ART FROM THE SOUL: OSCAR BRADY

Savannah sat down with Oscar Brady to discuss his art and how he overcomes Generative AI in this cyberpunk world.

Hot off winning the grossout contest at AuthorCon VII, Oscar Brady has been making a name for himself in the extreme horror community, not only with his written prose, but with his unique art. Here’s what Oscar had to say, as this week’s Art from the soul focuses on his irreverent art.

SAVANNAH FISCHER: Tell me about your personal experience in the field of cover design?

OSCAR BRADY: I got started by doing my own covers, then decided to get into offering premade and custom covers as a service to my fellow indie authors. Now I also provide illustrations, including for children’s books!

SF: Are you a traditional cover artist, or do you consider yourself a graphic designer?

OB: Traditional? All of my covers are hand-drawn and illustrated using a digital drawing app, Procreate, which has no AI integration. I will sometimes use free stock photos for background textures (e.g. wood grain, grass), but otherwise all elements are drawn by hand. I also use stock photos for reference to make sure I get proportions right, but more than half the time when I want to draw a person in a certain pose, I can’t find the perfect image that encapsulates that so end up just sketching it then drawing over top with the subject.

SF: What originally drew you to the field?

OB: For my own books, I wanted to design my covers. Since I already have a background in drawing and painting as a hobby, I thought it would be better to just do it all myself. For others’ books, I wanted to support the community by providing an affordable option for my fellow indies, to help remove the temptation they might experience to use AI instead of hiring a real artist.

SF: What have you seen since the rise of AI? How has it affected you personally and the field as a whole?

OB: Like it does to the environment, Generative AI has been polluting the creative community pretty much since its advent. Against the old adage, most readers will judge a book by its cover, so of course, every author wants to have an eye-catching cover that draws people in. But most indie authors can’t afford a $500+ cover so they think it’s better to just use AI instead of seeking more affordable alternatives. It’s really just an indication of laziness more than anything. Indie authorship existed well before AI and those authors were able to figure it out. Personally, it’s discouraging to see people consider themselves creators or artists while they actively work against the creative community. 

SF: How has the advent of AI impacted your income?

OB: I’m not in it for the money, I just love to create. That being said, several authors who I’ve done covers for have said that I am undervaluing my art. My rates are super low because of AI art being the “free” option.

SF: What steps do you use to prevent the accidental use of AI elements? How do you verify the integrity of your elements?

OB: As mentioned, I draw everything by hand, but I still don’t want to even use AI for reference in my drawings. Because I filter through these images so frequently and am a member of many book groups, I’ve gotten very good at identifying AI even at a glance. So my first filter is not using the image if it “looks” AI. However, I admit, at times, real art can sometimes look AI-generated and vice versa. When searching stock photo catalogs, I make sure the image I wish to use for reference is not marked as AI. Fortunately, some stock sites at least mark most AI-generated images as such. Next, for stock images, it helps to see if there are more, similar images by the same photographer. Generally, photographers will take multiple photos as part of a set with the same model(s). And when able, I’ll just take a picture of myself or use parts of my own body for reference.

SF: What should the general public know about AI as a whole, and AI elements?

OB: There is a difference between assistive AI and generative AI (GenAI). Generally, when the AI apologists say that “AI is everywhere and it’s unavoidable,” they’re conflating these two distinct types of AI. Assistive AI has been around for decades, and is essentially advanced computer programming to help you with doing tasks. These algorithms are much smaller, able to be stored on a single device. And yes, it is integrated in almost everything technological so it is hard to avoid, though it is far less problematic. GenAI, on the other hand, generates new information based on massive amounts of data it’s been fed and makes guesses as to what comes next. As such, it often misinforms and hallucinates, and requires much more computing power to process: massive data centers that have become one of the top ten global users of electricity, ahead of entire countries. Another helpful key difference between the two is that assistive AI is helping in the medical field and with GPS technology, while generative AI is being used by pedophiles to create CSAM.

GenAI is an affront to the creative community. All artists “steal” concepts in various ways, but GenAI is trained on stolen art without artists’ consent while lining the pockets of billionaire tech CEOs. It literally steals from the poor and gives to the rich, while overusing energy and polluting water supplies while we were already going through a climate crisis. And even if you have no scruples or willfully ignore all of the ethical issues with GenAI, it’s just lazy to use it and shows that as an author, you don’t really care enough about your story to put forward the necessary effort. Why should someone spend the money and take the time to read your book if you won’t do the same in creating it?

SF: In what ways do you combat AI’s intrusion into art?

OB: I don’t buy or promote anything that uses AI-generated content. I try to inform, but at this point, people who use it are already aware of the ethical issues and simply don’t care. Primarily, I try to combat AI by offering affordable handmade covers for those seeking to avoid using GenAI.

SF: What should the public look for when attempting to verify art?

OB: I mean, the extra appendages are a dead giveaway. Skin will often have a weird, plasticky look. Unless text is the focus, it will be weird and malformed. Then when it is the focus, AI always uses the same generated font which is just an average looking typeface. GenAI also still has a problem with hair texture and eyes will look lifeless. AI-generated photos will have details that blend into each other and reflections and angles that don’t make sense. Plus, a lot of generated images have a piss-yellow tint to them.

But, never assume! People trying to fight AI have been labeled as conducting a witch hunt, which is a misnomer anyway because there really are witches in this case: scammers who claim not to use AI, AI apologists, and their ilk. Do some research! If you suspect an image is AI, check the account of the person who posted it. If it’s AI-generated, usually you’ll find clearer examples on their public profiles. If you’re an author and you suspect your cover designer used AI, just ask! Most cover designers will not be offended as we are working to combat AI as well and will gladly “show our work!”

Savannah R. Fischer is the permanently exhausted pigeon in charge of two well-loved chaos gremlins. When not with her family, she can usually be found in her cave, wrapped in an oversized blanket and dreaming of spinach puffs. She wants to show her gremlins that they can do hard things, even when it’s scary, like pulling the wrong lever and ending up in a pit of alligators. No llamas were harmed in the making of her works of horror.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing, nor do the views or opinions of Crystal Lake necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or its staff. Thank you for understanding.