29 Dec. Added a new gallery, Carnival Games;
28 Dec Finally completed Incoprea City. A major project for a company that will be selling them in four sections. The nft is here. Going to update book 2, complete new the puzzle book then work on Incoprea Volume #3. I drive my Amazon route today through Monday. l8r.
26 Dec I was in my car but realized ChatGPT4 mobile app can also create images. I was thinking of an old friend online who has since passed. She said she was the first female computer programmer in the military. That she used punch cards to program the older computers. I though about a mouse that lived in the computer center and would improve peoples punch card programs at night.
I’ll never make it, but it was fun to see what a cover might look like.
25 Dec. Sometimes you just have to be persistent.
23 Dec. I find myself going from stills to video to stills to video now back to stills. The video is getting a bit more difficult as it grows more popular, features I had are temporarily unavailable.
At the same time Chat GPT-4 seems to have a more advanced version of DALE than Bing and that makes sense (same company). In any case, the stills seem to be at the current public ai forefront for resolution and detail. I am ending up with a lot of stills from experimenting. All the clips total about 20 minutes of video so not sure where I’ll post if later today (probably in the ai deep dives playlist on incoprea). Within that was a series I was going to post on my site but thought it would go better with music Table For Two ;
21 Dec. Well, we are well into something… I put my notice in at Amazon, but a long one. When I get my 500 route pin I will be done, that is about a year and a half from now. 500 routes is about 1 million deliveries and takes 2 1/2 years. So I have a year and a half left to try to make this art life work. If not I’ll go back to the corporate world. In any case, I will have my 500 route pin to wear.
- ✔
Completing a four panel cityscape- ✔
A company is featuring my artwork soon!- Working on a large new type of book.
- Started a couple of new oil paintings.
- Started a rough draft of Incoprea vol 3.
- ‘Juice’ Vol. 2 *replace a few stories.
19 Dec. Completed Kmart, oil on panel;
18 Dec. I’m still here, not going anywhere. Still working on several new projects but it’s also holiday season at Amazon and I have had over 300 package days, so yeah. From the time I leave and arrive back home, I have drove for about 12 hours lol. It’s fine though, I am used to driving that much when I would go to Michigan or Colorado to paint. The postal drivers are getting very stressed, I can tell when I see them. I think it’s because they are understaffed and its the busy season. Here are a couple of new pieces fer ya;
12 Dec. Added a new ai series, Autodidactic;
9 Dec. I have done what I could with AI video during the ‘dream stage’. Anomalies and bizarre awesome accidents will disappear as they are ironed out. I wrote an article describing all of the things I learned making them here. Also set all the videos to remix allowed and donated my renders back to Runway. Would like to complete a new type of book I have been planning for years and get back to painting more. Won’t say I wont make any more videos in the future, it is fun, but my main interest was the phase we are currently passing. Also missing drawing on paper with pencil, it’s been years!
8 Dec. Ai is constantly evolving and ‘improving’ and while it is inevitable, we will lose some of the distortion and added anomalies that ai conjured while dreaming. We will and have to rely on intentional mistakes and glitches to get any kind of resemblance. It will also start to get harder to look under the hood, even now I have to ask GPT to tell me what it said to dal-e when troubleshooting. Here is a video I made 3 months ago that I can never make again:
Runway initially took seeds (images) as influence. Image prompts are now more literal. Perhaps there will be an add on or another company that can recapture this amazing feature once again.
5 Dec. My Amazon routes have been ‘Juiced’ as they call it, over 300 packages per day! It is the holiday season. Before my mind gets too warped from AI, I am taking a break. Over the next two days I have off and am going to only listen to records and paint. I love the smells and seeing something new the next day. Takes a while before I don’t think I can Ctrl-Z undo something irl. logging off, check you on the flip side;
30 Nov. Added a few new videos to the YouTube channel and a new gallery Ledges;
25 Nov. Now that Chat GPT-4 can see images and render them I have been able to work with it somewhat. Here is an example of a rough sketch along along with the result;
Please render a detailed illustration in a similar arrangement using a balance of blended blues and mustard yellows similar to the attached sketch. The composition is of an eclectic mix of glasswork from bottles to vases and bowls in a variety of transparent textures.
23 Nov. Added a new AI Gallery using the latest DAL E through GPT-4 Beadwork
23 Nov. Started working on a large new type of book project I had planned for years. Look for updates about this project early next year (possibly completed by the end of January). I will continue to post galleries and other work on my ‘breaks’ from this big project. Then I will complete Incoprea vol. 3 by July and then hopefully just paint for a while.
