<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Originally, children\u2019s book illustration was all done by hand in various media, such as colored pencils, watercolors, or collage. Now, however, all artwork, even that which is carefully crafted by hand, is eventually put into a computer. This is not a bad thing. It actually makes doing layouts a lot easier. Creative apps like Adobe Photoshop and Procreate have made it possible for artists to make spectacular digital images and gorgeous picture books. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n The first big revolutionary change in the children\u2019s book industry was the introduction of print on demand books (POD). This is because in traditional publishing, a book took months to make. Publishers had to make sure that everything was perfect and professional before they could send a book to press. POD books, on the other hand, could be printed immediately. POD technology made it possible for anyone to publish a book who had the means to do so. Companies like Amazon took advantage of this and made it possible for people to publish their books for free. The market for self-published books began to boom.<\/p>\n To self-publish a children\u2019s book, however, you need to be able to finance its creation. This means that unless you are an author\/illustrator with experience in graphic design and perfect grammar, you still need to pay for editing, illustrations, and layout. Most professional illustrators charge between 3-10,000 dollars per book for illustrations and are paid upfront (illustrators are not normally paid royalties). This means that for most authors who choose to self-publish their children\u2019s book, illustrations are the biggest cost. Because of this, many began to look for cheaper ways to make their dream come true. The demand for inexpensive illustrations grew.<\/p>\n In order to find low priced images, many people began to go online to pay for someone overseas where wages are lower to illustrate their book. There are many illustrators on sites like Fiverr which will do an entire picture book for less than $500. Unfortunately, these sites are filled with scams. One of the biggest problems is artists stealing other illustrator\u2019s work and calling it their own to make their profiles look great. Another is illustrators who take money and never send illustrations. Finally, you have illustrators who make entire books using clip art. You would think that this would be easy to spot, but it is rampant in the industry and is a huge problem for various reasons. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n First of all, clip art is actually an illustration done by someone else. When a writer or illustrator uses a bunch of clip art to make an illustration and then puts his\/her\/their name on it and publishes it, it is dishonest. Imagine if you take a bunch of recipes from various cookbooks and put them together in one book and then claim it is yours. Clip art might be fine on a Power Point, but it has no place in children\u2019s book publishing. There are thousands of books with clip art illustrations currently on the market and many authors are unaware that they are being unethical by publishing them. The worst part, is that many of these authors do not even realize that the illustrations that they bought were not original art. For those of us who work in illustration, however, these type of books are easy to spot. The images are often different styles, the shadows are wrong (or non-existent), eye-contact is off, and the parts look cut out. A lot also look like the characters were copied from Disney.<\/p>\n It used to be easy to spot cheap self-published books because so many used clip art. Within the course of less than a year, however, this has completely flipped. Now AI in children\u2019s books is all the rage. Unlike clip art, AI images are on a completely different level. Many of the images coming out of AI are absolutely amazing. It\u2019s no wonder that tons of people are using AI as an opportunity to make their dream book a reality. Nevertheless, using AI in a children\u2019s book has a lot of negative side effects and many of these are why my colleagues and I are angry. <\/p>\n First of all, there is currently no copyright on AI as a computer generates the images. That means that if you publish a book full of AI images, there is not much stopping someone from copying or sharing your images. This area is just too new and there isn\u2019t much legal precedence.<\/p>\n Secondly, AI runs its algorithms based off actual artwork. Imagine taking a bunch of famous paintings and collaging them together and saying it is your work. It is actually not, especially because you didn\u2019t even do the collaging yourself. Of course, AI generation is a bit more complicated than a collage, but you get the point. Plus, the artists are not being compensated or acknowledged for their work. In addition many authors inadvertently place only their name on the cover of their AI illustrated children\u2019s book so that everyone assumes that they are the illustrator. Unfortunately, I see this every day on the forums that I am on. There is always a newbie author pushing their debut book with AI images, only their name on the cover, and no admission that they used AI to create it. I\u2019ll be honest, people buying cheap illustrations frustrate me but people trying to skip paying someone entirely and take the credit for it frustrate me even more. Nevertheless, AI makes it easy to take credit for amazing illustrations that you didn\u2019t actually create.