A Very Important Update from Nathan!
Added 2025-03-19 20:01:16 +0000 UTCSee his response!
To start this, we always feel bad questioning an artist in any way, especially when they have such a proven track record because a computer told us to do so.
I believe Nathan’s response was genuine and we are very appreciative of him showing us more about his process. We do feel bad for questioning him. To question an artist is to also question their integrity. We are very thankful to work with artists and retailers that share the same viewpoints as we do in regards to being honest. As you can see in attach images from Nathan, even Nathan’s COLORED PENCIL drawing, is being popped for AI using the online tool to detect AI. Unfortunately, these computer AI tools can always be taken as truth.
Comments
Honestly when I read the comments on these posts I get even more confused it went from who knows if he uses a.i., to he might use a.i., to he does use a.i. but only for certain parts (depending on your interpretation it may be major use or minor). I honestly don’t know because if the point of this question at the beginning was if we were comfortable with the Patreon considering it was just speculation is it not speculation anymore? Is he gonna still be doing the covers if he does use a.i. or am I just misunderstanding what is happening.
caedster
2025-03-24 13:15:15 +0000 UTCFYI. Message from Nathan "I’ve always loved trying new things in my art. Back in the day, I pushed a simple blue ballpoint pen to its limits to achieve photorealism. Later, I jumped into digital painting when it was still pretty new, while many traditional artists didn’t consider it “real art”. I get why people are skeptical about new tools. Today, I'm integrating a personally tailored technique into my workflow, not as a replacement for human skill, but as an accelerator for my own ideas and creativity. I work using all digital technologies locally, so I have complete control over everything. Every piece starts with my own sketches, concepts, 3D models, or pictures I personally take of my own live female models. Then I use a tool called ControlNet (it’s kind of like 3D rendering) to help fine-tune the results and make sure they match what I’m imagining. It’s not about the machine taking over (especially since I’m a control freak) —it's about using a sophisticated tool to accelerate and realize my creative concepts. One thing that’s really important to me: I’ve trained my own LoRA using only my own art. That means everything it helps me create is based on my style,my work and specific preferences (...control freak). I don’t use or reference other artists’ stuff at all—it’s all me. There are big ethical concerns around AI and art, and I take that stuff seriously. I also get why people are worried about AI in art. A lot of it comes from fear—fear of losing jobs, fear of art losing its value, fear of machines taking over. But I think a lot of that fear comes from misunderstandings or intentional misinformation. It’s like when digital art first became a thing—people thought it was “cheating” because you could undo mistakes or use shortcuts. But digital art still takes skill, vision, and creativity. It’s the same with AI. I’m still doing the heavy lifting—coming up with the ideas, refining the details, and making sure the final piece looks exactly 100% the way I envisioned it from the start. The AI part is just a small piece of the puzzle, mostly helping me figure out lighting and shadows, and it only takes up about 10% of my time. A full piece usually takes me 15 to 25 hours, depending on how complicated it is. I’m not here to defend AI or convince anyone to use it. I just want to have honest conversations about it. I want to show how it can be used in a way that’s ethical, responsible, creative, unique and original. I’ve always loved sharing what I learn—whether it’s through teaching, running my own art academy, or just talking with other artists. I’m not about gatekeeping or keeping secrets. If I find something that works, I want to share it. And right now, this is just another tool in my toolbox, helping me make the art I want to make."
Mold Man Robert
2025-03-21 15:58:37 +0000 UTC
