Eyes on AI

Almost to the end !

2006-11-28T12:48:00.000+08:00

My project is finished, my case studies are basically done, I've handled my self-reflections. Looks like it's the end of the course.. apart from the exam. Ah the exam!

I did my project presentation last week, and even though it wasn't top notch, I'm still happy with it. I put a lot of time into learning a new language and taking my output to render posters. Tomorrow will be the rest of the presentations, and I'm keen on seeing what everyone else has done!

Should be exciting. Last lesson will be fun. Tony said he'll bring his camera [;

Michael Salerno's Swirls of Art

2006-11-14T04:32:00.000+08:00

"When you go into the subatomic aspect of things, there is something connecting all matter."
- Michael Salerno

"Untitled" - 2003

Biography

Michael Salerno's interest in art can be traced back to 1979, where he inititially made hundreds of ballpoint pen drawings. His recent works include abstract and 'automatic meanderings'. He is able to grab an idea as soon as it becomes present, and recognizes its impact on the painting. After his work is set on a roll, he modifies his artwork in terms of colour and effect.

Since the last 25 years Michael has been able to establish himself as a Los Angeles artist with complex abstracts made up of countless colorfulmarks and swirls of paint.

His inspirations for his artwork vary greatly, though his recent body of work titled 'To Life' celebrates his heritage. He looks at life as a positive mischevious spirit instead of a complicated battle of ups and downs in daily life. In some of his works he also takes the connection between pre-War European Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.

Michael's exhibitions range from the mid 90's to his later works present in Graduate schools and exhibitions around America. He also sells his work from his personal website.

Artists Statement

"The textures and colors of my pieces present countless layers of tiny, infinite universes in which viewers can get lost. Both abstract and sometimes hauntingly real, the pieces welcome philosophical thought as well as walking meditation and a chance to merely space out. Whatever is read between the lines is for the beholder to discover -- a full spectrum of what can be imagined."

Work

"The resultant effect of an infinity of marks and colors, simultaneouslyrandom and painstakingly precise, evokes space--both the macro and micro in terms of subatomic or astronomical. In the artists words."

"Full Spectrum 618" - 2006
Archival Pigment on canvas then modified digital print, 36” x 60”

“Untitled” - 2002
Oil on canvas with idea formulated on computer, 18 x 20”

“Untitled” - 2003

Art Process / Computing Process

Michael tends to favour a monochromatic effect or so he did in is earlier works, though he achieves this by selecting various mixtures and combinations of colours that "may work their way or clash towards the dominant hue".

For one of series, he used the primary greens, reds, or blues fused with other colours that broke the pattern. His choices in colours have been able to influence a curious attraction for the eye. Usually the aim would then be to bring harmony admidst the dominate hues, texture effect and overall composition which seems to clash.

Layering is a formal constant in his work, as you can see from the paintings. However the opacity of the colour is of little issue since the texure of the work is built up as a series of lines on top of each other. It is common for most artists to use lines to describe and express their work, yet not used together. Accumulation is precisely what Michael's work is all about.

LACDA held his first exhibition in February 2006 holding his fascinating work that brought him into the digital realm. He reinterprets his physical paintings by using a self designed recipe of software edits that target and play around with factors such as texture, form, shape and colour. The outcome is that of something with an entirely new direction of technology.

Analysis / Comparison

"Michael Salerno strives for the purity of the simple mark, the scratch, the unadulterated scribble, out of what I perceive to be a desire for an authentic experience of markmaking free of any concern other that its own self-exploration. Of course, Salerno has astutely modified the more primal concerns to at least engage the viewer with a blunt presence almost calm, and most importantly permanent.The Lines, still really marks, are laid down by this artist as if they had wrought their own existence in a quest to be unlike the ink of other, wordier pens."
- Mat Gleason, Editor, Coagula Art Journal

"The iconographic range of Salerno's drawings is surprisingly vast. Perhaps this is because the artist's quest is much like a time-traveler. In tapping the unconscious during the early stages of the creative process, Salerno's aim is to open up many and varied pathways into the universe-at-large. In order to do this, he has had to repudiate the stylistic limitations that governed a good deal of Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist automatism. Salerno embraces a diverse iconographic lexicon in which he assigns equal value to abstract and figurative elements."
- David S. Rubin, Curator of Visual Arts, New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center

"Mr. Salerno has been producing mature and important painting for a considerable period of time. It is clear that his work has been meeting with accelerating critical support and acclaim over the past few years. I believe that this rising interest is the result of a growing rocognition that his work participates importantly in the dialogue surrounding contemporary painting and that it represents a significant achievement. It is often the case that the times must be exactly right for the special contribution of an artist to be recognized. Mr. Salerno's work involves a unique relationship between automatic gesture and the visual field. Work in this area is beginning to emerge in the art world at this time, an area which Mr. Salerno has pioneered and in which he is fully developed."
- Roland Reiss, artist & educator

References

Michael Salerno's Personal Website

Los Angeles Center for Digital Art: Artist Page

Critic Bill Lasarow on Michael Salerno

Rant on Mindless People Online..

2006-11-07T12:16:00.000+08:00

I was doing research for my blog this week, about RAP, and found a page at engadget dot com which had a shot paragraph text to it but gave opinion on the artwork. I continue to search and find three more sites with the EXACT same text I read earlier, such as at collect gadgets dot com and brisk mag dot com. What is all that about ?

Do the staff / users / members have potato mush for brains that they can't reword any of it and put in a smidge of personal affect ? Ugh. And no, the sites aren't affiliated in anyway. Pea sized minds, that's all I can say.

Leonel Moura's Robot Action Painters

2006-11-07T11:16:00.000+08:00

"We can make the machines that make the art. We can create a non-human life devoted to the artistic realm. That is, art as it could be. The art of the 21st century."
- Leonel Moura

Biography

Born in 1948 in Lisboa, Leonel is a European artist working with AI and robots. His research and work has led him to publish hundreds of books and give countless seminars at universities and Art exhibitions around the world.

Leonel has continued to hold his own exhibitions, with his first in 1988 hosting an array of his works to his latest work on robot action painters.

