Bellflower Extract 3 (Patreon)

I alluded to these in yesterday’s post.

From the start of writing Bellflower, I did start sketching the characters but never quite got the best results. But when I was experimenting with AI, I did attempt to throw in some of the character descriptions & was actually really impressed with what I got. The goal was to make them as realistic as I could, while also not basing their appearances too much on any one person. Now it’s a little hard to dial in things like weight so things might fluctuate a little with where the characters are (especially considering when they were done versus where we are in the story), but these are what I have been using as an aid to visualize these characters.

I feel like I always have to always tap the sign & add the AI disclaimer, so here’s that:

I didn’t create these pictures, an algorithm did. They’re a pastiche of a lot of picture data. While every critique is correct on the matter in terms of artists having a say on their work being included in said algos & how there is something a little soulless about it, I still think AI is a helpful tool for creatives that shouldn’t be entirely shunned, just aimed to be used as ethically possible, which falls back on the people using it. That’s why, unless it’s something like a background to art I created, I never paywall any of my AI results. I didn’t create anything after all, just enter text into a text field. Here, it was for the purposes of driving my writing.

Rachel was the first one I did & I was really impressed with the results. The only thing that separates this image from 100% of what I imagined, is just her hair. In my mind, it’s a dyed a bit darker & more of a slightly unnatural maroon. I attempted to inpaint in a different result but it gave me a lot of very strange cuts, & the shape of her hair was pretty spot on for me here. I think it also captured the level of chubbiness I had her at, back when I did this. But I think she’s probably a little thicker now in the story. It also did a good job on her outfit, which for her, I always imagined her idea of ‘business casual’ to be more of a thrifted vintage with bright, vivid colors versus some of the other characters more stark, typical office wear.

Holly turned out ok-ish. I feel like I should keep running iterations to see if I can get something closer, but I do like how something in the eyes, a bit in her nose, where her & Rachel look related. To me anyway. And also her grin’s got that sort of naive positivity I like about her character. Weight wise, I imagine she’s a bit bigger in the current story. This would’ve maybe be somewhere in the middle.

Courtney was a bit tougher because it was harder to knock the model into a larger shape. And even then, it kind of goofs on her outfit, the fact her belly’s separate fabric from the rest of her sweater. Still, it’s better than most of the belly’s where it adds a weird vertical crease or multiple bellybuttons. Anyway, outfit aside, there’s a kind of resignation in her face that fit her character, just prior to her “upgrade” package.

I’m pretty happy with Deidre’s result. Would’ve liked having her hair tuck past her ears but curl forward more. But I had a bunch of iterations that were either too young looking or way too old. I just wanted to make her look a bit further into her thirties, & a little stern, but still approachable & I feel like this sort of nails that. She looks a little tired too, which feels more apt for where she is in the story currently. She could look a little chubbier, but I’m not mad at this because she’s not as heavy as a lot of the other characters & her taller frame kind of helps.

Camille took a lot of work because it gave me a lot of nerds. I think it captured her pretty well though. Definitely could be chunkier though. But there’s a shyness concealing a cutting wit in her eyes. I wish it could’ve been a bit more photographic looking. I feel like it’s still a little stylized looking. But yeah, her eyes & cheeks feel perfect.

And lastly Fran. I was hoping to make her just a wee bit rounder in the middle, & have outfit have more of that kind of 90’s neon-on-black sort of look. But her hair turned out pretty closely to how I envisioned it in my mind’s eye.

I have some of the other girls like Mikayla & Regina (Marissa’s been tough to get right). I might keep trying & add them soon but they didn’t feel as right as these have. And they’ve been helpful to my process, despite all of my stop & go on the project as a whole. I was a little hesitant about sharing these because I worried it might ruin other people’s idea of the characters but please, I try saying it often, but always keep your own interpretation over mine. But having had people ask about visuals, I figured I’d share what I had. Maybe I’ll get my act together & try sketching some more. I’ll definitely have more control. Anyway, hope you enjoy!