22 Nov. Adding a new gallery today Ominous Vending Co.
21 Nov. The site is a lot better now, even tapered the menu lol. A large printing company has accepted my portfolio of digital art to start selling prints soon! : ) . Looking through my paintings and wanting to get back to that and not so deep into the Digital world for a bit.
Here is one of the oil paintings I am working on. It’s from a photo I took in a rural part of Nebraska. I was driving and I saw how the clouds were showing the shape of the hills I couldn’t see. I love the feel and fullness and invitation this scene depicts. It’s almost done, maybe I will finish it soon! (nervous about adding the thin power lines)
19 Nov. Couple of updates. Completed and published a new coloring book Cosmic Horrors Also posted a new AI gallery Escape Rooms
18 Nov. Shifting gears a bit and making the new AI galleries page the home (landing) page so, you will have to click blog to see this in the future. I will always focus on creating new content, look for hidden gems. like the three playlists on my youtube will continue without being listed anywhere other than the playlists. Best I can do for now 😉 . When I have time and $ for the VR gallery, there will be a lot more interactive/puzzle type things. Think escape rooms meet art galleries.
Having the blog away form the main page will help me be a bit less formal and more introspective. Like I would love for my art to take off but also fear any amount of financial success and the inevitable complacency that comes with it.
This will also free me up to create posts when only necessary instead of as content.
17 Nov. Thought about this on my route and rendered it this evening. I roughly sketched the idea and submitted it to GPT4 which was able to create variations that I edited in Photoshop. Which also resulted in a New gallery Routes Reason #612 why I love A.I. You are able to create at the speed of imagination!
16 Nov. Finished and uploaded a new gallery Pinball. I also completed a new adult coloring book. (posting on the sale page by Tuesday). I have to drive my route for Amazon Tomorrow through Monday. I’ll try to update if I’m not too tired lol.
15 Nov. New gallery series Cosmic Casino coming today! Still trying to make this happen in video format (not detailed or stable enough). Check back this evening. The Cosmic Casino gallery is now OPEN!
10 Nov. Part of a new series I came up with when exploring the textures and things I remember as a child, like colorfully patterned waiting rooms. ; Wait-view gallery
9 Nov. I volunteered to train two new drivers last month and they gave me a $100 gift card. I used that to purchase a month of Runway AI text-to-video. Within that months subscription I was able to create about 80 new videos youtube.com. I hope to create more in the future but it takes a few days to get into that mindset and also hard to get back out lol. There are other things I would like to work on as well. we will c
4 Oct. One more AI video then I have to work on a few commissions. Will make one last round of details/corrections to Inc Vol 2. Started book 3 and a different type of book. Taking overtime at my regular job until January so I will post here as often as I can. take it easy (| – _ – |)
4 Oct. Traditional horror movies don’t scare me. The most terrifying scenarios i can imagine involve just waiting tens of thousands of years. One day, our Earth will fall victim to the expanding red giant the sun will become. Long after epic adventure filled stories of post-apocalyptic civilizations have faded, the relentless progression of time remains.
Reviewing my work. It seems I am drawn to these subjects; (reflecting on your own experiences and interests can help AI better understand your artistic visions)
- The Intersection of human creations and nature, with humans also being nature at times
- Store displays (different places and times), as they offer insights into their patrons and provide an opportunity for aesthetic arrangements of everyday objects. The products are also formed in a marketable way, revealing some psychological aspects.
- Various textures and materials, especially layered and translucent textures.
- Old prints, lithographs and illustrations
- Mirrors and reflections, the only place I can find reliable magic in the real world. Reflections allow me to compose the background into the foreground and fill spaces aesthetically. Mix lighting from inside and reflected outside atmosphericly and you get what I can only describe as magic.
- Pinball machines, they always stood out to me in arcades as less of a game system and more of a functional interactive art piece.
- I empathise with older buildings that have character and a lost purpose
- I appreciate SOME abstract art, especially those rich in detail. I actually loved a Pollock I saw in Omaha and I didnt think I liked his work before that.
- Preference of black and white, color when essential. Tan or burgundy colors when in between. Otherwise anything that would focus/contrast the subject best.
- Small spaces that are able to be quickly adapted and understood, larger spaces give me anxiety because of too many unknowns but are good in some cases to show volume etc.
- Early humans and early human life (including the 8 other types of humans we know of so far) Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo erectus, Homo antecessor, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo floresiensis, Homo neanderthalensis and the recently discovered Homo naledi. (I am currently working on a painting about this but its not ready to share yet)
- References from my own experiences. keeping close to what I know is not necessarily exciting but create the most realistic work. Growing up in the 80s with very faint 70s references both cultural and specific to my own meandering.
