in loose waves over her shoulders, and she wears a black lace off-shoulder dress with a choker necklace. She is facing the camera at a slight three-quarter angle with a calm, graceful expression. Shoot at eye level with a shallow depth of field. The background is a blurred ofrenda with glowing candles and hanging papel picado in pink, orange, and purple. Warm candlelight lights her face from the side. Rich, editorial portrait style with deep shadows and saturated warm tones. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Charro Suit Gentleman Portrait
A strong option for men. The fitted charro suit pairs perfectly with sharp skull face paint.
Create a portrait of a man in his early 30s wearing a fitted black charro suit with silver embroidery and buttons running down the sides of the jacket and trousers, a crisp white shirt, and a red silk bow tie. His face is painted in Day of the Dead skull style with a white base, black eye sockets outlined with small blue and gold dots, a black nose, and painted teeth across his mouth and jaw. He wears a wide black sombrero tilted slightly forward. He stands with his body angled sideways and his head turned toward the camera, one hand holding the lapel of his jacket. Shoot from a slightly low angle to give him a confident presence. The background is a narrow cobblestone street at night strung with orange marigold garlands and warm string lights, softly blurred. Moody, warm lighting with golden highlights on the silver embroidery. Cinematic portrait style. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Candlelit Ofrenda Close-Up
This one leans into quiet and personal. The altar does a lot of the storytelling here.
Create a close-up portrait of a young woman kneeling in front of a traditional ofrenda altar, gently lighting a candle with a long match. Her face is painted in a soft half-skull design, with the left side covered in white paint, black eye detailing, and small pink flowers on the cheek, while the right side is left natural. She wears a cream embroidered blouse and a dark red rebozo shawl draped over her shoulders. Her hair is braided with tiny orange marigold blossoms woven in. Her eyes are looking down at the flame with a peaceful expression. Shoot from a slightly high angle close to her face. The background shows rows of candles, framed old family photos, pan de muerto, sugar skulls, and bright marigold petals scattered across the altar. The only light comes from the candles, giving soft golden glow and deep shadows. Intimate, documentary portrait style. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Sugar Skull Glam With Gold Details
For something more glamorous, this prompt swaps the traditional palette for metallic gold accents.
Create a beauty close-up portrait of a woman with luxurious sugar skull makeup. Her face has a smooth porcelain white base, black smoky eye sockets, and intricate gold leaf swirls and filigree patterns around the eyes, forehead, and chin. Small gold gems are placed along her cheekbones. Her lips are painted deep black with thin gold stitch lines. She wears a headpiece of black roses and gold-painted leaves, and drop earrings shaped like small gold skulls. Her chin is slightly raised and her eyes look straight into the lens. Shoot at eye level, framing only her face and shoulders. The background is plain matte black. Use a soft beauty dish from the front with a thin rim light on her hair. High-end beauty editorial style with crisp detail and a black and gold color palette. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Couple Walking Through a Marigold Path
Couple portraits in this theme look gorgeous, especially with a long path of flowers leading into the frame.
Create a photo of a couple walking hand in hand along a path covered with bright orange marigold petals at dusk. Both have Day of the Dead face paint. The woman’s design has red roses on her forehead and swirls on her cheeks, and the man’s has blue and white floral details around his eyes. She wears a long ruffled black dress with a red flower in her hair, and he wears a black vest, white shirt, and a black bolero hat. They are mid-step, looking at each other and smiling softly. Shoot from behind at a slight angle, at hip height, so the petal path leads into the frame. The background is a small village plaza lined with candles, colorful papel picado strung overhead, and a glowing church in the distance. Warm blue hour light mixed with golden candle glow. Romantic, cinematic style. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Moody Cemetery Vigil Portrait
On the night of the celebration, families gather at gravesites with candles and flowers. This prompt captures that atmosphere without feeling dark.
Create a portrait of a young woman sitting on a low stone wall in a candlelit cemetery during a Day of the Dead night vigil. Her face is painted with a white skull base, purple and teal flower designs around her eyes, and a small heart on her nose. She wears a dark purple velvet dress and a black lace veil falling from a crown of marigolds and purple statice flowers. She holds a single white candle in both hands close to her chest and looks gently past the camera. Shoot at eye level with a medium framing from the waist up. The background shows softly blurred graves decorated with marigold arches, dozens of glowing candles, and families sitting quietly in the distance. Warm candlelight on her face against cool night tones. Atmospheric, cinematic portrait with gentle film grain. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Vibrant Street Festival Portrait
Bright, loud, and full of life. This is the parade side of the holiday.
