Artistic Styles: Notable Artists

Here are eight artists renowned for their unique styles, presented in alphabetical order. When creating prompts, consider adding "in the style of" to evoke characteristics of their art.

• Andy Warhol
• Claude Monet
• Frida Kahlo
• Jackson Pollock
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Pablo Picasso
• Salvador Dalí
• Vincent Van Gogh

Example Prompts:

/imagine a cityscape in the style of Claude Monet --v 6.0 --ar 3:2 --s 240

/imagine a cityscape in the style of Salvador Dalí --v 6.0 --ar 3:2 --s 240

I believe both images reflect elements characteristic of these artists.

Artistic Styles: Movements

Numerous art movements exist, some rooted in history while others reflect cultural transformations. While I could elaborate further, I have chosen to keep this list concise, presented alphabetically without preference.

• Art Deco
• Baroque
• Cubism
• Impressionism
• Pop Art
• Realism
• Renaissance
• Romanticism
• Surrealism

Let’s begin with Impressionism.

/imagine a group of dancers, impressionism --v 6.0 --ar 3:2 --s 240

Next, we’ll create an Art Deco image.

/imagine a group of dancers, art deco --v 6.0 --ar 3:2 --s 240

Lighting Techniques

I have encountered various articles detailing lighting terms that can enhance the realism of photographic or cinematic images. Here are ten lighting techniques to play with:

• Backlighting
• Candlelight
• Chiaroscuro lighting
• Dramatic lighting
• Golden-hour lighting
• Holographic lighting
• Natural lighting
• Neon lighting
• Soft lighting
• Studio lighting

Lighting significantly impacts your imagery, with golden-hour lighting occurring as the day winds down.

/imagine a mountain landscape with soft, golden-hour lighting --v 6.0 --ar 4:5 --s 240

Chiaroscuro, an Italian term from the Renaissance, refers to the contrast between light and shadow.

/imagine a dramatic portrait of a woman with intense, high-contrast chiaroscuro lighting, highlighting her features sharply --v 6.0 --ar 4:5 --s 240

Texture Descriptors

While this category could encompass numerous terms, I’ve chosen to present a few that evoke specific textures. You can utilize nearly any adjectives in this realm.

• Diaphanous
• Embossed
• Glassy
• Metallic
• Polished
• Rough
• Shiny
• Smooth
• Translucent

Let’s begin with some translucent imagery.

/imagine a translucent, shiny crystal floating in mid-air --v 6.0 --ar 1:1 --s 240

Next, we’ll explore rough textures.

/imagine a rough, textured stone wall with moss growing on it --v 6.0 --ar 3:2 --s 240

Lastly, polished art.

/imagine a polished, glassy sculpture of a dolphin --v 6.0 --ar 4:5 --s 240

Color Descriptors

This section could include virtually any color, but I have aimed to focus on descriptive color terms that designers might use. Feel free to substitute others as needed.

• Monochromatic
• Complementary
• Analogous
• Triadic
• Tetradic
• Warm
• Cool
• Pastel
• Vibrant
• Earthy
• Muted
• High-contrast
• Low-contrast

Here are examples with various color schemes.

/imagine a serene landscape with a monochromatic blue color scheme, evoking calm and tranquility. --v 6.0 --ar 16:9 --s 240

/imagine a vibrant street market scene with complementary colors of red and green, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere. --v 6.0 --ar 5:6 --s 240

/imagine a cozy living room with an analogous color scheme of yellow, orange, and red, giving a warm and inviting feel. --v 6.0 --ar 5:3 --s 240

Color schemes can evoke emotions and excitement in your prompts.

Mood and Tone Descriptors

The final list provides words that convey emotional tones and moods.

• Bright
• Calm
• Dark
• Eerie
• Energetic
• Hopeful
• Joyful
• Melancholic
• Mysterious
• Nostalgic
• Playful
• Relaxed
• Romantic
• Serious
• Tense

Let’s see how Midjourney captures the moods of these prompts.

/imagine a bright and joyful park scene with children playing --v 6.0 --ar 5:4 --s 240

/imagine a nostalgic vintage café with warm lighting and antique furniture --v 6.0 --ar 5:4 --s 240

/imagine a dark and mysterious forest with fog and mythical creatures roaming around --v 6.0 --ar 7:5 --s 240

Merging Elements from the Quick Lists

We have explored various lists showcasing artist styles, art movements, lighting techniques, textures, color schemes, and moods. Now, let’s attempt to combine these elements into a more intricate prompt.

Consider the following attributes for our new prompt:

• A group of dancers (subject)
• Style (Henri Matisse, Impressionism)
• Vibrant colors (color scheme)
• Diaphanous costumes (texture)
• Joyful (mood)
• Backlighting (lighting effect)

Here’s the grid of images generated by Midjourney based on the prompt below:

/imagine a painting in the style of Claude Monet of a joyful group of ballet dancers in vibrantly colored diaphanous costumes dancing on a backlit café stage --v 6.0 --ar 4:5 --s 240

Among the generated images, the second one (upper right) resonates most with Monet’s style for me.

I particularly favor the first image (upper left) due to its vibrant colors.

The third image (lower left) is slightly darker than the first two but still intriguing.

The final image (lower right) exhibits some impressionistic qualities but suggests that the dancers are performing outdoors.

Feel free to use any of the lists and prompts from this article to create your own images.

Final Thoughts

Exploring lists of keywords and prompts is an enjoyable endeavor, and I encourage you to experiment with the gems you discover. I have integrated many of these terms into my prompts to refine my images. I hope you find inspiration in the examples and words shared here for your AI image projects.

Thank you, David

This week, I also shared another article in celebration of Independence Day in America, featuring a photo essay of AI images created in reflection of the 80th anniversary of D-Day this past June. I invite you to check it out and share your thoughts.