Transform Your Midjourney Prompts with These 380+ Creative Techniques (with 1500+ Examples and Descriptions)
As I explore AI’s artistic potential, I am amazed by its endless possibilities. Each new discovery fills me with wonder and excitement, knowing that it can shape the future of art and design. I share my insights to inspire others to push boundaries and strive for greatness.
To learn more about my work, you can check out my artificial intelligence image projects at imrsn.com and my product design portfolio at ryanallen.com
Here is a list of over 350 useful terms for A.I. art generation tools, including image examples. These cover multinational art styles, movements, brush strokes, design and color terms, photographic and film terms, pop culture stylistic genres, artistic composition styles, and more.
For this chair style comparison, I have adjusted my Midjourney settings to prioritize quality and style over the default settings.
/settings
For reference, here are chair generations with the above settings and no additional prompts. These should result in a variety of random styles.
Chair
/imagine prompt: chair
/imagine prompt: chair
List of 350+ Prompts with Image Examples
Here is a list of chair designs that showcase a unique stylistic element. These can be combined to create an eclectic mix of styles.
8 bit / pixel
/imagine prompt: chair, 8bit
Retro, blocky video game aesthetic (try voxel for less video game themes)
Abstract / abstraction
/imagine prompt: chair, abstract or /imagine prompt: chair, abstraction
Not representational or based on external reality or nature, multi-media
Abstract Expressionism
/imagine prompt: chair, abstract expressionism
abstract, gestural painting that expresses personal convictions and human values
Academic
/imagine prompt: chair, academic
Conforming to the standards of an official academy.
Aesthetic / beautiful / designer / superb
/imagine prompt: chair, aesthetic or /imagine prompt: chair, beautiful or /imagine prompt: chair, designer or /imagine prompt: chair, suberb
Concerned with beauty or good taste.
Aluminum
made using aluminum as the primary medium or material
Ambient light
general indirect soft lighting
Analytical drawing
analyzes the subject by breaking it down into individual parts and features, lacks lettering
Anime
Japanese animated entertainment with colorful graphics, vibrant characters, and fantastical themes based on manga and encompassing various genres.
Angular / oblique angle
sharp corners, or angles
App
image used to represent an application on a digital device, probably mobile
Appropriation
copying and alteration of preexisting images, objects, and ideas
Architecture
relating to buildings, bridges, and other large structures
Art Deco
featuring geometric shapes, bold colors, and ornate decoration, often associated with luxury and glamour
Art Nouveau
organic, curving lines and decorative motifs inspired by nature, such as flowers and animals
Artifice
deception or trickery
Arts and crafts
values unity of the arts, the individual craftsperson, materials, construction, simplicity, functionality, and traditional methods
Assemblage
combinations of found objects or non-traditional materials
Atelier Populaire
Parisian print workshop active during protests, known for daily images and found materials.
Automatism
artist suppresses conscious control over the making process, allowing the unconscious mind to have great sway (similar to surrealism)
Avant-garde
innovative, experimental, and inventive in its technique or ideology
B movie
low-budget, sometimes a companion to high-budget
Baroque
extravagant, complex art from europe
Bauhaus
influenced modern art. emphasizes materials and functions over traditional art school methodologies
Beat
nontraditional forms, rejection of conventional social values
Belle Epoque
Pre WWI French ideal for optimism, peace, and innovations in science and technology
Ben-Day dots
CMYK colors used to create shading and secondary colors in printing
Biomorphic
abstract forms or images that look like living things
Bird’s eye view
perspective of a scene from above, as if seen from a bird
Black
black, like any color chosen, colors the item in that color
technique in which a relief image is carved into a block, inked, and pressed onto a surface to transfer the image
Blurry
not clearly visible
Brocade
heavy fabric interwoven with a rich, raised design
Brushwork
forces a painted look, should be combined with type of brushwork eg fan, fine, etc
Built environment
Human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity
Byzantine
Stylized imagery over naturalistic depictions to inspire admiration for the christian church
Calligraphy
Decorative lettering
Canon
considered representative of a particular artistic genre or style
Card
thick stiff paper or thin pasteboard
Caricature
drawing of typically a person with exaggerated features meant to satirize the subject
Cartes-de-visite (CdV)
Trading cards from the 1800's
Celluloid
first tough, flexible, and moldable synthetic plastic material from 1800s
Censorship
Examining material to remove or suppress objections
Ceramics
made of clay hardened by heat
Charcoal
produces an interplay between light and shadow known as chiaroscuro
Chibi
style of cute caricature originating in Japan, and common in anime and manga where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby with stubby limbs, oversized heads, and minimal detail.
