Thoughts on Artificial Intelligent-Generated Art

Within the past three years, there has been an explosion in the prevalence and popularity of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated art.  One only needs to simply type a descriptive sentence into an AI art generator, where a computer then rapidly formulates and generates multiple works of art (usually four variations of the same idea). 

 

It was back in the year 2020 when I first encountered the concept and some early examples of this brand of art.  These images, purported to be of portraits and landscapes, were simply blurs of color with few recognizable shapes and features.  The lack of realistic details was due to the primitive nature of the AI programs as well as the limited size and quality of available datasets (AI algorithms study and compile datasets/images from the web to create original works of art).

 

Fast-forward to today, AI art tools are now freely available to the public, where even a layman can generate beautiful yet comprehensible works of art.  Many of those blurring issues found in earlier image creations have been resolved, to where now any idea the artist can conceive, the AI algorithm can accurately generate.

 

Artificial intelligence isn’t just isolated to the field of art.  There are advanced chat AIs that can carry out full conversations with human users, generate coherent literature (poems, essays, short stories), and correct users’ spelling and grammar in prewritten papers.  Advancements in AI voice generation can produce voiceovers from basic sentence prompts while also giving users the option to choose the gender, ethnicity, and attitude of the AI voice (some can even replicate famous voices).

 

For many artists, including myself, there are serious concerns that this new technology will inevitably cause a decreased demand for art generated by humans and will eventually result in the elimination of creative jobs (such as human voiceover artists, graphic designers, etc.).  In some creative industries, like Hollywood, unions are attempting to halt AI advancement by implementing restrictions on AI usage in film.  Writers and actors see this as their only option to prevent the future abuse of their likenesses and protect themselves from the complete takeover of AI.  However, these efforts will do little to stop the progress of artificial intelligence (mainly because it is backed by corporate interests).

 

As an artist and future teacher, it is my responsibility to evolve and adapt to the times in which I live.  Technology and media will always change; if I want to be a knowledgeable and forward-thinking teacher, then I must be able to present new and evolving tools to my students.  As a matter of fact, there are some aspects of AI art generation that excite me.  Earlier, I mentioned that with AI anyone could generate works of art; I can imagine this being a boon to students with physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities who might struggle with putting their creative ideas on paper.  Personally, I could use AI art as a brainstorming tool, generating multiple different thumbnails of an idea so that I am not wasting valuable time or expensive materials.  Additionally, with AI generative tools, I might finally be able to accomplish dream projects that I would never be able to on my own.

 

AI art, even with all of its advancements, is still in its infancy.  The art world and the general public are still grappling with the ethics and legality of AI generative tools.  There are equal amounts of fear and optimism regarding how this will affect human creativity (and jobs) in the future.  With all of this said, it is my gut feeling that artificially generated art is here to stay and will become even more popular.  As humans, we need to learn how to use this new and exciting tool to our advantage (just as we did with inventions like the printing press, cameras, computers and Photoshop).

 

UMASS - Practicum Teaching: Tunnel Books

At the beginning of my spring 2022 Practicum teaching semester I created and taught a lesson to a group of 8^th grade students about artist books, in particular the ‘tunnel book’.  Tunnel books are a series of cut-paper panels that are placed one behind the other, which are all connected by two pieces of accordion folded paper on either side.  When viewed through the book’s front window an illusion of three-dimensional depth and perspective is created.

 

As with every lesson I have taught, I first crafted a teacher’s example for students to reference.  The subject of my book is the Grand Canyon.  Using mat boards, I cut out three frames (one for the foreground layer and two for the middle ground layers).  I then cut out one solid piece of mat board for the background layer.  These layers made up the four ‘pages’ of my book.  Next, using colorful construction paper I drew and cut out the shapes of the rock formations, clouds, shrubs, grass, etc.  Because I wanted to emulate Photorealism I used color pencils to add details like textures, colors and lighting to these paper shapes.  Last step was to make the accordion folds and glue everything together.

 

When displaying my tunnel book on the day of the lesson I turned off all of the lights in the classroom except for a single lamp, which was positioned over the top of the book.  This lamp simulated sunlight shining on the canyon and my computer played sound effects from this video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU8Z82ME1Ik

 

I set my book up in this manner so that the viewer (my students) would feel like they were standing on top of Mather Point looking out onto the Grand Canyon.  Examples of my students’ Tunnel Books can be found here:  

https://hurleyteaching.blogspot.com/2022/06/williams-middle-school-practicum.html 

 

UMASS - Practicum Teaching: Watercolor Menagerie

This past semester one of the lessons that I created, taught and took the most pride in was the watercolor painting project entitled “Watercolor Menagerie”. I determined that the main teaching goal for both the lesson and my students was experimentation, to release control over the medium and allow the materials to do what they do naturally.  I chose to focus the subject matter of the final painting on real life vibrant and colorful animals (like the photograph of the lorikeet you see below).

 

For my teacher example I used various watercolor painting techniques like flat wash, graded wash, dry brush, wet on wet blending, and splatter to create the colorful patterns and textures of the lorikeet.

 

Examples of the watercolor paintings my students created can be found here:

https://hurleyteaching.blogspot.com/2022/06/williams-middle-school-practicum_26.html 

UMASS - Practicum Teaching: Paper-Mache Sculpture

A lesson that has become really popular with the 8^th grade classes at Williams Middle School is the annual animal/cartoon character sculpture project.  This was a lesson created by my supervising practitioner Ed O’Gilvie and later taught by myself during the practicum semester.  The purpose of said lesson is to teach students how to build out and create organic forms (animals, cartoon characters, objects etc.) by using geometric forms (sphere, cone, etc.) as a foundation.

 

Below are several pictures of the teacher example that I created (it’s a bust of Homer Simpson).  I began to create the base form of this sculpture by using many cardboard strips (cut from cereal boxes) and masking tape to create the ellipsoid internal structure.  From there I added various details like eyes, nose, hair, mouth, etc. I then covered everything with two layers of paper-mache newspaper and one layer of paper-mache paper towel.  Once dry I then painted the whole sculpture with acrylic paint. 

 

Examples of the motion sculptures my students created can be found here: 

https://hurleyteaching.blogspot.com/2022/06/williams-middle-school-practicum_28.html   

UMASS - Practicum Teaching: Motion Sculpture

This past semester at UMASS I completed my final art education course titled ‘Student Teaching 5-12’.  One major requirement for this class was that each student had to complete 300 hours of practicum teaching at a local Massachusetts School, under the direction of a supervising practitioner.  For the entirety of my time at Williams Middle School I had to: assist groups of students with projects, work one-on-one with individuals who were struggling with artistic processes, as well as create and teach full lessons to 6^th through 8^th grade art classes.

 

One of the major lessons I taught to both of my 7^th grade classes was a multi-stage motion sculpture project.  This was a lesson created by my supervising practitioner Ed O’Gilvie and the purpose of said lesson was to motivate students to begin thinking about how still art, like sculptures, can still create a sense of movement.  Below are pictures of the teacher example that I first brainstormed, then sculpted (using plaster strips) and later painted. 

 

Details of face with sunburns.

 

Examples of my students’ motion sculptures can be found here:

https://hurleyteaching.blogspot.com/2022/06/williams-middle-school-practicum_27.html