Print Ideas & Adam Bridgland (Jealous London) –
Today we had an interesting talk about the ‘Grotto Project’ formerly ‘Merch’. Adam Bridgland from Jealous London came along to share some insights and revealed a lot of useful information – see a selection of his slides at the end from the talk. I’ve just been looking at the deadlines and I’ve realised that I really do need to start moving on this.
Some very interesting takeaways from the talk included answers to questions such as: what was a popular poster colour? What kind of images sold well? Adam suggested that blue was a popular colour and skulls, butterflies and cute cats seemed to do quite well. Unfortunately the human form, unless comprising a skull did not seem to fair quite so well.
I’ve produced many digital images over the years, but the thought of choosing just one singular image to print has really made me think. I have some interesting macro photographs of oil on water hanging on my walls. One was bought by a large Australian advertising company, one hangs in the local hospital and one appears on an album cover. Even Adobe use some of my work. Therefore I can’t understand why I’m struggling so badly to choose something. On the face of it some of my images have done quite well, but I’m still struggling to make a decision about what to do.
Since joining the course last year it has helped me move on and develop as an artist, so my feeling is to create something entirely new. My research into AI generated art has completely changed my worldview and sadly as a result, I rarely pick up my camera anymore.
I think I know why I’m finding it so hard – I think it’s a fear of being left on the shelf. It’s that nagging doubt that no-one will like my print or want to buy it. In light of all of the positive things I’ve so far achieved, this seems like such a silly negative mindset. However, I really do want to be a part of this, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give it my best shot. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity and not to be missed.
During our online discussions about the Grotto project it was mentioned how one year someone used stickers to add another dimension to their work. After researching AI, I have reached the decision that my art needs to move into a more physical realm and I’d like to try something to add that extra dimension to it.
Initial Ideas
We need to donate 3 A3 prints out of a limited edition of 10. In order to take full advantage of this opportunity I would like to make the remaining 7 available on my Only Here Website where I currently sell some of my prints. I’m wondering if I can use my website in some way to add some value to the prints? Whatever I decide, I know I’ll have to work quickly because I know how much work it takes to edit my site and prepare listings. I’ve also decided to create something entirely new and this will also take time.
The Starting Point
Below is the very first image created as a starting point for the Grotto print project. My AI research has suggested it is probably wise not to mention that there was any AI involvement in its creation, but it’s hard to avoid. Although parts of the image were re-imagined by AI, the original piece driving the these designs had a very human start point. The resulting images below were then digitally reworked.
The Second Image
Experimenting with Abstract Imagery
The images above were created from an oil on water photograph that was re-imagined. This process was repeated multiple times in order to generate that one special image that may form a final print. There were multiple iterations of the two initial images above and below they are compiled into a short calming video. I think that it’s important not to waste digital artefacts, so the video serves two purposes. It shows how many generations occurred in search of a single ‘perfect image’ and it’s also quite soothing to watch. At this point I still don’t feel as if I’ve found my ‘perfect image’ just yet. Therefore the journey continues.
Dripping Paint
The following video short takes the form of an animation. I was curious to see if dripping paint would make for a more interesting print. Unfortunately I didn’t find any frames which I liked. However, I think that the animation as a stand alone digital piece works quite well.
Developing the Abstracts Further
After creating a number a abstracts – I went on to develop the idea of clocks. This was more by accident than design but I think it was a very happy accident. The images created were not only interesting, but the colours seemed to work well together. I was absolutely fascinated with the images! I created nearly 100 of them! Below is a video short of a small selection of them.
The introduction of the clock has now given me food for thought regarding a title. Many of the images had many imperfections and impurities in their design. Some of the numbers were not in the correct order, slightly illegible or even just too small. For this reason I decided to call my print ‘Killing Time’. This was a play on words and imagery. The clocks were not perfect, they were warped and distorted and of course they would be if someone or something was trying to harm them or warp them in some way. Ultimately clocks measure the passage of time, so for the observer to damage a clock is to alter their perception of time. To damage a clock could be perceived as an attack on time – hence the idea of ‘Killing Time’.
Compiling the Print
Below are a number of potential iterations of my ‘Killing Time’ Clock print.
![Killing Time Print Project](https://onlyhere.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_1466-scaled-e1696944617177.jpeg)
A Crisis of Faith
While writing this blog we had our zoom session today. After chatting with fellow students in our group, I looked at what I was trying to achieve with my print design and I suddenly began to have a crisis of faith. Yes I have used AI in my print design, but the AI needed my original image and prompts to output what I wanted. Is this cheating? It feels like cheating. But there again it was my initial work, it was my concept and it was my colour preferences that all played a significant role in crafting these final images. I actually made numerous generations before I was content with the output. Can there ever be an AI artist? It seems everyone is against this kind of thinking evidenced by both my research and our conversation today. But is it not a form of expression? Is not a way of allowing the imagination to run riot in a way that might not otherwise be possible?
In my study statement I wanted to look at things hidden from view and also try to develop a unique form of AI human hybrid art. I feel that to submit a wholly AI generated piece of art would be wrong 😑. However, I think that mixing AI and perhaps bringing it into the physical in some way could be a more acceptable proposition perhaps?
I want my poster to be so much more than just an AI generation coupled with digital art. I don’t have time to make it into a physical print but maybe there are other things I can do to make my digital print just a little more appealing?
A Selection of Sides from the Adam Bridgland Presentation