- The very distant future. I like to imagine it and sit there. The time after life on earth, the scorching sun baking the remains of cities and products and stores and highways. Once busy and bustling, now rest together in the sun like iguanas. In the time between the end and the end.
3 Oct. Made a few more AI videos;
1 Oct. Hhad 500 credits, so I made this;
30 Sept. One of my friends said they loved my first children’s book Gently. So I added it to the shop page again. Going through book 2 one more time for some final details then maybe take inventory of what I have done and see what might work in other ways.
28 Sept. Tried some things with Runway but am out of ideas until it is more controllable. Photoshop AI has come a long way, I made two wide collages with Photoshops generative fill.
26 Sept. Incoprea Volume 2 is now available here . Whew, it feels good to get all of that out of my head to make room for new ideas. Starting a new completely different type of book that I have been thinking of for years. This is the last of my ideas, though I will make note of any new ones. After this next book is completed, I will go back to finishing some of my paintings. I feel good and different now that I have this behind me.
22 Sept. Getting the print files ready. Look for the next book on Monday.
COMING SOON!
Incoprea short stories Volume 2
19 Sept. completing the Vol2 Graphic novel, getting it ready for print now (cover above).
14 Sept. I believe this is the most art I have withheld from my blog since starting it. I have 9 NEW stories, shared with nobody. I thought of a digital drawing while I was driving my route the other day. Finishing it up to include (with a few other comics) in Incoprea Volume 2 Short Stories Sept 21st. I call this piece (not yet done) Bloomer;
13 Sept. The book is 99% complete, I love it. Still going to put another week into it so I won’t have to republish. Going to make a video of some or all of the stories in the book too! Anxious to share asap.
12 Sept. The book is almost done, finishing the last details! Once the book is completed I will start paying to host the VR gallery. Found a host that allows backups.
3 Sept. Working diligently on Incoprea Volume 2 (9 short stories, 4 paintings and 2 digital art pieces) and nothing else, including this site. Check back Sept 21st. I promise it will be awesome : )
27 August. Oil works in layers. Some people can complete a full oil painting in one session, that is called wet-on-wet technique. I prefer to paint in layers over multiple sessions. So, it’s 2015 and I go to paint the first layer of my favorite waterfall in Hastings Minnesota. When I came home I posted it on my Facebook page and a friend in Las Vegas offered me $200. I considered it, I needed the $ and not to bad for a days work, but I knew I wanted to let it dry and go back. So I did. I went back 3 more times and completed it!
24 August. 9 stories are all drawn out for Incoprea Vol2. All that is left is to detail them. Available through this site in about a month. Finishing another painting to include;
23 August. Completing another painting for the next graphic novel; Courtyard
21 August. When I started this adventure I was not sure what I wanted to do or how it would be received. I wasn’t even clear on what success would mean. Today I will go to Amazon and get my truck and do my route. It used to be hard but now I am used to it. Since I have my basic needs met, I can continue to work without having to sell my work. I will sell my work for the asking prices but feel zero pressure to sell something for less than it is worth. Removing the necessity to sell the work also helps keep me in line with my vision, unbent towards more marketable materials and subjects. When I get home today I will work on the graphic novel until I start work again on Friday. (as well as a couple of commissions). Here is one of the paintings I am working on for the Volume 2 Graphic novel;
Once the next graphic novel is completed, I will go back to just painting and digital art.
- iƒ my children’s books start to sell, I will make more of those simplemorals.com
- iƒ my novelty or graphic novels start to sell I will make more
- iƒ (when) AI video improves (gen3) I will make a new series of videos.
- iƒ (when) I am able to afford VR hosting again, I will rapidly expand and detail the Virtual Gallery (current VR gallery is free hosting but not allowed to download so not interested it working much past my last save.)
I am 100% satisfied with where I am leaving these projects ‘completed’ with the option to continue any of them in the future. Success to me is the ACT of pursuing your goals. By that measure, I don’t need big gallery shows or even sales, only to keep going.
20 August. Worked more on Incoprea Volume 2. (containing 9 short stories, 5 digital art pieces and 4 new paintings). The parking lot light casts interesting shadows into my apartment through the trees;
19 August. Putting ALL of my efforts into completing the artwork for Incoprea Volume 2 (not AI). The stories are written and the storyboard is complete. eta 4 weeks;
17 August. It was fun exploring the “Dream Phase” of AI’s exponential developmental curve. Also very grateful for the programmers allowing the integration of artwork into this early phase of AI video production. The newer algorithms appear to be integrating the AI detection software so that it can correct itself while rendering. I am going to focus on illustrating the next graphic novel Incoprea vol. 2 (already written). Since I switched to panels for painting they have been so much easier to store and organize (after drying).
