Having Too Much Fun…
I Had No Idea How Cool Products Can Be…
Today, I got a Pulphouse Fiction Magazine mug in the mail. It is even better than I had hoped. You can get one and a subscription on the Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Kickstarter 2023 Subscription Drive. Or you can just add on one to a workshop or something. 
And after the Kickstarter is over we are planning a Pulphouse Shopify Store Grand Opening Sale. Stay tuned for details on that. It will have even more merchandise.
But at the same time we got the mug, WMG Publishing sent me a wonderful picture of Stephanie Writt, who is working full time for us now in our offices. And she was showing off some of the merchandise, including an amazing sweatshirt. And the pillow that is available in the Kickstarter as well.
I am just having too much fun, that is for sure. And we are just getting started.
(First video meeting for the products class Thursday at 4 pm West Coast Time if you are signed up… You can still sign up. It will be run by Steph.)
9 Comments
T Thorn Coyle
How nice to see a pic of smiling Stephanie! And the products look good, too!
Kate Pavelle
Those look great, and so does Stephanie! As for “too much fun,” I’ve been going through POD sites and having too many ideas at a time. It’s just as bad as havning popcorn kittens for stories! I must’ve spent half a day browsing sites, products, and their terms.
My biggest problem: Focusing on one thing at a time. I have all these series! I have cool characters! I could definitely do a plushie crowdfund – and I want all 5 characters, all at once!
It’s fun, but it’s frustrating. Most of my covers aren’t in large-enough resolution to make a decent jigsaw puzzle, for instance. This process will take some fidgeting… and a lot of prioritizing!
Brad D. Sibbersen
One no-legal-worries use of AI art is the ability to upscale images. I haven’t tried it yet but you might be able to resize one of those covers to jigsaw puzzle size!
dwsmith
It is not no-legal, Brad. Not by a long ways at the moment. Not saying it won’t become that, but at the moment I stand behind the artists suing because their work was stolen.
Kate Pavelle
Upscaling images, increasing resolution, and resapling isn’t hard to do in Procreate, which I use on my iPad Pro. If I find I have issues with pixellation, I either re-download a larger version of the licensed artwork I used for my cover, or I paint over select layers of my artwork at a very high resolution. That will cover the pixellation.
Having a digitally painted artwork, one based on photo images, doesn’t necessarily hurt the final look. It provides an opportunity to place the branding information in a designated area (on a plaque in the upper right corner, for instance), so it’s not just a cover but a cover-inspired piece. This way, you can feature more of that great design that caught your attention when you were looking for cover art in the first place. Feature that spaceship, that character, etc. You can also change the background, and that will often make life a lot easier.
Yes, it takes time and some practice. I don’t mind painting for 2 hours while we’re listening to a game or a podcast before bed.This way I get to have my fun painting without breaking out the oils and the turpentine 🥰
Brad D. Sibbersen
One potential use of AI art is the ability to upscale images. I haven’t tried it yet but you might be able to resize one of those covers to jigsaw puzzle size!
dwsmith
EXTREME CAUTION on using AI for anything until the lawsuits clear. Trust me, it is not fun being in the shoes of the artists whose work has been stolen. Support other artists and just don’t use AI at the moment. Period.
Brad D. Sibbersen
Sorry, my response was unclear. What I meant was that there is no legal or moral issue in using an AI art program to upscale your own art that you already own/created/paid for. The AI blows up your image and uses it’s computer “logic” to fill in the new pixels needed. No use of any art but what you’re feeding it, which is presumably something you own the rights to.
(Accidentally double posted when I tried to clarify this so my previous almost-dulplicate post could probably be deleted if that’s possible!)
Kate Pavelle
I get that AI is the new-and-shiny, but I paint some of my covers, or I have them painted by my professional artist daughter. They are custom works of art. I wouln’t let them near AI. I don’t want machines to learn on our work for other people’s profit and to our detriment.
My daugher sent out some cease-and-desist letters already, removing a huge body of her online artwork from the learning algorighms (you can do that.) However, the damage is done and if somebody wants to generate an image “in the style of” one of her characters, they can.
I will take no part in generative AI this until all the artists are properly compensated.