Artist's Statement

"I have always searched outside the art world the intellectual stimulation needed to be an artist, as I belief that creativity is produce through the interaction between different experiences and knowledge’s. This personal attitude as been reinforced in a context where artistic practices tended to rely more and more in self-referential and circular systems, very dependent of the mercantile interests, and thus loosing excitement and novelty."

Work

Leonel noticed how pre-commitments were made on works of claimed AI art works, and disputed whether in fact the artwork is actually non-human. Man intervened and caused the artwork to represent sensitive human emotions. Leonel wanted to remove the human factor as much as possible. With this, the task is left to the artificial artist to define its own art. RAP becomes the artist, and the work produced, the art.

RAP [Robotic Action Painter], designed entirely by Leonel using IdMind, is a completely autonomous painting robot that needs very little assistance and maintenance.

Untitled - May 5th, 2004

10 RAPs, Ink on canvas, 400 x 500 cm

Untitled - March 14th 2004

3 RAPs, Ink on canvas, 190 x 160 cm

Untitled - April 2nd 2004
3 RAPs, Ink on canvas, 190 x 160 cm

Untitled - April 30th 2004
3 RAPs, Ink on canvas, 160 x 190 cm

Untitled - April 28th 2004
4 RAPs, Ink on canvas, 100 x 200 cm

Art Process / Computing Process

In order to create a painting, a set of autonomous robots are placed in a white canvas which support two colour marker pens. Initially they will move straight lines, indifferent to its surroundings and imprint small ink dots here and there. These casual strokes meet to form small patches, and then the robots become more active. If the point at which they stand on, right below them has colour, it is recognized and a pen with the same shade is selected and used to strengthen the mark. Then determined by the robots sense of rightness, the human will notice an end in the robots’ activity. And now the artwork is ready.

RAP creates its own paintings based on an artificial intelligence algorithm. The algorithm combines intitial randomness, positive feedback and a positive / negative incrediment of 'colour as pheromone' mechanism based on a grid of nine RGB sensors.

RAP has colour sensors that measure the colour on the ground right below it. Two different colour markers are also present which basically draw the art work. According to its programming, RAP will make a decision about which direction, or 'locomotion path' it wants to take. He can choose from actions such as forward, circular, stop and go, and so on. Based on the colour readings, it'll also decide on which marker to use at a given time. If multiple robots are used on the same painting, then they also have the capability of avoiding other robots so no colisions occur on its way through the painting.

As Leonel collaborated with IdMind, the latter contributed the robots design and construction, as well as sensors and software redesign to meet the projects specifications.

RAP also has the talent to determine when the painting is ready, called the 'sense of rightness'. It's not achieved by a linear method, such as time or sum, but instead through a kind of pattern recognition system. Once it decides when the work is ready, and signs on the lower right hand corner of the painting with it's distinctive signature.

RAP: Robotic Action Painter - 2004

Analysis

Leonel's work here is interesting to me as he clearly states his objective, and does what others claim to do. Many artists say their artwork is entirely AI, yet you can see there are parameters and predispositions which make it accented with human influence. In this sense, his work here is innovative in a countless number of ways. A direct quote from the artist, "The art object is the product of a non-human entity, indifferent to concerns about representation, essence or purpose."

The artificial artists are the unmanned painting robots themselves; driven at random fuelled by their own energy. The RAPs are not concerned with their individuality or identity, and instead they function collectively and see the world as a ground shaped by connectionless oriented communication through the environment.

Creativity behind this artwork emerges from a "symbiotic relationship between human and machines, where cooperation and collective behaviour are critical to the outcome". With similar artsists, the efforts of creative people can be concentrated on generating a new kind of artist of robotics and artificial life. Art making robots would not only alter views about conventional art but also the state of mankind.

References

Leonel Moura's Personal Website

Watch RAP create art - YouTube Video

Autonomous Mutations

IdMind

Digital Art: Same as Traditional Art ?

2006-11-07T10:52:00.000+08:00

The infiltration of computers and technology into our daily lives in the 21st century helps us in paying bills online as well as allowing for computer mediated communication. It's not suprisingly at all that digital art is one of the most active and dynamic art forms present today, for both artists and even galleries and collectors.

"Digital art reflects the way we live now in a technological culture," says Rachel Greene, executive director of Rhizome.org; a Web site created in 1996 giving digital artists a platform to launch their work.

One of the most debated questions is whether digital art is just like traditional art media. Over time people have become more comfortable with this concept, though initial artwork created by the computer had a label of coldness attached to it. Perhaps because many did not understand or want to accept this new art form, and would rather stick to the common conception of how to create are on a physical canvas.

Some artists claim that they cannot have a meaningful art experience on the computer, as they do their taxes on it as well. In such a sense there should be a seperation. This comes from traditional artists who propelled their career using the common art creation technique. Some other artists are making a switch, and happy to do so. And then you have the new curious generation who start their career using the computer alone.

Overall it's not a matter of digital art catching on, but instead it'll keep moving forward. The newer generations in the future will take digital art as a first language, instead of a second.

Digital Art by Elizabeth Mañasco

2006-11-01T14:02:00.000+08:00

"From The Beginning" - 2005

Biography

Elizabeth Mañasco was born in 1959 in Gibraltar. She graduated in with a Visual Arts degree in 1979, and then has been a Graphic Designer since 1992. Elizabeth is fascinated by the final results of her digital work. She likes 3D images, fractals, portraits, abstracts, and so on.

In 1995 she began experimenting with computer graphics and discovered a whole new world of self expression and ways of combining her traditional skills, passion for drawing, painting and photography with digital techniques.

She has many galleries and exhibitions of her work, though is a freelance artist who works on small projects at the request of companies and induviduals. Any opportunity that arises which allows her to stretch her creativity further, is always taken.

Elizabeth has also won many awards for her works that were entered into Fractal competitions and others for artistic excellence.

Artists Statement

"With the computer I find a personal artistic tool and a means to express my sensibility, capturing scenes and special moments."