15 August. Uploaded my photos and some vintage (out of copyright) images into AI to see what kind of videos it would create. Here is the result; (each clip is from one photo seed) Runway image-to-ai-video.
14 August. Just finished my route. I drive for Amazon Friday-Monday. So today was my last day driving until Friday. I call this photo “Last Stop“. Got some snacks and I am ready to make some videos, work on the graphic novel and a couple of commissioned projects. look for many updates soon. p.s. I just got my 20,000 deliveries pin!
12 August WOW, my last video did amazing and people seem to love it, in fact this site had a lot of traffic today, Welcome! I hope you find something of use here. I am going to focus on the Volume 2 graphic novel and keep making videos on the Incoprea youtube channel.
I have some new paintings that I can get more done on so that I can share them here soon as well.
7 August I decided to try to seed the ai generator again (seeding is where you provide material to the ai for reference) I uploaded the oil painting I completed yesterday. The image on the left is my painting, the image on the right is what AI morphed it into in video;
With my painting fed to the AI I simply added the word ‘overcast’ and it made all of the images in the video below. I present to you Wanderlust;
7 August AI has distracted me because it is an ever changing thing that I can’t help try to see what’s inside. What’s more pressing is that we are on an exponential curve, it will get magnatues better very rapidly. I think one of the things we will lose when AI video gets better, is those artifacts and bizarre mistakes that it makes. I understand why they will be eliminated but they have a valid place in art. The messed up lettering and disappearing reappearing misshapen morphing entities are just like my dreams, are they like yours?
I read today that a Twitter user who had a huge following just lost their account. That is why it is so important to have your OWN website, one that everything you do points to forever. It may seem unlively compared to other sites with social interaction but it’s yours .
*Success to me is the ACT of pursuing your goals.
6 August So I wake up and get myself going, drive to the state park and hike to the cliffs. Once I get my brush out and start to try to paint I realize I left my white paint @ home. Drove home and came back because I planned this for a long time lol. I am determined if nothing else. Trying to work in black and white oils only for detail and light-work. This fall I will definitely have to get back to all colors.
1 August Drove across the state of Minnesota yesterday. Did some field sketches at a variety of parks along the way. I like how the oils turned out on Sunday. I think I will go back next Sunday and put another layer of detail on the more defined painting. There were some nice foreground elements that might look great in white over the black once it dries. heres another ai video. I know I make a lot of these but why not;
30 July Welp, I did it. I went and made two paintings, was trying for three but was getting pretty tired; Taylors Falls / St. Croix Falls WI black and white oil on 9×12″ panel(s).
29 July Finished work and got my couple things from Michaels to go out painting tomorrow! I will keep publishing AI videos as I make them, my all time favorite so far is Hobo Epic;
25 July Made a bunch more videos (one below) others on the channel. Finishing commissioned work over the next 3 days, then working 2, then SUNDAY planning (weather permitting) on going to Taylors Falls (WI side) and painting 3-4 black and white oils. I am thinking 8-10″. Also started a new painting with an interesting idea, will share after a few more layers.
23 July Scheduled next Sunday off of work and planning on trying something. I will bring 3-4 canvas’s and ONLY black and white oil, starting in the morning I will hike the Taylors Falls area and try to do about 3 paintings in one day. I think not having colors should speed it up and also give it a different look/feel. Check back in a week and see. here is a an ai Runway video I rendered this evening; Goodnight.
18 July finishing up commissioned books, put out some new ai youtubes. Definitely need to focus on the next graphic novel but the ai is addicting and fast. The trick seems to be in finding something that both you AND the ai want to do lol.
16 July just added a new ai exhibit junkyards Also made more videos on the youtube channel. Working on Incoprea vol 2 book and the artwork that will go with it. I drove my route all day today and still made a video and image series that I am proud of. AI is an amazing, different, interesting, fun, not-scary thing. Dale E 2 for Stills and Runway for video.
When you catch up to the crazy driver that passed you at the next light.
11 July Doing a lot of ai videos with stills from Dal E and video from Runway text-to video (when I can afford the credits). I wont post all of them here but here is a link to the channel, yt/incoprea subscribe and you will see them all. A lot of experimenting so I don’t want my blog to just be all these lol. Working on inc vol 2 as much as possible, hopefully done in about 2 months.
8 July Created a video and nft of version one of the newest digital illustration. When completed it will span 4 posters.
4 July Maybe the first ‘tags’ in st. paul on what might have been a loading dock. I took so many photos in St. Paul that they started to repeat. I also found a very narrow dead end between two high rises. It was surreal to be alone yet feet away from hundreds of people and also kind of trapped if anyone had followed me.
4 July Finishing at least one of the four book commissions this week. Also working on the city panorama illustration. I will try to post a video of its current state by Thursday (adding some good details now). Been thinking about how I haven’t really drawn, pencil to paper, in years. I should plan on something in that regard soon.
3 July Remembering childhood adventures with my cousin who recently passed. Found this picture of us from a long time ago. Dana on the left, holding my hand. I added one of our adventures to my bio section.
3 July posted a video of the current oil pieces from the current work section;
1 July Rendered a couple more AI text-to-video videos (below) I will finish the book work I have been commissioned for then try to get Incoprea Volume 2 going so its completed by this fall.
30 June I have a couple of newly commissioned books for my other site mybookillustrator.com So I will be posting intermittently as I attend to those projects.
29 June after spending a lot of time working with AI, I think one of the reasons I like it so much is that its an amalgamation of the popular culture that its fed. It creates a blend of these carefully created cultural references and spits them out in a way unfamiliar, almost like satire. I love it lol. They need to improve rain and camera controls (first person perspective is the only consistent camera control I have found so far).
*but also an invaluable tool for combining impossible things like Greek and Egyptian architecture, roughing out comps/ideas etc..
Some ai sites are now prepackaging a large list of negative keywords. While that might create better images faster, words that have multiple meanings could be giving the ai unintended restrictions.
27 June A couple of new Runway AI text-to-video videos today;
Greek landscapes on a virtual hike;
26 June Text to video animations of storefronts @ night;
25 June Oil is so amazing to work with, you can just keep adding small layers and details for years. Instead of waiting up to 12 years to see what I am working on, I decided to create a page that will show all the works in progress (updated over time)
23 June Updated the large cityscape digital illustration, much more to do on this one;
22 June I added layers to several oil paintings over the past week. Be sharing some of them soon. For now, here is a collection of images from exploring dall·e’s alleyways New exhibit
21 June When viewing something completely new, people will try to categorize it by saying it is like this or that. However, if you see something new and just observe it. The next day it will have its own place in your memory and it can be better appreciated for its uniqueness. New exhibit Civitatis Lumina
20 June I have today through Thursday off. My delivery route is 10hrs a day F-M. I am working on the 8 stories for Volume 2 now and working on some paintings. I love AI and the text to video on Runway just came out, so I had to see what it could do. I also have six books going for clients of MyBookIllustrator. I will try to at least post a new painting by Thursday.
15 June I promise I am working on more traditional things but had to give runway one more deep dive and see how creative it can get with characters and costumes around the setting of a fictional cafe;
14 June Celluloid style animation clip rendered with Runway ai ;
13 June finally getting into the details; oil on panel 24″ x 18″ work in progress.
12 June creating Runway AI text to video of imaginary busy cities to see how it thinks; going to get back to the book and other things, not all is or will be ai.
11 June Testing out the animation capabilities of Runway this evening;
10 June I had so many left over clips from creating the Spectacle of Beasts (plus experimenting). It seems to work best when you make something with what it wants to do rather than trying to guide it very specifically. We should start hearing the term “cherry picking” as that is what you need to do to create something meaningful. When I worked at the production company a ‘food expert’ would come in for commercials and bring like 100 boxes of cereal to pick out the best flakes, this feels similar. My time is still very limited, still driving my courier route F-M and making books for people on my book illustrator. Will try to go back to completing Volume 2 graphic novel and painting. maybe time to take another break from AI, addicting tho.
8 June AI text to video was just made public on Runway. Tried to make things like an imaginary casino slot machine spinning but it showed a rotation of a solid static machine or it made parts float out of the machine. What it seemed to do well was imaginary characters in costumes, like actors. So I perused those and compiled the results here;
6 June Sometimes interesting new work can be a combination of things you are working on. Here is a video mixing retro architecture, reclaiming nature and an audio overlay from a song that used to play in stores. An attempt to contrast things that will outlive all meaning and relevance. Staying positive LOL
31 May Created a series called MetaFauna and one called FerrumFoul
29 May Working on the Wabasha street painting, using refenrce photos from the Minnesota Historical society. A large amount of signage and details are ready to be started. A fun part that I thought about way back when I started it in 2015. I will put some time in it this week and update the image below ;
29 May Created a series of charm AI renders with Dal E 2 via Bing. Click here to view them all. I am adding more details to the Wabasha street painting and might share that in a couple of days.
25 May This is Owen (my friend) @ the Gopher Bar in St. Paul mn. ~70% done. 18″ x 24″ oil on panel. I didn’t quite want to share it yet but it wont be done for a long time. His face looks off bc I am applying the base colors before the overlaying details, same with the rest. Also there is a very dramatic neon lighting effect in the upper left that will start to show much better in future versions.
