28.2.23

How I Made a Photorealistic Image Using an Artificial Intelligence Image Generator

In this post, I talk about how I create photorealistic images using artificial intelligence.
So. I did a thing. I learned how to create incredible drawings, photographs, and clip art using an artificial intelligence image generator. It's called Dall-E 2 (get, it?) and you can do some rather impressive things with it. Based on detailed command prompts like, "Draw a crayon drawing of X," or "Create a block print of Pandora opening a box only to find a delicious cupcake." The more specific the prompt, the better results.

Sometimes the results are rather stunning. I asked, "“Create a UHD 8k portrait of a silly curly headed middle school boy laughing out loud and enjoying life against the backdrop of an an-all-you-can-eat buffet.” Here is what it created:
Find a bunch of my clip art creations on TpT.
PDF Copy for Printing

Clip Art: Pandora Eats a Cupcake

Pandora opens the box. And she eats a cupcake.
Source: Created by Stones of Erasmus, block print (with digital elements added by open-source artificial intelligence). This image is created and made with love by Stones of Erasmus (stonesoferasmus.com).

25.2.23

Discover the Difference Between Raster and Vector Images: Clip Art Fun!

I have recently started making my own clip art, and the difference between raster and vector images is really important. Raster images are made from pixels, so when you zoom in on them, you can see the pixelated image, which appears fuzzier to the eye. While not always as detailed as a raster image, a vector image can be scaled and resized without giving off the dreaded pixelated effect. A vector image is made using basic computer geometry — shapes!

Here is a clip art image I made of a school girl with moppish hair giving off Little Orphan Annie vibes:

26.1.23

Aesthetic Thursdays: A.I. Art Made by Dall-E 2 — A Gallery of Images

I asked Dall-E 2, a powerful artificial intelligence that can generate original images, to create works of art based on specific instructions I gave, along with minor adjustments I made myself.

1. This is me reading a book and sipping coffee in my private library.
2. I asked the A.I. to make a Diane Arbus-inspired photograph of a boy with wings.

22.1.23

Celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit: On an Outing to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this post, I write about how I celebrated Lunar New Year and saw a rabbit, listened to a Mandarin-speaking docent talk about silver sculptures of the Buddha and watched an interactive dragon dance performance in the Great Hall.
A blue dragon dances in line at the Great Hall in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
A dragon dancer joins the line in the Great Hall at the Metropolitan Museum of Art 
A troupe of dragon dancers from the Chinese Center on Long Island get ready to perform.
Dragon Dancers
from Long Island
As we said goodbye to one year and welcomed another, I celebrated Lunar New Year with @juky_chen. From stunning works of art depicting classic examples of the rabbit to drums and a dragon 🐲 dance, it was a truly unique experience that I’ll never forget.

My journey began with exploring some incredible pieces on display of porcelain and jade works depicting the rabbit. In galleries 208 and 211, a Mandarin-speaking docent spoke about different sculptures of the Buddha carved out of silver. Only sixteen examples of this Buddha exist, and the museum owns two. The highlight for me was seeing firsthand how much detail went into each item — something that can get lost in photographs or videos. It made me appreciate more just how much work went into creating them!
A Metropolitan Museum of Art docent talks about a sculpture of Buddha in gallery 208 and 211.
A museum docent talks about a
16th-century Buddha sculpture from China.

Next up were several interactive exhibits focusing on different aspects of Lunar New Year celebrations, including the dragon dance in the Great Hall, kids dressed traditionally, music performances, and much more. It felt like being part of something special as the museum filled with festive joy while everyone got involved in what they saw before them — all while learning more about this important holiday’s cultural background.

Finally, I ended my day by visiting the gift shop, where I found many items related to Lunar New Year festivities, such as fans, banners for decoration, and all sorts of memorabilia perfect for taking home as souvenirs or decorations for future years' celebrations!
A Met Teen volunteers for the 2023 Lunar New Year event.
Overall it had been an unforgettable day full of discoveries that will stay with me forever — it reminded me why museums are so important: without their presence, these precious memories would disappear over time, leaving us none wiser than when we arrived!