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Finally, many illustrators are losing work. The amount of AI produced work is overwhelming the industry. Literary agents are flooded with AI produced books. Publishers have stopped submissions because they do not know how to handle the amount that they have received. This means that authors and illustrators who have been spending months creating high quality books are unable to get their books in the hands of the people who need to see them. When authors and illustrators say that they are worried about their jobs this has more to do with just AI making neat pictures. Just like photography killed the editorial artist, AI will put a lot of illustrators out of business. The technology is just too revolutionary. AI is able to generate illustrations which rival even the best traditional artists at almost no cost. <\/p>\n Human illustrators cost money for a reason because doing illustration is a lot of work. I got my master\u2019s degree in illustration and book design, and I spend hours on each illustration I make. I\u2019m proud of the work that I produce. At the moment, I use AI for ideas. I won\u2019t use it in my books, because I want people to know that when my name is listed as illustrator that I did all of the artwork myself. Maybe someday I will use AI to make even better illustrations. Perhaps I\u2019ll use it to add backgrounds, shadows, or to create entirely new images. I have no idea, but I am sure that I will have to find a way to work with this technology or get out of the way.<\/p>\n So why does AI make illustrators so upset? In the end, I think most of us are not angry at AI. We know that AI has a lot of uses and is here to stay. We are frustrated, however, with people who misuse it for their own gain. We are annoyed at people taking credit for artwork that they didn\u2019t create and those who use cheap illustrations instead of paying an expert to do the job. We are irritated that the artists whose work is being used by AI are not contacted, acknowledged, or compensated. We are angry at how recklessly AI is being used in our industry and how that recklessness is damaging our livelihood. We are upset because we know that a lot of us may not be working in illustration ten years from now. The industry as we know it is gone. AI is here and our world as illustrators will never be the same. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I posted this blog post to my friends and colleagues on various illustrator and publisher forums and asked for opinions on AI. Here is the response:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Matthew McLemore<\/strong><\/a>, \u201cFor those saying it won\u2019t take the jobs of talented professionals\u2026 It IS taking those jobs. It\u2019s not a hypothetical.\u201d<\/p>\n Kathleen Fain<\/strong>, \u201cWell I think it’s mainly because people will lose jobs , same as writers. I also feel like I have worked really hard to acquire my skills and when a robot can do it in a matter of seconds, that’s depressing.\u201d<\/p>\n Santhya Shenbagam<\/strong>, \u201cTo say that Ai is slowly taking the essence of illustrators is an understatement. I do understand lot of people still use and value the work of illustrators, but I don’t see how we can adapt to this new future.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarah Lovell<\/strong>, \u201cAI makes me feel worried . I\u2019ve draw all the time , if a day goes by when I don\u2019t , it feels wrong ! I\u2019ve put years of really hard work into my portfolio , following choosing art throughout my whole education up to university. I\u2019m really determined to make it as an illustrator of children\u2019s books , but the rise of AI feels like a threat to all my hard work .<\/p>\n I hope that publishers continue to see the value a real human brings to the artwork they create : the hours of dedication, the passion for their art , the determination despite rejection and ultimately the human touch and person to person connection behind handmade artwork , which I hope will keep us ahead of the machines.\u201d<\/p>\n Emma Danielle Clements<\/strong>, \u201cI am not angry about it. Think needs to be careful how used and relied upon\u2026 At the moment a lot of people can turn a blind eye because it’s not yet effecting them. But the moment the writers that may look at AI art as a cheaper alternative until they find that AI can write better books by taking all the work they and a million other authors have written, then this conversation will be different.\u201d<\/p>\n Penn Tomassetti<\/strong><\/a>, \u201cI have the feeling that ai art is for people and companies who want cheap art. I think there will still be a place for good illustrators, but it will be narrower.\u201d<\/p>\n RaHeem Bos<\/strong>, \u201cIllustrators having been passing off clip art in mediocre books for years now. Them using AI now is no different. The people who turn to AI generated images and stories for final products instead of using it as a tool to build off of or just paying for illustrators and writers are the same ones who would be low balling us and would be a nightmare to work for anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n Just like with clip art, it’s going to saturate a very specific portion of the market. But if you’re putting out quality work, you will still be fine.<\/p>\n Holly Pearce<\/strong>, \u201cWhilst the prospect of AI scares me, I\u2019m hoping that we will see a distinction between the desirability of AI artwork and authentic \u2018organic\u2019 art. I\u2019ve tried to reassure myself that it\u2019ll be a bit like other industries that have been automated\u2026 I think ultimately people want to connect with other humans and creators when they consume art.