20 Art Terms you Should be Using in Midjourney AI

In this informative video, the host introduces 20 art terms that can enhance AI image prompts for a more distinctive and creative visual experience. The terms cover a range of styles from the dramatic chiaroscuro and tenebrism to the futuristic dark synth and the colorful vaporwave. The video also explores textured effects like impasto and pentimento, as well as intricate patterns with filigree and scrafito. It delves into layered techniques such as encaustic and kinetic art, and introduces cultural styles like Aboriginal dot painting and wabi-sabi. The host encourages viewers to experiment with these terms to create unique and eye-catching visuals, and to share their creations in the comments.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Use **Kieroscurro** for a 3D effect with light and dark shadows.
• 🌑 Apply **Tenebrism** for dark, gloomy, and mysterious scenes with deep shadows.
• 🖤 Explore **Grizzai** for monochromatic or colorful sculptures with a textured look.
• 🎶 Add a retro futuristic vibe with **Dark Synth** inspired by 1980s electronic music.
• 🌊 Incorporate **Wave** for a splash of color and a bit of a splash to your visuals.
• 🌈 Utilize **Vaporwave** for neon lighting and pastel colors, influenced by 80s and 90s computer graphics.
• 💠 Add **Prismatic** for a geometric, gem-like structure with facets of color.
• 🍁 Try **Sfumato** for soft blending of colors and edges to create hazy forms.
• 🖌 Experiment with **Impasto** for bold colors and thick brush strokes for a textured surface.
• 🔍 Use **Pentimento** for layered effects where underlying images become visible.
• 🌟 Introduce **Diffusion** for unique patterns created by spreading and mixing colors.
• 🏗️ Apply **Deconstructivism** for a fragmented and free-form structure.
• ∞ Get **Fractal** patterns for intricate, never-ending geometric shapes.
• 🌐 Choose **Filigree** for delicate, lacy patterns often in geometric designs with metallic surfaces.
• 🔪 Request **Sgraffito** for a sense of depth and movement by cutting away surface layers.
• 🌸 Opt for **Yukinoashi** for a stylized Japanese woodblock print with a flat perspective.
• 🕯️ Use **Encaustic** for a textured and layered surface using heated beeswax mixed with paint.
• 🏃‍♂️ Add motion with **Kinetic Art** that may include motion blur or subjects extending beyond the frame.
• 🌀 Prompt for **Op Art** to create an illusion of movement or hidden images through optical illusions.
• 🏺 Go for **Aboriginal Dot Painting** for intricate designs made with colorful dots and shapes.
• 🍃 Try **Feng Shui** for circular compositions in an Asian style, often with yin and yang symbols.
• 🍂 Embrace **Wabi-Sabi** for an aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, with gritty and muted textures.

Q & A

What does the term 'chiaroscuro' refer to in the context of art?

Chiaroscuro refers to the use of light and dark to create a three-dimensional effect in art, adding illumination and dark shadows.

What is the meaning of 'tenebrism' and how is it used in art?

Tenebrism is a style that emphasizes dark, gloomy, and mysterious elements with the use of deep shadows, often to spotlight areas of action.

How does the term 'grizzai' describe an artistic style?

Grizzai is an artistic style that often uses a monochromatic palette in shades of gray but can also be colorful, creating a 3D sculptural look.

What is the 'dark synth' style and how does it influence the visual outcome?

Dark synth is inspired by 1980s electronic music and incorporates atmospheric horror, giving images a dark, retro, futuristic, and deconstructed look.

How does the term 'vaporwave' affect the visual style of an artwork?

Vaporwave is a colorful digital art style inspired by electronic music and 1980s-1990s computer graphics, featuring neon lighting and pastel colors.

What is 'prismatic' and how does it manifest in art?

Prismatic refers to the use of facets of color as if a rainbow split through a prism, often with a geometric gem-like structure and hard edges.

What is 'impasto' and how does it create a textured effect in paintings?

Impasto is a painting technique where strong colors are applied with thick brush strokes to create a rough, textured surface with a 3D quality.

Can you explain the term 'pentimento' and its visual impact?

Pentimento involves the top surface of an image being stripped away to reveal underlying images, adding depth and complexity to the artwork.

What is 'diffusion' in art and how does it create unique patterns?

Diffusion in art spreads and mixes colors and elements to create unique and interesting patterns, often used for abstract pieces due to its unpredictable results.

How does 'deconstructivism' change the structure of subjects in an artwork?

Deconstructivism gives the impression of fragmentation and encourages radical freedom of form, creating unsettling and perplexing structures that seem to pull apart.

What is 'filigree' and how does it contribute to the intricacy of a design?

Filigree refers to metalwork where metal is twisted and woven to create intricate textures and details, often featuring loops and swirls in geometric designs.

What is the aesthetic of 'wabi-sabi' and how does it differ from traditional artistic styles?

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, with gritty and muted images featuring cracked and broken textures, representing the natural cycle of life and decay.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Exploring Artistic Styles for AI Image Prompts

The first paragraph introduces 20 different artistic styles and mediums that can be used to enhance AI image prompts. It emphasizes the use of 'kieroscuro' for a 3D effect with light and dark contrasts, 'tenebrism' for dark and mysterious scenes, and 'grizzai' for monochromatic or colorful sculptures. The paragraph also mentions 'dark synth' for a retro-futuristic look, 'vaporwave' for neon and pastel colors inspired by 80s and 90s computer graphics, and 'prismatic' for a rainbow-like color effect. It further discusses 'spumato' for soft color blending, 'impasto' for textured paintings with thick brush strokes, 'pentimento' for layered effects, and 'diffusion' for abstract patterns. The paragraph concludes with 'deconstructivism' for fragmented structures and 'fractal' for complex geometric patterns, as well as 'filigree' for intricate metalwork designs and 'scrafito' for a sense of depth through cutout effects. It also touches on 'ukiyo-e' for stylized Japanese woodblock prints and concludes with personal favorites like 'encaustic' painting with wax and fire.

