Journeys: Finding a place and use for AI "art"

Hi everybody, I'd like to introduce a somewhat controversial subject to my usual posting. I think it's important to approach these new things in an open way so that they can be engaged with and talked about so we can all make some sense out of it.

The subject? AI "art".

I use quotes on purpose because I don't know if I can really consider something made by an algorithm as art. Therein lies the controversy.

As an artist who has spent the better part of my life honing my traditional skills in order to provide art to people as a service I can't help but feel a bit offended by this sort of "art". At the same time I also feel this sense that we are entering yet another phase of change in the creative world. The way we engage with technology in our creative pursuits has changed many many times over the years. If I was a true purist I would only paint animals on cave walls.

So here's the question I have to ask myself. Is this useful? I'd like to find out.

I am currently working on a project and I need a hero object. I have built a trade town in 3D (yes, I am definitely an adopter of new technology) and I would like to place a very distinct statue in the town square that represents what the town is all about. In short, I'd like the story of the town to be told through this special statue.

I'm very attracted to the bottom right one of this bunch.

The top left one has some interesting shapes about it and I like the warm feel of the top right one.

The bottom right one here has a nice pose and has that motherly kind of merchant vibe I'm seeking.

Nothing too interesting...

I like the satchel and pose of the top right one.

More of a stone look and a couple of these are looking like they could be going the right direction.

So, what's the take away for me here?

I think that the AI is maybe a fairly quick reference randomizer. I found a few things I liked and quite a few things that I don't like and that's leaning into what I would consider as a big part of being an artist. "Do I like this or do I not like this" is one of the best kept secrets in the art world. We all have an opinion about our likes and dislikes and that's exactly what makes us all unique as creators, with our differing tastes we all come up with something truly "us".

So I think it's still up to me as an artist to take these rough drafts and come up with something that I want. I'll be using AI to help me along on some interesting ideas to see if it can become a useful tool in my arsenal. I'll be doing some remixing and paint overs of my own and I hope we'll all learn a little along the way.

What are some of your thoughts about this whole AI "art" thing coming into our lives? Scary? Useful? Other thought?

I'd love to hear from you!

If you're interested in color studies we've got yellow, green, blue and orange to check out.
Yellow Bananas
Green Tomatoes
Blue Buddies
Oranges!

If you wanted help getting started drawing, I highly recommend you head over to @jorgevandeperre's blog and start following along his lesson plans. @jorgevandeperre has a lot of great material and is very helpful in answering questions and guiding students.