SLDS: Hacking

Friday? Already? Well, that must mean it’s time to dive into the latest instalment of our Spies, Lies & Digital Skies (SLDS) art challenge.

If you’re new here and wondering what the hell SLDS is, here’s a wee explainer: Each Friday, I share a prompt for artists of all skill levels (and non-artists like me) to create a spy and romance-themed image. You can use PhotoShop, ArtRage, Procreate, DALL-E, MidJourney, you name it, to make your masterpiece.

Last Week’s Highlights

Last week’s prompt, ‘Escape from a high-security facility,’ was tricky. I’m getting to the point where I wince before reading the new one each week. Kevin and Jez have both been vocal about their feelings about the prompts and the headaches they’ve been causing. But, even so, they meet the challenge head-on each week and produce spectacular results.

Kevin’s Escape

Kevin, being awesome, has decided to forgive me for the last load of nightmarish prompts and has returned with his response to last week’s prompt. Yay!

After a few attempts with more complex image ideas, he took a more simplistic approach and struck GOLD!

I love the clarity of the escape scene. The guard, completely oblivious to the Archer-esque-looking guy slipping away into the night. 😁

Kevin’s site is packed with spectacular art, insightful posts, and entertaining stories. Check it out.

Chaos: Jez Style

I love Jez’s post. You need to check it out yourself to get the full experience and entertainment value. He used two different base photos with Hot Mods to create his response to the prompt. This first image looks pretty cool at first glance. Take a closer look… I’ll wait.

Is that guy dancing? 🕺🤣

This next image, my favourite, is one of those that makes you wish it were a still from a movie. I’d love to see the film of this image! The chaos, action, and drama in this picture are so over the top that you can almost hear the scene explode to life!

This Week’s Challenge: Hacking Into A Secure Network

Our prompt this week is “Hacking into a secure network.” Every week, when I see a prompt that I think, “That’ll be easy,” it’s anything but. So, this week, I’m not going to say it. I’m not even going to think it. Right, buckle in and let’s see what kind of wild ride DALL-E has in store for us this time. 🤞😬🤞

A Word of Warning

When I studied screenwriting, every semester started with a warning that hacking and anything related to computers was too boring to watch on screen. Sure, I suppose you could spice it up and have the hacker doing their job from the back of a car while the driver evades the cop cars chasing them and yet another set of people shooting at them from another vehicle… But an actual hack inside a facility is pretty dull to watch and extremely difficult to make look interesting.

Basically, this is my caveat if this turns into yet another nightmare-to-create visual.

Create with Me

Instead of my usual way of working, I have a particular scene in mind and drive myself mad trying to get close to it. I thought I’d work with tropes and archetypes. A trope is a common theme or a cliche; think enemies-to-lovers or a hacker in a server room! An archetype is the typical embodiment of a person. It’s a fancy word for stereotype. Archetypes and tropes get a bad rap from some quarters, but they’re the building blocks of story structure and character creation… and after that wee diversion into writing theory, we head back to the task at hand.

So, my archetype is the highly skilled hacker cloaked in dark clothing with an intense gaze. My trope is the lone hacker at night, surrounded by tech, as he breaches the secure network.

PROMPT: Create a wide-format image of a hacker cloaked in dark clothing as he types away at a keyboard. His gaze is intense. Firewalls fall as he breaches the secure network. Please and thank you!

Okay, I love the visual, but it’s not exactly how you’d hack a secure network. The writer in me wonders how the hell he’s gaining access from outwith the facility. Oh, and does he really need all those screens?

Hacking the Prompt

I always get worried when I start tweaking these images. Why? Bottomless rabbit holes. But, fuck it, let’s go!

PROMPT: I love the image, but can you set it in a high-security server facility? Please keep the same guy but have him hacking directly on a server rack. And, let’s get artsy, make it black and white. Thank you!

Oh, that’s actually pretty good. But now I’m wondering how much better it might look in full colour.

The Final Image?

Fingers crossed that this isn’t a prompt too far…

PROMPT: That’s a fantastic image. Please make it in colour. Blinking lights from various servers illuminate the room, casting an eerie glow on the hacker’s focused face. Thank you!

I’m a wee bittie stunned. This typically takes most of the day and too many coffees to admit to to get to my final image. I love that DALL-E gave him tactical pants! He fits right in with my Deniable Unit guys!

---

On that shocking departure from my lengthy SLDS posts, I hand the challenge over to you guys. Have you got an idea for how you’d illustrate ‘hacking into a secure network’? We’d love to see what you come up with. Drop a link to your response post in the comments. (See top of post for “How to join in”)

Till next time, stay awesome,

Susan x