So, I saw this image on Facebook, and it was supposedly showing what Queen Nefertiti would have looked like in real life:

Now, I thought this AI generated garbage was just truly terrible on a number of levels; first off, she looks wayyyyyy too modern - her makeup is very “Hollywood glamour”, she looks airbrushed and de-aged, and as far as I’m aware, Ancient Egyptians didn’t have mascara, glitter-based eyeshadows and lip gloss. Secondly, her features are exceptionally whitewashed in every sense - this is pretty standard for AI as racial bias is prevalent in feeding AI algorithms, but I genuinely thought a depiction of such a known individual would not exhibit such euro-centric features. Thirdly, the outfit was massively desaturated and didn’t take pigment loss into consideration, and while I *do* like the look of the neck attire, it's not at all accurate (plus, again, AI confusion on the detailing is evident).

So, this inspired me to alter the image on the left to be more accurate based off the sculpture’s features. I looked into Ancient Egyptian makeup and looked at references for kohl eyeliner and clay-based facial pigment (rouge was used on cheeks, charcoal-based powder/paste was used to darken and elongate eyebrows), and I looked at pre-existing images of Nefertiti, both her mummy and other reconstructions. While doing this, I found photos of a 3D scanned sculpture made by scientists at the University of Bristol and chose to collage the neck jewellery over the painting (and edited the lighting and shadows as best as I could).

Something I see a lot of in facial recreations of mummies is maintaining the elongated and skinny facial features as seen on preserved bodies - however, fat, muscle and cartilage shrink/disappear post mortem, regardless of preservation quality; Queen Nefertiti had art created of her in life, and these pieces are invaluable to developing an accurate portrayal of her, whether stylistic or realistic in nature.

And hey, while I don't think my adjustments are perfect (especially the neck area), I *do* believe it is a huge improvement to the original image I chose to work on top of.

I really liked working on this project for the last few days, and I think I may continue to work on it further to perfect it. But, until then, I hope you enjoy!

Remember, likes don't help artists but reblogs do!

"i fucked your wife"/"i'm having sex with your wife"/"i'm cucking you": comedy

"i'm helping your wife with household chores"/"i'm taking your wife out to a nice dinner and show after she's had a long day at work"/"i'm bonding with your children over family gatherings": peak comedy

What in the fever dream is this??? And where is the rest of it???

i dont care if mondays rife,tuesday qednesday full of strife, thursday fuck my baka life, its friday im in sucks

I really need more people to go and watch "Manual para señoritas" (The Lady's Companion). It has all the Bridgerton vibes - colorful clothes, beautiful mansions, funny scenes and love matches; but it is also more women centered, with a great variety of female characters that are incredibly different from each other, full of secrecy, told from the perspective of a working woman, all the men give Kenergy and it has secret happy lesbians!!!

There's a really fun Spanish romantic period drama set in the ... do you still call it Edwardian era if it's Spain instead of England? Ambiguously mid 1800s. Drama ensues. Shenanigans abound. Features Fleabag-esque fourth wall breaking and Bridgerton-esque bodice ripping.

The lesbians get a happy ending.

Hello sports fans and sports haters! I need your help! I am a grad student at the University of Minnesota doing research without funding so I need to rely on crowdsourcing! If you are a sports fan, sports haters, or you exist in a world with sports around you, I want to get your thoughts! PLEASE fill out my 5-7 minute survey and I will be forever in your eternal debt.