Crimson CHOW #45 - Super Villain
#1


This week's theme and brief by previous winner, Lege1

Crimson Character of the Week #45
Super Villain

-=CREATE A SUPER VILLAIN CHALLENGE=-

Character can be male, female, or other, and be featured with, or without, a pet, or companion. You can feature one or multiple characters in your illustration.

1.VOIDCASTER: A super villain who has the power to manipulate and control the void. They can summon inky black tendrils, create portals to other dimensions, and drain the light and energy from their surroundings. Their goal is to engulf the world in eternal darkness.

2.MINDWARP: A super villain with the ability to manipulate and distort thoughts and perceptions. They can create illusions, induce hallucinations, and manipulate memories. Mindwarp seeks to control the minds of others and use their powers to bring chaos and confusion to the world.

3.PLAGUEBRINGER: A super villain who possesses the power to spread deadly diseases and pandemics. They have the ability to create and manipulate pathogens, infecting entire populations with their virulent creations. Plaguebringer's ultimate goal is to bring about global devastation and control through biological warfare.

4.TECHNOMANCER: A super villain who is a master of technology and cybernetics. They can hack into any system, control machines and robots, and manipulate electronic devices. Technomancer seeks to gain absolute control over the world's technological infrastructure and use it to their advantage.

5.SERPENTIA: A super villain with the ability to transform into a gigantic snake-like creature. They have enhanced strength, agility, and venomous abilities. Serpentia aims to rule over a world in fear and subjugation, with their serpentine army at their command.

6.SHADOWSTEP: A super villain who can travel through shadows and manipulate darkness. They can become invisible, create solid constructs from shadows, and teleport through any shadowy surface. Shadowstep's ultimate goal is to plunge the world into eternal darkness and chaos.

7.PYROCLASM: A super villain who can control and generate intense volcanic eruptions and magma. They can create fiery projectiles, summon lava flows, and manipulate heat and flames. Pyroclasm seeks to unleash destructive volcanic forces upon the world, leaving nothing but scorched earth in their wake.

8.PSIONIC OVERLORD: A super villain with incredibly powerful psychic abilities. They can control minds, project powerful energy blasts, and create force fields. The Psionic Overlord desires absolute dominion over all sentient beings, bending them to their will and crushing any opposition.

9.DOPPLEGANGSTER: A super villain with the ability to shapeshift into any person they have encountered. They can perfectly mimic their appearance, voice, and mannerisms. Dopplegangster uses their powers of deception and infiltration to manipulate and betray others, sowing chaos and distrust.

10.QUANTAM ENIGMA: A super villain who has control over quantum particles and can manipulate reality at a fundamental level. They can alter the laws of physics, create temporal distortions, and manipulate the fabric of space and time. Quantum Enigma seeks to reshape reality according to their own twisted desires.


The best of the CHOWs will be picked by an anonymous poll in the Finals thread and the winner is given the opportunity to pick the theme of the next CHOW's design, as well as becoming the title banner for that week! So go hard, design something interesting and unique!


Guidelines:
  • No photograph paint overs, must be 100% original work. (See next rule for exception)
  • 3D is permitted and renders MAY be used as whole or in part of a painting, as long as YOU created the work. Pre-made and/or purchased, online, assets are forbidden.
  • There is no restriction on the character's gender, time period or culture.
  • Studies are recommended, but not required.
  • There is no restriction on image formats (horizontal, vertical, square).
  • Environment backgrounds are optional.
  • Keep in mind you are not required to stick to what is in the passage. It is more of a guide in terms of mood.

Rules:
  • You must post at least one WIP in the WIP thread to be accepted into the final poll.
  • Finals must be posted in the finals thread before the deadline.
  • At least 3/4 of the character must be visible (minimum from the knees up).
  • Only ONE submission per person in the finals thread.
  • No fanart. We want to see your original, unique interpretations!
  • Voting will be held for 5 days after the deadline.
  • In an event of a tiebreaker, a winner will be chosen through a randomized name picker.

Deadline is Thursday, July 6th @ UTC: 23:59

-+|| WIP THREAD ||+-
Reply
#2
Pubic Enemy: Thank you so much for allowing this prompt to make it's way onto the forums here and I hope that it allows our fellow creators to really get inspired and have some fun with this multiple topic forum prompt. Now which one to start out with....

LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
Reply
#3
Dang you single handedly came up with more CHOW ideas than anyone total haha. These are all good, I think I want to do the psionic overlord one, but not sure what aesthetic to go for

Reply
#4
@JosephCow lol, very good humor and yes. Thank you and I'm very glad you like and appreciate the overall direction and concepts. Psionic Overlord is a very good choice and there is a lot of potential with this prompt. Here is a good breakdown of process to get the ball rolling that I will be following myself:

1.Define the purpose and backstory: Start by understanding the character's purpose in your story or project. Consider their personality traits, background, and role. This will help shape their visual design.

2.Research and gather inspiration: Look for references and gather inspiration from various sources like books, movies, art, or real-life references. Explore different art styles and character designs to get ideas.

3.Sketch and iterate: Begin with rough sketches to explore different design possibilities (thumbnailing). Experiment with different shapes, proportions, and features. Iterate and refine your sketches to bring your ideas to life.

4.Focus on silhouette: Create a strong and recognizable silhouette for your character. This will help them stand out and be easily identifiable, even from a distance.

5.Consider color and mood: Select a color palette that complements your character's personality and story. Colors can convey emotions and enhance the overall mood of the character.

6.Pay attention to details: Add details and accessories that reflect the character's traits and background. Consider their clothing, hairstyle, accessories, and any unique features that make them visually interesting.

7.Experiment with variations: Create multiple iterations of your character concept, exploring different options for features, clothing, and accessories. This will help you find the design that resonates best with your vision.

8.Seek feedback: Share your character concept with others, such as friends, fellow artists, or online communities like this. Gather feedback and consider different perspectives to refine and improve your design.

Your a great artist and I'm definitely looking forward to what you come up with.

LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
Reply
#5
I don't do much 3/4 pose but i might participate just to get disqualifed it not always about winning.

My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
Reply
#6
@Darktiste absolutely just throw it down to throw it down, for the sake of continued skill sharpening and, experimentation, learning, and of course, fun. You do great work and I'm looking forward to seeing what you bring to this. Some inspiration...







LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
Reply
#7
(06-10-2023, 07:03 AM)darktiste Wrote: I don't do much 3/4 pose but i might participate just to get disqualifed it not always about winning.

I don't think anyone's paying attention to the rules, at this point we are just drawing whatever we want lol

Reply
#8
Just for fun i plan to play around with the 10 different character archtype and this is far from what it would probably look like the idea is for me to develop and play around with Ai a bit and shortly explore to get down to what seem to be the most sucessful concept in under 1 hour per archetype for the exploration process meaning a short description,4 alternative look for inspiration. Incorporating a hint of there ability so far in the Ai prompt seem the be the most difficult aspect for me.So the pose and facial expression aswell as the color seem to give them most of there character.This isn't necessarly to make a end product but to encourage participation as a concept artist i want to help you get inspired foremost.

So we got 

1.VOIDCASTER: A super villain who has the power to manipulate and control the void. They can summon inky black tendrils, create portals to other dimensions, and drain the light and energy from their surroundings. Their goal is to engulf the world in eternal darkness.

Faction
The Religionis Criminalibus

Age: 40 or more
Body type:Fat
Sex:Man
Skin color//Race:Pale white skin/Human

Cloth:Religious
personality:Severe
posture:Commanding/lazy
Job:Cult leader

2.MINDWARP: A super villain with the ability to manipulate and distort thoughts and perceptions. They can create illusions, induce hallucinations, and manipulate memories. Mindwarp seeks to control the minds of others and use their powers to bring chaos and confusion to the world.
Faction:The secretum
Age:Under 40
Sex:Female
Skin color//Race:Pale white skin/Human
Hair color:Black or white
Cloth:Black latex
Personality:Vulgar/Charismatic
posture:Seductive
Job:Spy

