Neural Networks and Serious Art: An AI Artist Talks

Contents:

• AI art is inclusive and accessible to everyone
• How a prompt engineer works
• How to persuade AI to draw a field of blue lard
• AI creativity unites people

At Vladimir Sorokin's exhibition "Blue Lard," curator Marat Gelman, recognized as a foreign agent in Russia, proposed creating paintings inspired by the novel using artificial intelligence. Artist Evgeny Nikitin developed these works, but his contribution went unnoticed at the exhibition itself.

Creating a coherent visual statement based on complex material using a neural network is a labor-intensive process. It's important to consider the author's technical specifications. The plot centers on clones of Russian writers who produce the mysterious "blue lard," which is the central theme of the novel. This unusual combination of elements allows for a deeper understanding of the concept and idea of ​​the work, as well as revealing its multi-layered and original nature.

The media artist explained in detail that the work of a prompt engineer is complex, creative, and requires attention to detail. This specialist creates effective text queries that enable high-quality and accurate results from artificial intelligence. The work of a prompt engineer involves analyzing problems, formulating questions, and optimizing queries, which requires both technical and artistic skills.

AI artist, prose writer, poet, and lecturer at the Prague Media School. Specializing in the creation of unique works of art using artificial intelligence, Midjourney combines creativity and technological innovation in her work, exploring new boundaries of artistic expression. Teaching at a media school allows her to share her knowledge and experience with future specialists in the fields of art and technology.

AI art is inclusive and accessible to everyone

The Midjourney neural network was developed not to support traditional art institutions and the art market, but to create new opportunities in the field of digital art. It opens up access to innovative methods of image generation, allowing artists and designers to experiment and realize their ideas in unique forms. Midjourney strives to change the perception of the artistic process and expand the horizons of creativity by providing users with tools for self-expression in the digital space.

Many do not realize that being an artist is a true privilege. Midjourney provides a unique opportunity for everyone to experience the joy of visualizing their ideas and images. This tool allows you to transform thoughts into art, making the creative process accessible to everyone.

Now anyone can create a full-fledged painting, regardless of health or social status. Even if you don't have the opportunity to study academic painting and have spent your entire life engaged in physical labor, you can still realize your artistic ideas. Midjourney's artificial intelligence provides a unique opportunity for everyone to create, as confirmed by the developers themselves. Using this tool opens new horizons for self-expression and allows anyone to become an artist, regardless of their previous experience.

How a Prompt Engineer Works

There is a widespread belief that a prompt engineer is simply a "text-entry person" whose work is purely technical. However, in reality, the process of creating high-quality content is much more complex and multifaceted. It's important to demonstrate how a production engineer's work is actually structured, including the stages of development, analysis, and text optimization. This will allow for a better understanding of the value this specialist brings to content production and how their skills contribute to the creation of effective and engaging materials.

Over 100 generations were completed to create each illustration, of which seven works were approved for the exhibition.

Project preparation lasted two months and included selecting references, generating ideas, revising existing concepts, and developing new solutions. This stage was essential for the creation of high-quality content and the successful completion of subsequent tasks.

Sorokin set himself the task of creating an illustration that would combine a giant piece of blue lard, one and a half times the height of a human, and a cube of ham, placing them in an interior populated by people in the work clothes of chemists of the future. This scene unfolds in a laboratory decorated in a high-tech style. The visual combination of unusual elements and a modern environment emphasizes the contrast between the traditional and the innovative, creating a unique atmosphere.

This prompt has its merits. However, the author requested more fantastical elements. Unfortunately, the first illustration did not live up to expectations.

The lard looked different than usual. The image didn't have a pronounced surreal character. So the work of a prompt engineer, or, frankly, an artificial artist, began. This process involved the use of algorithms and technologies to create unique visual images that can surprise the viewer and evoke new associations. The AI ​​artist, based on the specified parameters, sought to transform the usual notions of lard, creating new, original interpretations.

I used version Midjourney 5.1 and began developing the images in two directions. The first direction is related to improving details and textures, which allows for more realistic and expressive visualizations. The second direction involves experimenting with color palette and composition, which helps convey a certain mood and atmosphere in the images. These approaches significantly enhance the quality of the created content and expand its artistic possibilities.

Increase the level of phantasmagoria in the text by adding vivid and unusual details inspired by Sorokin's novels. Use original images and metaphors to create a unique atmosphere that will capture the reader's imagination. Immerse yourself in a world where reality and fantasy intertwine, and every event is imbued with deep meaning. Focus on creating colorful characters and situations that will be memorable and leave a mark on the reader. Your fictional elements should be carefully crafted to enhance the phantasmagoric effect and make the text more captivating and memorable.

Search for the formula of blue lard. This can be an interesting and educational activity for cooks and food lovers. Blue lard, known for its unique flavor and texture, requires a special approach to preparation. It is important to explore various recipes and methods that will help bring out its full flavor. Finding the optimal formula for blue lard means mastering the art of its preparation and making it a true highlight on the table.

