Exploring modern artistic styles
After exploring historical artistic styles and understanding their foundational role in visual expression, we now turn our attention to modern artistic styles.
In AI image generation, specifying an "artistic style" is a powerful technique to guide the mood, storytelling, and emotional resonance of your images.
This section introduces key modern visual styles in more detail, with real-world examples and practical prompts to help you apply these concepts effectively in your creative workflow.
1. Realism-based styles
Realism-based styles aim to create visuals that feel believable, whether they mirror real-world appearances or simply maintain a strong sense of authenticity.
Photorealistic
Photorealistic images strive to replicate what a camera would capture, with precise lighting, realistic textures, and true-to-life details. This style is often used for product visuals, architectural mockups, and showcasing AI model capabilities at their highest level of fidelity.
Sample prompt:
A close-up of a golden, flaky croissant on a rustic wooden table, morning light filtering through a kitchen window, detailed textures on the crust.
Hyperrealistic
Hyperrealism goes beyond simple accuracy, exaggerating fine details to almost surreal levels. It often highlights skin pores, water droplets, surface scratches, or ultra-detailed textures, making the subject appear more real than real.
Sample prompt:
An intense close-up of a weathered fisherman, every wrinkle and salt spray detailed, strong sunlight creating deep shadows and vivid textures.
Realistic
Realistic images balance artistic interpretation with believability. They feel natural and plausible without demanding perfect photographic precision. This style is common for storytelling illustrations, concept art, or casual scenes.
Sample prompt:
A realistic illustration of a lakeside cabin at twilight, detailed wooden textures on the cabin walls, soft warm light glowing from the windows, natural reflections rippling gently across the calm water, tall pine trees casting clear evening shadows.
Cinematic
Cinematic style captures the emotional depth and visual drama of a movie scene. It often emphasizes composition, color grading, lighting effects like lens flare or haze, and aspect ratios like widescreen 16:9 or ultra-wide 21:9.
Sample prompt:
Wide-angle cinematic shot of a lone traveler in the desert at sunset, deep orange skies, dramatic lighting, dust swirling in the air.
2. Illustrative & drawn styles
Illustrative styles lean into drawn or painted aesthetics, offering flexibility for storytelling, character design, or stylized worlds.
Cartoon
Cartoon style uses simple shapes, clean outlines, and bright colors. Characters are often designed to look friendly and easy to recognize, without exaggerated features. This style is clear, cheerful, and easy for audiences to understand at a glance.
Sample prompt:
A simple cartoon illustration of a small elephant standing in a sunny field, drawn with smooth clean lines, soft rounded shapes, gentle expression, bright pastel color palette, minimalistic background.
Anime & Manga
Anime and manga styles focus on expressive characters, dramatic scenes, and clean visual storytelling. Hallmarks include large eyes, stylized hair, energetic posing, and often a balance of simplicity and fine detail. Genres can vary widely from action-packed Shonen to delicate Shojo art.
Sample prompt:
Anime-style heroic swordsman standing on a cliff, sunset in the background, wind-blown hair, intense expressive eyes, vibrant color palette.
Ghibli style
Instead of simply asking for "anime style," you can make the illustration much stronger by specifying a more detailed artistic direction.
One of the popular styles is Ghibli-inspired anime art. Studio Ghibli is famous for its gentle hand-painted backgrounds, organic environments, and emotionally resonant everyday scenes.
By asking for a "Ghibli-style warm seaside village" or a "Ghibli-inspired forest path at golden hour," you move from a generic anime request to a vivid, emotionally specific illustration.
Note: Be careful not to directly request specific copyrighted characters or titles (like "Totoro" or "Spirited Away") to avoid copyright issues.
Additional prompt example:
Anime-style illustration inspired by Ghibli, showing two young travelers and an older mentor strolling through a sunlit Mediterranean seaside village, narrow stone streets, whitewashed houses with colorful flowers, clear deep blue sea in the background, soft hand-painted textures, warm nostalgic atmosphere.
Comic book style
Comic book visuals are bold, dynamic, and story-driven. They often feature thick ink outlines, strong shading (sometimes with halftone dots), and energetic poses. Even though AI generates single images rather than panels, you can evoke the spirit of comic storytelling easily.
Sample prompt:
A comic book-style superhero leaping off a skyscraper at night, bold ink outlines, dynamic motion lines, glowing city lights below.
Sketch styles (Pencil, Ink, Concept)
Sketch styles focus on the rawness of drawing tools like pencils, ink pens, or charcoal. They are perfect for visualizing early concepts, rough ideas, or creating an unfinished, artistic mood.
Think of a loosely drawn ancient oak tree, the shading revealing a sense of timeless strength.
Sample prompt:
A detailed pencil sketch of a young woman's face, expressive eyes, flowing hair with loose strands, soft cross-hatched shading for depth, natural hand-drawn texture, elegant minimalistic background.
