Day of the Dead Exhibit

I'm included in this show in NYC and Mexico, see graphic below. There may be NFTs involved, plus virtual aspects to the show...more info shortly. The AI co-generated artwork depicted is "Cosmic Calavera".

More on NTFs

Well, after struggling with the jargon & technology, I got my first NFT on OpenSea...then followed a small number of scammers who wanted to pay me a much higher sum for it, if only I would put it on a different platform that was more "safe". So, that was a little adventure.

Then I found out that a platform I recently joined, The Hug, has the option to create Onchain Collectibles—NFTs, basically, for no cost upfront. So, I did that. I now have 5 more on there. I really don't know if NFTs are still viable, but they seem to be a good way to sell original digital artwork, which may exist as many identical copies, but you can have an "original" specified on the Blockchain. Well, we'll see how it goes. This is an experiment, so I'm not charging astronomical amounts for them.

 

My First NFT

I may be late to the NFT party, but hopefully now that the gold rush is over, it is still a viable way to show & sell digital art. My first offering is "In the Realm of Machines" which you can see below. Here is the link to OpenSea: https://t.co/8cYnBfap0d

 

In the Realm of Machines (AI), 2024

 

Awita New York Studio / Haunted Hues

 I have one of my AI pieces in a small gallery in Brooklyn coming up soon. Here is the info:

Web link: https://awomaninthearts.com/

This is in fact the first time one of my new AI pieces will be shown in public.

The Blue Palace AI

This was intended to be a throwaway piece...I was showing my nephew, Matt, how Leonardo.Ai works, as he is also in the AI field, though not from an art viewpoint. I just quickly went through some steps to show him various parts of the interface & this came out...which I like. It's an idyllic scene in the mountains with an improbably blue-domed palace, a paradise image of sorts, perhaps. Now I think it's a keeper.

The Blue Palace AI, 2024, made with Leonardo.Ai

The AI Epic series

This is a series that I wasn't planning to do, but it happened organically when I started experimenting with Leonardo.Ai's Universal Upscaler, which upscales (embiggens) but also adds in more than just interpolated detail. It really does very well working at a vast scale, although it sometimes gets carried away with itself, adding bizarre details (plus the usual extra limbs and the like), so I have to edit it from time to time. Below is a selection, you can see them all at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/billayton/albums/72177720318233270

The themes covered include the usuals: life, death, heaven, hell, good, bad, the past, the future, mythology, reality, and of course, our place in the universe.

A New Utopia, 2024, AI generated image

Final War, 2024, AI generated image

The Age of Enlightenment, 2024, AI generated image

Exodus, 2024, AI generated image

In Hell, 2024, AI generated image

Life, the Universe, and Everything, 2024, AI generated image

 

AI Bosch Triptych: The Gift

So I created a Bosch-style triptych in AI, with a central panel of a dark figure carrying a pink sphere, & the two outer panels depicting Heaven & Hell...on the left is the fountain of eternal life, & on the right is a tower over a fiery pit...two different gifts.

AI Bosch, The Gift, AI triptych, 2024

AI Bosch blog on Tumblr

I was creating so many Bosch-inspired images that I've decided to create a blog on Tumblr specifically for them at: https://ai-bosch.tumblr.com/

BoschScape, AI generated image

 

Sun God AI

 Today's output has been a little dark (Bosch, etc.), so here is a more uplifting image:

Sun God AI

Another AI Bosch Apocalypse

With this one, I used Leonardo.Ai's Alchemy Upscaler to improve image quality & upsize it. I'm not sure it made a huge difference, as all the little figures are quite small, so fixing hands & heads, etc. is not a major issue here.

Bosch AI Apocalypse v.2

Creature from the Toxic Lagoon AI

I feel that this one ought to be in a low-budget horror movie...Hollywood, are you watching?

The Creature from the Toxic Lagoon AI

The End of the World by AI Bosch

I've found repeatedly that Leonardo.Ai does a pretty convincing & effective impersonation of Hieronymus Bosch, and its tendency to mess up anatomy (too many legs, etc.) only helps. Here's the Apocalypse:

AI Bosch Apocalypse

War Colossus / Queens of the Nile (AI)

 So, I was in a bit of an Egyptian AI mood today...

Queens of the Nile AI

War Colossus AI

Leda and Swans / AI

In this AI-generated image of Leda and swans, how many swans can you count? Partial swans are not to be included...

Leda and Swans, 2024, AI-generated image

Again, this did not make it to the Tumblr blog where the better AI images live.