Chine colle
french technique, glued thin chinese paper process creates a subtle, delicate backdrop to the printed image
Choreography
arranging dances
Chromogenic
ability of a substance to produce color
Cinematographe
1800’s non electric motion picture aesthetic
Cinematic
motion picture themed and lighting effects like bounced, diffused, and color adjusted light
Cityscape
urban scenery as its primary focus
Classicism
ancient greek and roman artistic embodiments
Clever
superficially skillful
Cloth
flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibers
Collage
arranged materials affixed to a supporting surface
Color (complementary, warm, cool, local, relative, blue, etc)
one of the primary ways we perceive and experience the world and can be described in terms of hue, saturation, and brightness and represented in various ways (single color, gradient, theory, etc)
Color Field
large areas of color, typically with no strong contrasts of tone or obvious focus of attention
Coloring book
outlines or drawings of images that can be colored
Copper
copper as the primary medium
Comic
sequential art encompassing a wide range of artistic styles and techniques
way in which elements of art, such as line, shape, color, balance, unity, contrast, texture, and other design principles are arranged
Concentric
having a common center
Conceptual
the idea or concept being expressed, rather than on the traditional visual elements of art, such as form, color, and composition
“The idea itself, even if not made visual, is as much a work of art as any finished product.” — Sol LeWitt
Construct
formed or constructed from parts
Constructivism
early 1900’s russian post-revolution ideal aimed at stripping emotion to enable greater social utilitarian purpose
Contour
outline
Contrast
variability in tonality
Cor-Ten steel
steel alloy that develops a rust-like appearance
Costume
what a figure is wearing
Close crop
removing outer edges of an image
Cross-hatching
shade a drawing with intersecting sets of parallel lines
Cubism
geometric planes and compressed space fragmentating traditional subjects like nudes, landscapes, and still lifes
Cultural icon
widely recognized or culturally significant person, symbol, object, or place
Cute
appealing, endearing
Cyberpunk
cyberpunk aesthetic combining 40s film noir fashion, 90s gothic style, military uniforms and gear, and futuristic cybernetic details
Cybernetic
builds upon the legacy of cybernetics, like automatic control systems in machines and living things
Dada
anti modern media & machine/tech culture, characterized by exposure of conventions of order and logic through use of chance, spontaneity, and irreverence
Daguerreotype
1800s direct positive photography technique using silver or silver-coated-copper in a camera obscura
Dark fantasy
disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy
De Stijl (The Style)
stripped-down formal vocabulary principally consisting of straight lines, rectangular planes, and primary color
Decorative / exquisite / ornamentation
ornamental objects
Decorative arts
unique, ornamental, handcrafted, useful objects
Deep focus
technique where all parts of the image, including the foreground, middleground, and background, are in sharp focus
Design doc / diagrammatic drawing
technical specs,explain how something works or clarify the relationships between parts of a whole
Designer
unique, luxurious, high quality, haute couture, etc
Die Brücke (the Bridge)
simplified or distorted forms and unusually strong, unnatural colors. birth of expressionism
Digital
made with a computer
Diptych
two sections
Direct positive
photograph made by exposing a surface to light and developing it without using a negative, chemically treated to imitate the tonal range of nature.
