Block Corridor no.1 (Generative AI Experiments)
Created //
TL;DR // Let's use Generative AI tools to create variations of a brutalist concrete city streetscape. We'll iterate from sketches to photo-realistic images.
Generative AI Prompt Variations
We're going to try multiple prompts. We'll take a variety of results from each prompt. When things start to appear stale, we'll very slightly revise the prompt and generate new images.
Prompt 1
ink drawing. 1 point perspective. large block wall on left. large block wall on right. vertical houses built on the inside of the wall edges.
This is a good start, though the results appear more like pencil sketches than ink drawings. The first image generated is most interesting to me (and reminds me of a Terry Gilliam set). However I'd prefer a more barren concrete landscape. Think 'brutalist', so let's adjust the prompt.
Prompt 2
ink drawing. 1 point perspective. large block wall on left. large block wall on right. vertical houses built on the inside of the wall edges. brutalist.
The first and last image in this set are exactly the sort of things I was expecting. In some ways it reminds me of the fascist architecture in the EUR district of Rome, Italy. Stylistically what I was looking for (even though it's depressing and overbearing!).
Let's adjust again to see if we can add some additional interest.
Prompt 3
ink drawing. 1 point perspective. large block wall on left. large block wall on right. vertical houses built on the inside of the wall edges. brutalist. hexagonal.
Adding the word "hexagonal" didn't really seem to change much. I'm not sure how the second image generated (the series of pancake slabs) is hexagonal in any way. And I'm not sure why the interior image -- the third one -- was deemed relevant. That being said, the fifth image (the repeating series of towers) is quite nice.
Let's see what happens if we ask for realism.
Prompt 4
ink drawing realistic photo. 1 point perspective. large block wall on left. large block wall on right. vertical houses built on the inside of the wall edges. brutalist. hexagonal.
This is much better than I expected, especially the last 4 images. To me the first two images here are throwaways. Let's get rid of that "hexagonal" word in the prompt to see if that gets us back to something nicer.
Prompt 5
realistic photo. 1 point perspective. large block wall on left. large block wall on right. vertical houses built on the inside of the wall edges. brutalist. hexagonal.
The results are surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting the photorealistic renders to be this good. (And this isn't even one of the better image generation AI tools!)
I still wonder why there are interior scenes sometimes, but my guess would be because a 1-point perspective of an interior and exterior can be similar.
Selected images
Here are a few that stood out for me:
Prompt 1 // Image 1
Why? The first image came closest to what I expected with the prompt. It's very rough, and I like that the forms aren't regular. It's different enough that I don't interpret it as a sketch of a real structure I might have seen before.
Prompt 2 // Image 1
Why? This one nailed the "brutalist" aesthetic. The large slab buildings on a flat concrete plaza is oppressive and... what I was hoping for. The texture detailing (the vertical reveals) isn't what I'm used to but I think it works here.
Prompt 3 // Image 5
Why? This continues the brutalist theme quite well, and introduces a regular pattern with the 3 towers. I'd call this the "brutalist parking garage with foliage" variation.
Prompt 5 // Image 8
Why? It's debatable... this one is fairly simple and I wish the walls had more depth. But the rendering quality is monotone and drab, and the sky matches the feel. I asked for photo-realistic brutalism. I think this is pretty close.
Maybe it's because it feels like Louis Kahn's Salk Institute, but the buildings got pulled closer together.
Prompt 5 // Image 5
Why? For this one, it's the composition. The structure itself isn't all that interesting, but it's consistent. There are some really strange things happening with the shadows, but they're not overtly obvious unless you're looking for it.
// ka
