Throwback Thursday: Pictures from Senior Year in High School (And Others)

With nostalgia in my heart, I look fondly upon the photos of me as a child — more specifically as a senior in high school. With joyful memories and contentment, I reflect on how far I have come. How much would I give to go back and speak encouraging words to my younger self? To remind them it's okay to be who they are; that their uniqueness is something to be celebrated with pride! Remind them not to worry about what other people think — they're just jealous. And if you're going to grow into an amazing adult one day, make sure you own it! Don't forget your retainer either — no matter how annoying it may seem now — because straight teeth don't stay that way forever without proper maintenance.

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Clip Art: School Girl With Moppish Little Orphan Annie Hair

This clip art image perfectly represents nostalgia and classic school days for a girl. It's an endearing illustration of a schoolgirl with a timeless look, giving off Little Orphan Annie vibes. The line art and details make this image unique and sure to be a conversation starter in any home, classroom, or office. With the potential to create lasting memories, it's sure to bring smiles to anyone who sees it! 

This image is created and made with love by Stones of Erasmus (stonesoferasmus.com). Find more of my stuff on TpT.

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How I Made a Photorealistic Image Using an Artificial Intelligence Image Generator

In this post, I talk about how I create photorealistic images using artificial intelligence.

So. I did a thing. I learned how to create incredible drawings, photographs, and clip art using an artificial intelligence image generator. It's called Dall-E 2 (get, it?) and you can do some rather impressive things with it. Based on detailed command prompts like, "Draw a crayon drawing of X," or "Create a block print of Pandora opening a box only to find a delicious cupcake." The more specific the prompt, the better results.

Sometimes the results are rather stunning. I asked, "“Create a UHD 8k portrait of a silly curly headed middle school boy laughing out loud and enjoying life against the backdrop of an an-all-you-can-eat buffet.” Here is what it created:

Find a bunch of my clip art creations on TpT.

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Clip Art: Pandora Eats a Cupcake

Pandora opens the box. And she eats a cupcake.

Source: Created by Stones of Erasmus, block print (with digital elements added by open-source artificial intelligence). This image is created and made with love by Stones of Erasmus (stonesoferasmus.com).

Find my middle and high school lessons TpT!

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Discover the Difference Between Raster and Vector Images: Clip Art Fun!

I have recently started making my own clip art, and the difference between raster and vector images is really important. Raster images are made from pixels, so when you zoom in on them, you can see the pixelated image, which appears fuzzier to the eye. While not always as detailed as a raster image, a vector image can be scaled and resized without giving off the dreaded pixelated effect. A vector image is made using basic computer geometry — shapes!

Here is a clip art image I made of a school girl with moppish hair giving off Little Orphan Annie vibes:

Aesthetic Thursdays: A.I. Art Made by Dall-E 2 — A Gallery of Images

I asked Dall-E 2, a powerful artificial intelligence that can generate original images, to create works of art based on specific instructions I gave, along with minor adjustments I made myself.

1. This is me reading a book and sipping coffee in my private library.

2. I asked the A.I. to make a Diane Arbus-inspired photograph of a boy with wings.

Celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit: On an Outing to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this post, I write about how I celebrated Lunar New Year and saw a rabbit, listened to a Mandarin-speaking docent talk about silver sculptures of the Buddha and watched an interactive dragon dance performance in the Great Hall.

A dragon dancer joins the line in the Great Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art 

Dragon Dancers
from Long Island

As we said goodbye to one year and welcomed another, I celebrated Lunar New Year with @juky_chen. From stunning works of art depicting classic examples of the rabbit to drums and a dragon 🐲 dance, it was a truly unique experience that I’ll never forget.

My journey began with exploring some incredible pieces on display of porcelain and jade works depicting the rabbit. In galleries 208 and 211, a Mandarin-speaking docent spoke about different sculptures of the Buddha carved out of silver. Only sixteen examples of this Buddha exist, and the museum owns two. The highlight for me was seeing firsthand how much detail went into each item — something that can get lost in photographs or videos. It made me appreciate more just how much work went into creating them!

A museum docent talks about a
16th-century Buddha sculpture from China.

Next up were several interactive exhibits focusing on different aspects of Lunar New Year celebrations, including the dragon dance in the Great Hall, kids dressed traditionally, music performances, and much more. It felt like being part of something special as the museum filled with festive joy while everyone got involved in what they saw before them — all while learning more about this important holiday’s cultural background.

Finally, I ended my day by visiting the gift shop, where I found many items related to Lunar New Year festivities, such as fans, banners for decoration, and all sorts of memorabilia perfect for taking home as souvenirs or decorations for future years' celebrations!

Overall it had been an unforgettable day full of discoveries that will stay with me forever — it reminded me why museums are so important: without their presence, these precious memories would disappear over time, leaving us none wiser than when we arrived!

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