I found myself at a Christmas craft market recently, and at one stall I stopped to admire some artwork. The stallholder was selling coasters, mugs, canvas bags, and tea towels covered in her art. The colours were vibrant and the art was detailed, almost 3D.
I complimented her on her work. She said thank you then proceeded to tell me how her and her husband enjoy creating these products. Then she said “although he uses a different AI program to me”.
It turns out that she is not an artist but a Midjourney user. This got me thinking: is this therefore her art or someone else’s? Her skills lie not in creating the art itself, but in prompting the AI to create it, refining what it creates, and weeding out any errors such as 6-fingers or too many appendages.
The art was good, very good, and the prices were high, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything. Why? I wasn’t quite sure. Whom am I rewarding for the work? Are real artists losing out?
What are your thoughts on works created by AI?
Tag: art
Paint Shop Pro
I miss Paint Shop Pro. The last version I had was 8. The software was originally created by Jasc then taken over by Corel and after that it became just another PhotoShop clone.
I’ve spoken previously about being a graphics artist on the Commodore Amiga back in the day using tools like Deluxe and Photon Paint. When I switched to the PC I continued creating pixel art using Paint Shop Pro. Over time though it seems like all the paint software became variations on PhotoShop; image manipulation and effects.
What I really needed was a tool that would allow me to create pixel art. There are a few web sites that allow you to do this to some extent but you need to be online to use them. You have Gimp, an open source tool, but if you’ve ever used it you will know how awkward and non-intuitive the controls are. I’d rather go to the hassle of running Paint Shop Pro on an ancient PC than having to use Gimp.
I get that most people want fancy high-definition graphics these days but some of us just want to create something old-school using a mouse, free-hand, and maybe on occasion the line tool.
I do miss Paint Shop Pro.