05:03

🌟 Adding Motion and Texture to AI Imagery

The second paragraph delves into techniques that add motion and texture to AI-generated images. It starts with 'encaustic', a painting technique using heated beeswax for a textured surface, and 'kinetic art', which may result in motion blur or subjects extending beyond the frame. 'Op art' or optical art is introduced for creating illusions of movement or hidden images through optical illusions. The paragraph also covers 'pop art' with abstract geometric forms and contrasting colors, and 'Aboriginal dot painting', an indigenous Australian art form using dots and shapes for intricate designs. 'Feng shui' is mentioned for its influence on composition and balance, and 'wabi-sabi' is described as an aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, resulting in gritty, muted images with broken textures. The paragraph encourages experimenting with these terms in prompts for unique visual effects and suggests combining styles for a distinctive look. It ends with an invitation to share how viewers use these stylistic terms and to engage with the content by liking and subscribing.

Keywords

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a term that describes the use of strong contrasts between light and dark to create a three-dimensional effect in art. It is derived from the Italian words for 'light' (chiaro) and 'dark' (oscuro). In the context of the video, it is used to suggest that AI can generate images with a sense of depth and volume, similar to how chiaroscuro is used in traditional art to give the illusion of form.

Tenebrism

Tenebrism is a style that emphasizes the use of dark, mysterious shadows to create a dramatic effect. It is often associated with Baroque art and is used to highlight areas of action with deep shadows. In the video, it is mentioned as a term that can be used in AI image prompts to achieve a dark, gloomy, and mysterious aesthetic.

Grizzai

Grizzai is a technique that often uses a monochromatic palette, typically in shades of gray, to create a 3D sculptural look. It can also be adapted to be colorful. In the video, it is suggested as a way to achieve a textured and layered effect in AI-generated images, similar to how it's used in sculpture to add depth and texture.

Dark Synth

Dark Synth is a term borrowed from the music world, specifically from 1980s electronic music that incorporates atmospheric horror. When applied to AI image prompts, it gives the images a dark, retro, and futuristic deconstructed look. It's an example of how cross-disciplinary influences can inspire unique visual styles in AI art.

Vaporwave

Vaporwave is a digital art style inspired by 1980s and 1990s computer graphics and electronic music. It is characterized by neon lighting, pastel colors, and a nostalgic, surreal aesthetic. In the video, it is presented as a way to infuse AI-generated images with a colorful and retro-futuristic vibe.

Prismatic

Prismatic refers to the splitting of light into its component colors, like a rainbow. When used in AI image prompts, it can create images with a faceted, gem-like structure and hard edges to the color. It is associated with a sense of colorfulness and geometric precision, enhancing the visual impact of the generated images.

Impasto

Impasto is a painting technique where thick layers of paint are applied to create a rough, textured surface. It's used to add a tactile quality and a sense of three-dimensionality to the artwork. In the context of the video, impasto suggests that AI can generate images with a strong, textured appearance, similar to the effect achieved by this painting technique.

Pentimento

Pentimento, which means 'change of mind' in Italian, refers to the process where the top layer of an artwork is removed to reveal the underlying images, adding depth and complexity. In the video, it is mentioned as a way to create a double exposure effect or to show layers of images in AI-generated content.

Diffusion

Diffusion in art refers to the spreading and mixing of colors and elements to create unique patterns. It is often associated with abstract art and can result in unpredictable and visually stunning outcomes. The video suggests that using the term 'diffusion' in AI prompts can lead to abstract and interesting visual patterns.

Deconstructivism

Deconstructivism is an architectural style that emphasizes fragmentation and radical freedom of form, often resulting in unsettling and perplexing structures. In the video, it is used to describe an AI image prompt style that gives the impression of subjects being pulled apart, creating a sense of disarray and complexity.

Filigree

Filigree is a term for metalwork that involves twisting and weaving metal to create intricate textures and details. It often features loops and swirls, resulting in delicate, lace-like patterns. In the context of the video, filigree is suggested as a way to achieve detailed and textured effects in AI-generated images, with a focus on geometric designs.

Highlights

Kieroscuro is a technique that uses light and dark to create a 3D effect.

Tenebrism adds dark, gloomy, mysterious shadows to artwork.

Grizzai is a monochromatic style that can be colorful in Midjourney.

Dark synth is a retro, futuristic style inspired by 1980s electronic music.

Vaporwave is a digital art style with neon lighting and pastel colors.

Prismatic art features facets of color and geometric structures.

Sfumato softly blends colors and edges for hazy forms.

Impasto painting uses thick brush strokes for a textured, 3D quality.

Pentimento is a technique that reveals underlying images for added depth.

Diffusion spreads and mixes colors to create unique patterns.

Deconstructivism in art gives an impression of fragmentation and radical freedom of form.

Fractals are infinitely complex, never-ending geometric patterns.

Filigree is a term for metalwork that creates intricate, delicate patterns.

Sgraffito involves cutting away a surface layer to expose color underneath.

Yukino-e is a Japanese woodblock print style with a flat perspective.

Encaustic is a painting technique using wax and fire for a textured, layered surface.

Kinetic art can include motion blur or subjects extending beyond the frame.

Op art, or optical art, creates illusions of movement or hidden images.

Aboriginal dot painting is an indigenous Australian art form with intricate dot designs.

Feng shui compositions favor circular patterns in an Asian style.

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection.