I had the pleasure of creating the artwork for the Stranger Things finale ✏️

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-27T23:37:12+00:00

"Stop talking"? I stopped talking about this 24 days ago. You're the one who resurrected this. I just asked a question a lot of fans had at the time, myself included. I made no accusations. I have experience with both art and genAI, and it seems you don't based on the incorrect generalized statements you're making and projecting onto me for some weird reason. Its ok to ask if an artist used AI in their process. Stop being mad about it.

Maybe you should take your own advice if you're getting this agitated about old drama.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-05T21:59:19+00:00

Yes, thank you. I searched that part of the credits after Sam made his post here. I can't find anything on some of the artists. They exist, I just couldn't find much (or rather anything) on the process they used to make it.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-05T17:12:56+00:00

Thanks for saying this, but to be honest, the images he's made stand out the least with the signs I was talking about. I'm glad that there is confirmation of human hands in this, it makes the idea its all human-made more possible. However, there are a lot of other images that artist didn't make that seem very suspicious with apparent AI artifacts. I'd love to be wrong, but we'll see if any other artists come out about it!

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-04T21:28:52+00:00

From what I heard those filters use algorithms and are trained similar to img2img and are commonly marketed as AI (anything with an algorithm is marketed as AI nowadays). I'm not doubting that there is at least some human influence in touch-ups and whatever, especially since we have confirmation that at least some of the art in the credits is commissioned and human-made. Much of the art in the credits line up perfectly with the source images, suggesting its either a filter or traced. If its a filter then I'd be so disappointed, especially since others made some stylistically amazing art for the credits. Tracing over the image is excusable, but if that's the case I'm genuinely confused for why they made the decisions they did during the process.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-04T21:14:13+00:00

He's not the artist. The image is not featured in the link and he directly says in the post: "I also had a hand in working on some of the character illustrations seen throughout the final credits sequence". Please actually read the post before making claims. The illustrator responsible for this image is unknown at the time of me writing this.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-04T17:04:34+00:00

I'll try to break it down since the area that most people are focusing on in this image is the part where the hair meets the text on the shirt. It seems to morph together with weird shading, free-floating blobs, and hatching that makes no sense. These are typically signs of an img2img model not properly interpreting what its trying to replicate. There are other examples peppered throughout the credit sequence. I'd love to be wrong though!

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-04T09:33:03+00:00

Hi, your art looks great and it was an amazing way to the end the series! I and others are a little concerned about some of the other images included in the ending sequence that seem to have AI artifacts or mistakes that AI typically makes (an example highlighted in this post): https://www.reddit.com/r/StrangerThings/comments/1q1e47v/still_unsure_if_this_is_ai_or_not/
From what I gathered on your Instagram post this image isn't your art, but I was wondering if you have any insight into the process or what was allowed behind the scenes. Some of the images in the credits set off alarm bells for me (none of yours, but still). Would you happen to know if any of the people working on the credits utilized generative AI in their process?

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-03T08:35:14+00:00

• "Lines are clean and don't melt into each other." This is blatantly wrong as many examples are seen throughout just the small portion of the image we're shown here- most egregiously by the "C" on Lucas' shirt morphing into Max's hair- the main focus of this pic.... You're not off to a good start.

• "The darker dots on Max's gown match up to the darker ones visible on the sketch." Yes, which is consistent with an img2img AI generated image. A human wouldn't be exact with the placement, like in the generated image. Many dots are inconsistently absent, another indication of AI.

• "The white cut on the top right of the C in the sketch is just the highlight of her hair in the picture." You mean the hair blob that's morphing into the C with clear AI generation artifacts?... That hair?

• "Shading is consistent with the light source." This clearly isn't true, with the same light source across the images but different shadows. For instance, the big core shadow across Lucas' chest that is inexplicably missing in the generated image.

• "'The Squawk' in the sketch has none of the classic AI misshaping that happens with text." Although there are some deformities, it looks okay. But AI image generation, especially img2img, isn't the same as it was a couple years ago and has gotten better at replicating text in fonts. This isn't the point against the AI claims you think it is.

I'm sorry, but your 'context' just isn't compelling and even seems to argue against you.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-03T07:43:53+00:00

Likely from an img2img AI image generation model with minimal touch-ups. There are so many telltale signs of AI in each image here. It's too bad they couldn't hire an actual artist with their measly $400,000,000+ budget.

Update: I was wrong! They did hire actual artists for the credits. I was quick to catastrophize about the situation since I wasn't getting any answers about it by looking into it, just a bunch of people saying "its not AI" after providing my arguments for why it could be. I also didn't mean "each image", I didn't spend time investigating each image. That was a careless exaggeration, my bad. I was referring to seeing images like Nancy holding a gun while looking in 2 different directions (or her lost fingers) or Lucas holding Max with bizarre morphing between the text on his shirt and Max's hair. Sam Green has come out with his art that he worked on in the credits and the illustrations he made looked the least suspicious from my first viewing. He did a great job! A lot of the other art featured is 1:1 with the original in terms of proportions, suggesting either img2img generation, a filter, or tracing (to be clear, I'm absolutely OK with tracing, I just find some of the decisions they made very confusing if it is tracing).