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Laurie Barrows,<\/strong> \u201cAI is cheating, lazy, infringes on copyright, can\u2019t be copyrighted, has a weird look to it, and lacks the creativity of the human hand & mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Holly Brooke Jones<\/strong>, \u201cI\u2019m not too worried, since ai artwork can\u2019t be copyright protected. If publishers want to protect their book artwork through copyright, they\u2019ll need to hire an actual illustrator.\u201d<\/p>\n Janine Carrington<\/strong>, \u201cAI art is stolen art masquerading as original creations.\u201d<\/p>\n Patti Argoff<\/strong>, \u201cWhen producing an image, these AI generators present something to you as if it\u2019s copyright free, every image a generative tool produces is an infringing on the copyrighted work of another artist.<\/p>\n The bottom line is, artists who have not consented to have their copyrighted artwork included in these AI databases, are not compensated for their work.\u201d<\/p>\n Heather O. Prince<\/strong>, \u201cAI takes content from the Internet to piece together its art. No credit is given to the original artists of the content it uses. AI steals our art to create its art. This is why I’m angry.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jeremiah Rounds<\/strong>, \u201cI would implore every illustrator to learn AI. It’s not going away, it’s going to permeate every industry, and those who have a background in traditional art are naturally going to be able to create better images utilizing AI then any untrained person will be able to.\u201d<\/p>\n Janine Carrington<\/strong>, \u201cIf there is something\/someone that can get the job done faster and cheaper then it’s our job to adapt or go extinct.\u201d<\/p>\n Buni Arts<\/strong>, \u201cWith technology, humans are not making their lifestyle simpler. Instead, we are adding more and more things to our work routines. I am sure that AI will make humans’ lifestyles more complex in the future. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but the truth is that it is happening.\u201d<\/p>\n Juanita Taylor,<\/strong> \u201cI think the key is to not completely reject the changes that scare us just because they make us uncomfortable, but at the same time use our judgement and understand that there is a proper and improper way to use AI.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Karen Ferreira<\/strong>, \u201cAI illustrations may be cheaper and easier to create, but they are not the right choice for our children’s books. Our children deserve meaningful, creative illustrations that capture their imagination and bring the stories to life. Anything less than that is simply not good enough for our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilyana Kamenova<\/strong>, \u201cI just can’t agree when people pass AI art as their own and call themselves artist. When they pick up pencil and actually put some work into it, then we’ll talk. I personally find it boring. It’s over rendered not actually suitable for children’s books.\u201d<\/p>\n John Thomas<\/strong>, \u201cSome will create with ai and some will not, but in both cases, quality and creativity will rise to the top.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As you can see, illustrators have a lot to say on the issue of AI. I\u2019ll let you know how this develops and perhaps write another post sometime in the future on the subject. If you have thoughts on AI and how it is affecting your job, please add them to the comments below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n Join me in fighting for schools that support empathy, diversity, and acceptance and that work against book banning and censorship. School is More Than a Building<\/strong> is a children\u2019s book which celebrates the importance of schools for children\u2019s health and well-being. Freedom to Read<\/strong> is an extended picture book about the value of books and what life would be like in the future if they were forbidden. <\/p>\n Have you ever wanted to write a children\u2019s book? Check out Kelley\u2019s webinars for beginners in self-publishing.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5bb879a4fd679363644b73ef\/4878ede5-f8c8-4d13-afd9-23da9b7a68b7\/AIX+Watercolor2.jpg?format=1000w\")
<\/p>\nTraditional and Digital illustration<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5bb879a4fd679363644b73ef\/de7c660c-0466-49ff-b648-d1b6955deb7f\/AIX+Digital.jpg?format=1000w\")
<\/p>\nThe influence of POD<\/h2>\n
The demand for cheap illustrations<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5bb879a4fd679363644b73ef\/34e9ff50-fb45-4e6b-8d01-82bf23e28d69\/AIX+Clip+Art.jpg?format=1000w\")
<\/p>\nThe AI revolution<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5bb879a4fd679363644b73ef\/522fb0bf-19ca-4b28-bca3-804e24c57006\/AIX+Poor+me+1.jpg?format=1000w\")
<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5bb879a4fd679363644b73ef\/13ded28d-92c7-4b00-b11c-9594c9975954\/AIX+Poor+me+2.jpg?format=1000w\")
<\/p>\nWhy are illustrators angry?<\/h2>\n
Part 2: <\/h2>\n
Opinions from children\u2019s book illustrators<\/h2>\n
AI is killing illustrator jobs:<\/h2>\n
AI is more or less stolen art:<\/h2>\n
Illustrators need to evolve:<\/h2>\n
AI is inferior quality:<\/h2>\n
In Conclusion<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5bb879a4fd679363644b73ef\/abe15907-6f19-45f8-a1c8-2dd37db5e387\/AIX+Ad.jpg?format=1000w\")
<\/p>\nJoin me<\/h2>\n
\n School is More Than a building
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
\n Freedom to Read
\n <\/a><\/p>\n