25 May When I had enough saved up to take a year off, I did. I decided to put everything I had into my art and try to figure out, not what people wanted, but what spoke through me. I also knew this was a rare opportunity so I used every mental trick I could think of to keep going. Delusions of grandeur were allowed and encouraged!
Whenever I am going through something difficult, I will often step aside (detach) and try to observe the situation. Through this I can learn about uncontrollable emotions and to not continue to feel that pain as much. This also gives me more crayons in the box to draw with because my experiences can be relatable. So, when I tried to share some interesting aspects of my last days painting, like an empty fridge and a power disconnection notice. Many of my friends offered to help me or send me money, which I could not take and did not want.
Money and Food seem to be very powerful and manipulative subjects. They are both something that will change people and can be used as a means of control. Well, towards the end it got dark, my glasses were held together in many places as they broke with no replacement. When I finally did get them replaced, the lady was laughing and said, ‘Should I throw these away?’ I wanted to cry. I understand how having something simple, like new glasses, can restore dignity.
I am slowly working my way back to reality. I took a job as a delivery driver for Amazon. I deliver about 200 houses a day F-M and, if I can, will still work on some art for at least an hour on those days. I thought about getting a job back in the city doing production art or teaching so that I can get medical insurance. Well, I went up the the reservation and since I am 7.5% Ojibwe-Anishinaabe. I was able get a membership card and full medical! So this is perfect. I will drive F-M and continue working on the many projects that I have began here and continue to start new ones.
Working as a delivery driver has been great! I am in the best shape of my life and have a reliable income. Bukowski is considered one of the best American authors of all time and he delivered mail while he wrote. I also am done with marketing and advertising. I have done that all my life and feel that all the time should be used to make high quality art. If people don’t ‘discover’ me until I have expired, well that puts me in great company.
24 May Starting a new digital painting. The evolution of human architecture and transportation crumbling back to nature. 144 inches wide and 24 tall. (4 posters wide)
23 May Working with Chat GPT to create visual code of tree branches that grow at slightly random angles and lengths. It created this version that slowed this whole page down and is a great example of how a slight misunderstanding between a human and unchecked AI can get out of control. Here is the animation that it created.
17 May I know I just said I was going to take a break form AI but I was curious if I could get it to think of some visual coding and it made some interesting things. will add more.
15 May Going to take a break from AI. Working on Incoprea short stories volume 2, as-well-as some oil and digital paintings to include in the book (including incoprea castle). Also working on the Owen @ the Gopher Bar painting and will try to post it this week.
13 May Still working F-M driving about 10 hours a day. Only have about an hour to spare tonight so I worked out some ideas I had for Dal E, didn’t quite get what I was expecting but still interesting results. The same could be said for any traditional painting. When I have more time T-Th I will post more.
12 May Adding some cloud effects and water to some Dal-E rAI enders.
11 May Working on the Incoprea castle again. This is the lower left section, work in progress (stared it in Oct 20th 2012) no AI I created a page for this project here
10 May exploring Runways AI version of monsters. I also started a new painting and added more layers to Owen at the Gopher bar (Will share after I complete more detail in about a month. It is my favorite painting so far)
3 May I used to play at my grandfather’s old farm in the piles of junk and would feel no anxiety. All around me were interesting discarded pieces of memories being reclaimed by nature. No worry about mowing or stress about breaking anything, In fact, you could smash anything you wanted. very fun, relaxing and free. I also added a video about rain in a city trying out another AI program called Runway with batch processing. ugg. Don’t want to get to much into ai and stay art focussed. Going to try to switch to oil painting or drawing for Incoprea Vol 2. and let this ai excitement fizzle a bit.
29 April When thinking consciously about the effective power of layering it occured to me that saving or preserving is at the heart of that. The pearl cannot form on a discarded grain of sand, layers of experiences cannot build upon a discontinued relationship and a painting cannot continue without the preservation of the canvas. Still have no idea where I am going with that but it seems important. I started building the sculpture of found objects (pictured above). It was going really great after about a year but it fell apart during a move. Having a way to save or preserve it, I would have done much more ‘layering’.
18 April On the 17th I used my CrAIyon descriptions with DalE via Bing. Today I tweaked that description slightly and the results are amazing (see the example below). I am putting many of these together for a 40 minute long video. I am sure it will be posted above this message as soon as it is done.
17 April Tried Dal E with the same descriptions GPT came up with. Much different results (see below). Also I have been thinking a lot lately about layers. like how oil paintings in thin layers can make something good great. same with pearls, music, layers of experiences to learn or bond, layers of earth to make fertilizer and nutrients. In this light even passing over or improving ideas for days or months could be seen as layering. So many things that are good can be GREAT with layers!