3.PLAGUEBRINGER: A super villain who possesses the power to spread deadly diseases and pandemics. They have the ability to create and manipulate pathogens, infecting entire populations with their virulent creations. Plaguebringer's ultimate goal is to bring about global devastation and control through biological warfare.
Faction:The Redivivus
Age:Eon
Body type:Unappealing
Sex:uncertain
Skin color//Race:Pale rotten/Infected
Eye:Globular
Cloth:Long
Personality:Analytic
Posture:
Job:Noble

4.TECHNOMANCER: A super villain who is a master of technology and cybernetics. They can hack into any system, control machines and robots, and manipulate electronic devices. Technomancer seeks to gain absolute control over the world's technological infrastructure and use it to their advantage.
Faction:The secretum
Age:Young
Body type:Child
Sex:Female
Skin color:White
Cloth:Cybernic tail,Cybernetic eye, Cybernetic glove
Personality:Programmable
Design direction Charismatic/Weak
Job:Technomancer


Attached Files Image(s)




My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
Reply
#9
(06-10-2023, 11:11 AM)JosephCow Wrote:
(06-10-2023, 07:03 AM)darktiste Wrote: I don't do much 3/4 pose but i might participate just to get disqualifed it not always about winning.

I don't think anyone's paying attention to the rules, at this point we are just drawing whatever we want lol

Yeah, they're more like guidelines.
Reply
#10
Star 
Here are my first 4 ideas / thumbnails. Let me know please if there is one that you all might like to see more than other. Open to any suggestions as well.

@darktiste: great use of AI to explore your concepts. They are all very interesting for sure. I especially like the Technomancer and the concept being a child, makes perfect sense in todays world, now I'm just waiting to see the news headlines,lol. Lmao, VoidCaster a.k.a. TittyBlaster, hahahaha





LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
Reply
#11
(06-14-2023, 02:22 PM)Lege1 Wrote: Here are my first 4 ideas / thumbnails. Let me know please if there is one that you all might like to see more than other. Open to any suggestions as well.

@darktiste: great use of AI to explore your concepts. They are all very interesting for sure. I especially like the Technomancer and the concept being a child, makes perfect sense in todays world, now I'm just waiting to see the news headlines,lol. Lmao, VoidCaster a.k.a. TittyBlaster, hahahaha

It not that it was making sense from a time stand point but rather that some of those design are not solve necessarly entirely by attributing them attribut such as age but rather that sometime i add a general guideline in this particular case i had to solve what would a charismatic and weak character would look like and it was probably either be an animal or a child since i am not a big fan of antropomorphic character i choose the child and i like the idea of a evil child genius.It like a mini tony stark turn evil.Age is not normally something i fix right away unless it would be require to fill a certain role in a story.The mentor the apprentice the parent etc...

My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
Reply
#12
@darktiste that is all very good and makes a lot of sense. Age is something I really never thought that much about but I see now how it is a very important factor in character design. Looking forward to see you develop things out farther. This is what I'm currently cooking up....decided to work up Pyroclasm first and see what bubbles over from there.


Attached Files Image(s)



LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
Reply
#13
(06-17-2023, 04:11 PM)Lege1 Wrote: @darktiste that is all very good and makes a lot of sense. Age is something I really never thought that much about but I see now how it is a very important factor in character design. Looking forward to see you develop things out farther. This is what I'm currently cooking up....decided to work up Pyroclasm first and see what bubbles over from there.

The pose is very stiff and the pose is also awkward.The perspective really need to be fix i can't stand how flat those skyscrapper look

 If you need inspiration on anything related to fire type super hero you should look at 
https://www.comicbasics.com/comic-book-s...-use-fire/ 
i am sure you can dig deeper and find a gesture that make more sense


for example i would say try a open palm flame thrower instead of having the hand over is head that doesn't make alot of sense.

For the city try to go look at reference from earthquake damage etc...

Keep pushing

My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
Reply
#14

@Darktiste thanks so much on the crit and good points made. Here is an update on the image and your thoughts on it are welcomed. Thanks again!

LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
Reply
#15
(06-18-2023, 07:51 AM)Lege1 Wrote: @Darktiste thanks so much on the crit and good points made. Here is an update on the image and your thoughts on it are welcomed. Thanks again!

