Thoughts About AI “Art”

The cheap perfection of AI “art” is inferior to the flawed beauty of human-created art. 

Through inspiration and by letting go of all inhibition, anyone is an artist at anytime with any kind of media. 

AI “art” lacks unique  inspiration. It lacks humanity. It is like plastic plants: It may look beautiful and real. But it is artificial and toxic. 

There is no getting away from plastic plants. They will always exist. But real plants will always exist too—and those who cultivate them will be happier and healthier.

The above graphic is from an article about protests against AI “art” at  https://petapixel.com/2022/12/19/artists-stage-mass-online-protest-against-ai-image-generators/

Update: Badin and the Secret of the Saami Sequel

I am in the midst of writing the final draft of the Full Script. With my time divided between a full-time job and part-time union official, this project is taking an exceedingly long time complete. However, I am working on it for 15-60 minutes almost every day. 

At right is an an obscured screenshot of the completed Introduction, Act I and last page for Act II as I work on them in Scrivener. Excitement is how I describe working on this project. The final two acts are already drafted and locked in an outline I made in Scapple (which I settled at its 8th revision).

The characters now visit me in my dreams on occasion. 

Stock Song September!

We've got a wide spread of genres and moods for this latest batch of music. From brutal downtuned metal to club-ready hip-hop, we've got a little bit of everything for you.

"Juggernaut On Site" is our first foray into extreme, high-speed metal. It's got chugs, it's got tremolos, and it's got drums heavier than raw titanium. A clanky electric bass fills out the rest of the low end. If that wasn't enough, you can loop this track seamlessly without missing a beat. Bang your head!

"Steel And Blood" is full of dark synth drones, deep analog bass and strange, glitchy percussion. Mangled digital sounds and disturbing vibes are the name of the game in this track. The whole track is an intense push and pull of intensity, growing and releasing energy without giving you a chance to fully relax. Don't let your guard down. You never know what might be lurking around the corner...

Behold! "The Sound Of Goob" is a completely out-of-this-world waltz. Created by an extraterrestrial with a few vintage synthesizers, a funky drum set and only a basic understanding of how the 80s sounded. 

Warbling sawtooth chords, a lead that goes "wow" and thumpy analog bass underscore bouncy 3/4 time drum grooves. Goob formally requests that enthralled listeners send all praises and autograph requests to Proxima Centauri.

Finally, "More Hustle" is a straightforward, modern trap beat. Snappy drums, distorted bass, the works. A sparse instrumental, it's got a flute in the background and synth pluck providing the melody. Sometimes, simplicity is key.

Our full store of music is available at all the links below.

Pond5

Dreamstime

123RF

Sequel Progress (Characters)

While I await feedback from advisors regarding the story for the sequel to Badin and The Secret of the Sam, I am making my transition from writer to illustrator. 

Specifically, I am exploring the the world in which the characters live: Their clothing, their personalities and the general look of how I think Indigenous people would appear 10,000 ago. I am also exploring the general look of the giants and elves. 

None of these sketches are artwork for the graphic novel. They are just exercises to build up my strength and technique for the big project ahead of me. 

I hope you find them interesting.

Back For More Stock Music: Part 2

The second half of our latest song batch strays from scary, dark soundtracks to more experimental and abstract tunes, drawing inspiration from several other genres.

Automated Security is sparse and slow-paced, with the echoing textures of the main synth bass and drum machine filling the empty space. A glitchy, chopped dial-up sound in the background keeps the rhythm moving forward. A stealthy tune for your sneakiest cybernetic soldier.

Hazmat Failure is a trap-influenced, heavily textured track with a variety of interesting percussion and rhythmic elements filling out the background. The main melody is just two eerie notes, generated by a classic analog synth. Fun fact: One of the main percussion sounds is a heavily processed jaw harp, listen closely for its signature tone.

In Thinking Games, the main piano was recorded with its strings underwater (essentially turning the piano into a miniature pool), and the drums are a hybrid of live drum sounds and an old-school analog drum machine. A synth piano and clean electric bass make up the rest of the band. All of this culminates in a simple, fun track that slowly evolves over time while still keeping the same lighthearted, laid-back energy.

Saving the best for last, we've got Deep Sea Oasis. It's got retro pianos and strings, a funky bassline, smooth and ethereal synth pads behind an immaculate old-school hip-hop beat. If you're going to only give one of these songs a listen, we strongly recommend you check this one out. Words alone can't describe how much of a joy it is to experience this track. This tune is one of our composer's favorites out of the entire catalog.

Our full store of music is available at all the links below.

Pond5

Dreamstime

123RF

Back For More Stock Music!

We've added even more new royalty-free music to our catalog since our last update! So many, in fact, that we're going to split this update into two posts. Today's theme: cinematic and dark.

Behold, Cognition Hazard. This track is rather simple melodically (making it easy to fit into the context of any project), but filled with interesting atmosphere and textures. The song becomes more intense over time, going from a dirty drum beat, 808 bass and string ensemble to a full composition with an echoing synth melody, fingerstyle electric bass and haunting choir. Jam out with caution.

Now, picture this. Out in the arctic wastes, after weeks of searching, your team finally finds the lost research station, half buried beneath snow and ice. After making your way into the station, you discover what remains of your colleagues and their research. It got out. Fetid Martyr is an ambient wonder that slowly melts into a dissonant, disturbing landscape of fear.

Stepping back from horror, listen in to Tensor Core. Tense, dark and stealthy, with a mixture of organic and synthesized percussion underscoring the flute melody and low synth bass. A soundtrack fit to score your intrusion into a secret military base. If you enjoyed the sound of Tenet, this song is for you.

Eerie woodwinds, frame drum percussion and a choppy synth bass make up our final track of this post, Squad Deployed. This one brings the energy up further, progressing into a distorted metal bass and crunchy acoustic drum kit to drive the rhythm further. No more sneaking around solo, take a fireteam in and clear out all enemy forces.

As always, our full store of music is available at all the links below.

Pond5

Dreamstime

123RF

Sketches In Progress: Badin and the Secret of the Saami Sequel

I thought you would enjoy this peak into my slow, but steady progress for the sequel to Badin and Secret of the Saami. 

The screenplay is dragging on. I keep making changes and can never seem to be satisfied. This is truly the most profound, emotional and deeply spiritual project I have engaged in. Sometimes I wonder if I bit off more than I can chew.

My full-time job and union steward duties make working on this project very difficult. Yet when I do work on it—and don't fall asleep—it is very cathartic. The stuff I am dealing with in the real world is very depressing.

The good news is that I am writing the last scenes for the final Act. I am very anxious to get the screenplay to advisers. Dealing with speculative aspects of ancient Indigenous culture (proto- and conventional Saami) is not something I take lightly.

As I am getting closer to the need for switching from writer to illustrator mode, I am sketching more concepts. This latest shows an important character named Mohkku and another view of Lynx-Finder. For the first time I am experimenting with typography. 

So I created letters for names of the characters. Each letter is inspired by glyphs that are found on a number of South Saami, Torne Saami and Lule Saami drums.