Documentary film
nonfiction films that aim to accurately depict some aspect of reality
Documentary photography
genre of photography that objectively documents a subject or event
Double exposure
photography and filmmaking technique where film is exposed twice to merge two images in a single frame
Dramatic
sudden and striking
Drawing
made with pencil, pen, crayon, charcoal, or other materials, often featuring lines and marks
Drip
form of abstract art in which paint is dripped or poured on
Drypoint
intaglio printmaking technique that produces sharp lines with velvety, fuzzy edges.
Drybrush
achieves a blurred or softer painted aesthetic
Dynamic symmetry
composition theory geometrically designed to promote continuity, flow, rhythm and balance
Earthwork / land art / landscape
manipulation of the natural landscape
École des Beaux-Arts
french art schools based on ancient Greek or Roman forms
Electronic
operates with the aid of many small components like microchips and transistors that control and direct an electric current
Elevation
scale drawing
Embroidery / needlework
decorating with yarn or thread materials using needlework
Emulsion
combination of liquids that don’t blend easily
Enamel
smooth glossy paint
Establishing shot
film shot setting context by showing important figures and objects
Etching
intaglio printmaking technique that makes thin, fluid, graceful, serpentine, tight and scratchy lines
Expressionism
styled to emphasize intense personal expression, sometimes with clashing colors
Extreme close up (ECU)
intense version of a close-up shot
Extreme long shot
scene shot from far away
Extreme wide shot
shows the subjects surroundings
Fabric / textile
material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn
Facade
public facing side of a building, often with decorative finishes
Fantasy
inspired by 20th century fantasy literature and includes symbolism from victorian era, pre-raphaelites, golden age of illustration, and surrealism
Fauvism
strong vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes
Fibre
made of rope, knotting, rug, etc
Figurative
representing form or figure
Film
related to film, motion pictures, movies, etc
Fine detail
exactly or sharply defined
Fish eye lens
produces strong visual distortion to create a wide panoramic or hemispherical image
Flat
simple design and color choices
Flat design
simple design and color choices in a vector illustration style, popularized with the mobile app boom of the early 2000s
Font
design term to style lettering or typeface weight and size variations
Foreground
appears closest to viewer
Forced perspective
optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller
Form
shape or structure of an object
Formal
official, suitable, done in accordance with rules of convention or etiquette
Found object
manufactured or natural object not originally designed to be artistic, but is now artistic
Framing
edging or framing for art
Full shot
shot showing subject in environment
Futurism
early 1900’s celebration of modern technology with fragmented forms evoking energy and violent dynamism
Gelatin silver
late 1800’s black-and-white photographic print making technique that uses silver gelatin
Genre
having specific form
Geometric
using simple rectilinear or curvilinear lines from geometry
Gestalt
organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts, similar elements are visually grouped, regardless of their proximity to each other
Gesture
laying in of the action, form, and pose of a model / figure, typically series of poses
Glitch
digital or analog errors for aesthetic purposes
Global Illumination
adds more realistic lighting to a 3d scene
Glow
gives off its own steady radiance of light
God
adds divine masculine qualities
God ray(s)
crepuscular rays are sunbeams that originate when the Sun is just below the horizon, and are noticable when shining through cracks and dust
Goddess
adds divine feminine qualities
Golden mean
desirable greek middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities
Gouache
like an opaque watercolor, its a water-based matte paint
Gradient
gradual blending from one color to another
Graffiti
usually public facing and done without permission, similar to street art but often incorporates large lettering or decorative script
Graphic
strong use of line and tone
Graphite
form of carbon and leaves a shiny metallic gray color on a surface
Greek
art from ancient greece involving naturalistic idealized depictions
examples of color palette not set, warm palette, and cool palette
Palette Knife
technique involves loading the tip of the knife in thick paint (usually some kind of vivid color) and then dabbing it onto the painting
Panel
flat board
Panning
pivot camera along horizontal plane
Panorama
view of surrounding area
Paper cut craft
art of cutting paper
Paper quilling
rolled, shaped, and glued strips of paper
Paranoiac critical method
creative process for the exploration of the creative potential of dream imagery and subconscious thoughts, irrational knowledge based on a delirium of interpretation, it makes the world of delirium pass onto the plane of reality, by simulating paranoia one can systematically undermine one’s rational view of the world, which becomes continually subjected to associative transformations — interview on video
“Presentation by Dalí
Paranoia and critical The method is based on a “faculty” that only some have, that of being inhabited by “associations and delusional interpretations”. This is the ” paranoia ” part of the method. Whether in the framework of an authentic delusion or that of an ordinary fantasy, the extravagant ideas at the origin of the work are organized in a structure. It is this structure, specific to what is the theme of an obsession, “objective”, and not the subjective thought of the artist, which systematically generates and links the images from one and several obsessive ideas.
