Illustrating Extinct Birds: My Hybrid Art Journey

​Introducing My Newest Passion Project
Hey there, friends! I'm super excited to give you a behind-the-scenes look at my newest creation—a nonfiction picture book all about the intriguing world of extinct birds.
 
Mixing Up My Illustration Game
I'm trying something totally new in illustration. New to me, at least. I've ventured into a hybrid approach that's a great mix of AI, Photoshop, and Canva. I am learning a lot about AI while satisfying my creative itch. 

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Meet Liam and Harper: Our Little Explorers
Now let's chat about Liam and Harper, the adorable kiddos who teach us about these spectacular birds from the past. Crafting their characters with AI has been, well, a character-building experience for me. Imagine getting them just right—from different angles, in diverse poses, and a range of expressions. It's like a 3D Rubik's Cube I haven't completely solved yet, but I’m still learning and hope to crack the code eventually.
 
The Challenge of Distinct Birds
Luckily, I don’t have to create more than one character for each bird, so I don’t have to worry about the different poses, expressions, or angles too much. But trying to make them historically accurate is its own little game. Sometimes AI gets baffled by distinct markings, so capturing those special touches is another challenge.
 
Polishing It Up in Photoshop
Post-AI, each sketch makes a pit-stop in Photoshop for some glam-up time. Take our pal the dodo bird; AI had a little "oops" moment with its iconic white, curly tail and that dash of black on its beak. So, I personally jumped in for the fine-tuning.
 
Canva and AI: A Visual Symphony
The final pages are a harmonious blend of Canva and AI, creating what I hope my young readers will enjoy. It takes a lot of time to create elements that go into each page, but I like the way it is progressing.
 
Embracing the Learning Curve
This journey of intertwining AI into my creative process has been eye-opening, though a tad bit time-consuming. There's definitely a learning curve, but isn't that what makes any adventure worthwhile?
 
 
 
 
 
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