Designing Graphic Novel “Foxes” with AI : Part One
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When my partner penned the short story “Foxes” during the pandemic’s quietude, it spun a tale as whimsical as it was wild. The story unfolded in the twilight’s embrace, a symphony of cunning and survival played out by creatures who danced with the shadows.
Ren, the outlier, the fox among foxes, emerged as a character cloaked in mystery, her silent strategy a stark contrast to the raucous hustle of her kin. As I contemplated bringing this world to life, I turned to AI, not just as a tool but as a collaborator in creation.
Back then, AI was like a spirited child with a crayon, its interpretations unrefined, untamed, and utterly original.
I fed it visions of hillbilly aesthetics, of rustic realms and taboo textures, and it returned to me images that were wild at heart, not quite grasping the human form but capturing an essence that was raw and magnetic. The compositions it suggested, the plays of light and shadow, provided a canvas I could refine into visual narratives that spoke the language of “Foxes” more fluently.
The images were grotesque in a lot of ways, as though the AI was challenging my own creative core “Oh for real? You think that’s creative? Boring human, let me show you creativity.”
It spin variations on my original prompt that were outrageous and enigmatic.
Reflecting on the evolution of AI is akin to watching a child grow. Those initial outputs, brimming with a peculiar creativity, have matured into something polished, precise, and perhaps less original. As with human development, there is beauty in the refinement and mastery of skill, but also a nostalgia for the uninhibited creativity of youth. AI, in its journey, mirrors our own — the delicate balance between the wild sparks of imagination and the polished grace of learned technique. It’s a reminder to cherish the raw, early strokes of genius even as we strive for the clarity of mastery.
Oh yea, and then it gave me these tame landscapes which, thank God. I was feeling a little sick.