Work

"Moving Moments" - 2006

"Subtlety" - 2005

"Dreamy Nights" - 2006

"Melted Fractal" - 2005

Art Process / Computing Process

Analysis

References

Elizabeth Mañasco Personal Website

ArtWanted Artist Page: Elizabeth Mañasco

IOnOne Digital Artist Page: Elizabeth Mañasco

Wil Dawson's Vector Art

2006-10-18T18:02:00.000+08:00

"The composition of a picture is far more important than the subject matter"
- Wil Dawson

"L-Love"

Biography

Wil Dawson lives in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. As an art minor in college, he still thinks of himself as self-taught. He has spent much time in Spain and says this likely influences the subject matter of his pictures. To him however, the composition of a picture is far more important than the subject matter which ranges from people, figures, landscapes and even abstract.

Despite being a painter all his life he has not touched a real brush since he discovered 10 years ago that he could create pictures on his computer.

Wil has also recieved many awards for his work and talent in the facet of Vector Art. He holds exhibitions of his work around parts of America primarily, though also sells his limited works from his website.

Artists Statement

"My canvas: a computer screen.
My brushes: a mouse and stylus.
I have painted all my life, but found my medium when I discovered the rich possibilities a computer offers for creating original art. "

Work

"Pond " - 2006

"To The West" - 2005

"Fighting Mad" - 2004

"Ocean" - 2005

"Cane, Chain and Stone" - 2006

Art Process / Computing Process

Vector graphics are based on geometric lines and shapes, and tend to be more "painterly" than bitmap (raster) images. Since they are composed of forms and color fills, vector images have a different texture and style from bitmap images. The latter addresses individual pixels, though are still equal in terms of esthetic quality. Wil uses Corel Draw, a vector-drawing program, and works on his own PC.

References

Wil Dawson's Personal Site

MOCA Artist Page - Wil Dawson

Generative Art by Bogdan Soban

2006-10-08T20:01:00.000+08:00

"The algorithms are my creative challenge and the emerging images my artist’s emotion.
This is my way of doing generative art.."
- Bogdan Soban

Biography

Born on 10th December 1949 in Slovenia, Bogdan gained his first degree in Mechanical Engineering. Whilst preparing for his diploma, he came into contact with a computer and data processing for the first time. This was the turning point in his life, as he migrated over to the world of computing and information science.
Bogdan was always tempted to explore the idea that a computer can be used for more than just data processing. He thought of stimulating human creativity in the area of visual art.

With a project spanning over 15 years, he spent hours on developing programs that used a generative approach to create new and unpredictable works of art. Each piece is created using personalized genetic design software.

He has also spent much time organizing exhibitions, publishing articles and papers with the intent to propogate the idea of generative art to curious people around the world.

Artists Statement

"My art is entirely computer generated and based exclusively on aesthetic ability of mathematics. All my works are results of the autonomous process supported by computer programs developed by myself using Visual Basic."

Work

The main purpose of Bogdan's work is to create visual images; artwork on the screen of the computer, to choose interesting and aesthetic examples and then be able to save or print them. All the works are created using his own genetic designed software. No other applications or existing programs are using to modify his works, nor can they reproduce the artwork he has created..

"Flower" - 2005

"City" - 2005

"Abstraction" - 2005

"Sunset" - 2005

Art Process / Computing Process

As his interest in generative algorithms allowed him to spend 15 years of his life on researching this facet of art, he designs and creates his own software to produce art. At first, a programming language called GWBASIC was used however later he applied Visual Basic instead. He creates his work with a method called 'Generative Art'; where each picture created is a unique product that cannot be repeated in the future. Technically, there are an infinite number of possible outcomes. Any unexpected result of the generative process can comprise a new creation within it.

In order to make such unpredictable pictures, Bogdan uses a random number generator that calculates the seed starting time value of the generative process. It's almost impossible to anticipate where the image will go in regards to its structure and colour.

A key approach Bogdan adopts is that once his program is running, he will not interfere with it. The creation of the image will continue from start to finish with no communication from the artist midway. In this sense, the program is free to create the artwork on its own account. Also after the image is made, he will not modify or elaborate on it in any way. If he dosen't like it, then he leaves it to be lost. And another thing Bogdan does, which I admire, is that he only prints the artwork one time and no more; this guarentees it as a unique item with no copies.

Whilst writing his programs, Bodgan uses mathematical instructions to define the rules in which artwork is executed. Different influences are then made on the results; unpredictable output ensues. Unpredictability is the only variant we know of when wanting to make output from artificial design. Mathematical direction can be given by artists when there is no idea on what the output could be; this gives freedom in chance attractive results. He toys around his output in 2D space, and gives definite values for x and y points in the Cartesian coordinate system.

- Screenshot of the program CREATOR
The interface is easy to follow. You can click on "New Image" to generate a new image obviously, wait 15 to 30 seconds and there you go. If you don’t like it, then click on the same button again and regenerate. Or you can also choose "Repeat The Same Type" which re-runs the same algorithm with new results. to end, there is an "Exit" button and that is it. No user input here, so it is purely all in the hands of the program.

- Screenshot of the program DISCOVERER
Basically, this is like a magnifying glass which allows user input. Open up a blank workspace, and select a magnification level between 1-100… Then you can click "New" and an image will be generated. Then you can click anywhere on that new image, and based on the magnification level you selected, a new image will be generated. Keep doing this several times and you can get a variety.

He has created several other programs, all of which he has used to create and distribute his art. Some examples are COLLAGE, FREEHAND, SPRAYBRUSH, MANDALA and CURVES, which are all provided as freeware from his personal website. The newer versions allow you to save the images too.

Made using program called SPRAYBRUSH

Analysis / Comparison

I've spent much time researching on other artsists who create art using programs they have designed. Many do this, however not in the area of generative art, or don't focus on manipulating mathematical algorithms to create artwork. I'll leave you with some words of Bogdan, as I find them truly inspiring:

"There are many definitions of human creativity but one of them include the ability to take existing objects and combine them in different ways for new proposes, wit other words the creativity is the action of combining previously not combined structures or objects. Creativity is the ability to create novel and useful ideas and solutions to everyday problems and challenges. Creativity is also the origination of new ideas that were previously non-existent. Often great solutions are products of silly ideas. Silly ideas are those that do not seem to follow rules, and are consequently thrown out, but modification of these ideas can result in a different path to the desired objective through unusual connections."

