Sean was one of my early supporters on X and an artist I instantly followed, captivated by his masterful use of colors and themes. His visuals are truly a feast for the eyes, drawing you in with their vibrant hues and intricate details, capturing your attention immediately. As a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast with a deep love for fantasy and science fiction, I found myself enamored with his art. His dungeon renderings, Cyberpunk Edgerunners, and the myriad of other fantastic characters, monsters, and vibrant settings he creates are simply mesmerizing.
Interviewing Sean has always been a goal of mine (he was the very first artist I approached), and my curiosity about his creative process was a key inspiration behind these AI Artist Interviews. For this, he holds a special place in my heart and deserves extra recognition. I am honored and grateful to have him join us for this interview.
Let’s discover Sean McDaniel together.
Futurism
Without getting too personal, can you tell us a bit about yourself?:
My artist handle is @Delerat7 on X. I am an AI Artist and have been loving AI since March 2023 approximately. I own an online gaming store at FigurePhenatix.com and have always been into gaming (D&D, PS5, PC, Board games, card games, poker, etc). I also have a love of comics, Anime to Marvel / DC. I am married, with cats.
Could you please tell us which country you live in?:
USA
What led you to begin working with AI imagery?:
I was very interested in quick art for my D&D games, which I run weekly and have done so regularly for the past twenty years. AI seemed like an awesome tool to work with for characters, monsters, scenes, treasure, etc.
What AI tools do you use?:
I use Wonder AI almost exclusively, although I have tried some pilot tools from different creators who asked me to try their wares over the past six months or so.
For those not familiar with Wonder AI, I do not recommend it. It was great and affordable a year ago, but now it is pricey, unstable, unsupported, and very mismanaged, in my opinion. However, I have a lifetime deal with them, so for the cost, I continue to utilize them as my AI Art tool.
What inspires you?:
Other artists, books, movies, my campaigns for my D&D groups and players, games, comics, friends, followers…, so much, really!
A Walk in the Woods
(One of @revelinai’s favorite images by Sean McDaniel)
In which other medium, if any, do you practice art?:
Well, at present, none. But in the past I have been a professional writer (comic books, short stories, pop culture journalism, and even a fantasy novel). I also did a stint in the 90s as a professional digital colorist, writer, and editor for several comic books and comic book companies. For digital coloring, I used Correl and Adobe mostly on my Mac back then for jobs and projects.
Would you consider AI-generated art true art?:
Yes, yes, yes. Good or bad, you are using a tool to create something visually from your mind and heart. This visual creation will cause and stir emotion and reaction in others, opinions, and feelings. This is the very core concept of Art.
Please share one or a few of your favorite images with us.:
I’ll share twelve.
Sean McDaniel’s favorite images
Do you title your AI-generated art? If you do, what inspires you to come up with these titles?:
Yes, 99% of the time. Inspirations for titles are usually from past thoughts or from my own experiences in gaming or writing.
When do you tend to be the most productive, and do you work in long sessions or short bursts?:
Both short (15 minutes) and long sessions (3-4 hours). I learned from writing (especially on my Novel) that when inspired, you have to keep going until the inspiration stops; time at that point must become inconsequential and defer to the artist. You cannot schedule artistic inspiration; some of my best stuff is done at 4 am during the night if I have Insomnia, etc.
The Balrog
What type of prompts do you prefer: text or AI-generated descriptions through fed images?:
Text prompts 100 % for me.
When prompting with text, do you write simple text-based prompts or complex ones?:
I always start simple, but when really creating finished work, I go into very long detailed prompts. There is a lot of trial and error to get where you want to go in the end. Then, when you’re at the end, there is some trimming of the fat as well.
Do you think text-based prompts should be shared within the AI art community?:
I think that is completely up to the artist. I personally don’t, but it’s not for the reasons people usually believe. Early on last year, when I started growing my account many asked for me to share a prompt so they could try, so I did; here is an example:
“Efreeti demon lord, sitting within a powerful ornate circle of glowing runes, blacklight tattoos cover his burning glowing red body, yellow eyes, Hyper Surreal Arcane back light glow, painted baroque realism, maximum details on Efreeti, detailed fantasy backgrounds, dynamic camera angles, blend Wayne Reynolds and Sabbas Apterus art styles.”
Then, if I was on Wonder AI, I may utilize some custom style options or a Fantasy option.
But 80% of the people asking for the prompt would plug that into Midjourney and get a horrific image, nothing like mine. It would cause frustration.
And vice versa. My very good friend Teekay on X would post a great MJ prompt, I would plug it into Wonder, and it would look like preschooler refrigerator art, which was frustrating to me. Another great friend of mine on X, Jose, loves to dissect my images and others’ images, creating useable prompts based on those guesses; everyone does it differently.
I think it makes me better to develop my own prompts for each image instead of learning from others. Still, I think teaching each other when asked for help is a noble responsibility of AI Artists as we shape a creative and inclusive community amongst ourselves. So, always ask, and I will try and help if I can.
What is the most unconventional method you have used to create an image?:
For me (I don’t use Midjourney), I have challenged the AI to create things that are almost beyond our imagination, to push the AI and inspire me to create.
A few examples:
Create visually what you believe is on the other side of a singularity / black hole
Create a piece of stunning art you would like to share with God
Create objects and scenes from a 4th and 5th dimensional perspective
Create a beautiful piece of art using one million different shades of color
You get it, I’m guessing, haha!
How many images you have generated using AI technology?:
10k to 15k images would be a ballpark guess.
QT your Purple Art
Please share your X (Twitter) handle with us.:
Tell us a bit about your X handle and X username.:
Delerat is an old D&D character of mine, one of my favorite, a Drow Elf Rogue / Assassin. The 7 was X’s idea but goes into my real name, “Sean.” Mom named me after Sean Connery 007, so 7 and 007 have always had meaning to me.
How many X followers do you currently have?:
Approximately 4,600 or so, depending on bot purge weekends.
How many X accounts do you currently follow?:
Approximately 1,300-1,500, usually at any one time.
How long have you been on X (Twitter)?:
I started really posting and using X in March 2023.
Scrum
Is there any other online platform where we can view all of your previous work apart from X?:
No, not all in one place. I have an equally busy art account on Threads @Delerat007 (Instagram). I also have some stuff on my TikTok account. Then I have stuff for sale on Red Bubble (approximately 3,000 images or so), etc, etc.
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?:
Not currently. I did last year for a time using a couple of sites, but it got too littered with fake scams and spam, so I took a break and have not returned.
Are you selling tangible AI-generated artwork, such as high-quality prints like Giclée prints?:
Yes, on Red Bubble, and Delerat7 is my art account. I sell T-shirts, Hoodies, Clocks, Posters, Prints, Framed Art, etc.
Could you suggest some AI artists you like that we could follow?:
My list of recommendations for follows on X:
Is there anything else you would like to add or share with the AI community?:
I really love the community of AI artists on X and Threads. There is lots of fun, sharing, and helping to inspire each other to improve. Let’s keep that up; there are some great, friendly people in those feeds and some exceptional artists who will push you to be better as well.
Stay away from accounts that post nonsense and babble for views; those accounts won’t help you artistically or grow your account. Be social with social media, and share something that helps, inspires, or creates emotion and feeling; this is the best advice for any newcomers getting started.
Cyberpunk Cityscape
More fantastic imagery from Sean McDaniel
Follow him @Delerat7
