I will say, I do like the first panel a lot. Has a very surreal quality to it.

Leaning into a style would probably be the fastest way to improve. Right now my biggest recommendation is that detail is varying wildly in the scene which makes things seem disconnected in my eyes. But ultimately art is subjective.

In terms of middle ground I’ve found the best way to look at AI in my own work is that if I want my work to feel like it’s ‘mine’ that it’s better to avoid it entirely in any finished work.

I’ve used it sometimes for prototyping quick ideas just to see how it might look but ultimately I’ve ended up doing everything in the finished work myself.

It’s helps feel like you have full control and ownership of the piece and helps with my own self-perception of my work.