AI and Art with Uwe Jarling

AI and Art with Uwe Jarling
a presentation by the editor and the artist

Is art by any other origin still art? This is a serious problem, serious business and a grim reality in imaginative world of art and creativity. Will the average customer chase away genuine talent just as Walmart or Amazon took over the world of retail? Or will there be space and recognition for art and artistic endeavor?

We got to discuss AI and Art with the brilliant German illustrator Uwe Jarling. He runs a packed schedule for book covers while also indulging in some exceptional rock music album covers.

You can book his time and art at:

https://www.facebook.com/CoversbyJoolzJarling

https://www.facebook.com/groups/JoolzandJarlingBookCovers

Dey: Well, professional photographers and professional publishers are still very much in business, despite mobile phone cameras and Kindle self-publishing. I think professional artists will continue to have a fruitful career.

Outliers may lose some low-hanging fruit-jobs– people such as those who create posters, book-covers, ad hoc marketing material— but artists who aim big and create a following will thrive just as in previous century.

If silliest of online comic strip and meme creators can make millions selling merchandise and signed copies– the only thing holding back artists is their ignorance of “business side of art”.

Uwe Jarling: Your message inspired me to write a bit about my life and all the times I already had to adapt, so make this post:

Some thoughts about AI…

I got a message from a friend about AI and artists and why parents or friends obviously don’t want their kid’s/friends to become an artist (starving artist) and AI makes this not better.

Most off you know I slowly get tired about all those AI discussions, but I wrote him the following.

It’s all about how things and changes affected my personal life as an artist even before AI and now with AI.

So here we go, I am an so called “artist” more or less all my life. When I told my parents I want to become an artist after school my dad said to me, “boy, you do whatever makes you happy, BUT you first learn a “real job”. As my dad always has been my hero and I looked up to him I agreed and really learned a real job and became an Industrial mechanic, but the deal was as well that I can start studying to become a graphic designer through distance learning alongside the apprenticeship to become an industrial mechanic. That was the deal, and so I did, so I became the industrial mechanic by day while I studied graphic design in the evenings and weekends. Long story short, I finished both and finally was an industrial mechanic and had as well my master in graphic design (which took a bit longer to finally get that as well). So, I worked around a year as industrial mechanic then had to go to community service ( got my master in graphic design in the middle of my civil service).

After the community service, I immediately started as a freelance illustrator for VHS (movie) covers. I had a lot more luck than knowledge to get this opportunity. Earned really a lot of money back in those days and my dream has become true!!! YAYYYY

Did I mention that there have been NO COMPUTERS in this time! So, illustrations had to be done on real paper with real color and real brushes. That’s all I always wanted to do and it worked and I was so, so happy…

Things and times started to change slowly – the computers came and in the video industry things changed from renting video in video stores to buying video in department stores, so prices for us illustrators working in that field dropped. Then Photoshop came and almost overnight every movie had a photo composition as a cover instead of a painted/illustrated cover. Prices for painted video covers dropped even more. Then it was almost impossible to get a job for a painted cover as ALL covers was made with Photoshop now.

The only way to succeed was to “adapt” to this situation and think about something different – in my case it has been starting to do covers for kids’ movies, those still have been painted. It was not my style and not what I wanted to do but it helped to bring food on the table and somehow it was a lot of fun as well to work in that other style. I had to change things, still in the business. Still living my dream – yayyyy.

Things and times changed and there was an absolute down in the video industry and they couldn’t pay much anymore so it almost made no sense to even start drawing. I started to make book covers as well and stuf for the advertising industry, manly technical illustrations for machines or houses and stuff like that – so I had to learn that as well and adapt to the situation.

Everything now was done using computers – I still didn’t have one as my belief was when I have to work at a computer, I quit doing art!

But in the end, I had to adapt once again as well and get myself such a computer monster. So now I was able to do graphic design stuff as well alongside my getting less and less illustration work. Graphic design was not really what I liked to do but I learned it and I was not bad and with the help if this computer monster it’s been pretty easy to do, after I learned all the software and how to find the power on button on the computer.

So, I adapted as well and now I did more and more graphic design and less and less illustrations.

At that time where my income came mainly from my graphic design jobs for advertising agencies, a very good friend of mine (a photographer) already worked in one of those advertising agencies and asked me if I want to come on board and want a fulltime job in this agency as a graphic designer. It was a rough and confusing time on a private side and to make that story not too long I finally agreed.