22.12.22

Quotes from Bonesana and Rimbaud: Embracing Unity in Diversity: The Strength of Our Collective Individuality

Explore the beautiful intersection of individuality and collective unity as we dive into an unconventional New York City commute experience. Find solace in the words of Cesare Bonesana and Arthur Rimbaud, reminding us of our shared humanity and continuous evolution.
"Happy is the nation without a history."
- Cesare Bonesana, Marchese di Beccaria

Reflecting upon Cesare Bonesana, Marchese di Beccaria's words, "Happy is the nation without a history," I found a profound truth in the heart of an enigmatic dream. A regular New York City train became the stage of an unconventional tableau. Suddenly, as we pulled into the Atlantic Avenue station, the train erupted into a harmonious chorus of "OK!" But this wasn't a robotic reply, common to our daily commute.

In this spontaneous symphony, every passenger became an active participant, their voices coalescing into a vibrant affirmation of the moment. Each voice retained its individuality, yet melded into a harmonic collective, creating a soundscape antithetical to the cacophony we associate with the city's hustle and bustle.

I think about this moment when I read about how divided we are as a nation: red and blue, gay and straight, white, brown, black, and I know we have a lot of work to do to come together. But when people have to come together, when you have to buy your books from the bookstore and not shop online, in the comfort of your apartment, or when you have to pick up your laundry from the local laundry-o-mat, you come into contact with faces, with someone, an identity. Another who has a story.

Individuality is the idea that I am a unique being on this planet. No one is more unique than me. But as someone once told me, "You're unique. Just like everyone else." It is not that individuality is wrong or bad. I love embracing individuality — but individuality is different than solipsism. I exist because of the other, as Arthur Rimbaud, the French Symbolist poet, wrote, "Je est un autre." I am the other. It is a line from Rimbaud's poem "A Season in Hell," published in 1873. The poem is a semi-autobiographical account of Rimbaud's spiritual and psychological crisis. In the line "Je est un autre," Rimbaud expresses that the self is not a fixed or stable entity. Instead, the self is constantly changing and evolving. We are all "others" to ourselves because we are continually becoming new people.

The line "Je est un autre" has been interpreted differently. Some scholars believe that it rejects the traditional notion of the self. Others believe it is a celebration of the fluidity and mutability of the self. Still, others believe it is a call for us to embrace our inner "others" and see them as a source of creativity and growth.

Whatever the interpretation, the line "Je est un autre" is a powerful and provocative statement about the nature of the self. It reminds us that we are not static beings but constantly becoming.

I was probably feeling like Rimbaud. On the train. With others. But totally myself. And that recognition, that shared "ah ha" moment when we had all reached Atlantic Avenue on the D train. Together. This dream encapsulates the beauty of individuality with each other — a nation that reverberates in unison, even amidst such identity. Such a country may not have a shared history, but it suggests happiness from the serendipity of the present.

11.12.22

Grandson and Grandfather: Birthday Portrait

I went to a birthday party today in Jersey City.
A one-year-old and his ninety-nine-and-a-half year old grandfather

I like comparing and contrasting, juxtaposing, and setting images side by side. When @seefuego’s son, the birthday boy, smiled at his ninety-nine-and-a-half-year-old grandfather, I quickly snapped the picture. Noah just turned one. His grandfather, an immigrant from the South of Italy, will turn one hundred soon. He told me he had fought during World War Two, stationed on an island in Guam. When the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Japan — he told me, “The war was over, but it took me five months to get home. Once the transport ship arrived in Los Angeles, I had to fly home [back to New York].” He also spoke about being an Italian kid — “Growing up, I spoke a dialect of Italian, and I did not know English well. But in school, I was forbidden from speaking Italian. And I had to stand in the back of the classroom. I thought fighting in the war would prove my service to my country. So I joined the war effort. I was young.” It was remarkable hearing his story — and listening to him as Noah, his grandchild, frolicked in a space suit — his obsession. And by coincidence — his birthday coincides with the @nasa Artemis moon mission — an uncrewed spacecraft that safely returned to Earth today.
#jersey #immigrant #immigration #birthday #italy #centenarian via stonesoferasmus.com