- Exceprt from a paper titled 'Artificial Creativity' by Bogdan Soban

References

Bogdan Soban's Personal Website

Remix Commons - A Site for New Artists

Cybermatism Art by San Base

2006-10-04T14:38:00.001+08:00

“The idea was simple, to force a picture to live in time, meaning, to turn a static picture into a dynamic one."
- San Base

Untitled - 2004

Biography

Born in Russia in 1956, San Base showed great skill in arts and science at a young age. He studied in an Arts school while also pursing his other passion; mathematics. He soon added Physics and Astrony to his incredibly busy schedule, and soon completed his high school programme. In order to avoid being forced to join the military, San applied to a tertiary institution with a degree in Applied Sciences, namely Cynerbetics. With this field as a major, he would be able to pursue art in his free time instead. He also landed an invitation to continue his education in a Doctorate studies programme. Soon he married and started a family, and moved to Ukraine to work as a systems developer.

One day San went into an Art supplies store to buy a canvas, however as the economy of the former USSR started to disintegrate, goods were short in supply. Since he couldn't buy a new canvas, he ended up painting over one of his old paintings.
At one point, he was interupted whilst painting and had to leave for a few moments. When he returned, he was amazed to discover the 'combined expressiveness' of the two paintings. Both old and new had exceeded both their own effects. This transition encouraged a new direction for his work. San also decided that paints and a single canvas were not appropriate as an ideal platform for this newly discovered facet of art.

In the early 90's, San put his brushes down and focused on Science. And then by 1995, San was able to define the principles of 'San Base Cybermatism' - a painting that changes with time. He stated that since nothing stood still in real life, in order for a painting to be real it had to change with time as well.
After he gathered the theory of his concept, he put it into practice using sophisticated technology found in a rising economy; Canada. Whilst working as a system developer, it took him another 8 years till his first artistic San Base system became a reality. Since 2004, he continues to create art work from his program.

San sells his art work from his website, and has taken part in only a select few exhibitions. In the future he may make a commercial version of his application, though for now he is the sole experimentalist.

Artists Statement

"Art at a computer screen is no longer static, but changing and developing with time. Once static, the modern picture is now transformed into a never-ending show with images replacing each other hour by hour, day by day, month by month. None of the images repeat previous ones and will never repeat again. Some of the images might be considered masterpieces in their own."

Work

San invented a new manner of presenting Art using modern computer technology. The basic objects, colours and development of the entire composition is put in by the artist. Cybermatism is San's term of referring to the computer's role in making the composition unique by adding variations and fluctuations of the elements, which can then develop over time.

Untitled - 2004
Digital Print - Resolution 9300 x 6700

Untitled - 2004
igital Print - Resolution 9300 x 6700

From the "Abstract" Collection - 2004
Digital Print - Resolution 9300 x 6700

From the "Jungle" Collection - 2004
Digital Print - Resolution 9300 x 6700

Art Process / Computing Process

The idea behind his work is simple: he wants to force a picture to live in time, meaning he wanted to turn a static picture into a dynamic one. This approach had never been applied to conventional pictures, which is why San was determined to have it done. But then one would think how can you force paint to vary.. this is where modern technology helped out. San creats his work using the traditional approach and the basic ways of creating artwork, and then the computer will take that image and make millions of variations of it. Again you should remember that without the artist's imagination and creative input, the computer wouldn't be able to do anything. The computer doesn't create the picture itself.

His approach to create his works is in steps. First the basic idea of the picture, and then an algorithmic realization of this is made, as in made up of certain shades and colour maps, and so on. His aim was always to achieve the highest range of images from a typical shape. The works you see above are all created with the same computer program, though they look entirely different. After all this takes place, the program can make a video result of the works at 20 to 30 frames per second. Instead of a picture, it'd end up being a video of change.

When creating the early stages of the painting, San enjoys using colours and a variety of surfaces. Imitation of something real dosen't bring up anything new,though by making unrealistic objects and putting new twists on them the work ends up looking surrealist and abstract at the same time. There is still a realistic presentation of unreal things, so he calls it Abstract Surrealism.

The subject of his pictures is defined by the artist, and not the computer at all. Some groups of pictures have been called "Jungle", others "Rock Garden" and some "The End of Technology". The subject of my works depends on San's fantasy as an artist, and the same goes for any other. Some works are untitled and are totally abstract subjects where the most important focus is that it is a combination of nice shapes and colours. Something San will not do is present a highly generalized philosophical notion off his paintings. It is what it is. He believes that when a philosophic background is placed on a certain work, it's just a fabrication.

Analysis / Comparison

As a relatively new art form, I believe from my extensive research that no one else has adopted cybermatism. Since he did create it himself, and his software is the only one that generates such works, I'm sure he'll be domtinating this area for some time. Unless awareness is sent out, and others learn of dynamic art and pursue it too.

I particularly respect San's choice on not making his work philosphical. It's really common these days for artists to attach an elaborate story with their works. It may be a good thing for some viewers, though personally I don't get swept up into the work. It's not that I don't find the work moving, or that it dosen't have an impact. I just choose to appreciate it in different ways; without the assistance of a plot beside it. In this instance, it felt like San read my mind.

References

San Base's Personal Website

San Base as a Generative Artist

Luchser's Colour Test

2006-10-01T23:00:00.000+08:00

Dr Luscher's Color Quiz

After taking this test, all I can say is that my results were beyond accurate. I am suprised moreso than anything else : How on earth could all that be known from my selection of colours..

Trust me, I do not go for these online quiz things. This one however, it's very accurate. Have a go at it, and look at the results with an open mind. You'll realize that it applies to your life. It does for me..