So, after some 12 or so years as a freelancer I suddenly had a fulltime job with weekends and evenings free to do whatever I want.

Time and things changed drastically at this time concerning DIGITAL ART! Suddenly people really started to PAINT on computers and 3D got better and better. I didn’t want to miss this and, well, I had TIME – weekends and evenings to just learn new things on this magical computer machine. I could write whole books about this time but keep it short. I fully dived into digital art, I never thought this could happen to me as I NEVER EVER wanted to use a computer to create ART! But I did and as I was there from the beginning there soon was a group of – not so bad – “DIGITAL ARTISTS” where I have been a part of. Yes, digital art and digital artists suddenly were born.

In this time, I worked my ranks up in my fulltime job from graphic designer to art-director to head of graphic department and as I never deregistered my freelance illustration business, I became the brave graphic guy by day and turned into the wild digital artist by night. So yes, I adapted to the given circumstances again and became a digital illustrator as a side job.

It was an extremely interesting time, digital art got more and more attention. Online galleries came alive where you could put up and show your work to the whole world, new exiting software almost every day in that field. Amazing time. One of the online galleries has been Epilogue, a judged gallery where only the best art got in. I was on number one for two years in this gallery even in front of the queen of digital art back in the days Linda Bergkvist. This lead to a lot of jobs in the gaming industries for computer games as well as for table top games for some really well-known companies, my art was to find in almost every digital art book that came out. A very successful and very special time to me. All alongside with my fulltime job!

Time went on, full time job became very stressful, too much stress for my little brain, lead to a not so funny burnout. THAT was the time I jumped back into full time freelancing again. I think it’s around 7 years ago now again. Due to the very stressful fulltime job I had, at the end, I didn’t do much of my illustration work anymore and lost almost all of my clients. So, when I jumped back into freelancing, I had absolutely no clue what I shall do to bring some food on the table while still had to deal with my burnout. Not a fun time.

So, I had to think and “adapt” to the situation once again and just tried things. Started to make 3D content for DAZ studio. Due to that I got to know Julie Nichols who wanted a custom-made dragon for DAZ. We talked a lot and I got to know she makes indie book covers. She asked me if I want to do that as well, I said YES. Joolz and Jarling was born! One of the best decisions I ever made!

And meanwhile I do indie book cover as well as book covers for publishing houses, I do movie covers again which is what I started with and I do covers for bands which I always did as it is so much fun. So, it all came together and I’m still living the dream!

Suddenly there was this AI thing. Too bad at the beginning to take much attention about it. This changed in seconds, and it became HUGE! Everyone can make everything now! Need an awesome illustration in seconds – no problem. Need a written book – no problem. NO PROBLEM for NO ONE. Everyone can make pictures now in whatever style in high quality, same with writing books, coding and the list goes on and on. I don’t want to go into the ethical problems using AI as it uses so much “stolen” stuff from living and working artists who never gave permission to the AI companies, that’s another story…

Times changes AGAIN. Adapt or die they say. If you read a bit of the text above you probably know I adapted quite some times already but this AI is a completely different thing. So powerful for everyone. So, time for me to think again.

I will adapt but not in the way people expect me to adapt to AI. If I adapt to AI and just use it, I will be as good as EVERYONE else using it. I will be as good as the software is, I will be one of millions. That’s not me.

I count on the people who appreciate working with a real human, having fun creating their characters, following the process of creation from the beginning to the end. Having fun and building some kind of human relationship between client and illustrator while working on a project.

People who want an illustration with all the flaws and mistakes a human makes, wanting something that is alive and filled with work and thoughts and soul and MAGIC, the magic of creation.

Those are the people I count on, those are the people I want to work with.

If you want a cheap and fast result for you cover or character or whatever – you can do that now, AI will do it for you.

If you want to support living artists and the magic of creation and not just a cheap result – here we are.

That said, I have to THANK ALL of my “clients” (most or much more friends than clients meanwhile) YOU made it possible that I’m still here!

I’m already very good booked for the whole next year (still quite some slots available), so YES there are people out there who don’t just want a quick and cheap AI solution for their needs.

So that’s my way I adapt to AI – I don’t use it at all!

Thank you all so much and have a fabulous time everyone!

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