BlinD Imagery's interview

Meet BlinD Imagery (@blind_imagery on X), a visionary artist whose work delves deep into the subconscious, blending the macabre with the beautiful in a way that both captivates and unsettles. As he describes himself, BlinD Imagery brings "the beauty of the mind’s subconscious" to life through a remarkable fusion of mixed media and cutting-edge AI technology. His art masterfully walks the line between horror and beauty, pulling viewers into a world where darkness reveals unexpected allure, proving that beauty, as he states himself, can indeed be found in even the darkest of places.

BlinD Imagery’s execution is nothing short of astonishing. His pieces are rendered with extreme precision and clarity, creating high-resolution works that seem to come to life on screen. Whether human or monstrous, his subjects—often eerie, grotesque, and fearsome—are lit in unparalleled ways. His creatures and demons are at times well-defined, as if illuminated by an elusive spotlight off-screen, or they simply emerge from the shadows, haunting and ambiguous. Fearsome, they stand alongside or entrap their human subjects with an intensity that is both terrifying and breathtaking, looming ominously over men, women, and children alike. For me, some of his art evokes the sensation of viewing nightmarish content through a vintage Stereoscope View-Master, but in the sharpest, highest definition imaginable.

His overall style carries the spirit of pulp horror, evoking a sense of fear and dread, yet always with an artistic touch that sets his work apart. The imagery is graphic, visceral, and often unsettling—certainly not for the faint of heart. Yet it is this very boldness, this unapologetic dive into the realms of fear and the grotesque, that makes BlinD Imagery’s art so distinctive. He taps into the depths of the human psyche, crafting pieces that provoke strong emotional responses, whether through terror or awe.

BlinD Imagery’s unique artistic vision, blending horror with beauty, makes him a standout in the AI art community. His work is a testament to the artistic brilliance that lies in revealing the beauty found even in the most unsettling corners of the mind. I’m honored and grateful to have him join us for this interview.

Let’s discover BlinD Imagery together.

Sentinels of the Abyss

Without getting too personal, can you tell us a bit about yourself?:

I am a lifelong traditional artist who's always embraced the 'new,' from 16-bit pixel art, the evolution of Photoshop, 3D sculpting, and animation, and now utilizing AI tools in my workflow.

I find it liberating that there is now such a tool that can help inspire concepts so quickly and allow for a fully fleshed-out piece of art using traditional workflows in a 1/3 of the time.

Could you please tell us which country you live in?:

I live in the USA.

What led you to begin working with AI imagery?:

I had played with a few early 'sketch to picture' AI programs, but they were rather crude, along with seeing Google's 'DeepDream,' but I didn't see the use beyond gimmick until sometime in July of 2022. There was an Instagrammer I was following named Chris Perna (@chrisperna) who started posting these wild otherworldly pictures and didn't really say how he was making them. Over the course of a few weeks, he revealed that he was using a program called 'Midjourney' to get these amazing generations (at the time, it was the tail end of v2 into v3), and I knew I had to check it out.

I think I burned through my 'free' time over the course of a weekend, and from there, I was hooked.

What AI tools do you use?:

Midjourney (since V3), Stable Diffusion via Automatic1111, and Photoshop.

What inspires you?:

Anything dark and macabre, but there always needs to be a balance to the piece that either brings beauty or a light side to the composition.

The Final Embrace

(One of @revelinai’s favorite images by BlinD Imagery)

In which other medium, if any, do you practice art?:

Acrylic paints, pencil/charcoals, 3D printing, sculpture (digital and physical).

Would you consider AI-generated art true art?:

My answer has changed and may not be popular, but now it 'depends'. If you asked me this 2+ years ago I would have said unequivocally.

2+ years ago, 'prompt-craft' WAS a thing. To get what you wanted, in the manner of composure you wanted and the color pallet you wanted, it was a true artform that required tons of patience and honing into what would and wouldn't work in a prompt.

Now with all the new guard rails, overtraining of specific aesthetics and emphasis on simpler token inputs I feel that the 'art' of the prompt has been lost somewhat while the outputs across the board have almost been unified in aesthetic.

Where you once would put a single word token in a prompt as a joke to see what nonsense the AI would output, you could prompt for 'amazing' and get an award-winning piece of 'art'.

We've moved from pushing the bounds of AI generations to get what you envisioned to getting what everyone else wants, subjectively.