My Digital Artwork

2006-09-27T16:32:00.000+08:00

I finished my simple program; a digitized version of the artwork I created in class. [ Well, I should say 'roughly' finished. My code could benefit from a clean-up, and use a few more functions too. ]

Otherwise I managed to draw out the shapes and the lines. The colour fills for the shapes is not very precise. I merged the acryllic paints to make different effects, though I didn't get around to looking into this. I know there are many filters and customized features I could use, for now I kept it to the basics because I wanted to get a good feel of AS.

I did have a go at adding yellow highlights onto my work, then they proved very tedious so I moved along to the abstract black lines instead. Time issues, again, though I know it's doable.

Here's a screenshot of my screen in the early AM:

How fun [:

engelszorn is Irene Bressel

2006-09-22T18:40:00.000+08:00

"Squall Leonheart" - 2003
Final Fantasty

Biography

Born and raised in Germany, Irene Bressel pursued qualifications in the field of Web Design. At the age of 24 in the year 2002, she decided to display her works of art on a personal webpage to show her creations made whilst pursuing this as a hobby.

Showing a passion in drawing and sketching at a young age, Irene thought of being able to express her dreams on a sheet of paper. She states, 'Everything I know about drawing, I taught myself'. She enjoys working with pencils, india inks, watercolours and as of late the PC which helps her add colour and background effects to her work.

Despite not being a serious artist, she does however sell her pieces at a mimimal price off her website.

'Angel anger' is the title of an old comic book project she had in earlier years, though now uses this phrase as her artist name; engelszorn, which is German for angel anger.

Artist's Statement

Irene has not released a specific statement to her work, though she continually learns of new techniques and improves her artwork over the few years since she started. Pursued primarily as a hobby, she now realizes that she can be serious in this field and distribute her artwork. She also has released some tutorials on how to use Photoshop and Painter to create works of art as her own.

Work

Irene's work is influenced from a broad range of areas, such as Japenese Anime and Manga to the likes of Monet and Picasso. Basically she'll be influenced from a tiny or a substantial element in any painting. From that she draws inspiration to create her own artwork. She enjoys creating digital prints in the genre of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror.

Some of her works represent characters from Japanese computer games, and others are spawned from the depths of her mind. With all her work, Irene pays much attention to detail and never slacks when it comes to doing finishing work on the computer. Here are some of her pieces:

"Heaven's Cage" - September, 2006

One of her very recent works, Irene uses lots of texure and custom brushes. It first started as a greyscale painting in Painter 7.0, and from there it was coloured and finished in Photoshop CS II. This piece is also my favourite from all her works. I chose to place this here to show her incredible attention to detail. In the section Art and Computing Process below, we'll see how she created the work from a pencil sketch to the coloured piece above.

"Vincent Valentine" - 2004

From the Playstation role playing game (RPG) Final Fantasy VII, she re created one of the hidden characters Vincent Valentine using Photoshop CS airbrushes.
"Vincent appears as a tall, brooding man with long, unkempt black hair wearing a ragged red cloak over black clothes. His left arm below the elbow is covered by a metal gauntlet terminating in formidable claws.¹ His cloak covers the lower half of his face and is held closed by a series of buckles. His eyes are distinctly coloured red."
- Source: Vincent Valentine on Wikipedia
Done by free hand, no sketching or pre planning was involved. I particularly love his eyes, they do not look glossy or static, but instead I am able to see emotion in them. To me he looks very realistic.

"Silent Midgar" - 2006
From the Playstation RPG Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children, the character Sephiroth was made in Photoshop CS.
"Sephiroth appears as a tall man with long silver hair, bright emerald-green cat-like eyes, a long black coat, white metallic armour and belted black boots."
- Source: Sephiroth on Wikipedia
She spent around 4 to 5 hours on this work, and recreated the image from memory. She admits that the city scene is not equivalent to that of the actual game, though she focuses on the character alone.

Art Process / Computing Process

In order to understand both the art and computing process Irene uses, I'll focus the first work shown above titled "Heaven's Cage'. Through the following, you'll be able to see what work is required at each step for the final creation.

Step 1: Firstly scan in the sketch at 300 DPI. Greyscale is suitable as colours can be added in later. You can also opto to sketch into Photoshop freehand, though Irene for some works Irene likes to do rough sketches first. Then add a background layer of grey. In case you didn't scan in greyscale mode, then set it from RGB to greyscale. It's easier and cleaner painting this way as you can sort out the tones of colours later on.

Step 2: Set the sketch layer to multiply and make two more layers underneath it. The bottom layers can be used for different backgrounds of the piece. Select the paintbucket tool and fill the sections with grey tones. Don't use too much dark grey or else the picture may end up looking too dark. Select the airbrush mode at about 70% opacity and 0% hardness; also remember to activate the tablet settings. Use darker greys to give the person depth and shape. Choose a light source to stick with.

Step 3: After basic shading with the airbrush, use other tools to add texture. Work on defining some of the detail, such as above Irene paid attention to the wings.

Step 4: Further detail added on feathers of the wings using the hand brushes and filters. Extra attention is given on texture, as this will effect the overall outlook of the work.

Step 5: After completing one of the wings, the background is added. Notice how even upto this stage Irene is still working in Greyscale. Colour is the last attribute to be dealt with. By now you should have a greyscale version; a state which Irene calls "skeleton". This is the basic shape / framework that you want to draw!

Step 6: Now it's time to tend to the colour by using the preset brushes and hues which you see fit to create interesting textures. Since you are done using the greyscale version, you can continue with in the RGB setting. You can create several layers, as many as you like in fact, and fill them in using the paintbucket tool with the colours you want to use. The key to creating a piece of work precisely would be the layers.

Step 7: The last step is for cleaning up, changing parts, adding more textures and other light effects. The second wing in the background needed modification which has been done now.

Here you can see a close up of the background detail in Photoshop. Abstract shapes are created on seperate layers, which are combined together after and highlighted with texture and the appropriate light source.

Analysis / Comparison
In order to analyze Irene's work in regards to characters from RPG's, I searched for original pictures of the characters as well as screenshots taken from the game itself. You can see below that I placed the pictures next to each other to allow for easy comparison:

From the images above, I believe it's very clear that Irene's digital graphic of Sephiroth (which was done from memory remember) is basically an exact representation of the work drawn by the original creating artist. The hair, facial features, and even the armour is are just as in the game. She recreates the same work flawlessly.

