Potter, tattoo artist
I guess I’m confused. No, the computer didn’t trace anything. I traced the general outline of some flowers to create a rough draft before drawing the stencil for this tattoo.
It’s just a drawing program, not an AI program.
The drawing program (Procreate) automatically screen records my drawing as I work on it.
I’m an artist - I tattoo, do freelance illustration and produce handmade pottery. My husband is also a tattoo artist. My entire income is made through art.
I have stopped attempting to draw coloring books - AI “prompt artists” have taken over and are pumping out grayscale coloring books at extremely low prices. Not a high income producer for me in the first place, but the entire field is falling apart.
Tattooing is a different story - I use AI to produce references regularly. Not full drawings, just references I can use to create my own drawings. Pottery remains unchanged.
The obvious difference is the type of art. The further it moves from a drawing, the better the outcome when AI is involved from my POV.
To be honest though - how many of you actually have real artwork in your house? Not prints - actual handmade art. Art has been struggling for a long time now - it has little value to the average consumer. Mass production has made it a throwaway product. Most ceramics are made by machines now - vases and “paintings” and dishes are all isles in a home goods store, stamped out and inked by a machine. Most professional artists are employed by companies, not off selling their art. I don’t really need to spell out what will happen when the company gets a hold of a free program to replace their artists.
There isn’t a good outcome for artists here - consumers want cheap art. Companies want cheap artists. Artists want living wages and for a lot of us that means not making a living off of art already, because the wealthy class that has luxury money to spend on handmade and original art is shrinking as we speak.
At least - it is here in America.
Good eye! I appreciate the feedback!
Giving my clients what they want is very important to my work. Grandma was quite the avid crocheter, but the artwork I drew up using the center… Stitched(?) Crochet work had a rather unfortunate resemblance to a butthole. Tattoos are permanent and memorial tattoos are very personal - it’s more important to make them attractive and meaningful than factually correct. I would hate to have someone mention something like “hey that looks like a butthole!” thinking they were being funny and cause a client to feel embarrassed or upset about their work. It is hurtful to both their self image and their memories of the person they got the tattoo for.
Every day is a big deal. They aren’t any less important if your re-walking them either. It’s the act of trying that’s important, not the days behind your belt. Fucking awesome!