Watercolor

How It Works

I’ve selected 4 different image prompts that showcase various different popular watercolor subjects and then apply a specific keyword against each image.

This should show you how each keyword effects each AI.

Here are each of those prompts without any additional keywords

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Use the buttons below to jump to specific topis.

Colors are more similar to the works of John Conan and other popular artists of the century in Midjourney’s images. These images appear to use the gouache opake realistic style popular during that period.

Notice how all the paintings look to be painted on yellowing paper and people‘s clothing is period specific? This is consisten accross all AIs.

This makes sense since the English obviously still make lovely watercolor paintings to this day.

The English architecture of the castle is always present across both AI’s, showcasing the squared ferrets iconic to England castles.

Sometimes the subjects were painted in the shape of a map (Firefly Lilacs and Midjourney’s castle), others simply have a map double exposed behind the subject.

Near all images were generated with old yellowing, stained parchment often with burnt or ripped edges.

These are some of my favs! Both Midjourney and Firefly did an excellent job mimicking the distinct style of Ancient Japanese artists.

You’ll notice Japan’s distinct architecture, foliage, and topography are present in all images. Adding this keyword even overrides Midjourney’s apparent bias to generate Caucasian people when a race is not specified. (Common Midjourney, fix this! It’s been bad for a while now 🙄).

See how the Midjourney castle image looks like it’s on a floating island in the sky, or how Firefly’s lavender image looks like the flowers are actually clouds? No other keyword in this breakdown took such creative risks!

This method usually encourages more realistic images because dry brushes allow artists to create more defined shapes compared to wet brushes who’s pigments bleed outside the brush stroke.

This technique really helps spread the paint around making translucent layers of paint that make the color pop with the white paper shining through.

This method usually encourages more realistic images because dry brushes allow artists to create more defined shapes compared to wet brushes who’s pigments bleed outside the brush stroke.

Gouache paint is mixed with water similarly to watercolor paint, but when it dries it has more of a matte finish instead of a transparent one.

Firefly doesn’t react as accurately as Midjourney does with this keyword.