16 April I have enough art and material to complete Incoprea Volume 2 in a couple of months. However, working my driving job F-M and working on authors children’s books for mybookillustrator.com plus this, I am currently putting in over 100hrs a week. I am planning a break after book 2. But, how do you plan time off to relax when what your taking a break form is what you do to relax? I am giving myself the option of taking a month off. I don’t have to listen to myself but at least some reprieve is on the horizon, should I need it. I will need some sort of break to replenish my ideas and art, book 2 will take most of what I have close to finished so book 3 will take at least another year. Maybe I should plan a short trip, maybe to duluth. Oil Painting outside can be very fun, I’ll bring the paints and not put any pressure on myself to do so, but I probably will.
13 April And here is the store with another layer added. Also a bit more to do but this will be ready for Volume 2 which has been written and I just have to complete the artwork. Oil on panel 20 x 16″
12 April Added another layer to this one, It has a long ways to go but I am going to work on this one and the black and white store front (will post that one after I add more tomorrow) This way they will be completed by the time I am ready to complete Incoprea Volume 2 and can include them in that publication. Oil on panel 11″ x 14″
11 April And now for something different… AI generated images using ChatGPT to the song Wonderwall sung by Kanye West (AI generated as well) They are saying AI is currently past 2030 benchmarks and progressing months ahead of schedule every day!
11 April adding details to two of my paintings, will post in two days.
9 April After working with AI and seeing what it can do here are my thoughts. I have seen non-artists accomplish more than trained professionals when pursuing a specific vision. AI is perfect for those people and for one time compositions, (as long as it needs no refinement). To get the compositions to align to a series or have main characters that repeat in different scenes is still a long ways away. Some people have a problem with what the AI is taught with, I don’t. (as-long-as) the result doesn’t match exactly a known active copyrighted work. We learn in a similar way, that’s why in my advice section I say going out and looking at all the different things and textures will give your subconscious the ability to mix these elements.
The biggest problem I see with AI as an artist is that the source material is native to the AI. Meaning, the AI may have designed great work but you are most likely unable to continue that same exact feel or line of work on your own because you are unfamiliar with the history. Artist create from their own experiences. The library of our memories that we draw from we KNOW.
AI can help you see your ideas in new ways.
I have been wrong many times thinking the error was with the computer and not me. I think the same may be true regarding all the bad results from ai (junk in / junk out). Learning to communicate with it effectively to get the results you are after is key. @ least you can ask it to help you with that lol.
5 April Asked chat gpt to create descriptions from it’s imagination, I rated each one from 1-100 and the next response was to improve or experiment with the description to improve the rating. Here are some images it came up with;
4 April Uploaded a new video with artwork created using ChatGPT4 to create fine tuned abstract descriptions for CrAIyon AI image generator. I am on the waitlist for Adobe’s Firefly AI image generator, once I am on I will see what it can do using some of the prompts I used to create this;
3 April The proof copies I ordered of the Incoprea Graphic Novel were great! People seemed to like them and I was able to see where I can improve. This is a good culmination of my work and a great template for all my future ideas. I am spread pretty thin right now and can’t do everything I want to so I will. 1) remaster Incoprea Vol. 1 over the next 3 days then, 2) start working on the visuals for Volume 2 (7 new stories already written) and hopefully have that completed in the next 60-90 days. I have some children’s book commissions. Oil painting and 3D modeling will have to be put on the back burner for now. I also have children’s stories written for Simple Morals, but the cost to print in full color and the lack of interest will have me putting this basket of ideas, not on the back burner, but all the way in the pantry.
26 March Just finished the Simple Morals Volume 1. Full color pages and while there is a less expensive color option this had to be full premium, still only $28 retail, not bad for 210 pages. I am ordering some to put in my local comic book shop. Gotta start somewhere. And now that these two are done, I can start working on finishing more stories and creating volumes 2. I am keeping the children’s books on Simple Morals .com While the graphic novels and other novelty books will stay here.
24 March So glad the Incoprea Short Stories novel is now published. Whew. This simplifies my store a lot and gives my friends a huge discount (279 pages for 12.99) When each book separately was the same. The next thing to do is to combine my first 7 children’s books on Simple Mornals. The cost will be more because it is in color but it should still be much less than each separately.
23 March Compiled my first 7 graphic novel stories into ONE 276 page graphic NOVEL! The book is pending approval. Once it is available I will link it here and in the store section.