However, these images of obsessive ideas will “be objectified a priori by the critical intervention “, that is to say, thanks to distant reflection, the eye of the artist. This is the “critical” part of the method. The role of the artist is to be receptive to these “associations” of images and to understand the system that associates them, “interpret” their meaning, to organize them into a work.”
visual tricks or illusions to simulate imagined events
Splatter
splattered paint is spontaneous, improvisational
Stain
spilled liquid
Stained glass
colored glass creates colored light
Steel
silvery look similar to aluminum and chrome but more industrial and not as shiny
Stencil
used to reproduce images by applying pigment to a surface with holes cut out
Sticker
die cut sticker effect
Still life
inanimate objects, like a bowl of fruit
Stone
made of hard solid nonmetallic minerals
Street art
but usually public facing, similar to graffiti but done with permission without incorporating lettering
Street photography
candid moments in public places
Strobe
fast bursts of light, may be used to illuminate moving subjects
Style / type
distinctive manner of expression, this post is filled with examples of styles
Stylized
conform to highly artistic style
Subconscious (in technical use, Unconscious)
mind not subject to perception or control, but still affect conscious thoughts and actions
Subject matter
the focus of the work
Sublime
awe-inspiring, greatness beyond measure
Subsurface Scattering
light penetrates the objects surface and reflect inside before exiting
Suprematism
colored floating geometric shapes
Superrealism
reproducing a photograph in other mediums with a little bit of surrealism
Surreal / surrealism / unreal
unconsciousness expressed consciously
Symbol / symbolism
ideas expressed with marks
Synthetic
materials produced by chemical synthesis instead of naturally occurring, ex: plastics
Tarot
from trionfri, 15th century european 15th-century Italian playing cards with allegorical content featuring the personification of a place or abstraction
Tactile
touchable
Tattoo
inked body skini
Technique
method employed to produce an artifact, prompt should be paired with appropriate techniques (examples in wood carving would be: chip carving, relief carving, chainsaw carving, whittling, etc)
Techno
futuristic, lights, electronic
Tempera
long lasting type of paint made with pigments in a water-soluble binding medium like egg yolk
Tension
strained, stretched
Texture
feeling or appearance of a surface or substance, examples include rough, smooth, sharp, bumpy, etc
The New Art
modern version of art nouveau emphasizing unity and intense sensory stimuli of the modern city
Tilt shift
photography lens with shifted optics alters perspective to give a miniature effect
Tint
color plus white, increases lightness
Tone
grey added to color to darken the hue
Translucent
light passes through
Triptych
composed on three sections or panels
Trippy
op art and psychedelic art united
Trope
figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression, similar recurring theme similar to motif
Typeface / typography
design of lettering
Ukiyo-e
japanese woodblock and painting techniques from 17–19th century
A.I. Art, Design & Dev, a book of dreams, a collection of visions, of things unseen. A journey of innovation and creativity, exploring a new world of artistry.
