I’ve drawn my whole life, but I never was or ever will be as talented as DALL-E.
OpenAI’s image generator, which creates wild, realistic, and stunning illustrations based on text-based input, is so talented — though I’m sure it doesn’t know, or humbly blushes and says, “It’s not me.” the great” – that it has already created a professional magazine cover (opens in new tab).
My drafting career, which started with crayons and pencils, then progressed to fountain pens and inks, and then later transitioned to the endlessly editable digital media of the PC and iPad, was never really a pursuit.
I majored in art as a minor in college and created all kinds of work, including giant still lifes, paintings, sculptures and illustrations. For a while in college I had a comic strip. Admittedly, it wasn’t particularly well drawn or that funny.
In the early days of my journalism career, I spat out spot illustrations to accompany my work and even did a bit of political cartooning. 36 years later I draw mostly for relaxation and the greeting cards I send to friends and family.
Understanding your limitations is probably the key to happiness. And yet I can’t help but research DALL-E’s (opens in new tab) innate skills. This AI understands the human form, objects, the earth, abstract expressions and almost every illustration technique. It’s also ten times faster than any other artist I’ve seen.
Unlike a graphic artist you might hire to paint or draw a magazine cover, DALL-E never complains about a change. He doesn’t even mind if you give him someone else’s art and ask him to change it.
Everything DALL-E creates is built with an invisible, accommodating smile.
It’s annoying.
When I look at the Cosmopolitan cover and see the confidence and sheer artistry, I wonder if I should ever pick up an Apple Pencil and an iPad again.
I know I don’t draw for others anymore. This is just a hobby and my personal enjoyment and sense of accomplishment is all I need. Comparing what I could create if someone told me the phrase “One eats corn on the cob while riding a dragon” to what DALL-E would do with that thought is a pointless exercise. I know DALL-E’s will be better.
There are already numerous articles asking whether DALL-E will mean the end of graphic designers or not. Surely the answer is “probably?”
There’s something about the intricacies of human ability and how a truly gifted artist perceives things. What she will create will obviously be different from DALL-E’s interpretation of Donkey playing chess, and in some eyes it could be better.
Art critics claim that art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Not only can nobody tell us what art is and what it isn’t, nobody can say with certainty what constitutes good art.
Nevertheless, from my objective point of view. DALL-E’s art is good, sometimes stunning, and a signal that it’s probably time for me to fold up my virtual easel.
if she still have the guts to draw, check out our collection of the best free illustration apps for iPad.