Artificial Intelligence, AI Art & Optical Illusions
Take AI Art to New Heights With This Optical Illusion
Step up your skills with the magic of anamorphic chalk art
Hey there, AI art enthusiasts and optical illusionists! Remember the hidden face portraits we talked about just last week? Well, button up your overcoat, because I’ve got another exciting optical illusion to show you. And this time, I pioneered it. You won’t see these images anywhere else! Join me on a trip up a stairway magically transformed through AI and anamorphic chalk art.
Stairs or Canvas? Both, Actually!
Have you ever stumbled upon those touristy stairs with breathtaking chalk scenes of towering mountains or cascading waterfalls painted on the edges? And from a specific viewpoint, the art just pops and the whole scene comes alive? Well, it’s an incredible form of art called “Trompe l’oeil Escalier” or more simply, anamorphic stair art. This art form plays with our perception and tricks our eyes into seeing a three-dimensional scene on a flat surface, or strangely enough, vice versa (a 2D image—like the Mona Lisa—on steps).
If you ever get a chance to see one in person, make sure to walk around and view it from multiple angles to fully appreciate the optical trickery at work!
But, wait for it… I’ve now managed to recreate this magic with an AI art image generator! 🤖 It builds upon the work in my previous article on hidden faces (pareidolia) because they both require a ‘double image’.
A bit of a stretch: What is anamorphic art?
Anamorphic art is a type of art that appears distorted unless viewed from a specific perspective or through a particular lens or device (like a mirror). To the casual observer or when viewed from a different angle, the image will look stretched and skewed. But when seen from the intended perspective, the image will appear to pop out—and can even look three-dimensional!
The optical illusion is created by distorting the proportions of the image, while exploiting the rules of linear perspective and the physical canvas.
Chalk + AI + Perspective = Pure Magic!
I also made some regular sidewalk chalk art images, but contrary to how things are in the real world, these were easier than stairs (we’ll get to why that is shortly). Stairs were the real challenge for AI. But still, here you go:
How is 3D chalk art street painting done?
Now, let’s pull back the curtain a tad. How do artists make these wonders? Artists usually start by sketching a grid on the ground to help them plot the proportions of the image. They then use the grid as a guide to fill in the details. Seasoned artists sometimes skip the grid and can visualize the distortion required to create the effect with maximum optical oomph.
Stairs are a godsend for this art form. Artists use stairs to their advantage because the uniform, sequential nature of steps is the perfect playground for tweaking perspective. It allows artists to create an image that appears dramatic when, in reality, it’s just splashed across the edges of the stairs.
AI Meets Anamorphic Art: My Digital Gallery 🖼️
Stepping into Inspiration
Now, before we go on, let me tip my hat (or should I say digital paintbrush?) to the real-world artists that inspired my AI creations. Several artists have gained recognition for their anamorphic art on stairs, transforming them into beautiful canvases. While many street artists work occasionally with stairs, a few are especially noteworthy for their stair-based installations:
- Lang Baumann: This artist duo (Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann) has created various installations worldwide. Their “Beautiful Steps” series transforms ordinary stairs into interactive and engaging works of art.
- Various Artists in Valparaíso, Chile: This city is known for its steep hills and stairs. Over the years, artists have transformed the stairways of Valparaíso into artworks, from piano keyboards to flowing rivers.
- Staircase Street Art Festival in Beirut: Here’s a heartwarming one. After the tragic Beirut blast in 2020, artists united to turn staircases in the areas into symbols of hope and resilience. Their vibrant works now stand as a testament to the indomitable, transformative human spirit.
- Zacharevic: Based in Malaysia, Zacharevic is well-known for integrating physical objects into his murals. In Penang, he’s created several pieces that incorporate stairs in a way that they become part of a larger story.
How I made Anamorphic Stair Art with AI
Feeling curious about how I manage to emulate this art with AI? Well, it’s actually a very time-consuming process (my apologies to the throngs that yell “Prompt?” at AI artists. It doesn’t work like that; you can’t just replicate results with keywords. The magical ingredients are “time” and “patience”).
It’s less about the words than it is using Midjourney’s nifty new, trusty tools.
I didn’t use any post-production; the stairs were all unedited Midjourney outputs, which is becoming a point of pride amongst some AI artists.
Chalk it up to experience
A magician never reveals all their secrets! But in this case it’s also hard to explain a knack. Let’s just say that it involves “Reroll”, “Vary (Subtle)”, and “Vary (Region)”. Start with generating your steps and increasingly overlay the desired image onto your canvas, much as a real chalk artist might do (and change your style to chalk). However, every piece requires a touch of personal finesse, a dash of artistry, and many, many cups of cappuccino ☕
Stepping Up in AI Artistry
There’s been a big shift in AI art since they introduced the Vary tools and inpainting. This gives AI artists more artistic input and control, and we’re seeing people more firmly develop their own personal style and aesthetic.
It reminds me of Stephan Ango’s thinkpiece defending AI art last year, entitled A Camera For Ideas, that compares image generators to “a revolutionary new kind of camera” that turns ideas into pictures.
So, the next time you’re climbing a set of stairs, remember that every step can be a canvas. And for those of us working with AI, every click brings us closer to the peak of our artform. In the world of AI art, the sky (or shall I say, the top step?) is the limit. Let’s keep that creativity climbing! 🤖 🎨🪜
Who is Jim the AI Whisperer?
Jim the AI Whisperer offers private coaching on how to write original and compelling content, as well as how to use AI generators to create stunning visuals. If you’re interested in discovering more, feel free to contact me.
I’m also available for podcasts, interviews, fine-tuning AI prompts, and creating prompt libraries and professional AI images for companies.
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