For over 20 years, I have worked as an artist and graphic designer, creating everything from corporate murals, album covers, to promotional flyers for bands and festivals. Additionally, I'm a musician, audio engineer, motion graphics artist, and videographer.
Professionally, I have the honor to work at the University of Arizona, College of Applied Science and Technology working at the cutting edge of technology, using machine learning and LLMs to augment processes and find novel solutions. This diverse background has shaped my creative process, which is always evolving to embrace new tools and techniques.
Recently, I had the privilege of designing the album artwork for the Smear Merchants release. (pictured below)
This piece has sparked debate, with some labeling it as “AI art.” I want to take this opportunity to share my creative process, address these concerns, and open a dialogue about the ethical use of AI. I think this is an important conversation. As a tenured professional in both art and science, this topic is close to my heart.
My Process: Combining Tradition and Innovation
Creating this piece of artwork was an intricate and intentional process. I started with a vision for the piece. I wanted something that captured the Arizona feel, incorporated space elements, and told a story. Something that would be worth staring at while listening to the album we've worked so hard on. With my vision in mind, my first step was to gain inspiration. I used AI-generated reference images to explore different ideas and visual elements. Over the course of the project, I generated hundreds of images and took inspiration from about 30 individual elements from different AI-generated references. I then incorporated those elements into my composition to serve as a guide for what I was creating. Here are some examples:
From there, I:
Hand-drew additional elements to bring a personal, organic touch to the design.
I Refined and merged components to create a cohesive composition, ensuring that the final piece reflected my artistic style.
Then I used my experience and skills in graphic design to balance colors, textures, and themes.
While AI played a role as a reference tool, the end result is the product of my hands, mind, and years of creative experience. To demonstrate this, I was lucky to capture a couple timelapse videos of my drawing process to illustrate the depth of work behind the piece.
Unfortunately, I didn’t capture the entire process as I only have video of when I was in IBIS paint (a Photoshop like application for Android) on my tablet. However, this piece of art took about 30 hours to finish. However, There definitely was an iterative process here that required knowledge and skill as an artist and in technology to accomplish.
Use of AI in Art
Ethics aside, which I will address in a moment, As someone who has worked across multiple creative and applied science disciplines, I see AI as a valuable addition to my toolbox. It’s a tool that augments creativity. In my prior works, I spent hours looking through photos, planning, and sketching ideas to meets my vision. Nothing has changed beyond using AI to find reference images as opposed to referencing books and the internet. This has improved my workflow, expanded my creativity, and allows me to more quickly bridge between my ideas and a final product.
Importantly, AI does not replace the artist. It enhances our ability to explore new creative avenues while keeping the final work uniquely human. The vision, decision-making, and craftsmanship remain firmly in the hands of the artist.
I think it’s important to think about what art is.
“Art is the deliberate creation of objects, actions, or expressions intended to convey beauty, emotional power, conceptual ideas, or a combination of these elements. It can be a reflection of personal imagination, cultural values, or societal commentary and often seeks to provoke thought, evoke emotions, or inspire connection.”
Some of the key tenants of art are creativity and intent, Art typically involves intentional choices and creativity, distinguishing it from random or purely functional creations.
With that said. There is such a thing as good art and bad art, and there are a lot of people out there generating images with AI, slapping their name on it and calling it a day. Where this does annoy me, I also believe that good art will stand on its own. If someone generates an image only using AI, it will likely not have the same impact or be as good as something touched by an artist. Bad art is bad art and it will show.
Addressing Ethical Concerns
The growing use of AI in creative fields raises valid ethical questions. As a professional in applied science and technology, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with these issues firsthand through my role at the University of Arizona College of Applied Science and Technology. This perspective has deepened my commitment to transparency and responsible use of AI.
I’d like to bring up a few key considerations:
Transparency: I believe communicating how AI is used in the creative process helps build trust and sets boundaries. I don’t want people assuming I’m generating AI images and just slapping my name on them. As an artist, that discounts the years it’s taken to hone my skills and countless hours spent on each project.
Respecting Intellectual Property: Ensuring that AI tools are trained on ethically sourced data is crucial to protecting artists’ rights. This, in my opinion, is the greatest issue we need to solve. AI is not going away but right now there is a lack of ownership and accountability when it comes to datasets used to train AI models. Data is being collected without compensation or consent. The decentralized nature of AI exacerbates the problem. Right now, As a whole the world is headed down a path to disregard ethics in pursuit of profit. I believe novel regulatory approaches, like the use of blockchain for tracking/compensation, and the development of global ethical standards will need to be considered. We are currently in the wild west and the academic and governmental approach to the use of AI over the next few years will play a big role in how the use of AI shapes the future.
These considerations are not unique to art; they’re part of a larger conversation about the role of AI across all fields, from education to industry.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you for taking the time to read about my process and perspective. I’m proud of the work I’ve created and grateful for the opportunity to share it with you. Let’s keep the dialogue going about how we can use AI responsibly and creatively to shape the future of art and beyond. AI is not going away, and its presence in creative fields will only grow. This requires an open dialogue about its use, transparency, its limitations, and the standards we set for ethical practice. I’m happy to help guide this conversation. I’m currently working on a white paper, and I hope to contribute to a broader understanding of what constitutes ethical and acceptable AI use.
For me, as an artist and academic, this journey is about blending the old with the new, honoring traditional artistry while exploring the possibilities of technology. Whether I’m creating an album cover, producing music, or editing video, my goal is always the same: to craft something meaningful that resonates with people.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to include any discourse and alternative perspectives in my final whitepaper.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and do not reflect those of the University of Arizona or its College of Applied Science and Technology.
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