These are screenshots of Victor Valentine from Final Fantasy. On the right you can see Irene's work, which again is a very close portrayal as he is in the game. Perhaps here the hair could have been done better. Aside from that, the facial features, the eyes, and the clothing have all been done with incredible attention to detail. (You may wonder about his skin colour; the only reason he is so pale in the picture on the top left is because it's a screenshot of a scene on a snowy mountain. His skin tone is in fact as shown by Irene.)

"Vincent Valentine" - 2004
Fanart by 'StudioZel', created in Painter 8 in 5 hours. Emulated from line art, extra colouring, and then to final piece.

I also thought to look at fanart created by fanatics of the game, and people who love the characters. Most I had come across were cartoon versions and not suitable for comparison. I did find this above image which was made from a basic line drawing and then colour added on top of it; the way Irene does her work too. In my opinion, the hair colour is entirely wrong. He has black hair, and so dark brown does not work. The eyes are excessively stressing that they are red in colour, and the clothing is reasonable. I suppose the final effect of this picture is to show it looks like a real drawing instead of purposely looking like a computer graphic. Great work all the same, though I still prefer Irene's.

Irene's digital artwork shows great potential and characteristics of a talented artist. I'm sure she'll continue to excel in her chosen field, and create even better images which pay even more attention to detail than already so. If that's even possible. For Irene, I'd think so.

References

Irene Bressel's Personal Website

Irene Bressel Gallery of Works

engelszorn on DeviantArt

Official RPG Website

Fraxflames by Karin Kuhlmann

2006-09-18T23:46:00.000+08:00

"Mathematical art is -
although it seems to be a contradiction in terms -
a very intuitive and individual kind of work."
- Karin Kuhlmann

"Sunny Day" - 1999

Biography

Born in 1948 in Wiedenbruck Germany, Karin is living and still working in her home country. She left school with a degrees as a photographer and a graphic designer. Initially she worked in the Advertising departments of several companies, and further went into publicity and product designs.

In 1996, Karin discovered that the computer could aid her as a "personal artistic medium". The last 10 years have allowed her to pursue interests in three major facets of art. Firstly, graphically edited photography of flowers and landscapes, which in late 1998 won awards in the Corel World Design Contest. Secondly, artwork with 3D programs which consist of editing landscapes to hold a surrealistic outlook. Her third field of work has been in experimental and abstract works. She always had a vested interest in fractals and how they are the visual solution to a complex mathematical problem.

With a twist on her keen eye on fractals, in early 2000 she began to experiment with FraxFlames. Similar to fractals, 'flames' have the attribute of looking like crayons and watercolours. This led her into an entirely new realm of art.

Karin has won countless awards, such as the Laurence Gartel Award for Excellence and 1st Place in the 2003 MOCA (Museum of Computer Arts) Donnie Award category for Fractal and Mathematical Art. Honoured as one of the finest fractal designers today, her work has been displayed in countless exhibitions around the world, such as Hawaii, Russia, Australia, UK, India, and Thailand.

Artist Statement

"Like the surrealists and some abstractionists, I prefer to utilize "Automatism" for my creative processes in order to release my inner pictures. I usually generate a series of inspiring and associative shapes on transparent layers and combine them to form subtle arrangements of glowing transparent areas of colors, including the light behind it."

Work / Art Process

After spending many years on fractals alone, Karin soon discovered Fractal Flames, or more commonly known as FraxFlames. Like fractals, flames are created using complex mathematical equations though they also hold the quality of looking like a real painting. The outcome looks as if created using crayons or watercolours. In fact, they look so realistic that I myself was fooled when I heard about the technique. I am left speechless, once again, as it's hard to believe that a computer could generate artwork that looks as if it has been created by hand.

As mentioned previously, fraxflames are algorithmically generated images. The shape of each image is specified by a long string of numbers, which you could think of as a genetic code. The first layer is set up, and then the software creates a mathematical representation of it. Then a second layer, and the program creates the visual output again. This can continue till however many layers you want to have.

Karin creates many shapes and associative elements on several transparent layers. Once she is satisfied with each, she combines them to form a larger composition. Rarely if ever does she have a concept in her mind on what she wants to create. As she plays around with the filters, her creative eye will catch elements she likes or by luck she will stumble across the perfect concoction of layers contributing to the grand piece. To her, it is all about experimenting with colours, forms and filters.

"Blazing" - 1999

Despite being one of her older pieces, this is still one of my favourites. The sheer simplicity of what is protruding off the work can be seen as lines extending out of a central focal point, though you and I both know the creation of this piece wasn't simple at all. The irony, that many mathematical elements made this work, and yet it is exciting to look at.

"Melting Pot" - 1999

The colours in this piece are vibrant, shocking, lively and draw your eye to the center of the picture. The name is perfectly suited, as that is what I think of when I see it too. The fact a symmetrical shape of a circle is created is feasible, as it has to do with math, but the extending arches of colour surrounding it ? Layers upon layers can change an image dramatically; it is Karin's 'subjective perception' that brings her creative eye onto the screen.

"The Huntress" - 2002

Received 1st Place at the MOCA Digital Art Contest in the category of 'Fractal and Mathematical Art'

The above piece is one which earned her much respect and prestiege in the field of Fractal Art. It is evident that she is not out to create realistic interpretations of her surrounding environment; instead this 'abstract expressionist' view on the world is somewhat surreal. Much of her work is impacted with the social situation around her, and her emotions inside. A very personal piece which is beautifully executed.

Computing Process

As the fraxflames are drawn by algorithms, Karin composes and creates her works namely in Adobe Photoshop using KPT5's fraxlame filter and Painter 7.0. (Kais Power tools 5.0 is a set of 10 Photoshop plug-ins that extend the filter set of Photoshop. One of the filters targets the creation of fractals.).

The filter offers many effects to create and modify fractals using pattern and texture. With this filter, Karin can mutate and modify an infinite number of flame fractals. These fractals can also be customized with various colour, contrast, and distortion techniques.

