Take the "Art" out of AI

Claude, ChatGPT, and OpenAI are part of our lives now. You ask it what to have for breakfast, what your color season is, and you might be using it for that paper due Friday at 11:59, but please don't use it for your tattoo.

The Appeal

On a client end, using generative software seems to bridge the gap between client vision and artist execution. In seconds a website can recreate the elements of a tattoo that are most important to you. You can find picture perfect and hyperrealistic references super easily.

AI overrides communication gaps between artist and client, and can get your artist a clear idea of your vision in record time.

The Problem

AI is a "yes and" machine, meaning it will only ever affirm exactly what you are looking to create. While that sounds helpful, all it is doing is the same thing Photoshop would with extra steps: superimposing an image onto your skin in an unrealistic manner. AI removes the nuance that only an artist understands. Skin has pores, wrinkles, different levels of laxity, and comes in different tones, and rendering a 2 dimensional image is not accurate to the limitations of skin that only a professional will be able to work against.

How actual skin looks up close.

AI will not tell you that needles don't come in sizes thinner than a strand of hair, or the trauma to the skin a needle that thin would cause. Additionally, it overvalues white highlights, which show up differently on every skin tone and do not actually heal this brightly. AI doesn't warn clients that packing ultra thin lines will heal into a muddy mess.

AI also doesn't take into account that deeper skin tones require more open space for a proper heal.

Ex. Below is an AI rendered design of a finger tattoo. This level of micro realism cannot be achieved by even the best artist. Showing this design to an artist and seeing their simpler version feels a bit underwhelming, but the version an artist comes up would take into account blowouts, the texture of the skin on hands, or how frequently washing makes hand tattoos harder to heal.

This image is also zoomed in, imagine seeing something this small in person.

If white was removed from this image it would look like a dark, blurry mess, wouldn't it?

To make a long story short, it is always best to consult with an artist directly on what design would be best for you. Sometimes we can come up with something even better!