Annunciation / AI

This is another image that wasn't exactly what I was looking for when I generated it. However, upon reflection, I decided it was worth uploading here, as opposed to the Tumblr blog where my more "finished" AI pieces live.

Annunciation, 2024, AI generated image

The Hat with the Eye / AI

Another oddity/experiment in Leonardo.Ai. With this one I extensively repainted and regenerated the original image until I had this. The original had a sea urchin on a man's head...

The Hat with the Eye, 2024 AI generated image

For more AI images, check out the Tumblr blog.

The Song of the Siren / Drawing

 Another recent ink drawing:

The Song of the Siren, 2024, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11"

Lost Among the Spheres / Drawing

In case anyone's wondering if I still make non-AI artwork, the answer is a definite "yes". Here's one from today:

Lost Among the Spheres, ink drawing 14" x 11", 2024

The Man Who Was a Nuclear Weapon AI

I typed in "the man who was a nuclear weapon" and got this faux movie poster with questionable spelling. You never know what you're going to get...coming soon to a movie theater near you...

The Man Who Was A Nuclear Weapon / AI generated image

Still Life with Hypnos variations AI

This is not exactly what I wanted, trying to generate a winged head of the Greek god Hypnos, but I liked the resuts anyway:

Still Life with Hypnos variation AI

Still Life with Hypnos variation AI

Still Life with Hypnos variation AI

Still Life with Hypnos variation AI

Breughel's Tree AI

Here's an odd experiment with Leonardo.Ai--I was trying to generate a version of Bosch's Tree Man from the right-hand panel of the Garden of Earthly Delights--but instead I got this:

Breughel's Tree / AI image

Another variation:

The Man Tree / AI image

Leonardo.Ai screenshot of a work in progress

 Here is a screenshot of a WIP in the Leonardo.Ai interface (Realtime Canvas section), to demonstrate that AI image generation is slightly more complicated than some people might think. In this case, it's a combination of a text generated image with more text input, plus I've painted extensively on the image to change the shapes and appearance of objects. It's a refining process which can be quite lengthy...AI is really a collection of power tools that enhance creativity.

Leonardo.Ai screenshot

And here is the finished piece:

Light Among the Ruins AI

Battle for Babel AI series

 Leonardo.Ai did a rather good job of creating these epic images of the Tower of Babel in flames. As you may know, I've depicted the tower in many pieces, but these came out very cinematically, and, as I mentioned, epic.

Battle for Babel AI #1

Battle for Babel AI #2

Battle for Babel AI #3

Battle for Babel AI #4

Airship Battle (AI generated)

 This is a case where the text prompt turned up quite amazing images with little to no editing required...below are 2 versions of the image.

Airship Battle (AI)

Airship Battle 2 (AI)

Narcissus in the Pool (AI generated)

 Here's another image I've been playing with, a Narcissus variation. I used Leonardo Ai's "Canvas" feature to interactively draw parts of the image, & also used text prompts to define it.

Narcissus in the Pool AI

Colossus Variation (AI generated image)

 Sometimes, using Leonardo Ai, it manages to achieve good results very quickly. Other times, I have to give up on it & assume it doesn't understand what I'm trying to evoke. In the case below, it did a pretty good job, all 4 of the original images generated were potentially usable. This one could ideally use a bit of tweaking, the giant foot of the subsidiary sculpture stands out, as does the inconsistency of sailing vessels depicted...but that's part of the fun of AI.

Colossus Variation (AI)

A new Tumblr blog for the AI artwork

 I've just created a new Tumblr blog to hold my AI artwork. You can find it at aytonai.tumblr.com. I'll be uploading more work as time goes on. Check it out.

Homage to Bosch version 1 (AI generated image)

End of Empire (AI generated image)

 Here is another AI experiment from Leonardo.Ai. I find that it takes many edits to get a good image, so while this is in many ways quick & automatic, there are a lot of wasted images. I also find that the AI responds quite well to poetic or "nonsense" prompts...

End of Empire, AI-generated image

Empyrean -- AI animation

This is my first attempt at animating an AI scene in Leonardo Ai. It's very short, so you can right-click on the play button in the lower left corner & choose "loop" to see it better. I also recommend making it full screen to see it more clearly, & choosing the highest quality available from the video settings (cog wheel icon).

Empire State Monsters (AI generated image)

 My first successful (in my opinion) experiment with AI image creation--I used the Leonardo AI web interface to create this image of the Empire State Building in NYC attacked by monsters. It's the closest image I've created in AI that looks like I might have made it myself. More coming, I hope...

Empire State Monsters, AI generated image