Monday 28 September 2020

Push-Button AI Art

I found a way to enhance my figure drawings -- instantly!


STYLE REFERENCE --
I applied the style of this successful AI altered drawing
to my other black and white drawings


I use Google's Deep Dream Generator to apply the color and style -- from my best previously enhanced Deep Dream drawings -- to my black and white sketches!   Thus with the mere touch of a button I can thicken up and improve my underwhelming figure drawings.  That is probably cheating and way too self referential.


Push-button Formula
in Deep Dream Generator --
applying the style from the middle image
to the first black and white drawing


However Deep Dream Generator usually does a lot of damage to my drawings.  To get those first "best" drawings took a lot of extra Photoshop massaging, after the initial AI (artificial intelligence) transformation, in order to create a pleasing image.  Ergo the whole style transfer process does take some time to get decent results.


PUSH BUTTON
 EXAMPLES

I applied the style of the first drawing at the top of this blog post, to some of my other figure drawings:




I like how this style gives a little extra warm shallow space around my figures.








I have been trying to fine tune Deep Dream Generator to best enhance my drawings.  One of the biggest problems is that this AI program essentially decapitates my figures -- by darkening the head.  Even when there is not a lot of extra detail or dark strokes in the face, Deep Dream still tends to black out the head.

One solution is to transfer a style that does not have any dark colors to the black and white drawing.  When red is the darkest color the instant transfer seems to work.  In fact, red and pink images tend to make the best style references for figure drawings.


These AI treatments are a big improvement over where I started in 2017 and 2018.


***

Holly Grimm sent me this KUNM podcast about early computer art, emphasizing the work of Frederick Hammersley and crediting Dr Richard Williams for writing the first computer art program.  This all happened in the 60s in Albuquerque.  Professor Richard Williams used to draw with us at weekly figure drawing sessions in Albuquerque in the 21st century.

Side note:  Both the first personal computer and Microsoft both started in Albuquerque in the 70s.

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