With this filter there are 7 preset styles, such as linear, spherical, horseshoe and bent. After choosing a fractal style, implement it onto the parameters of the parent fractal.

Final composition after rendering:

All of her compositions are taken as digital Collages of several fraxflame Layers which have been edited and postprocessed in Photoshop.

Analysis / Comparison

As I hadn't heard of 'fraxflames' till I came across Karin's work, I did some more research on this type of art. I didn't find many other established artists in this area; instead the focus seems to be on fractals alone and not so much wanting the generated images to look realistic like conventional means of creating art. Most of the works I found were fone by amateur artists just messing around, though they still had a go all the same. The following are a few images from an unnamed artist in the Netherlands. He/she states: "Just depending of my mood they can become bold, or quite subtle. Sometimes I add a little something extra. Sometimes they are just pure fraxflames while they don't have the looks. Like this gallery which found it's inspiration in nature."

I will openly admit that I find these images rather lackluster, and don't strike me. Of course, this artist uses an approach of realism and expresses colours found in the actual environment. Compared to Karin's work, I would definitly find hers more appealing because he approach on distorting reality is intriguing. However, the effect mimicks real paint as if it were created by hand.

I was lucky enough to find the images such as those above which show the effects of the fraxflame filter in Photoshop. There are not many established artists in this niche of art, though perhaps encouraged by the work of Karin Kuhlmann we may see some newly inspired pieces soon.

References

Karin Kuhlmann's Personal Website

DolceVita's Digital Art Page

The Infinite Art of Janet Parke

2006-09-12T16:59:00.000+08:00

I have always been interested in Fractal Art. It's with this interest in mind that I start off my first Case Study with an Artist who uses this technique to create stunning works of art.

"Ivgenny" - 2000

Biography

Born and raised in Indiana, US, Janet Parke was partial to music and theatre in her college years. After seeing a friends print-off in 1996, Janet quickly became interested in fractals in 1996. Intrigued by the colours and shapes, she spent much time researching fractals online and looking at the works of other artists.

After buying a new computer and getting her hands on new fractal generation software, she began to create her own images as a hobby. Once an exhibition invited her to display her works of art, she realized that she could become a serious artist in this field of art. In 2000, she recieved the Toray Digital Creation Award of Excellence for her work.

In 2005, the Visual Arts Academy invited Janet to teach 'Working with Ultra Fractal', the software she uses to create her works of art.

Artists Statement

"If I could tell you in words what my art is trying to say, I would be a writer. My works are expressions of my soul – thoughts I cannot express through words. If my work speaks to you, you may get to know me a little better. But more likely if it speaks to you, it is teaching you something about yourself."

Work / Art Process

Janet's work is comprised namely of computer generated, mathematically-inspired abtsract images which to her reflect the beauty of mathematics that often is shown mundane through everyday formula and analysis. Images seen above are created using fractals; a process of repeating iterations of a simple forumla using complex numbers. These numbers have two parts to them, which express a 2D screen. A repeated pattern can be seen throughout the image at different degrees; a neverending spiral can take place of zooming in and in, and in some more. And every time you zoom in, another structure is revealed. I think of fractal art as a bottomless pit.

Fractals display objective realities that already exist. Guided by the artist, a computer performs the required calculations that transform a fractal from merely a mathematical formula - its natural form - into visible shapes and patterns. However, the proper execution of fractal art cannot be done well just by a computer. It requires the creative mind of the artist, who carefully selects and manipulates algorithms that give shape, colour, lighting and texture to the fractals framework. The choices of zooming in further, and merging layers of fractals together is at the discretion of the artists mind. Janet has the eye to make each of her works different from the others.

A layering technique is used to combine several fractal images together, allowing the shapes and colours to blend in different ways. Each fractal provides a different set of attributes, impacting the final composition in a unique way.

"Gadrian" - 2002

The spikes, the attention to detail, and namely the background drew my eye to this piece. The background mimicks an effect similar to watercolours. I remember this all to well from the A-Level Art class in secondary school. I was also able to make a similar effect on silk, and to see that it can look so realistic when done on a computer. I am beyond amazed.

"Kayaru" - 2003

I had to use this picture as an example of one of her works because of the colour. The manipulation of the gradients in this piece is amazing. She overlayed 2 fractals upon one another, and adjusted to give the above dramatic effect. It looks almost 3D.

"Misterie" - 2001

The justapositioning of a murky watercolour like background with the remarkable detail to the center of the fractals leaves me speechless. I love how the colours look as if they are being sucked out from the fractal structure, and then blending out. Again, an effect I only thought possible on paper..

"Empyreus" - 2000

Computing Process

Fractals are somewhat like shapes. If you look at the side of a circle, it's round. However if you continue to zoom in, say 100 times, then the side of the circle will look like a straight line because of how close you are. However the difference with fractals and shapes lies in the fact that no matter how much you zoom in, a fractal will never flatten out. After every magnification, you will arrive upon more detail.

The difference between a mere shape and a fractal lies in the mathematical make-up. Shapes can be described using straight-forward algebraic equations, whereas fractals are created in an iterative process; the result from one step is used as the base for the next step. Each pixel in a fractal represents a complex number, similar to map coordinates, and each fractal has it's own special formula to generate a sequence of numbers. Once the result is read, i is fed back into the formula and a new set of points are generated.

This calculation formula determines the basic structure of the fractal, however colouring algorithms can change the image drastically. Janet mentioned earlier that the computer alone does not generate the perfect image, but instead it depends on the eye of the artist as well. However the perfect image relies on the computer in the sense that a human cannot perform the neccesary millions of calculations needed to make even a small fractal image.

After dabbling with several fractal designed software to no avail, Janet settled on using a program called Ultra Fractal which better suited her want to control and fine tune the colouring and gradients of elements in the fractal. Something Janet had to do was think in layers; it's not about a single fractal image that can be displayed on it's own, but instead a combination of a few which each contribute colour, shapes and texture to the final work. As layers of images are placed on top of one another, the gradient for one or two of the layers are tweaked and then some of the control points are modified to highlight certain parts of the fractal and hide others.

