AI Art: Its Many Possibilities and Advantages
Prabhu B has largely been a self-taught artist with an innate talent apart from perseverance to pursue art despite personal challenges. He largely works on designing 3D environments, having done the same for films, AAA games and various other projects. A freelancer by choice.
Please share with us what your creative journey has been like in terms of related education, influences, significant projects and achievements.
Prabhu: I'm a natural and self-taught artist from Chennai, drawing everything I set my eyes upon. Most of my study books' last pages are filled with fun illustration work. I did BSc graduation from Jaya college because my family situation was different from my passion and, thus, got placed in IT. As a developer, I was not satisfied with my career and decided to switch my profession.
Later, I learned a lot of stuff related to art and developed a portfolio by myself. I then got an opportunity to work as a graphic designer in a small studio located in Chennai. Moving on, I got an offer from Zvky design studio in Bangalore and learnt a lot from my experience there. Further, I got an offer from a VFX studio doing major VFX for high-budget movies. Post that I started freelance work, primarily for AAA games and some films.
Please elaborate on your work related to environmental design and world building – your process behind them and significant projects you've done.
Prabhu: As a concept artist, I started my profession being a character designer for 2D games. Later I switched to a 3D workflow and started to learn the Blender software. The pipeline work from problem-solving in 3D and painting over it in Photoshop helped me a lot to improve my skill in environmental design.
As a freelance concept artist and illustrator, what kind of projects have you been working on and looking for?
Prabhu: As a freelancer, I collaborate on significant client projects for some unannounced AAA game titles. Some of the clients I worked for are NetEase games and DreamWorks.
How do you choose between and efficiently apply a 2D or 3D approach for effectively telling a story? Could you give an example?
Prabhu: I started my career in 2d, learning the basic design rules. I later moved to 3d by creating various environments in it. I usually start out with thumbnail exploration using 2d and some rough flat-black and white colours. Early thumbnail explorations help identify some primary design shapes and languages for the environments.
Then, using Blender, I create assets for the environment; set up the entire scene using Blender and finish it with some paint-over touches using Photoshop.
How far has the relevance of AI art reached in the world today and what do you think is its future course?
Prabhu: I recently started into AI art, applying the technology to my projects. I believe that humans will never stop themselves from gaining perceived progress. So my thinking is always to grab and apply new avenues immediately so that progress never stops.
To what extent have you used AI art and how do you think it can enhance your results going further?
Prabhu: I have used it for some early idea explorations with environments. AI art gives a lot of design ideas, that too using just a few prompts. It also saves my time and I pick the ones that are very close to what I want, further improving by using my own paint-overs.
Having worked on games and films, please take us through your creative process for each of them.
Prabhu: So, I think, games and films have different ways of pipeline-work. For games, that would be different kinds of styles like realistic, stylised or semi-stylised. They also have some BlueSky exploration in earlier development. Coming to movies, it would majorly be design-solving for some of the shots and sequences and telling a story through rough storyboard art and Keyframe design.
What key techniques or effects do you think form an integral part of your style in particular?
Prabhu: The essential technique for successful artwork is to solve the major design problems using simple shape languages in early thumbnail exploration. That will save a lot of time and give your artwork direction.
What would be your advice to those looking to practice a similar style of work as yours?
Prabhu: My advice to those looking to practice a similar style of work as me is to begin studying the fundamental rules of art, like the rule of Thirds and even style and colour study. It will give more life to your work. Keep practicing. Choose what works for you and the style of artist you are.