Hi lege1 it me again have you heard of weight distribution or ''balance'' as a gesture concept?It how the different part of the body distribute the weight it a important concept if you want to make someone who on uneven surface look solid on it feet.I am far from being a master at those concept but feet orientation and foreshortning are some of the thing that can affect balance for example also the more a body part goes away from the rest of the body the more the rest of the body as to account for in it position in relation to that weight

The problem with speeding through a finish is that the perspective arrangement and proportion relationship between the element within a scene can suffer.Also you gotta factor in how busy the scene is which will determine in part how much rendering will be necessary for the final product.City are a nightmare for cast shadow so a trick for that is to set up a mock city in a 3d software there alot of free model you can get and import there and it can help plan a scene and the great thing of it all is you can even place a light source in the scene and get an idea of where the cast shadow fall.Obviously i am not saying you have to and i probably expect you not to be to familiar with 3d but it something to consider experimenting with but i really strongly encourage you to work on those fundamental such as composition being one that is hard to grasp but make a big difference in term of storytelling and visual clarity.Good thing is that you are already doing thumbnail which suggest you don't only explore one composition.

As for how to save a bit of time in your drawing in the long term you should build some confidence in your mark making the line you do show a leak of understanding of the form you which to express.Sure there a time for messy drawing but do you really need to go over line 5 time just to make a straight line?Not being overly precious with the line is also not gonna help so finding a in between is a compromise you should work toward.

I did a small POV more in the veins of clarifying and correction some issue i think a cityscape might be to advance compositionally speak yet it create alot of noise in the background and take away from the character.So what i tried to do is a play on the idea of nature against civilisation cutting away the number of skyscrapper for time sake and tried to suggest the volcano that seem less taken care of in your work i also remove the flamethrower as it was going to get remplace instead by a larger volcano explosion which i think work great with the commanding posture he seem to assume.

Anyways here just some of my thought and suggestion


Attached Files Image(s)



My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
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#16
Almost finish exploring the 10 different option here some of the idea behind what might have ended in the visual presented here


5.SERPENTIA: A super villain with the ability to transform into a gigantic snake-like creature. They have enhanced strength, agility, and venomous abilities. Serpentia aims to rule over a world in fear and subjugation, with their serpentine army at their command.

Faction:The Biologus
Body type:Bulky
Sex:Male
Design direction :Imposing
Job:Commander

6.SHADOWSTEP: A super villain who can travel through shadows and manipulate darkness. They can become invisible, create solid constructs from shadows, and teleport through any shadowy surface. Shadowstep's ultimate goal is to plunge the world into eternal darkness and chaos.

Faction:The secretum
Body type:Athletic
Sex:Female
Personality:Mysterious
Job: Assasin

7.PYROCLASM: A super villain who can control and generate intense volcanic eruptions and magma. They can create fiery projectiles, summon lava flows, and manipulate heat and flames. Pyroclasm seeks to unleash destructive volcanic forces upon the world, leaving nothing but scorched earth in their wake.

Faction:The Cultus
Design direction :Blue sky

8.PSIONIC OVERLORD: A super villain with incredibly powerful psychic abilities. They can control minds, project powerful energy blasts, and create force fields. The Psionic Overlord desires absolute dominion over all sentient beings, bending them to their will and crushing any opposition.

Faction:The secretum

Age:Old
Sex:Female
Skin color:White
Cloth:High fashion
Design direction: Crushing aura
Job:Galactic overlord


Attached Files Image(s)





My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
Reply
#17
Star 
@Darktiste Yes I have heard of weight distribution and balance from studying Bridgman and trying to better understand those aspects and concepts in life drawing with gesture drawing.

I understand what you mean by speeding through an image. I do tend to work more aggressively and make production / execution a big goal in my work. I figure if I will ever be of use to anyone that I need to produce as quickly as possible. I do spend alot of time in my life doing art studies and research on my own time that I don't bother sharing, this way when it is time to produce something I can approach things with more speed and confidence.

