a_softer_temple

The Artist Spotlight is your inside look into the influences, collaborations and prompts that drive the NightCafe community.

We catch up with some of our most original creators to find what inspires them, who their favorite creators are, and how they use image generator algorithms as part of their work.

NC: WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR WORK?

This is a difficult question for me. Anything and everything I see has some impact on my work.

Music/sounds and other non-visual sensory experiences might turn up in unusual visual ways.

Other reference points include vintage Marvel Comics, illustrated poetry and book art, album cover and concert poster art, film noir, cartoons and comic strips, religious and sacred art, early Dutch renaissance painting.

NC: MOST UNDERRATED ARTIST ON NIGHTCAFE?

I don't know how highly he's rated, but I always find the work of TeaEarlGrayHot exciting, intelligent, hilarious and horrifying. He seems to be very active and always excellent.

NC: PROMPT THAT MOST SURPRISED YOU?

So many.  But a recent one that surprised me was "Famous Artists at Everyday Jobs".

I could only think of a handful of visual artists who would be widely and relatively-easily identifiable, so it was very interesting to see where people went with the prompt.

NC: ANY TIPS FOR PROMPT WRITING?

I prefer the more unusual and somewhat specific prompts.

Fantastical landscapes, for example, appear pretty frequently, even without a prompt, so I find them less interesting as a prompt subject.

Wacky sandwiches, however, pushed my imagination in a direction that I might not have otherwise considered.

NC: WHAT LED YOU TO USING NIGHTCAFE?

A friend, knowing my general interest in art-making, introduced me to NightCafe.

I started experimenting, with the goal of generating visual art to accompany my music and writing projects. I soon began participating in the daily challenges, which are fun and (naturally) challenging, and began exploring some of the great work that is being produced here.

I'm still working on art to accompany other projects, but a lot of what I do is just for my own enjoyment. Hopefully some of that will resonate with others.