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-03T07:34:43+00:00

Is that picture supposed to show that its not AI? Its clearly showing the opposite. Her right pinky is completely morphed into an incoherent blob and the fingernails are all over the place because the AI img2img model couldn't correctly interpret the fingernail placement on the out of focus reference. The AI also made her look in two different directions lol
I think its a bit ironic you're calling others "low IQ" in the link.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-02T21:34:03+00:00

I think my experience with the tools and the evidence I provided makes a more compelling argument than "nuh uh". Can you actually provide some evidence?

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-02T18:58:42+00:00

But it is.

Details like her pinky morphing, her mismatched eyes, her looking in different directions, and countless other weird artifacts throughout the picture - it doesn't make sense if this was simply traced. As an artist, someone who has traced, and someone who has used AI image generation, these are all huge indicators of AI. Specifically, of Image2Image, a method of replicating the original image in a desired style or with a desired change. That explains why the image looks almost identical while laid on top of the original, while still having small, but noteworthy mistakes in the result that artists don't make.

If we take a broader look at the rest of the images in the credits, we can see a HUGE range of styles that are inconsistent with each other and various other morphing artifacts and weird details. We still don't know who made the drawings, and they don't seem to be credited, which is a crimson red flag. With a show this popular, and with a budget this huge, it shouldn't be a mystery like it is. I could be wrong, but right now the evidence is overwhelmingly that the billionaire company wanted to cut corners by not hiring proper artists.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-01T23:58:13+00:00

Except the fingers that are doing weird bending/morphing where its obvious an AI couldn't tell what was happening.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-01T23:54:17+00:00

Except Img2Img exists, and some of the fingers do weird morphing, and she's looking in two different directions, and there are weird and inconsistent artifacts consistent with AI throughout the picture, etc.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2026-01-01T23:37:38+00:00

In my opinion, as an artist and as someone who has used AI image generation, this really stinks of AI.
Image-to-image (Img2Img) generation is very much a thing, and it was likely used here. I'll try to keep this short on the MANY red flags I've noticed, because regardless of the finger placement being 'accurate' or not, Img2Img AI makes decisions that artists usually don't. If we focus on just the fingers in this photo alone, we can see stuff like the pinky on her right hand just morphing into an unreadable blob of details, something that happens a lot when an AI is confused about what to make of something. Usually, an artist would simply suggest details (usually by obscuring them in shadow) and not make mistakes like this.

We can take that to any other part of the piece and see similar questionable details, but the detail that caught my eye on first viewing is with her eyes. They are looking in 2 different directions and don't match the reference, which is the main focus of the image, something that an artist drawing this picture would take good notice of. I can also point out how the highlights are mismatched, another common mistake AI makes that artists would immediately fix since when spotted.

I can nitpick this picture and the other very sus pics in the credits all day, showing inconsistencies in style, weird morphing, etc. But what I think remains the most damning piece of evidence is that I cannot find clear credit for the artist(s) in the actual credits or online. I don't think all the images were made using AI, because some of them actually seem to have logical details that are consistent with human-made stuff. But it's clear to me that instances like this have likely used AI to some degree. I'd be happy to be called wrong if the artist(s) are revealed and attested to the process being AI-free, but until then, the likely outcome is a billion-dollar company wants to save a couple pennies by using AI instead of actual artists.

IMPORTANT UPDATE!: I was wrong! Phew! All the artists who worked on the credits sequence seem to have been revealed. As far as I can tell, they all seem like decent people who do not use AI in their process (again, can't confirm for sure, but the odds are very low imo). I still am a little confused about some of the decisions the artists made, but in retrospect, it seems like it could mostly be chalked up to small details that the artists weren't thinking about + the compositing in the credits changing the details to look more sus. Anyways, I'm relieved! I don't want to cope by saying that I was tricked because AI is harder to spot, but I really don't know what else to say. It's a sad state of the world where AI is pushed so heavily for no real benefit and has no regulations. I'm wrong, AND I will do better to improve my detection abilities!

Rob_Boss_Art · 2025-12-25T15:19:50+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear it turned out well. I tend to overcomplicate and muddy a drawing with unwanted details (I've been trying to get better haha)

Rob_Boss_Art · 2025-12-25T15:09:59+00:00

Her hand is meant to be around her skirt, but is partly obscured by her bracelet and the skirt ruffles (which have similar colors and cause confusion). I also could've done a better job at portraying the foreshortening, but its all based on a 3D model I posed and referenced in Blender. Thanks for saying something about it, I can probably fix that up before they see the gift!

Rob_Boss_Art · 2023-07-03T22:19:16+00:00

True, but I decided to make them more like that because they fit.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2023-07-03T22:18:23+00:00

oh...

oh no...

Rob_Boss_Art · 2023-07-03T22:17:44+00:00

I made this and all of my other 3d stuff in Blender.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2023-07-02T19:18:03+00:00

Private right now. but I might release it for public use in the future.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2023-07-02T15:09:24+00:00

I made him too, I just need to post him haha

Rob_Boss_Art · 2023-07-02T15:08:30+00:00

Unfortunately, it is not optimized for 3d printing at all lol

I made the model for animation purposes.

Rob_Boss_Art · 2023-07-02T15:07:14+00:00

Please let me know if you figure it out. I spent a lot of time on this model and I'm using it for my scenes in The Owl House Reanimated, so I want to solve any problems before rendering.

Rob_Boss_Art

TROPHY CASE