Illustration / A.I. Partnership
The basic structure of creating an illustration stays the same over time. No matter the tools or technology, preliminary steps are followed, ending with a completed illustration. All the stuff in the middle can be wildly different throughout the process.
Illustrations are rendered using various digital or traditional media (or both!). Ideas can come from many strategies like word association or even meditation. To add to our creative toolbox, we now have artificial intelligence (A.I.) as a new source for conceptualizing.
When photography emerged, the illustration field produced iconic artists still emulated today. Photography didn’t replace illustration; it partnered with it. When digital art emerged, there was a roar from traditional artists who felt the computer was taking over. Digital art did not replace traditional illustration; it partnered with it. And now we have A.I. technology. A significant difference with A.I. is that it generates composition and, most uniquely, augments an illustrator’s ideas with suggested content and an unexpected point of view. As in other emerging technologies, A.I. art will not replace illustration; it will partner with it.
With AI art, we see idea generation in a brand new way—excellent ideas and compositions that might not have otherwise been made. A student’s concepts can be strengthened using A.I. while providing a visual starting point.
I will discuss how A.I. works, how it impacts the classroom, and how A.I. contributes to the emotional content of an illustration.