Is AI a friend or foe?
As a children’s illustrator I’m still figuring this out….
Should I crawl up into a ball and cry or embrace the change?
As illustrators we are all getting our heads around this monumental shift.
There are a lot of unknowns to consider when it comes to the growth of technology in the world of book design and illustration. For instance, will this mean the end of our jobs as illustrators? Will book designers bypass our roles altogether? Will technological advances allow us to create output more efficiently, which, in turn, leads to faster turnaround times? Can we anticipate that ideas will become easier to generate with the help of technology?
There is also the issues of stealing art and copyright laws, as many of the AI generators use images from the web to compile new images. I do not believe in using another artists work and claiming that it’s my own. However assuming there is an ethical way to use AI, here are my thoughts…
It’s here to stay and it will only get better!
That is why I’m trying to find a way to use it to my advantage.
Firstly I thought I’d try it out. I used ‘Dall-E 2’ and ‘letsenhance’ and uploaded my own image and asked for the AI to provide variations.
Here is what I got.
I then asked it to come up with photos of Glammas with pink hair, glasses, a navy jumpsuit and pink shoes. Here are the results.
Then I asked for some illustrations with the same description.
And then I added “playing hopscotch” and hugging.
Yes there are other AI art generators that may have produced better results and I’m sure the next versions will be even better. But, the results range from comical to frightening (check out the noses and the hands on the “photos”). It was a little bit of fun, but absolutely nothing that I think I would be able to use for my own children’s book illustrations.
Once AI improves significantly, I hope to use it to:
Try different versions of my designed characters.
Bring up references for me in terms of clothing and poses.
And if I am dreaming I’d love it if I could input a character and get it to do different poses and activities.
Also I don’t think AI is a replacement for a human. Here’s why:
Creating is more than just technical skills, it’s about bringing authentic perspectives to the work and sharing inspiration and emotions.
I love doing storytime and school visits and that genuine interaction with kids can’t be replaced by a bot.
Sales and promotion are still done face to face in many settings and people like connection with humans.
What can i do to show that I am different from AI?
Personal illustrations that show my unique experiences and viewpoints and reflect my personality.
Show more of myself and my interests on social media. I need to show why I am the right person for the job and have a connection to the images that I am asked to illustrate. For example I love to share pictures of the ocean as I love drawing underwater scenes.
Do more in person events to showcase my humanity and social interaction skills. Book readings, book signings and attending industry events can go a long way in building trust and relationships.
There have been so many changes in technology that have significantly changed art - and I would argue for the better. The camera is the most significant of these, but there has also been photoshop and drawing digitally.
I believe in the short term this new technology will cause a lot of pain, but ultimately I feel positive about it!
Would love to hear your thoughts?
*I used chatGPT to help me reword some sections, but I did not use it to write this post.
This question was posed by the illoguild. The illoguild is a collective of kids book illustrators from around the world learning and growing together.
This post will be published in the illoguild monthly newsletter alongside other contributors answering the same question.
News
Mia’s Glamma , my new book is now available for pre-order. The official Sydney launch is on 22 July at Harry Hartog Marrickville
Mia’s Glamma activities can be found on my website - there are some fun ones that you can print and do at home with your kids. One is Maxie’s face pictured below. You can also see more activities on my instagram.