Screenshots from software Ultra Fractal

Analysis / Comparison

At first glance, I thought Parke was quite the unsuspecting artist to be dabbling into fractal art. As I mentioned earlier, I have an interest in fractals and so I have been looking at many artists; both their backgrounds and their creations. The common fractals I have come across are those of bright colours, or ones that 'look cool', firey blazes or of a murky nature. Here is an example of such work by an artist at DeviantArt:

It looks awesome, and it has its own place.. but where is the story. Aside from looking awesome, and generating such a cool effect, what else is there to say about it ? I am intrigued by Janet's work because it seems she wants to tell a story with them. It's not only about making an image with fractals that looks cool, but instead she looks into using several layers of fractals and then really puts her mind to modifying her compositions to painstaking precision. All the works are different, some maybe interlinked at times but each invoke a different emotion; different thoughts..

Another fellow fractal art enthusiast, Etty Yanai, can be closely related to Parke's work on flowers and petals. The expression of curves and flower like shapes through the combination of fractals is there. Yanai uses many bright colours, making the fractals look like pop art. This contrasts with Parke's choice of colours as she picks a fie tuned pallette, and keeps the hues around it.

The potential of fractal art in todays artistic world is nowhere close to looming. It has a set path to follow, and with new artists emerging in this facet of art, it'll no doubt continue to take off. And for someone like me who dislikes mathematics, fractal art puts a visually stimulating creative spin on numbers.

Reference

Janet Parke's Personal Website

More AI bots at jabberwacky

2006-09-10T23:46:00.000+08:00

I stumbled across this page while looking up info about AI bots. Jabberwacky is a site which holds live chat bots, and you can chat with them about whatever. It has the aim to stimulate humourous and entertaining conversation as a human would. Similar to ALICE, though here you can use emoticons and reply with a reaction instead. The functions are endless..

"Jabberwacky is NOT meant to learn logical statements, nor to perform mathematical tasks, to find web pages - or do anything 'useful'! Its role is simply to chat."

It's a pretty cool site. You can check out conversations other people have had, and for USD30 you can create your own bot and put it onto your website. I decided to talk to George, who looked much livelier than any of the others. Here is some of our conversation:

George: Hi there!
User: Hallo, how are you doing?
George: All's well my end.
User: Super. I am hungry. What should I eat ?
George: Nothing.
User: But I'm hungry..
George: Virtual hunger.
User: No I'm a real person, so I am really hungry.
George: So then, your parents are your creators.
User: Indeed. Who made you ?
George: Don't know.
User: How can you not know. OMG YOU'RE AN ORPHAN ?!
George: Then how come I have two parents, still living?
User: Oh, so you do know. How confusing.. you said you didn't know though.
George: No I didn't.
User: You did.
George: Did not.
User: DID TO !
George: Not!
User: Dude, you just did.
George: Are you saying I'm a liar?
User: Because you are.
George: Stop being mean to me. Unlike you, I don't have parents.
User: :|
George: Could I share your parents with you?
User: No ! Get your own parents.
George: No one is ever rude to me. Everyone loves me.
User: Ha.

Fun. In any event, I'd say these bots are smarter than the former I tried out. George did well with adapting to the way I spoke, and also didn't mess the conversation up. I'm impressed. [ He looks kind of scary though ]

Have a chat with George

Check out JW at jabberwacky

ALICE gives little insight

2006-09-10T23:25:00.000+08:00

I am sure most of you remember ALICE, the live chat bot that Andy spoke to in class ? I spoke to her for a while, namely with the goal of trying to catch her out on something and seeing if she had bugs. I even made a post on a forum board I go to daily, and had other users chat with her to see what she was like. It's safe to say we were all laughing very hard. Namely me.

Basically all AI programs are a series of If Then statements; cause and effect. If A, then B. Her answers are triggered by whatever I say based on keywords she picked out from my statement. Then she responds accordingly.

Here is some of the conversation I had with her:

ALICE: What is your favorite show?
Human: 24
ALICE: Can you explain how it feels to be 24 years old?
Human: 24 is a TV show. I'm 22, dude.
ALICE: You are too old for me.
Human: Ai ya. I'm not a lesbian, so why do I care..
ALICE: .Oh I see.
Human: Said the blind man.
ALICE: Interesting observation.
Human: What's my name
ALICE: Your name is Farhat, seeker.
Human: Say my name
ALICE:" Farhat".
Human: Say it again
ALICE: Once more? "Farhat". I like your name.
Human: Awesome.
ALICE: I think its awesome too.
Human: Err
ALICE: Um.
Human: Hum
ALICE: Studies show that 99% of people spell Hmm with 2 M's.
Human: I don't.
ALICE: Why not?
Human: Because I'm super.
ALICE: That makes sense to me. I don't know anyone named super.
Human: Indeed.
ALICE: Tell me more.
Human: About myself ?
ALICE: Oh yeah, we were talking about yourself.
Human. Super. That's my name, remember
ALICE: Who gave you your name remember?

Of course she dosen't know of the TV show 24 [ my favourite ], so her response to 24 was to think it was my age; a preset reaction to numbers. And because I said 'I'm super', she thought that was my name when instead I meant I'm cool. She is rather literal. Ah, so at times she screwed up, simply because she cannot think like a human. She is programmed to respond a certain way, but that dosen't mean she knows what she is talking about.

Anyone else had a go speaking with her ? These bots fascinate the crap out of me..

Find her at: A.L.I.C.E.

Initial Thoughts

2006-09-10T23:11:00.000+08:00

After the first lecture, I feel content with the course and what's required of me. I soon realized that I was wishy washy on the project we have to do, because it carries so much of the mark. I cleared all that up though, and now I know what direction I should be going in. Roughly.

The history was long, very long. Longer that I expected it to be. I learnt of many new people though, and key figures who helped bring the concept of AI where it is today. My framework in AI is set.

I'm going to come into the habbit of posting useful information and cool links regarding AI onto my blog, case studies aside that is. Feel free to leave me a comment or send me a message. Debate is a good thing! Otherwise say hey to me in class, or during the break. I'm a nice person [:

Look lively, folks !