22 March Completed Ivy’s Arbour. Ivy’s Arbour is a cautionary tale about how self serving interests might be disguised in a way that is misleading until it is too late. Ivy shows compassion and friendship to a lonely tree, but in it’s playfull demeanor lay a sinister and deadly plot. I am now going to remaster Pete Moss, then make one book out of the 7 black and white graphic novels. I have four 10 hour shifts coming up so I will have to work on this in parts, should be all done with the compilation by Tuesday.
16 March Finally got the story of Pete Moss off my ideas list. I love this one. Yes, I know it needs at least one round of revisions but here it is, it’s done, just needs cleaning and that’s fun anyway. whew… Pete Moss is the story of a boy who is being raised by his Grandfather. Without money and few possessions, Pete finds a happiness that he longs for until he returns many years later.
12 March Asking ChatGPT to describe things that it comes up with, giving it freedom to choose lenses, forms, colors etc. Here is one of the characters it created;
7 March A video of some artwork made by using ChatGPT to create elaborate detailed descriptions of things that do not exist for other ai programs to draw;
7 March I try to keep my posts positive and art related but the current situation will cause too long of an unexplained absence. Long story short, I had been illustrating books for people for about 20 years. When the pandemic hit everyone was working from home and online. I was worried that I would not have work but the opposite happened. I got 40+ book orders! Anyways, I did all that work and took a year off to start this blog and art adventure. I knew work would be slow after that peek (the inverse) inflation etc.. So I had to get a job, I am working 10hrs/day Friday – Monday as a commercial driver. Recently I have been getting a lot of book orders, working on 5 right now. But I feel this is just the tax return season and am not sure if it is reliable enough to quit the other job yet. So at the moment, I am working F-M then doing books T-TH then repeating. Not much time for my personal art but I have been planning things. I’d love to share but I found it’s better to tell the idea in the form of the finished product. On top off all that I hit a deer on the way home from the job Monday night(attached) Also, the Virtual land host said that he will not allow me to export backups so I am looking for a new host. The links all work and when I move I will update the links automatically.
20 Feb Going to try to bring back the public virtual gallery. It takes a long time and I could be working on paintings or books, but sometimes I just like hanging out there. Found a cheaper host and we are trying to upload the old gallery now. will keep you posted.
16 Feb Added a second floor to the AI art gallery, Maybe more to come. This is a spread from a new book about three dogs that I was commissioned to draw.
15 Feb Took another deep dive into AI generated artwork, but with the assistance of ChatGTP. This way I can get detailed descriptions of abstract ideas. Come over and see the virtual ai gallery.
14 Feb Added another layer to the Kodak Photo Booth. I haven’t worked on this one in over 2 years and I started it 5 years ago. Just shows how long term projects work well with oil.
12 Feb Remastering Never Give UP and Boomacide. Then, I will put my first five graphic novels and this blog into a large book called Incoprea Volume 1. I am also going to take my first 7 children’s books and make Simple Morals Volume 1 as well. Look for both within the next 30 days. After that I will get started on the next set that will go into volumes 2 in about 2 years.
9 Feb Working on layer 4 of what will end up being about 12.
2 Feb I really like how the alien store turned out so I decided to work on the Alien Museum I had started years ago in a sketchbook. I think a series of these would make an interesting book but I really only thought of the store and museum. Maybe more will some to me. I have put a couple layers on several paintings that I can’t wait to share, but I will. ; ) I think the very next thing I will work on is remastering the Never Give Up book.
1 Feb Finished Alien Museum digital illustration at poster size. I also added some more layers to a couple of paintings I will be sharing soon.
26 Jan Took a break from painting and books to work on a digital illustration in poster size. This is how I imagine an Alien store might look. This one is on the outskirts of a city with a bored cashier a shopper and a couple of alien children. I have another idea in this vein and perhaps a series. we will c. nft ~ poster print
13 Jan Never Give Up Published the first edition. I expect to update the graphics over the next month. If you are a collector, order one now as they will no longer exist once I update. If you want the best quality version, check back in about a month. print
12 Jan pt2, I am going to remaster these three books; Vantage Point, Boomacide and Never Give Up. If you are a collector, order now for extremely rare versions once I replace with new files next month. If you want the best version, wait about a month for those three remasters. Will post notice in this blog as they are updated.
12 Jan, Completed a new graphic novel called Never Give Up. I just posted the video below to Youtube. I will review it and make final changes then publish and post a link to that here;
10 Jan Going through some of my photos to see what I might want to start painting next and I found this one from Michigan last fall.
9 Jan Added another layer to the golden elephant painting;
4 Jan Another layer on this guy.
1 Jan First post of the year! Was working on a very tall illustration and decided to make a video. (タイムライン = timeline) nft