As far as how much is in the scene, I just try and make the image interesting. I know a lot of the times less can be more with art and design. For this particular image I decided to take a more cluttered approach and challenge myself in that respect. I also planned to render many elements of the background out more lightly and loosely while keeping my primary color saturation and detail focuses on the focal points of the image. I do know about using some 3D programs and Google sketch up is a very good free program to use for what you are talking about, even better I feel is to just go into any mega metropolis on google earth, like the city of New York, or Chicago, and just drop the little man down and start hitting camera angles and taking screen shots of the city elements and cityscapes. I am guilty of enjoying trying to challenge myself to draw from scratch and imagination as much as possible. I do loosley thumbnail but don't like to get to a point of exhausting too much energy into that part of the process; I generally like to get a strong idea going and get right into tackling it unless I have someone like an editor or client directing and demanding changes otherwise.

In regards to the mark making I'm still presenting just a very rough draft, and since I am drawing most everything from imagination with a little reference for things like the car and buildings, it's just a lot of trying different things lightly, erasing out and leaving old marks behind, and then drawing back in, and back and forth, and back and forth, until I get the overall drawing correct as possible and the way I see fit. There is still a final loose line work to solidify the drawing hence, leaving the blue rough stage and then applying darker black lines which will then be dropped in opacity to be a darker shade of gray and colored over. Keep in mind I'm drawing all this into a desktop computer using an old Intous Pro tablet as well, which can be a bit cumbersome to draw with. 

Thank you so much for the paint over for all it's worth as it does make a lot of sense especially in the observation of getting rid of the hand flame thrower element on the character and letting the volcano in the background take the stage more. I think I was definitely getting a bit carried away on all the characters abilities and wanting to show them all, but that isn't very necessary considering the character description always helps illustrate the rest of the picture that isn't there. I do try and strive to tell a story of the character visually to where there would be little to no description involved in the projects equation. I do understand what you are attempting to do with the pose but I honestly still like my version better because I feel it commands more authority and super villain energy; the paint over you did is interesting but I feel takes away a lot of the attitude and strength factor of the character.

I think sometimes it's better for things to just look cool than to be over anatomically or politically correct. Again, if this was an editor demanding this change then it would be done, but if it is up to me, I will choose to keep my original pose for the most part aside few new changes. I feel posing characters and anatomy are forever studies in the visual arts, we can never practice, or do enough to get them right, even referencing poses directly from photos can lead to stiff and lifeless figures. Some of the best success in referencing comes from screen shots from cartoons or movies in my opinion but it's very difficult to come up with an original idea and then finding a reference to brush up on that, so it seems a lot easier in this process to seek out the reference pose first randomly with maybe a little idea of what one is looking for and then built out on it from there. I really do enjoy doing studies silently in the background and challenging myself to draw the characters from scratch as much as possible to try and best build up my understanding to how the anatomy goes and my overall visual library. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to break me down on all that you have, and some of the advice I'll take and other parts I'll leave out of this project at least, but will certainly have them in mind for others.

Shifting focus over to your AI concepts:
You are really showing the power of AI here which I have been aware of, and this couldn't make creatives more intimidated indeed. People have every right to fear for their jobs and potential work opportunities cause this AI stuff is very good and has gotten so much better from just 9 months ago where it was flopping on things like the hands etc. The AI still seems to be hit or miss for the most part.

#5 Serpentia: These concepts are very impressive for the most part. I think the AI does exceptionally well with things like armor and costume design. I really like this first one as a whole.

#6 Shadowstep: These concepts are really good too, and I would have never imagined this character to be a female and like this. I think all the concepts here have potential, but the top left and the bottom right stand out to me the most; a combination between these two could be very interesting in my strong opinion.

#7 Pyroclasm: I really find these concepts to be kind of cheesy, if I had to really go with one it would be the top right.

#8 Psionic Overlord: These concepts are a little weird and I wish they would show more of the body situation to get a better idea of the overall character and not just settle with a high bust. There is a big time Bram Stoker's Dracula kind of vibe going on here, but they all have potential for sure. I do like the bottom right cause it's the oddball of the bunch, but there is something the face and demeanor of the top right and the hands work well from the top left, I also like the psychic ora / energy showing around the head in the bottom left. Combining all these elements together could make a very cool old villain indeed.

Overall you again have definitely proved a point in showing that the AI has a very powerful place in character design and creation now pretty much to a point where an artist is no longer needed aside from fine tuning and adjusting the image where the AI drops the ball a little bit or something small and immediate is desired to be put in place along with any contrast, color, or overall lighting and special effects adjustments.

