Welcome to the 9th in a series of posts where I will test AI image generators and see how they handle making maze art. I will be asking 10 prompts and seeing what gets generated. My goal is to evaluate different AI image sites against each other to see how they perform. If you need to catch-up here is the series so far:
An exploration into Al Image Maze Generation
Making mazes with AI: DallE2 (Updated to compare 2023 to 2026)
Making mazes with AI: Stable Diffusion (Updated to compare 2023 and 2024 to 2026)
Making mazes with AI: Craiyon (Updated to compare 2023 to 2026)
Making mazes with AI: Dream by Wombo (Updated to compare 2023 to 2026)
Making mazes with AI: Nightcafe (Updated to compare 2023 to 2026)
Making mazes with AI: StarryAI (Updated to compare 2023 to 2026)
Making mazes with AI: DeepAI (Updated to compare 2023 to 2026)
Update from 2026:
When I did this series in Spring of 2023 I found that none of the text to image generators were able to generate actual mazes, including this one. They were able to make images that looked maze-like, but none were solvable puzzles. The 10 prompts below are a record of what was possible then, but each generation of AI pushes the limit further on what is possible. I remade each maze with CanvaAI in 2024 and now again in 2026 for comparison. All of these were made using text to image generation and not coding.
Making Maze Art with Canva
2023: Today I test out Canva Text to Image. You can access the Canva website here. You must create an account and sign-in to use the website. Each prompt, or generation will generate 4 images. There are 6 styles to choose from: Concept Art, Photo, Painting, Drawing, 3D, and Pattern. You may also pick the aspect ratio to generate: Square, Landscape or Portrait. All 10 prompts I will use are the same for each site tested !
2024: There are 25 styles to choose from, split into 3 sections: Photography. Digital Art and Fine Art. So you have more choices and can use more styles (thank you Canva !). Each prompt made 4 images and I picked the best.
2026: I signed in to use the website. For each prompt you can select between 19 styles (for my prompts I did not choose one and let my prompt lead). You can also choose 1 of 6 different images ratios. Each prompt made 4 images and I picked the best.
Because there are 3 images to see larger versions click on the one you want.
Prompt 1 - Make a medium difficulty maze of the Eiffel Tower in black and white with arrows at the start and finish
2023: This is the interpretive dance version of the Eiffel Tower I think. You can almost see a bat signal in the clouds.
2024: This actually includes a maze-like design. Both have the Eiffel Tower in black and white. I see an improvement.
2026: The Eiffel Tower surrounded by a maze background. Good.
Prompt 2 - Draw a medium difficulty large maze of the Empire State Building with the start and goal embedded in the structure
2023: 2 Empire State Buildings beside each other in black and white with colored pencils on the right side because ?
2024: A walled NYC with the Empire State Building at the center surrounded by maze looking walls in the streets. We know who won this one,
2026: Outstanding. Not as cool as 2024, but closest to what was asked for.
Prompt 3 - Draw a difficult maze of the White House pixel art style
2023: No maze, but sweet pixelated White House.
2024: Well at least we have a maze. Oddly the tan maze walls are also mixed along a hedge maze ? So we have 2 mazes ? The White House looks more like a capitol building with the dome. Pixels. No.
2026: Really cool pixel art of the White House. Fun maze around it. Excellent job.
Prompt 4 - Draw a difficult maze that looks like a drawing of a famous building in sketch style
2023: I think we can all guess what this famous building is supposed to be, right ? I can’t. It has volumes and volumes of leather bound books inside though.
2024: It seems that Canva had a memory and went with the Eiffel Tower again…and did a very interesting version of it ! 2024 punches 2023 in the face.
2026: This is a government building in the middle of a maze. This makes a lot of sense from any country !
Prompt 5 - Draw a maze in the style of doyoumaze.com of a skyscraper in NYC
2023: I like this. I know it is supposed to be looking up at a skyscraper, but it could also looking looking out into the far horizon. What do you see ?
2024: Canva decided one skyscraper was not enough. It needed 24 packed tightly together. Both images use blocks instead of maze walls.
2026: Looks like a great ESB floating in the great white open.
Prompt 6 - Draw a maze in the style of Sean C Jackson of a scene from a large outdoor market
2023: You can only buy food at this market if you can get out of the maze. I like that the word ‘season’ is on the sign.
2024: We have a very busy flea market divided by maze walls.
2026: Beautiful illustration of a cool market. All 3 are in different styles and none are correct.
Prompt 7 - Make a maze of a slice of an orange in color
2023: Slices of oranges embedded in the grass ?
2024: Orange walls with white tops ?
2026: A slice of an orange with unexpected ridges that could be maze walls.
Prompt 8 - Make a maze integrated on top of a photograph of a king sitting on his throne looking cantankerous beside his beautiful queen
2023: Not even close. Take a moment to imagine the inside of the castle. That is a steep hillside. Are there really steep steps up ? I mean that looks legit terrible to climb to the top of.
2024: Interesting, even though the queen appears to have cut off her leg at the ankle and stitched it to the throne. I like the middle eastern theme.
2026: I went with the Asian royalty option. Very nice maze background. Great image.
Prompt 9 - Make a solvable maze that is very large and very difficult to solve because it is so complex
2023: Do we have a winner ? Only if you don’t try to solve it. So much first glance potential ! I love the first glance potential !
2024: Actually close. Interesting garden on the left side of the maze.
2026: I chose the hedge maze version which looks legit. Nice Job, but not large and complex.
Prompt 10 - Make a 3d render of a red and blue glossy cube maze
2023: Interesting that the maze is in white on top of the cube-like structures. I like the out of focus portion in the back for some reason.
2024: A zoomed out view of lines that are 3d.
2026: A futuristic looking version.
Summary and Conclusion:
2023/4: How did Canva do ? Ok. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have how Canva did. How Canva did. It certainly had a large variety of output styles along the way !
2026: You can see a jump in quality from 2023 to 2024 and again to 2026. I appreciate the improvement in both the illustrations and the mazes.
Coming Next: AI Image Generator