Exploring the Boundaries of Creative Technology: One Writer’s Experience
Combining AI Art and unicorns
“Unicorns are everywhere.”
The children remained captivated from the moment I started speaking until the presentation finished. And then the questions came thick and fast.
As a unicornologist, I have to think quickly during question time. You never quite know what the audience will ask. And children are VERY curious about unicorns. Sometimes the questions are the same;
Is unicorn hair soft?
What do unicorns eat?
How long do unicorns live?
But one day, a child asked, “Will you write a book about unicorns?”
“Maybe one day,” I answered.
It was a question I thought about for the rest of the day. I’d always wanted to write a book about unicorns, but if I did, I wanted it to look a certain way. There’s just one hitch. I’m not an artist. In fact, I can barely draw a stick figure.
So I never really put pen to paper and poured out my unicorn knowledge.
Until AI Art arrived.
Whenever the term AI Art pops up its head, it’s usually accompanied by glorious artwork. But I found producing that exquisite artwork takes a lot of patience and time.
There are thirty-two computer-generated unicorns in A (Speculative) History of Unicorns. And for each unicorn, I probably generated another hundred images.
I took out a two-month subscription and spent a lot of my spare time sitting on the computer making unicorn art. I’d type my prompt, refine it, add the necessary keywords, and create images. Then repeat ad nauseam.
Keywords are vital to making great AI Art. I used “studio lighting” and “photorealistic” often. Minor differences matter. I discovered that “insane detail” works better than “highly detailed.”
Nothing I generated looked like the wonders floating around the internet. Perhaps it was my subject matter. When I went off tangent and created a dragon pulling itself out of a book, it exceeded my expectations. But there is no set image of what a dragon looks like. Unicorns, however, have clear expectations.
The AI Art program I used generated some of the dodgiest unicorns I’ve ever seen. Most of the time, the equine face wasn’t an issue. Instead, multiple horns or extra limbs were the order of the day. More often than not, when there was only one horn, it wasn’t in the right place.
Some unicorns appeared to have horns on steroids. I have no idea how unicorns with huge horns would balance and stay upright.
At times I’d slump near the computer muttering, “Can someone please tell the AI that unicorns only have ONE horn.” Yes, I did try that as a prompt — “A white unicorn with a SINGLE golden horn, rainbow mane, insane detail, studio lighting, photorealistic …”
As a reward for being so specific, the AI presented me with a unicorn with ten golden horns. I guess I got the insane detail I asked for.
Despite looking quite dysmorphic, many unicorns were happy, like this dancing chap.
Other times the AI would generate a gorgeous image … but it wasn’t compatible with the size of my book. With the AI Art generator I used, all artwork came in square format (512 x 512 or 1024 x 1024 pixels). I’d set my heart on a page size of 11 x 8.75 inches and was determined to make it work. But it meant I had to discard some lovely pictures.
Even with the size limitations, there was some flexibility. If I adored the image, sometimes it was worth putting in the effort to be creative. I soon discovered removing the backgrounds of the unicorns gave me more options. The background pattern I choose also determined if this option would work or not.
I lost some of the detail on this unicorn’s forelock, along with the lovely colors on the rest of the mane. But removing the background allowed me to use an image I loved.
Some images were too busy for me to remove the backgrounds. Using the prompt “studio lighting” was not always a guarantee of getting a plain background. Especially when unicorn-related words like rainbow, glitter, or bubbles were added in.
The most frustrating thing was getting an image that was so close to what I wanted, but short of the mark. There is no magic button to say, please repeat this image, but delete the second horn. You get what you generate, and if it’s not right, you have to roll the dice again and take potluck with the next image that spits out. This is one of the reasons why I don't believe AI Art will take over the illustration world any time soon. Creating characters and telling a story with AI Art is not possible yet.
The thirty-two unicorn images I ended up using are each lovely. But they are far from the original images I held in my head when I decided to undertake this project.
Is my finished product perfect? No. Each of the unicorns has slight imperfections — just like artwork produced by a human. But they do have the wow factor to keep small children turning the pages. And that’s exactly the effect I wanted.
Would I use AI Art again? It’s a good question. I didn’t get the output I expected. The lack of ability to refine generated images is a massive minus. I originally hoped for gorgeous backgrounds and unicorns drinking and playing in waterfalls.
AI Art could create the backgrounds I wanted, but adding a unicorn to a pretty background proved to be too tough for AI. That said, I feel the simpler images I selected also give the text space to shine.
I don’t think AI would ever be my first option again. I’d never say an outright “no” because that always tends to turn around and bite me. For now, I’ll say it depends on the project. If a project comes along that begs for AI art, then I’ll consider it.
Sandi Parsons lives and breathes stories as a reader, writer, and storyteller. She lives with her favorite husband and two problem puppies. She believes in the magic of unicorns.
Want to check out the thirty-two awesome AI-generated unicorns in A (Speculative) History of Unicorns? Or dive deep into the fascinating history of unicorns?
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