So, what is the next step now for you to render one of these out? Do you take the pride and dignity of sketching it from scratch and doing your own thing using the AI as a powerful reference source? Do you simply trace over the reference that has been provided and render it out from there as you wish while using the AI as reference for form and light source, or do you just smudge here and there with some texture brushes and paint directly over the AI concepts to wield a finished painterly looking end product as is? Perhaps all of the above and whatever order as needed. 

In simple is seems that the AI is more of a replacement for visual image makers aside from it being used as a tool. It can be used as a tool for things like referencing and from all angles via poses, lighting, costume design etc, but over all it does have a very end all feel to it especially where concept work is involved. I can see illustration work being more visual image maker / human artist needed, but then again not even really because I have seen some pretty amazing AI illustration that if one gets the prompts right to create the right image, it's a done deal. The AI can create "REALISM" which is what people are obsessed with overall in the visual arts and ultimately judge what good art is by how "REAL" it looks, second to this is complexity of tons of bits and pieces, details, which AI is great at, and to end the whole thing, AI is able to mimic artist's styles which is the absolute worst part. For those interested in trying best to take the extra steps and precautions possible to safeguard themselves against image scraping feel free to check something out called glaze, hailing from Chicago.
Glaze: Protecting Artists from Style Mimicry (uchicago.edu)

If we really want to let the cat out of the bag here....
Here is a R.P.G. I have been following online since its recent start and all the imagery has been created via AI plus photoshop adjustments and enhancements. You can see their IG page here. Notice that there first post was from July 10th, 2022. Notice the quantity and quality of the content. They have been able to create an unbelievable amount of quality content in a very short period of time, hence they have all this with only 1,520 followers. Whether or not this will be successful is a crap shoot but all in all now with AI, "ANYONE CAN DO THIS" if they so wish to allocate their time and energy in such ways. Even if their R.P.G. is unsuccessful what do they really loose but a little bit of time and money doing what they did and paying for their AI and Photoshop subscriptions, along with whatever printing they've invested in. Either way, with the money they have saved in having to hire a team of artists to bring their R.P.G. to life, they can easily afford to cut their losses. 

Big companies like Marvel comics started off with just a bunch of guys getting together trying to make a buck, and this is going to be no different; you can check out some of those artist interviews on Youtube and hear it straight from their mouths. I think artists definitely have a better chance of success at this point to go back to working analog and doing either custom, or fine art genre work, anything digital has been cheapened by the AI at this point, it holds no value, especially to the general public that is aware they can just type in a prompt and get a great, or "good enough" product, or so it very much seems this way already. 
https://www.instagram.com/roar_battleforcortaan/



Marvel's John Buscema Interview:
The John Buscema 2001 Shoot Interview by David Armstrong - YouTube

Marvel's Late (R.I.P.) John Romita
The John Romita Sr. 2001 Shoot Interview by David Armstrong - YouTube

You can also feel free to check out a fellow tattoo artist from my old part of town, Hollywood, Florida, who has capitalized on the AI in full to make Bonafide reference packs of the Greek gods for art and tattoo reference applications. He started off selling 100 of these high-quality images for $1 but has now upped the price to $5 because people gave him a hard time. None the less, look at the sample images of the references for yourself and tell me they are not very good and quality imagery, especially in the light of one of us sitting there trying to noodle one of these things out via photoshop and tablet from a white screen up, with or without reference, 3D modeling etc.
https://tattooedtheory.com/collections/a...-resources



Coming to terms with what the AI is capable as seen in @darktiste images and the imagery I have sourced above can easily make someone going back to drawing and painting, with, or without working digitally, feel like they are trying to cut a football field of grass with scissors.

In conclusion, I draw and paint because I was a child of the 80's and 90's who was encouraged by friends and family to pursue what I enjoyed doing, the whole do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life dream, etc, etc. I do genuinely enjoy the process of drawing and painting though, so I continue doing and will continue doing if only for self, and while pursuing paid opportunities where possible, but it is obvious that dreams of being a commercial artist are quickly diminishing with the rapid advancements, and development of the visual AI when it comes to being more on track with the drawing and painting aspects. It amazes me to still see artist like Jesper Ejsing and Alex Ross, doing commercial work, but analog, although Jesper does occasionally produce digitally. Either way to each their own and we all have to make a living while also having things we enjoy in our very short lives.

LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
Reply
#18
My take on Ai is that we are more than ever empowered to engage in self expression as less artist will be necessary to make an movie,video game in the larger production so those who are there to speak for someone else will have to find there own personal voice.The problem is that it become more acessible this mean that the quality of idea become the dividing factor between good and bad. Artist are called more than ever to express what it is to be human and to be authentic version of themselve by going out into the world and creating human connection throught were image at convention at art exposition etc

A focus on Storytelling with an understanding of what unique perspective you bring to the table is part of how you can think of new interesting visual to bring to a public.A Ai doesn't know what cool you have to tell it.
The Ai art is very good a pleasing everyone but it doesn't do so in a very sucessful way i find there that digital perfection quality to what is spew out by the Ai that just synthetic and i think maybe it just that i didn't play with it as much as should have but it seem to leak facial expression or it not something i have taken a good look at but that my impression.

Now as to how i intend to go after i finish the two last prompt i had in mind to try some interesting feature in the Ai program called outpainting  that will turn those simple visual into bigger version of those image obviously i would like to see how far i can thinker with a idea will pushing and pulling to retaining certain quality i want to showcase without being force elsewhere by a leak of control due to the random factor of the ai.

I am not going to pretend like i can draw good character in a illustrative way we all know how i done it so far since i let the cat out on this one as to how much pride i get out of this i cannot very much quantify it as i understand that it scrap artist work to spew the result.How much pride do you get out of photobashing that a bit of a similar question.Photobashing require a certain deal of skill and so is doing copy of artist but the problem of Ai is that you are rob of the technical skill you showcase because it become your tool a tool that doesn't do what you tell it to do but interpret it.But like any tool i don't believe that it require no skill it might require less time to learn but it still a tool that anyone can be proud to use.I think the extend of how you can be proud depend on how much you steal from yourself rather than what you steal from other but ultimately i don't believe as artist that we do not steal good artist are artist who steal tastefully and from different source to an extend where no original work end up taking away someone else ability to make a living.When we go to domain to get free image for reference we are allowed to steal because we have the consent of a photographer the problem is that it not that people generally do not consent to there work being use it how it use and how hurtful it can be to them and how much it affect them in the end.Does someone is hurt when you steal a penny from him?Well if it is only penny yes but in the case that he rich beyond measure he probably doesn't bat an eye.Obviously if everyone take a penny from him that going to hurt him eventually.I think stealing is mostly about giving back that how i want people to see it as.May it be just giving a small % of the revenue generated to people who have inspired the work or to a cause they want to support or crediting them or to add a link to there store as a fair gesture i think there way to steal with dignity and respect for other and to generally do so in a way that can benefit more than wereselve. But it mostly about asking those people in private before anything is show how the feel and to what extend they would allow the work to be move into the world after you did it if they do not like it to understand that we have to put artist first.Obviously you probably won't be able to reach super famous people so it not as easy as i make it sound.If you do something make sure you change something we have enough unoriginality in this world.

Playing with Ai to me is like a game of telephone you say something but it never going to pick your brain and do what you have in your head it more of a conversation that evolve a bit like the process of brainstorming the more you have put in the more you have to play with the more you can add or take away.I don't think of Ai as a click and it done thing it more like a window into option a bit like thumbnailling then you settling down on idea from all the generated image you combine them into a more polish version it the invidualistic choose that you make that become your artistic voice it a bit less about your personal touch in the technical aspect such as how you use brush or what color you choose those thing can very much still be part of the experience if that how you feel compele to share your personal voice it depend some are very artistic and want a hand in every aspect of the process and some other are more than willing to collaborate with Ai even if they don't understand how they get the result what count to them is the result and less in process.

