Tower of Babel with Monster Kudzu (with Tamiko Thiel)

This was a little collaboration with Tamiko Thiel. I was showing her how the Leonardo.Ai interface worked, so I put in a Tower of Babel and an airship (which are themes I use quite a lot), & she suggested incorporating kudzu, which is apparently an invasive vine that has taken over parts of the southern US, & is a huge problem. So, that added another element entirely to the piece. BTW, Tamiko is a very accomplished XR artist, you should check out her web site.

Tower of Babel with Monster Kudzu, Ayton & Thiel, AI co-generated, 2024

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

 

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

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

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

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

ConstellationXR at Ars Electronica 2023

 I'll be showing the large-scale AR installation, ConstellationXR at Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria in September. This is the premiere of an intended networked worldwide piece dealing with Hope, Empathy, Awe & Love (HEAL). If you happen to be attending, please come along & say hi. Here are a couple of screenshots of the VR version (in Unity):

ConstellationXR, 2023

ConstellationXR, 2023

3 Views of a Winged Head

 Returning to another old theme, the mythological winged head (Morpheus, Hypnos), partly inspired by the work of Belgian symbolist painter, Fernand Khnopff. 3 views of the same head.

3 views of a Winged Head, Blender, 2023

3 views of a Winged Head, Blender, 2023

Psyche—Planetary Eye version

 I painted the acrylic piece below specifically to try & use as a texture in Blender on the Manna From Psyche variation also below. Not too bad. I will probably try some more variations...

Planetary Eye, 2020, acrylic on plywood, 14" x 11"

Psyche (planetary eye version), 2020, digital image

Arnold Böcklin's Isle of the Dead 3D

I've done a number of homages to Böcklin's Isle of the Dead over the years. Here is the latest, done in Blender, which I'm experimenting with right now. Due to some kind of rendering problem, the sky & sea came out much lighter & less blue than intended. I've decided I like that result, though in future versions that might change again. This is my first attempt to do this piece in 3D, & I assume it won't be the last.

Böcklin's Isle of the Dead, 3D digital image

variation

Future Human (Resiliency Rising A.R.)

This is a component of the Resiliency Rising A.R. (augmented reality) installation I've been working on in Blender this morning. It's an upgrade to the previous iteration (which I'm not going to highlight here, as it was a rough placeholder), & while it is still not a very polished & sophisticated semi-abstract sculpture, it is much closer to what I want. It's supposed to be gender neutral, ethnically ambiguous etc., and also I highlighted the heart area of the chest, as the future of humanity should have a heart...

Future Human, digital 3D image

Below you can see the updated prototype installation in animated GIF format:

Resiliency Rising AR, animated GIF