AI portraits? Thoughts?
Added 2025-01-12 16:41:18 +0000 UTCHey Dadfuckers,
I wanted to get your thoughts on something. What do you think about AI art?
As an artist, I find it really interesting—but mostly when it’s used as a tool to enhance traditional art. In my case, I often use it for backgrounds and text work. Doing everything alone would take me three times longer to finish a comic, and let’s be real, not having English as my first language makes writing a bit of a challenge. AI has been a big help in editing and polishing my texts, saving me tons of time.
Of course, collaborating with humans is amazing—but it can also be super frustrating. (Remember when I was working on that visual novel and my collaborator ghosted me after months of effort that went nowhere?) AI doesn’t flake on you like that, but I totally get that it’s a controversial tool. It can be abused in weird and creepy ways, and there’s definitely an “uncanny valley” vibe in some AI-generated art that can feel unsettling.
That said, I’ve played around with AI a lot in the past—creating realistic portraits of my characters, for example. It was exciting to see them brought to life exactly how I imagined them in my head. Sometimes it even inspired new plotlines and characters, which was super cool.
As I start working on a couple of anthologies and wrap up my long comic, The Werewolf Curse/Midnight Revelations, I’ve been thinking about including AI-generated portraits of the main characters, as I’ve done before. But part of me wonders if that’s unnecessary or uninteresting. Maybe art should leave room for everyone to imagine how characters might look in their own minds.
One thing’s for sure—I’ll still be using AI for things like cover compositions and to spark creativity. But I’m curious to hear what you think! Please let me know in the poll below. Your opinions really matter to me!
Thanks as always for your support,
Comments
I’d love to go the other way and be in the freebo world. Man can dream.
Joey .
2025-01-19 23:20:06 +0000 UTCmerci!
freebo23
2025-01-19 23:09:06 +0000 UTCexactly! Thanks Joey!
freebo23
2025-01-19 23:09:00 +0000 UTCI like them, so instead of using real life inspiration, you are flipping it and making the inspired by the artwork- and making it more real.
Joey .
2025-01-17 23:58:40 +0000 UTCJ'aime bien IA.
oliviertits
2025-01-14 13:08:04 +0000 UTCthanks Nuttbuster ;)
freebo23
2025-01-13 11:03:23 +0000 UTCthanks Ronald
freebo23
2025-01-13 11:02:51 +0000 UTCthanks, Dominick, it seems that we are a minority with this idea. If I had the time, I would use the AI portraits as references to do realistic portraits of my characters, but it would take a lot much time. I already do that for my covers though, and I think is an interesting exercise and have good results.
freebo23
2025-01-13 11:02:44 +0000 UTCThanks Navrim, your opinion counts a lot to me.
freebo23
2025-01-13 11:00:32 +0000 UTCThanks, Banana, I agree with you!
freebo23
2025-01-13 10:59:56 +0000 UTCDo you mean the portraits or the backgrounds? I think the backgrounds are really similar to my art (and I always start with some sketches to render the backgrounds). Also, before the AI I used to download a lot of PNGs to fill my backgrounds, but most of the time they would result out of place and badly designed. The portraits for me are really interesting because they show me how my characters would look in a real-life alternative reality, but I understand is not for everyone. It helps me sometimes with the character design, or to make a character grow a bit, it gives me a lot of input. I understand that is a controversial tool, but is very useful, especially because when I tried to collaborate we humans it was almost always a struggle. In the past, I used to ask other artists to draw my covers, but there is a lot of competition and not a lot of engagement between NSFW artists, to be honest. It is not so interesting to do.
freebo23
2025-01-13 10:59:26 +0000 UTCthanks, Terry! I appreciate all opinions on this :)
freebo23
2025-01-13 10:53:30 +0000 UTCof course I will keep doing my art, the question was about these portraits that I do from time to time and add in my Comics as extra material :)
freebo23
2025-01-13 10:52:58 +0000 UTCthanks Bryan ;)
freebo23
2025-01-13 10:52:17 +0000 UTCI just ignore them in all honesty
Bryan Whiteman
2025-01-13 00:32:49 +0000 UTCI wish there was an option “I like AI, but your art is way better. Keep doing your art.” 😃
L D B
2025-01-12 20:21:36 +0000 UTCYou’re not really stealing others work when you do the portraits, so no foul there. That aside, I’m just not a big fan of ‘em. If you are, though, then it’s fine.
Terry Taylor
2025-01-12 19:27:45 +0000 UTCI'll echo what others have said: The AI art is so different from the style we love you for and that's why it doesn't quite feel like it belongs. We, obviously, love your style and those of us who have been with you since Tumblr, are certainly open to changes in your style. But, AI can't do what you do.
Devin Harris
2025-01-12 19:10:36 +0000 UTCAI generated is just a tool how you use it and what you are using it for is what matters.
Gives You Banana
2025-01-12 18:20:19 +0000 UTCI'm here for your beautiful art and because I love your unique style. To me the AI portraits always feel like they are totally out of place and they lost all the charm of your wonderful drawings. So I definitely prefer seeing your characters drawn by you instead of some immersion breaking AI portraits.
Navrim
2025-01-12 17:54:03 +0000 UTCI think the AI renderings can add to the story, as you have used in the past, showing us what you think the men and boys could look like. Great to see realistic men based on your ideas. I don’t see them taking the place in a full story. However, could be fun to see the AI images in a dream sequence of the cartoon men. Your work is fantastic.
Dominick
2025-01-12 17:33:22 +0000 UTCmix and match!
Ronald Hooghiemstra
2025-01-12 17:10:02 +0000 UTCI think it’s something new and we can try to embrace it… I love all forms of are and I think the AI for me bring something real to it.. I say go for it if it’s not time consuming for it..
Nuttbuster99
2025-01-12 17:06:10 +0000 UTCAt first I was very scared about them, then I had a very enthusiastic feeling, now I'm kind of in the middle, so I'm not sure what I think.
freebo23
2025-01-12 17:03:00 +0000 UTCThanks for your feedback Yeyo, I know a lot about it and I always feel kind of guilty using it, but at the same time I'm a tech nerd, especially in graphic design, that's my job. Sadly being a one-man band I have to use all tools possible to make my job better. Also if my followers want weekly content, this is the only way for me to be so fast. I don't think that stopping using AI technologies is gonna change their unstoppable evolution, so I feel also that I need to be ready to know them and know how to use them. But I totally get your point and respect it...especially looking at what's happening around the world right now.
freebo23
2025-01-12 17:01:31 +0000 UTCAI generated images consume absurd amounts of energy to produce, and the algorithms are trained on images from artists that are not consenting nor compensated for it. So, while I don't really judge you for using them, I wouldn't and they rub me the wrong way. Apart from that, in a more personal aspect, I don't really find the portraits to enhance my experience, I like the cartoons you draw the way you draw them and the added realism gives them an uncanny valley vibe that can even turn me off a little
Yeyo
2025-01-12 16:54:25 +0000 UTCAs long as you feel you are comfortable with it, go for it!!!!
Dominic Raso
2025-01-12 16:45:30 +0000 UTC