Line art
Line art strips visuals down to clean, defined outlines without coloring or shading. It's excellent for coloring books, technical schematics, or minimalist aesthetics.
Sample prompt:
Minimalist black-and-white line art of an abstract cat seen from the back, drawn with simple flowing lines, clean composition, no shading or color, pure white background.
Technical drawing / Blueprint
This style mimics architectural or engineering drawings with precise lines, often isometric views, and labeled parts (though AI-generated text can be decorative or inaccurate). Great for visualizing inventions or imagined structures.
Sample prompt:
A detailed technical blueprint drawing of a quadcopter drone, isometric projection, thin blue linework, labeled mechanical components, clean engineering style on a white background.
Fashion illustration
Fashion illustrations are stylized, often dramatic drawings that highlight clothing, pose, and elegance over realism. They bring style concepts to life quickly and artistically.
Sample prompt:
Elegant fashion illustration of a woman in a flowing evening gown, stylized pose, watercolor-inspired splashes of vibrant color.
3. Painterly styles
Painterly styles emulate traditional paint mediums, bringing texture, brushwork, and emotion to digital canvases.
Oil painting
Oil painting style emphasizes lush textures, rich colors, and visible brushstrokes. It can range from highly realistic portraits to loose impressionistic landscapes.
Sample prompt:
Romantic oil painting of a sunset over rolling hills, thick brush strokes blending golden, pink, and purple hues.
Watercolor
Watercolor styles create soft, translucent images, often with delicate blends and dreamy atmospheres. Edges may bleed or blur naturally.
Sample prompt:
Light and airy watercolor painting of cherry blossom trees in full bloom, soft pink washes and pale blue sky.
Acrylic painting
Acrylic paintings offer versatility, with both vivid colors and textured brushwork. AI might blend the characteristics of oil and watercolor, but acrylics typically feel more vibrant and structured.
Sample prompt:
Bold acrylic painting of a tropical jungle, vivid green leaves, bright splashes of exotic flowers, thick brush textures.
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism breaks away from clear forms, focusing instead on raw emotion through color, form, and spontaneous brushwork.
Sample prompt:
Abstract expressionist canvas bursting with swirling reds, blues, and yellows, thick energetic brush strokes conveying emotional intensity.
4. Graphic & design-oriented styles
These styles favor simplicity, clarity, and strong visual communication, often used in digital media and branding.
Flat design
Flat design strips away gradients and complex textures, using solid colors and simple shapes to communicate ideas quickly and clearly.
Sample prompt:
Modern flat design illustration of a cozy coffee shop, minimalistic shapes, vibrant solid colors, clean layout.
Minimalist
Minimalist style focuses on essentials, using few elements, limited color palettes, and a lot of negative space to create powerful impressions.
Sample prompt:
A minimalist illustration of a young girl in a simple dress holding a single red balloon, standing alone in a wide open white field, clean delicate lines, soft shadows, generous negative space creating a calm and emotional atmosphere.
Vector art
Vector art delivers smooth lines, crisp edges, and scalable designs. Ideal for icons, logos, and polished illustrations.
Sample prompt:
Vector-style illustration of a futuristic city skyline at sunset, sharp geometric forms, bold contrasting colors.
Geometric style
Using basic shapes as building blocks, geometric styles create structured, abstract, or stylized images.
Sample prompt:
Geometric art of a stylized lion’s head made from overlapping triangles and circles, bold modern color palette.
5. Digital native & technical styles
Born from digital technology, these styles celebrate the possibilities of computer-generated visuals.
5.1. 3D graphics & render
3D renderings simulate objects with depth, volume, and realistic materials. This style can be highly realistic or whimsically stylized.
Sample prompt:
A detailed 3D render of two fantasy RPG characters beginning their journey, a young warrior in silver armor and a mage in deep blue robes, standing at the edge of a vast green valley, worn leather satchels and travel gear on their backs, dynamic sunlight casting soft shadows, realistic textures on fabric, armor, and hair, cinematic landscape stretching into distant misty mountains.
Pixar style
When working with 3D graphics and character-focused illustrations, specifying a particular style can greatly enhance the final image.
One popular approach is Pixar-inspired 3D art. Pixar is known for its rounded, appealing character designs, bright color palettes, and emotionally expressive storytelling through visual style.
By asking for a "Pixar-style adventurous robot duo" or a "Pixar-inspired seaside town with animated charm," you guide the AI toward friendly, polished, and storytelling-driven illustrations.
Note: While you can reference "Pixar style" as a visual inspiration, avoid directly naming specific Pixar movie titles or characters to respect copyright rules.
Sample prompt:
A Pixar-style illustration of two adventurous robots exploring a vibrant alien jungle, rounded shapes, colorful lighting, expressive faces.
5.2. Pixel art
Pixel art captures the nostalgic charm of early video games, with blocky characters, limited palettes, and chunky visual elements.
Sample prompt:
Retro pixel art scene of a medieval knight battling a dragon in a pixelated forest, limited 16-color palette.
