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