My first year of retirement I pretty much did nothing but decompress after 35 years in the public schools. Yes, I did stuff, even won awards. My last year was not great, and I took it as a sign to run for the hills. Seeing how public school teachers and public schools in general have been treated since, I do think I made the right decision. Although having district provided health insurance would be nice. At least we’re “winning” aren’t we?
I look at how my retirement goals have morphed since this I’m now no longer dealing with the abstract thought of retirement and now have hit the grim reality head-on. Yes, my goals have evolved and are still evolving. Recently after seeing my Local Comic Shop (where I work) embrace AI for so many things I decided to stop providing graphic design work for them. Someone had actually scrubbed my character design I had made for the shop… Mongo, Cecil, and I were appalled!
Last week I was asked to update some artwork for the shop because they had decided to take a step back from AI slop. I didn’t rejoice, I didn’t say “I told you so” I just said “Give me a week.” I said this because I have been working on some other things that have been volunteered for and I was sure how long that project would take.
So what am I doing (besides not producing a comic strip for people to scratch their heads at and say things like “He thought this was funny?”)? It seems - Fighting the good fight against AI.
Brown County Backroads Geotour Coin and Pathtags.
I was volunteered for this when Sue joined the committee and saw that most of the materials being produced were AI generated. Most of the folks involved were overjoyed at the “professional nature” and how “easy” it was to make things. You need to understand, Brown County is an artist community south of Indianapolis and East of Bloomington. You throw something in any direction and you’re bound to hit three or four artists! So when Sue complained (as she should) I was asked to design some of the materials which included a Geocoin and a series of pathtags for the geotour and sponsors. If you don’t know what those are, basically they are trackable items coveted by many geocachers. Think limited edition collectibles. So far we are in the blueprint stages for the geocoin, and for four of the pathtags.
Most of these are simple formatting pieces, taking a company’s logo and fitting into a template. So far only a few have required me 😱 to actually draw something.
The big piece so far has been the Geocoin. Think of this as a challenge coin. This will be given to those geocachers who complete the geotour. Since this is an official geotour (one of around 90 in the entire world) We had to get permission to use the official geocaching mascot and logo in the coin. For me it was the first time I’d used someone else’s trademarked stuff or had to jump through certain hoops to get things approved, beyond just the person who asked.
The design came from the marketing materials they had created using AI and for me, LEGO Creator Expert set 10290. Like most designs I drew this out countless times until I had it in my toolbox and could produce one quickly that I liked. That helped when creating the pathtag with the truck on it since I could now envision it from almost any angle.
Cirque du Comics
With these off my drawing table it was time to move on to my LCS. Since they converted over to a new management system and website, AI slop has been the norm. I said my peace the this first happened and then moved on. Sadly, for me, every week I was welcomed via email by a weird AI version of the character I had designed. last week I was asked to replace the AI image with something human created.
When I was a child I recall watching a 60 Minutes piece on Charles Schulz and knew there and then I wanted to draw like that. I watched as Sparky put pen to paper and before you could say “Linus” had him drawn. At the time I wasn’t aware of the work it took to have that ability. The hours and years of drawing the same characters so that with a mere thought they could appear. Since then I have a few characters where I am close to achieving that magic. The monkey I created for my Local Comic Shop was based off of Cecil and his MINIons so it isn’t that difficult. I figure I probably created the initial drawing in the same time it took for someone to type the prompt needed for them to make it.
I had spent days designing the character with little bits that AI and the “artist”using it never caught. I was just sad that I was never even asked to contribute. I showed up one day and there was a website created by a “designer” who had just used AI, when confronted, the initial characters became these weird bastardized versions of what I had envisioned. I just ignored it, and don’t even consider visiting the shop website. Yes, I’ve had my fun, (OK maybe I am passive aggressive) I wear my “AI is for Hacks and Fascists” shirt from Dad Soup Comics to work every once in a while. When doing some photoshop work on the staff photo I added in a few things including a picture on one of the shelves-
Next Up Curling
Now that I’m waiting for new sponsors for the Geotour so I can work on their pathtags, I’ve been asked to help remove AI from some of my curling clubs materials and posts. I think fighting AI is going to be a never ending fight
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - Arthur C. Clarke. I think about the Disney/Pixar Film Onward in which magic was replaced by technology making world “easier” for most people but also not as wondrous, mysterious, fantastic.
Now as people use AI for everything. What are they losing? The bigger question is- Which is more important, the product or the process? For many the product, they don’t want to deal with learning how to draw, or write, or think - Or even to find someone who can draw, write, or think. They just want the finished bit and to say “Look what I did! with little or no effort.” Like most artists I have spent decades learning, and failing. In the minds of many what I can do is magic… Anyone can do it, it just takes time. Time I spent in my bedroom with paper and pencil. Time I spent in class drawing when I should have been listening to a lecture on economics, instead of drawing a cartoon of the teacher. If I had the self confidence, maybe I would have done more with my doodles when I was younger, now I guess I’m a Knight fighting against the monster that is AI. A member of the Holy Order of the Non-Photo Blue Pencil. Great… Now I’ve got some heraldry to draw. or I could just proudly wear the pin I picked up at Gen Con from Harebrained they are currently doing a second run and preorders are being accepted.
There is a place where AI can be useful. Replacing the creative talent of professionals for a cheap buck isn't one of them.
I am very excited about the GeoTour and cannot wait for it to launch next May, but also had a negative AI experience just this past weekend when visiting Brown County. We decided to spend a beautiful Sunday roaming the Indiana countryside with a quick detour through Nashville to pick up two new-to-us Adventure Labs. Both were focused on murals, which I usually love (local art!). But one of them was an AI-generated image blown up and affixed to the side of a building. I commented in my log how disappointed I was in the decision to use AI when there are artists EVERYWHERE!! Nashville is an Artist's Colony for Pete's sake.