5.3. Voxel art
Voxel art extends pixel art into 3D space, building charming, blocky worlds out of tiny cubes, like Lego bricks.
Sample prompt:
Cozy voxel art scene of a colorful mountain village, each house made of small bright cubes, under a blue sky.
5.4. Low poly
Low poly style is a 3D aesthetic where images are built using a minimal number of polygons. Instead of smooth surfaces, you see faceted, angular shapes, almost like a crystalized version of the world. Originally a technique to optimize early 3D games, it has become a beloved art style for its geometric charm and simplicity.
In AI image generation, low poly art can create stylized landscapes, characters, or objects that feel both modern and retro, appealing to audiences who love minimalism with a twist.
Sample prompt:
Stylized low poly landscape featuring a serene river winding through angular green hills under a bright blue sky, soft lighting emphasizing the faceted surfaces.
5.5. Glitch art
Glitch art transforms digital errors and malfunctions into artistic effects. Rather than fixing glitches, it embraces visual disruptions like color shifting, pixel distortion, fragmented images, or broken data streams to create edgy, experimental imagery.
Using glitch art style in AI generation can add an emotional rawness, a sense of chaos, or a futuristic dystopian vibe to your work.
Sample prompt:
Abstract glitch art portrait, vibrant neon color shifts, fragmented pixel distortions across the face, chaotic energy and digital noise layered over the image.
6. Perspective & compositional styles
These styles focus on how scenes are structured visually to create compelling compositions.
6.1. Isometric illustration
Isometric illustration presents 3D objects in 2D without perspective distortion, meaning parallel lines remain parallel instead of converging. This makes every object equally clear, often used in game design, city layouts, and technical diagrams.
In AI-generated art, isometric illustrations can make complex environments easy to navigate and visually appealing, providing a playful yet organized aesthetic.
Sample prompt:
Colorful isometric cityscape with small bustling cafes, parks, and tall office buildings, clean lines, detailed rooftops, vibrant community vibe.
6.2. Collage & mixed media
Collage and mixed media styles blend different visual materials—such as photography, painted textures, hand-drawn elements, and digital brush strokes—into a single artwork. It creates a layered, often slightly chaotic look that feels rich, textured, and full of personality.
AI can simulate the feeling of old-school scrapbooks, zines, or contemporary experimental design.
Sample prompt:
Artistic mixed media collage of vintage travel photos, hand-drawn sketches, and watercolor splashes, layered textures with a nostalgic, handmade feel.
6.3. Diorama / miniature style
Diorama or miniature styles create scenes that look like tiny, handcrafted models, often using tilt-shift effects to enhance the illusion of smallness. It makes large subjects feel cute, approachable, and charming.
This technique is excellent for storytelling, making even epic landscapes feel intimate.
Sample prompt:
Miniature-style diorama of a snowy village with tiny glowing windows, snow-covered rooftops, cozy cottages nestled among pine trees, soft evening light.
7. Popular Digital Art Themes
Modern fantasy and science fiction-inspired styles open up entire new worlds through color, atmosphere, and imaginative design. These styles bring together technological dreams, mythical pasts, and futuristic cities to create visually rich and emotionally engaging scenes.
7.1. Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a futuristic dystopian style marked by neon lights, towering cityscapes, rain-slick streets, and a mix of high technology and low living standards. It's gritty, crowded, colorful, and deeply atmospheric.
AI-generated cyberpunk scenes are great for sci-fi storytelling, music visuals, or conceptual world-building.
Sample prompt:
Cyberpunk cityscape at night, towering skyscrapers with neon billboards, rain-soaked streets, bustling crowds with glowing umbrellas, electric wires crisscrossing above.
7.2. Fantasy art
Fantasy art brings to life the mythical and magical: dragons, enchanted forests, elven kingdoms, and powerful heroes. It often combines rich painterly styles with dramatic storytelling.
AI-generated fantasy scenes can feel epic and immersive, transporting the viewer to completely new worlds.
Sample prompt:
A fantasy painting of a vast floating island, ancient ruins and glowing magical crystals embedded in the cliffs, a waterfall cascading into the sky, giant winged creatures soaring above, vibrant sunset colors painting the clouds, rich painterly brush textures and cinematic epic atmosphere.
7.3. Sci-fi art
Sci-fi art explores futuristic visions shaped by technology, space travel, and advanced civilizations. Styles range from bright utopian worlds to dark dystopias.
In AI generation, sci-fi visuals can range from vast alien landscapes to sleek starships or android characters.
Sample prompt:
Futuristic sci-fi cityscape with towering glass structures, flying vehicles streaking through the sky, twin moons glowing in a deep blue night.
Understanding modern artistic styles expands your creative possibilities when working with AI image generation. By recognizing the characteristics and emotional impact of different styles, you can better shape the overall mood and storytelling direction of your images.
In the next section, we will explore how applying thoughtful color techniques can further enhance your creative control, helping you bring even more depth and richness to your AI-generated visuals.