I was a professional caricature artist up until 2015, and I have been trying to make the transition to digital ever since. I was doing ok with the screens and Clip Studio , and I have done stuff on the iPad Pro. Never was able to get the good lines like I did with the old Markette markers. CSP got close, but I burnt out after my amputation and I haven't drawn seriously since 2021. Now AI has comein, and I am really liking what I see in terms of it BEING A TOOL... If I can put a picture thru and it generate the render like these experiments, then I may have a way to earn a few bucks. Mind you, I am all about doing the heavy lifting in AI, but finishing up with stylistic embellishment in CSP or Fresco. Will I copy someone else's style? C'mon, guys! If you have ever worked at Kamen's or with the Fazens, or any good amusement park, you learned how to draw in someone else's style! Only after a decade or so did you get the muscle memory to stand out to other artists. Avg customer doesn't care about style. Just PRICE and SPEED.
With AI, though, the damage is done. It's got EVERYBODY's STYLE, including mine, off in there, because my work is all on Instagram and other sites. Again, now that I have been sick, burnt out and crazy ADHD, I'm glad to let AI do the heavy lifting for me. Once I see what I can modify, I can get to work that much faster. Otherwise, I have a heckuva time with art block. Brain Fog just renders me useless.
I like the Gotcha Lora! It's the closest to BOTH Tom Richmond and Gary and Steve Fasen. Then add a 3D render lora or a Pixar Lora, and you got a decent caricature! I just have to make sure that it translates well to img2img. Oh yeah! Set Gotcha to 0.35-0.4 or as the creator says, "CRAP WILL HAPPEN!"
