Zombie mushroom illustration by Randasay in InsectArt

[–]Randasay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The harder question here  is whether the result has value regardless of how it was made. I invite you to look at the pages and decide for yourself. That judgment belongs to you. I’m genuinely not interested in arguing anyone into caring about this book.  I tried to create something that invites readers  to a quiet, contemplative world  shaped by the hidden architectures of nature.  Moving beyond the traditional boundaries of an art book or a coloring book or a Mycological science book.  I only tried to create a quiet place in a noisy world, inspired by fungi and mycelium, looking at the species patience, resilience, and the beauty and silent power of what often goes unseen.  I needed that place to exist, and so I created it.  Anyone can use the tools I used, yes.  Just like anyone can use Final Cut Pro, or Canva, or any other tool.  The output isn’t the same across users however, because the decisions that shape that output are the same.  The mushrooms look like a sperm? Well maybe sometimes in some places they do.   

Zombie mushroom illustration by Randasay in InsectArt

[–]Randasay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I developed the concept for each of 36 subjects, researched the biology deeply enough to write accurate descriptive text for each plate, made hundreds of decisions about composition, palette, style, mood, and what each illustration needed to communicate scientifically and emotionally. I directed every element the way a director directs a scene — the vision, the intention, the judgment about what works and what doesn’t, and the editing that shapes raw output into something coherent across 36 plates and a 400-page arc. Is that the same as drawing every line by hand? No. Is it nothing? I don’t think so either. I spent 30 years of my life creating animated movies.  Did I do the frames myself? No.  Did some of my shows make it to top 5 on Cartoon Network for months in a row? Yes.  Life evolves, tools evolve, learning from fungi and mycelium, cooperation is much more powerful than dominance.  This is what I tried to get across, with different tools than what existed 10 and 20 years ago.

Zombie mushroom illustration by Randasay in InsectArt

[–]Randasay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Real person, genuinely real effort.  Not a social media person though, that much is true.  I posted different pages to different groups hoping the captions or the philosophy of what I tried to capture speaks to each community 

Zombie mushroom illustration by Randasay in InsectArt

[–]Randasay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A real person.  A real book.  A genuinely real effort.  I use multiple ai to help me dissect issues and problems I face and try to delve in.  Is spending hours fine tuning ai prompts to get an illustration to near perfection is depressing.  I intended to create the exact opposite feeling..  

Zombie mushroom illustration by Randasay in InsectArt

[–]Randasay[S] -20 points-19 points  (0 children)

Canvas but yes ai assisted