We wanted to be transparent about the creation of the artwork for the novel and the YouTube series, so we've outlined our process of creation below.
Originally we created drawings for the characters many years ago when the story was first conceived. Over time we hired concept artists to create more professional looking art based on our drawings and specifications. When we were originally making the video game, we created many 3D models using DAZ 3D and other related tools.
Utilizing all of the previous work, we currently use Midjourney to create all of the finalized artwork. Midjourney is an AI art tool that allows you to edit art, along with generating new artwork. Even after the art is generated we've spent many, many hours editing the artwork using tools like GIMP.
Since we are only a small team of people with a very limited budget, Midjourney was our best option for creating the massive amount of art needed for the novels and YouTube series. We already spent hundreds of dollars for concept artists, and that process if very time consuming.
We understand the controversy some feel towards AI tools, and wanted to address this upfront with our customers and fan base. In the future, if we generate the proper amount of money, we will gladly hire the artists necessary to illustrate our vision, but alas that is not currently an option.
We hope this explanation answers everyone's questions or concerns regarding the artwork. No AI was used for any other part of the novel's creation, including the writing. Feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or concerns you'd like answered.
Below is only a snippet of some of the artwork we originally created for Star Empress Trine : The Search for Unity.
