The Blue Dragons brief: An experiment in AI illustration
I am a freelance illustrator and graphic artist who specializes in children’s book illustration and design. Like many other professionals, the incredible powers of AI make me a little nervous. But, as one who goes with the flow (or drowns) I’m curious to learn what AI can do for me and my clients. Specifically in the area of illustrating books more quickly and efficiently.
Inspired by this news article about a type of sea slug referred to as a ‘blue dragon’ that I came across this morning, I decided to give Microsoft Copilot a drive and see if I could conjure up a cool graphic to go with it as I would for a potential client.
So while I was illustrating a ‘real’ drawing of my own for an upcoming publication, I was also prompting Copilot to illustrate a compelling ‘blue dragon’ graphic (points for multi-tasking).
It took me 7 iterations of prompt engineering to arrive at what I thought was the best, most interesting, and appropriate graphic to draw attention to the story about the stunning, stinging slugs washing ashore in Texas.
Let me show you the evolution:
create a fantasy illustration for the blue dragon sea creature that can deliver a powerful sting
create a fantasy illustration for the blue dragon sea creature that can deliver a powerful sting
can you make it look more like the actual sea creature and less like a dragon
can you make it look more like the actual sea creature and less like a dragon
At this point I felt I needed to be more accurate in my prompt, so I asked Copilot a question:
What is the stinging sea animal “blue dragon”? Please explain.
Copilot: ‘The “blue dragon” refers to Glaucus atlanticus, a species of sea slug known for its striking blue color and powerful sting. These creatures are part of the nudibranch family, which are shell-less marine mollusks. They are also known as blue sea dragons, sea swallows, or blue angels.’
Once I knew the proper description for the beast, I refined my image prompt:
create a fantasy illustration depicting a glaucus atlanticus stinging an unsuspecting human, use a realistic size difference
create a fantasy illustration depicting a glaucus atlanticus stinging an unsuspecting human who is holding it in his hand, make the glaucus atlanticus smaller than the hand.
create a fantasy illustration depicting a glaucus atlanticus stinging an unsuspecting human who is holding it in his hand, make the glaucus atlanticus smaller than the hand.
create a fantasy illustration depicting a cute glaucus atlanticus stinging a person’s hand, the cute glaucus atlanticus is no bigger than a silver dollar
create a fantasy illustration depicting a cute glaucus atlanticus stinging a person’s hand, the cute glaucus atlanticus is no bigger than a silver dollar
create a fantasy illustration depicting a cute glaucus atlanticus sea slug visciously biting a person’s hand, the cute glaucus atlanticus is as small as strawberry
create a fantasy illustration depicting a cute glaucus atlanticus sea slug visciously biting a person’s hand, the cute glaucus atlanticus is as small as strawberry
Finally, I reached an illustration that I would be happy to send to a client;
create a fantasy illustration depicting a cute glaucus atlanticus sea slug visciously biting a person’s hand, the cute glaucus atlanticus sea slug is no bigger than a silver dollar
create a fantasy illustration depicting a cute glaucus atlanticus sea slug visciously biting a person’s hand, the cute glaucus atlanticus sea slug is no bigger than a silver dollar
It’s still not perfect, but if I were to spend my billable time as a prompt engineer and not an actual artist, then I want it done and out the door ASAP. All in all the process took about 45 minutes, which in billable hours would be a $35 charge. Not a bad illustration for that price, but then again, prompt engineering isn’t that hard. But certainly, there would be clients who would rather pay someone else to do it.
By that rationale, it would be my creative vision, artistic vocabulary, and eye for meaning that would be a selling point. Not everyone has the skills of a creative director.
What do you think? Would you pay $35 for that illustration? Does AI technology make you feel ‘some kind of way’ about your future work opportunities? Sound off in the comments, or drop me a line at www.amberleighluecke.com