The second point, surprisingly, turned out to be the most difficult.

Vladimir Sorokin had previously collaborated with another artist, who created several hundred generations before achieving a single, worthy image.

Experimenting with the prompts "blue fat, blue lard," he arrived at the more successful "blue ham." However, this "lard formula" proved unstable and sometimes returned images associated with food and feasts. It is for this reason that gallery owner Marat Gelman, recognized as a foreign agent in Russia, asked me for help in curating the exhibition.

After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that the correct formulation would be "white lard with blue veins," which in English sounds like "white lard with blue veins."

I added elements of phantasmagoria, first experimenting with references to various artists, but these works were not selected for the exhibition. Then I began introducing anatomical elements, depicting characters from the novel, including Gloger, as well as Tolstoy and Akhmatova, in unusual situations that reflected the spirit of the work. As a result, two of these versions were successfully presented at the exhibition.

The presented versions demonstrate the use of the outpainting function, which allows you to draw outside the virtual canvas, as well as inpainting, which is used to edit and add details within the image. I created two successful versions of lard using an application based on Stable Diffusion, and added a beard to one of the characters using DALL-E. These technologies demonstrate the capabilities of modern image generation tools and their application to the artistic process.

Neural networks have improved significantly over the past six months, making image creation significantly easier, especially when using the Midjourney platform. These advancements in technology allow users to generate high-quality images with minimal effort, making the process more accessible and efficient.

The new DALL-E 3 is capable of completing the task in a single prompt run. However, the results may not be aesthetically pleasing enough, as this artificial intelligence generates images that are characterized by a uniform style. At the time of writing, it is not possible to use inpainting to process the resulting images, as this neural network lacks an interface.

How to persuade AI to paint a field of blue lard

Vladimir Sorokin describes an image of Tolstoy working in a field made of blue lard. This image combines elements of realism and absurdity, highlighting Sorokin's unique style. In this context, we can consider how Tolstoy, known for his works on life and nature, interacts with unconventional yet symbolic material. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for discussing human endeavors and their results, as well as the connection between art and everyday life. Sorokin, using such a vivid image, invites the reader to reflect on the deeper meanings and possibilities of creativity.

Ilya Repin's painting "The Ploughman" was used as a reference. During the process, it became apparent that Midjourney did not recognize the concept of a "field of blue lard." This is not surprising, as I spent considerable time creating an image of a typical piece of blue lard. However, in this case, I needed to depict an entire field sown with this lard.

I developed an effective method:

Drawing a field of blue wheat is a simple task for a neural network. The main goal is to correctly color the wheat blue. The neural network is able to process visual elements and reproduce them, making this process efficient and fast. The use of neural network technologies in drawing allows you to create unique images that can be used in various fields, such as illustration, graphic design and digital art.

We create a remix of the original image, replacing the word "wheat" with "lard" in the prompt. Done!

Having received Having found a suitable field, I began working on an image of a Tolstoyan-style plowman. However, Midjourney doesn't quite recognize plowman attributes, which made the task quite challenging.

Initially, I took the wrong approach. Having obtained an acceptable plowman, I created a sketch and "glued" it to my blue lard field using a program based on Stable Diffusion. Although this effect could have been achieved in Photoshop, I preferred to use modern technology to create unique visual content.

I used this image as a reference in my prompts, uploading it to Discord and inserting the image link at the beginning of each request. The neural network analyzed this sketch and used it as a reference when creating new images. This approach significantly improved the quality of generations and helped to achieve the desired results.

As a result, I got satisfactory images of plowmen or at least a figurine of a grandfather with a horse, but Midjourney began to lose the texture of the blue field.

I returned to work on the field of blue lard and added the figure of Tolstoy, using the inpainting technique and referring to his portrait created by Repin. I included only the writer's head and shoulders in the composition, but then I decided to make a long shot, and Tolstoy was depicted in full.

AI creativity unites people

Interaction with a neural network creates a new type of authorship, which presupposes equal relationships between all participants in the process. In this context, the author of ideas, the client, the artists, and the neural network itself become equal partners. This approach opens new horizons for creativity and collaboration, where ideas can freely exchange and develop thanks to the interaction of all participants. The neural network, as an active co-author, contributes to the process, which facilitates the creation of unique works of art and innovative solutions.

Midjourney users actively participate in collective discord plein airs, where they simultaneously create and develop their works. This process promotes mutual support and the exchange of ideas, making it difficult to determine original authorship. Each work becomes part of the overall creative process, resembling links in a chain where ideas and inspiration are passed from one participant to another. This unique interaction creates a collaborative atmosphere, which is especially valuable in the world of digital art.

Artists don't compete; they create unexpected collaborations. AI art opens new horizons for such collaboration. Instead of traditional hierarchies, we see partnership. Instead of exploitation of the creative process, co-authorship emerges. The human ego gives way to a harmonious interaction with nature, culture, and technology. This new direction allows artists and AI to explore creative boundaries together, creating unique works that reflect the richness of the modern world.

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