SUSAN TIPPETT BRAITHWAITE

Welcome, Agents of Artistry, to the inaugural week of our covert operation—the “Spies, Lies & Digital Skies” art challenge! Should you accept, your assignment is to create a digital art image of a clandestine meeting in a foggy alley.

My Covert Operation: Transform this Drab Alley into a Dramatic One

My mission began with nothing but this simple photo—a mundane passageway near Glasgow, devoid of story or spirit.

I uploaded the image into Hot Mods, part of ChatGPT based on DALL-E (the text-to-image AI). Then, it was to work in the form of a ton of detailed text prompts. Most of the prompts failed to give me the image I wanted. As failures go, they’re beautiful to look at.

Here’s some of what came out:

So, with a lot of patience. A sprinkle of imagination. And the magic of Hot Mods. My image transformed into something closer to what I had in mind. Now, it’s a living, breathing scene set in an alley in Marseilles.

Here’s my favourite (and entry for SLDS this week):

Hint for DALL-E or Hot Mods Users: My prompts included details about the locale, such as graffiti and the area of Marseilles. The palpable tension between the characters–due to their unspoken attraction and the danger of their meeting. Plus the various ways of stating the challenge prompt.

Unleash Your Inner Spy

Now, the mission falls to you. Whether you draw inspiration from outer space, the past, the future, or even the cutthroat world of canine spies. Prepare to let loose your creativity.

How to Participate:

• Create an image of a clandestine meeting in a foggy alley using whatever digital art tool you like.
• Go wild and let your creative spirit soar. (Share your inspiration or process if you’d like–I love hearing about this side of art and writing!)
• Share your masterpiece on your blog and send a pingback. You can even post it on social media with the hashtag #SLDSart and tag me @susbraithwaite.
• Remember to come back next week for another prompt (or get a sneak peek here). You could see your creation feature in the upcoming intelligence brief (post… and possibly my monthly newsletter).

This challenge is open to all adult operatives in the field of artistry–fledgling agents to seasoned veterans. Engage with fellow spies, applaud their artistry, and perhaps find new allies in this digital realm.

I’ll be eagerly awaiting the sight of your secret rendezvous points. Good luck, agents. The challenge begins now.

Dare to accept the challenge?

Stay awesome,

Susan x