Looking for a fun and creative way to capture your child's personality? With a little help from ChatGPT, you can create custom coloring pages that feature your kids in scenes like superhero adventures, fairy tale moments, and even playing with their favorite characters. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how I used ChatGPT to generate personalized, printable coloring pages of each of my children, step-by-step.

Step 1: Sign Up for ChatGPT Plus

To access image generation tools, you’ll need a ChatGPT Plus subscription. Head over to chat.openai.com, create a free account, and upgrade to Plus. This gives you access to the GPT-4o model, which includes powerful image capabilities. (ChatGPT Plus is $20/mo, but you can easily complete everything you need once, then cancel your subscription).

Step 2: Upload Reference Photos

Choose 3–4 clear reference images for each child you want to turn into a character. These images help ChatGPT understand their unique features, like hairstyle, expressions, and facial structure.

For each photo, use this prompt:

Remove the background and turn this photo into a cartoonish coloring book style for kids with a white background.

Do this a few times for each child to give ChatGPT a strong visual base to work from.

Step 3: Associate the Character with a Name

Once you’ve uploaded 3–4 photos of the same child, use this prompt:

I'd like to create a character from these photos. Let's call this child [Name]. Are you able to generate images of this character based on prompts without reference images?

ChatGPT will confirm and start associating that character name with the child's appearance moving forward.

Step 4: Lock in a Style

Once ChatGPT generates an image style you like, lock it in for future prompts:

"Use this appearance and style for future requests."

This helps keep your coloring pages consistent and recognizable.

Step 5: Generate Your First Scene

Now you can create custom scenes with simple prompts like:

• "Create a coloring page of Jason, Brittany, and Troy swimming in a pool"

• "Create a kids coloring page image of Jessie dancing as a ballerina."

• "Make Cameron a superhero in a comic-style scene."

You can even include themes or favorite characters

• "Allison playing with Bluey and Bingo."

• "Chris surrounded by Pokemon like Charizard and Pikachu."

• "Harrison building a giant Lego tower."

Step 6: Customize Further

You can refine each image to match your child even more. Try prompts like:

• "Make Hailey's smile show teeth."

• "Put a helmet on Jenson while he's riding his scooter."

ChatGPT will iterate based on your feedback.

Step 7: Download and Print

Once you're happy with an image, just click to download it and print it out. You now have a custom, kid-approved coloring page to enjoy at home, at parties, or as keepsakes.

With just a few prompts and some reference images, you can create a whole world of creative, personal coloring pages for your kids. It's an easy, affordable, and heartwarming way to preserve memories and fuel their imagination.

Tips and Troubleshooting

1. Prompt that violate content policies
   If you're referencing specific, well-known characters (like Disney or Marvel characters), you may occasionally receive a message such as:

   “Unfortunately, I wasn't able to generate that image because it violates our content policies.”

   If this happens, try one of the following:

   • Rephrase your prompt using more general or descriptive language (e.g., "a princess with long red hair" instead of "Ariel").

   • Wait a little while and try the same prompt again—success can vary from one attempt to the next.

   
   

2. Fixing Mistakes or Misinterpretations
   ChatGPT doesn’t always get it right the first time. Sometimes an image may have the wrong pose, clothing, expression, or background. When this happens:

   • Give it a specific follow-up prompt to fix the issue.

   • Don’t be afraid to iterate—adjusting one detail at a time often works best.

   
   

3. Image Generation Limits
   With ChatGPT Plus, image generation is generous—but not unlimited. You may hit a cap after generating 50–100 images in a day. If that happens:

   • Wait 24 hours for your limits to reset.

   • Use the downtime to plan future prompts or organize the images you've already created.

   
   

4. What to Do if Results Stop Looking Like Your Child
   Over time, ChatGPT may slightly drift from your original style or character features. This is normal—but it’s easy to fix.
   To reset or reinforce the character’s appearance:

   • Upload a few of the best images you've generated of your child so far.

   • Then use this prompt:

   When creating illustrations of [Name] make them look like this.

   This helps ChatGPT re-focus on the visual traits that matter most and continue producing consistent results in future prompts.

Want help getting started? Drop a comment or send me a message—I'd love to share more tips!