Weeping willow created with Deep Dream Generator

I've got quite a long list of AI Art Generators which I have been using in the past. Some of them I do not use anymore because the condition of use have changed drastically. So I really liked to use Lexica AI, but they stopped free usage, so I crossed it off the list. I also used to use Stablecog AI quite a lot and Full Journey. I do not do that anymore, but I use them now and then. The same applies to Deep Dream Generator. However I tried it today, together with a prompt I put together with the help of promptomania.com.

The prompt was:

weeping willow at a little pond, by Diego Rivera, Chalkboard

I used the DDG model "AIVision" and got the image you can see on the left. 

AIVision is a so called PRO Model - it takes away 40 energy points, and you can only use it 3 times a day.

I must say that I am pretty impressed of the way DDG's AIVision Model is interpreting the prompt. So I will definitely use it more than in the last weeks, especially with a prompt put together by Promptomania.

AI version of my Marker Painting

This AI version of my latest marker painting was created with Deep Dream Generator. Deep Dream generator is not my favorite AI Art Generator when it comes to using starter images. But sometimes the result is quite nice, as it is in this case. I love the stained glass effect and the vividness of the colors. 

 

Why I participate in Challenges on Nightcafe Studio

I have been creating with Nightcafe Studio more than one year now. They have got daily challenges, and you can win additional credits by getting a certain amount of votes for your submitted image. There are a lot of discussions in the facebook group where people express their disappointment about not getting votes for their creations. I must admit that for some time this kept me from participating in challenges. People do not see that opinions on art, on images whether they have been created traditionally or digitally are subjective. I had to learn that as an artist myself - but I always created what I wanted to create and not what I thought people would like. Of course I am happy when people like what I create, but that is not the main reason for creating art for me. But I digress.

For some days I have rediscovered the challenges on Nightcafe Studio for a very special reason: It makes me try out a certain theme on various AI Art Generators. Here is an example, "Sharks" respectively "shark linocuts":

This is how Deep Dream Generator interpreted the prompt "beautiful colorful linocut of a shark swimming in the water". Yes, it looks like very simple linocut, and I like the pose of the shark, but I must say I otherwise I am not very impressed. In the beginning of my AI Art activities I used this Generator quite a lot, but nowadays it belongs to my least favorite AI tools. The results are often disappointing.

Same prompt but this image looks quite different, doesn't it? I used Lexica AI here, and since a month or so Lexica is one of my favorite AI Generators. I still have a free account. At the moment they offer you 100 images per week (one prompt generates four images).

And here's the result I got from Nightcafe Studio itself. I hadn't added "beautiful colorful" in the prompt, so I got this black and white image. I never did a linocut myself, but for me the creation really looks like a linocut.

So participating in the challenges on Nightcafe Studio does two things for me:

1. It gives me ideas for creations. 

2. It motivates me to try out various AI Art Generators. 

Using my own paintings as starter images with AI Art Generators

Regarding my traditional art doing abstract paintings with acrylic ink, watercolor ink or alcohol based markers has always been one of my favorite art activities. Now, that I do know a bit more about the possibilities of AI Art generators I wanted to use more of my traditional paintings. So I selected this painting, done with acrylic inks:

I did this painting in 2020. It is not one which I consider very well done, but I like the colors and the movement of the painting.

Now I tried out several Art Generators. I tried Blue Willow - which allows Image to Image generation, and I got a description of how to do it - but I somehow I failed again and again. I tried Dreamlike AI, which allows image to image generation and makes it easy to do it - but was not convinced of the result. Then I tried Lexica, and here is what I got:

As Lexica always generates four variations of an image, I had to select one of four. I must say I am pretty impressed with the result.

I also tried Deep Dream Generator with the same original painting. 

In my opinion the Deep Dream Generator version is more playful than the Lexica one. However I like both results, and will continue with combining my traditional art with AI Art.

Combining Nightcafestudio and Deep Dream Generator

Some of the results of my creation activity on Nightcafestudio are not fit to publish. However, I only throw images away when they are really, really bad. I keep some of the creations which I do not publish. 

Now, that I have reached the "Dreamer" status on Deep Dream Generator and therefore have more energy points to work with I asked myself: What would happen if I use those unpublished Nightcafe creations as base images with Deep Dream Generator?

As you can see, this image is not something you would publish. The ear of the elf on the right is far too big, and the hands are not good. (AI in fact has great difficulties with rendering hands - often they have too many fingers, or there is a third arm)

I uploaded the image above to Deep Dream Generator and used it as a base image, with the same prompt as on Nightcafestudio but adding  "watercolor and ink" to the prompt.

This certainly won't be the last experiment with Nightcafestudio and Deep Dream Generator!
 

Monster in a teacup - three variations

 Nightcafestudio has daily challenges. I participate only in the challenge that talks to me - in this case it is "cute animals in a teacup". I didn't want to add the 1002nd to the all the puppies, little cats, mice or whatever in a teacup, so I created a cute little monster.

Creation done in Nightcafestudio

It is cute, but I wanted to make more of it. Now, you can evolve images on Nightcafestudio with Stable Diffusion, but up to now the results that I got were not very satisfying for me. 

Deep dream Generator, the second AI Art Generator I have been using so far also works with so called "Base images". So I had a go with the image I created in Nightcafe, using the following prompt:

 "A cute monster looking out of a mug; colorful, in the style of Jean Baptiste Monge"

And here is the result:

Deep Dream Generator, 1st version

As you can see, the style of the image is very soft and fluffy, and the teacup is nicely decorated.

However, I wanted to have a third variation. This time the prompt was:

A cute monster with two paws looking out of a colourful teacup. Art deco, art nouveau, intricate, highdefinition, hyperrealistic

Deep Dream Generator, 2nd version

 You can see now the influence of the words "art deco, art nouveau" in the prompt. Even the teeth of the monster are decorated, and most of all the teacup.