Jigsaw Puzzles, AI Art, Bears, Angels

Jigsaw Puzzle Talk: “The Cherub & The Sacred Swine” by 🧩 Jester Puzzles

Or, “the divine meets the swine.” Sure, why not?

This is a snap of “The Cherub & The Sacred Swine” — a jigsaw puzzle, poster, print, and playing cards available via Jester Puzzles here: https://jpd3.com/puzzles/the-cherub-and-the-sacred-swine. This is an AI-collaborative artwork, meaning it originated via Midjourney AI and then was Photoshopped.

Who wouldn’t want to do a jigsaw puzzle of a medieval-style angel cradling a piglet? Well, maybe no one. Or, maybe everyone. I have no idea.

But, as I’ve said many times while writing about AI-sourced imagery, my #1 concern is to capture something interesting.

With this one, I knew right away that it was special, even if it had some issues preventing it from being used as a puzzle. The initial colors were all wrong, for one. And, even after I fixed them, there was way too much black to make it workable as a puzzle.

I solved this issue here, as you can see, by adding that gradient burst in the background:

Another pic of the same image shown atop the article, only more of a full view.

… which out to make puzzling a bit less, well, puzzling.

The AI also really messed up a few areas in particular. Her neck was just super-strange looking in the original. So, I added a period-style necklace to her, which seems appropriate.

Also, her arms were a good bit malformed — and I left them so to a small extent. (But it was a lot worse in the original.) I left the veins alone in the arms, though, as I thought they were interesting and even thought-provoking. And, they kind of mirror the veins in the pig’s ears.

In any case, I showed the final image to another AI and it decided that “The Cherub & The Sacred Swine” should be the title for this image — and so it was.

People don’t often think of swine when thinking of the divine — even of those two words in fact rhyme. But, one could argue that all life is sacred, of course. And so it is that this representative of the divine so sweetly embraces the pig.

It’s funny how people love to argue that “AI art has no soul” when, clearly, this one (for one example) absolutely has soul. I mean, sure, maybe a human like me had to prompt for it and then step in and bring it out a good bit. But really, it was there in the image from the very start. I may have tidied her complexion, but that loving expression is pure AI.

Thanks for reading! Some links for you:

• This puzzle on my web site: https://jpd3.com/puzzles/the-cherub-and-the-sacred-swine (includes more description and purchase links);
• All of my current “Jester Puzzle” offerings: https://jpd3.com/puzzles
• Finally, the link below talks more about AI and “AI Collaborative” artwork, as well as this overall project:

Why I Started a Blog About AI Art and Jigsaw Puzzles: An Extended Rant Suitable for Aimless…

Jim Dee is a prolific writer, developer, and multi-media creator from Portland. You can find him, his businesses, his books, and more at JPD3.com. Thanks for reading! Oh, and yes, he also makes jigsaw puzzles. Cat image here courtesy of Midjourney AI.