Please share one or a few of your favorite images with us.:

Here are four recent pieces I really like.

Fit to be tied

Sweet Venom

The Infinite Gaze

Of Deities and Demons

Do you title your AI-generated art? If you do, what inspires you to come up with these titles?:

I usually try to name everything, not only to give the piece a story but to be able to reference to a piece again in the future.

Usually, I can pull a descriptive name by the end of working on a piece, or I will 'brainstorm' with ChatGPT based on a description of the piece along with a 'trained' dialog that I have.

When do you tend to be the most productive, and do you work in long sessions or short bursts?:

Usually, at night, when I can focus the most on a piece, I'll work in long stints.

The Bazaar Down Below

What type of prompts do you prefer: text or AI-generated descriptions through fed images?:

I always self-prompt based on a structure I've used for the past 2+ years. Don't fix it if it's not broken.

When prompting with text, do you write simple text-based prompts or complex ones?:

While the structure can be simple I do sometimes get complex with descriptors if I'm really pushing for something specific.

Do you think text-based prompts should be shared within the AI art community?:

While certain aspects could be shared, I feel that the 'secret sauce' should be held close to their chest.

If a certain oil paint artist was able to do fantastic things with light and textures in a piece, should they divulge the entire process or just explain the fundamentals?

What is the most unconventional method you have used to create an image?:

I'm not big into feeding things that exist into the AI outside of occasionally using a control net on a certain pose to get in the ballpark of an idea.

The most unconventional thing that I will do is try to push the bounds of Midjourney with some of the possible variables, namely chaos, weird and stylize. These are invaluable tools to loop around some of the rails that have been placed along with getting more 'outside of the box'.

Another interesting method is if you're panning/zooming a piece, if you reroll a variable of the 1-4 grid you will actually reroll the entire piece (seed locked) with that piece as the input. This sometimes can lead to a new permutation that works better than the previous image.

How many images you have generated using AI technology?:

Between Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, over 100k.

Not Demure

Please share your X (Twitter) handle with us.:

@blind_imagery

Tell us a bit about your X handle and X username.:

It's pretty layered actually. 'BlinD Imagery' has been the handle I've always used for my art because:

I'm colorblind.
I have aphantasia, aka mind blindness (something I've just recently been able to put a name on).
I feel that it explains the art. While most is dark in nature, the idea is the beauty is not immediately apparent, but discovered through the journey of viewing the piece.

How many X followers do you currently have?:

Over 20,000 now.

How many X accounts do you currently follow?:

1,097

How long have you been on X (Twitter)?:

Since 2009, but I repurposed my account around September of 2022.

Empty Offerings, Bound Souls

Is there any other online platform where we can view all of your previous work apart from X?:

I have a website where I TRY to aggregate everything, hopefully I'll get better about it:

www.blindimagery.art
My print store, NFT platforms, and other socials can be found here.

In this world of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), are you currently selling your digital art on any platform? If so, which platform are you using?:

Yes, I am currently active on OBJKT and Foundation.

Are you selling tangible AI-generated artwork, such as high-quality prints like Giclée prints?:

Yes, I have a print store powered by Printify.

Could you suggest some AI artists you like that we could follow?:

I could be here all day listing off the amazing talent in this space, but I'll give you six that come to mind:

@chrisperna (Instagram) - Obviously, Chris gets a shoutout due to being the driving force in getting me into these tools
@blac_ai - A powerhouse in this space who has always fought and advocated for AI artists and brings his own unique art style to the space
@TymothyLongoria - A kindred dark spirit, their work is always consistent and haunting
@_vnderworld - The Mad Maximalist King himself, he pushes the bounds of AI into a space that many don't venture
@_Aerox_x - An artist of many talents, he can conjure up everything from a beautiful Baroque painting to a surrealistic masterpiece to the most unhinged meme seen by man
@daichshunds - An artist with a simple theme, Dachshunds, but done in every permutation imaginable. They are the shining light of my feed to break up the darkness

Is there anything else you would like to add or share with the AI community?:

Always keep pushing to create what YOU see your art to be, not what everyone else is doing at the moment.

Being true to your art is key.

Full Moon Rising

A footnote from revelinai:

Earlier this year, BlinD Imagery hosted a challenge on X, inviting participants to create an image that could be interpreted as one of his own. I took part and won the challenge, and the prize was a minted high-resolution piece titled "Demons of the Past," shown below—and I absolutely love it!