As for what aspect of drawing i want to bring in i think more than ever it about taking all the technic i have learn and using them to fill the gap i see not doing so much of the heavy lifting because my primary love isn't necessary the process of image making for me but the visual conversation that happen between the in conscious and conscious mind. Finding what emotion i want people to feel when they look at my work and what part of me i can put inside those visual creation.

My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
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#19
Well i now have explored the 10 design and it seem by default i should keep pushing if no one going to challenge lege1 i am probably do something more in the veins of a character sheet in my own style(no turn around just a static 3/4 pose) but i can also and that what i was planning to try to create an ai illustration using one of those concept.Lege1 as shown interest in the SHADOWSTEP so i might develop one of those two unless if you read this(Lege1) and find any of the two last design even more interesting i might do one of those two.

9.DOPPLEGANGSTER: A super villain with the ability to shapeshift into any person they have encountered. They can perfectly mimic their appearance, voice, and mannerisms. Dopplegangster uses their powers of deception and infiltration to manipulate and betray others, sowing chaos and distrust.
Age:Middle age
Sex:Male
Cloth:Business suit

10.QUANTAM ENIGMA: A super villain who has control over quantum particles and can manipulate reality at a fundamental level. They can alter the laws of physics, create temporal distortions, and manipulate the fabric of space and time. Quantum Enigma seeks to reshape reality according to their own twisted desires.
Faction:The Machinator
Sex:Female
Cloth:Lab coat
Job:Particule physicist


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My Sketchbook

Perfection is unmeasurable therefor it impossible to reach it.
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#20
@Darktiste I get what you say about it taking less people to create movies and video games, along with how artist is needed to be human and experience life to therefore insert those experiences and emotions in the art. Yes, you are right there are some areas that the AI lacks in, at least as of now and it still needs the human cool factor.

The Outpainting feature seems interesting and maybe you should experiment with that and see what comes of it. I see how the AI could be good for the randomization. Yeah, I'm not with the idea of photo bashing, just not my thing, and I definitely take pride in drawing and painting my work out as much as possible unless I'm strapped for time and have to start taking those industry shortcuts to yield a finished product for a deadline. It does take a certain skill to photo bash well, it's an art form of its own and I always think of matte painting when it comes to photo bashing. Yes, good artist steals tastefully but it's different when a machine, or better yet algorithm is doing it. There is no good way to justify what AI developers have done to program their databases and make it be ok, at least not to me. Creative human stealing can be about giving back, but the AI just consumes and produces, and repeats infinitely; we might take 50 to one hundred times to try and understand something, but AI can 50k times in seconds or less. The artist should have been put first to begin with, now there is a monster created with the potential to create many more monsters cause this thing can train itself and spawn children that can quickly do the same, there is no stopping it now, the damage is done and corporate greed wins.

Playing with AI to me is like playing with fire, it's just a matter of time before getting burned by it, and that has already started to happen without even having to type in one prompt. Innocent people's lives are affected by this and there is tremendous change on the horizon. Reality as we know it is going to change very soon due to all this, hopefully everyone will be happy with the end results as it could all lead to something good, but things will get much worse before they get better with this situation.

It sucks that this thing damages the process of things like writing, creating images, making music etc, it's very unfortunate because the process is why most even do any of these things at all. You think I aspired to be a visual artist of any sort to just type a prompt in the computer and have it do the majority of my work? Absolutely not! If someone would have told be this all would have come to be at the end of 2022, I would have written the visual arts off as a hobby a long time ago, along with anything else this AI crap can deeply effect.

I respect and understand if you don't really care for the process of image making, and that is perfectly fine and ok, and if you like having conversations with the AI visually or in any other way, then you should of course continue pursuing what you find interest and passion in, and in that respect I'm glad these new changes in the world work out for your personal best interest.

Very cool on the exploration of the 10 designs and the most recent ones are pretty wild indeed. The top right and bottom Dopplegangsters are very cool ideas. I'd say for me it's a tie between Dopplegangster and Shadowstep, both of them are strong visual ideas that can definitely be monopolized on, perhaps flip a coin to decide on which one of if you have the time do both maybe even featured in the same image.

LEGEND'S SKETCHBOOK_001
To all artists struggling to create and are intimidated by A.I. (anti-imagination)
Sun "Everything has been done, but not by you" Sun
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