Create a candid portrait of a young woman laughing at a Day of the Dead street parade. Her face is painted in a colorful calavera design with a white base, bright pink and orange flowers around her eyes, blue dots across her forehead, and a big painted smile. She wears a vibrant traditional Mexican dress with wide ruffled sleeves in fuchsia and turquoise, and a huge flower crown with marigolds and pink roses. She is spinning slightly with her skirt flaring out and one hand holding the edge of the skirt. Shoot at eye level with a 35mm lens to include some of the crowd. The background is a busy festival street packed with dancers, giant papel picado banners, and colorful decorations, all slightly blurred. Bright late afternoon sunlight with joyful, punchy colors. Lifestyle street photography style. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Half Face Paint Profile Shot
I like this one because the side profile shows both the painted and natural side in a really clean way.
Create a side profile portrait of a man with half of his face painted in Day of the Dead skull style and the other half natural. The painted side has a white base, black eye socket with orange marigold petals around it, and painted teeth along his jaw. He wears a dark charcoal suit jacket over a black shirt with a single orange marigold pinned to the lapel. His short dark hair is neatly combed back. He is looking straight ahead with a calm, thoughtful expression, with his body turned fully sideways. Shoot at eye level, framed from the shoulders up, so the line between painted and natural skin is clearly visible. The background is a deep teal wall with soft shadows. Hard side light creates strong contrast across his face. Fine art portrait style with muted teal and warm orange tones. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Mother and Daughter Matching Look
Family portraits fit this holiday beautifully, since it’s all about honoring the generations before us.
Create a warm portrait of a mother and her young daughter sitting together on a wooden bench in front of a home ofrenda. Both have soft, simple Day of the Dead face paint with white around the eyes, small pink and yellow flowers on the cheeks, and a dot on the tip of the nose. The mother wears a white embroidered huipil blouse and the daughter wears a matching smaller version, both with small marigold flower crowns. The daughter is sitting on her mother’s lap, and the mother has her arms wrapped around her, both smiling at the camera. Shoot at eye level with a medium shot. The background shows an ofrenda decorated with candles, framed photographs, marigolds, and bowls of fruit, slightly out of focus. Soft warm candlelight mixed with gentle window light. Heartfelt family portrait style with warm tones. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Dramatic Black and White Catrina
Removing the color puts all the focus on the face paint and the expression. It looks great as a fine art print.
Create a black and white portrait of a woman in detailed La Catrina makeup. Her face shows a white base, dark eye sockets with delicate petal shapes, swirling vine patterns on her cheeks and forehead, and stitched lines across her lips. She wears a large wide-brimmed hat decorated with roses and feathers, and a high-neck Victorian lace dress. She holds an open lace fan near her collarbone and gazes slightly upward with a serene expression. Shoot from a slightly low angle, framed from the chest up. The background is a dark, textured stone archway. Use a single strong light from above and to the side for deep shadows and high contrast. Classic monochrome fine art photography style with rich blacks and fine detail. Use aspect ratio 4:5.
Floating Marigold Petals Portrait
This prompt adds a bit of magic with petals drifting through the air. It works really well for Reels covers and Stories.
Create a dreamy portrait of a young woman standing still while orange and yellow marigold petals float and fall all around her. Her face is painted in a soft Day of the Dead style with a white base, golden yellow flowers around her eyes, and small orange dots across her forehead. She wears a flowing off-white dress with lace sleeves and a crown of marigolds and baby’s breath. Her eyes are closed and her face is tilted slightly upward with a gentle smile, her hands open at her sides. Shoot at chest height with a vertical full-body frame. The background is a softly blurred field of marigolds glowing in golden hour sunlight. Warm backlight creates a glowing halo around her hair and catches the falling petals. Ethereal, dreamy portrait style with warm golden tones. Use aspect ratio 9:16.
Skull Painted Portrait With Papel Picado Frame
A playful, symmetrical shot that works perfectly as a square profile picture.
Create a centered, symmetrical portrait of a young man with colorful Day of the Dead face paint. His face has a white base, bright green and orange petal designs around his eyes, a red flower in the middle of his forehead, and painted teeth across his lips. He wears a black hoodie with the hood down and a small marigold tucked behind his ear. He is looking straight into the camera with a slight confident smile, shoulders square. Shoot straight on at eye level, framed from the chest up. The background is a bright magenta wall, and rows of colorful papel picado banners in yellow, blue, green, and orange hang across the top of the frame. Bright, even daylight with bold saturated colors. Fun, graphic pop portrait style. Use aspect ratio 1:1.
Gemini sometimes simplifies the face paint if the prompt is short, so keeping the makeup description detailed really helps. If a result looks too much like a horror costume, add words like “gentle”, “elegant”, or “celebratory” to bring back the warmth that makes this holiday special.
Try a few of these with your own photo and share your favorite with a friend this season. I’d love to see which look you end up liking most.