ASTANA – Kazakh graphic designer Ruslan Yesentayev, 32, dazzled Kaznet with the pictures he made using an artificial art generator. A series of photos depicting how popular movie characters with the Kazakh facial features might look like and images of Ayaz Ata with Akshakar (characters similar to Santa Claus and Snow Maiden) became especially popular and were published on numerous social media platforms.
Ayaz Ata (Santa Claus). Photo credit: Yesentayev’s Instagram
In an interview with the Kazinform agency, the Gravity graphic studio co-founder spoke about his work experience and opportunities provided by artificial art apps.
About the designer’s work path and interests
Yesentayev said he founded a graphic design company, providing service in brand identity creation, with his friend back in 2017.
Ruslan Yesentayev. Photo credit: Yesentayev’s Instagram
“I have always been interested in expanding my skills and abilities throughout my career: photography, graffiti, calligraphy and lettering. I developed my skills in 3D graphics and learnt music production software and audio mixing. I have dived into learning how artificial intelligence app work and the opportunities that they provide for the last six months,” said the designer.
How artificial art generator apps work
The designer explained that he merely writes out a request, pointing out what exactly he wants to get and an artificial intelligence app generates what he requested.
“Stylistics can be absolutely different: illustration, photo realistic image, anime or comics. The most important thing is to find the right words. You can specify the names of artists whose style you like, the technique in which the picture should be made, the photography style and the lens model if you need a photo. If you want to get a 3D graphic picture, then you should add the name of the rendering software and visual effects. So if you have at least theoretical knowledge in these areas, it will help you to describe the characteristics of the image you want more accurately,” shared Yesentayev.
Akshakar (Snow Maiden). Photo credit: Yesentayev’s Instagram
Why images depicting Star Wars heroes were created and new opportunities given by artificial art apps
Speaking about why he created the images of Star Wars heroes that he posted in early January, Yesentayev said that he was interested in whether the app’s database uses Kazakh people’s facial features. He also wondered what these characters would look like if they were from Kazakhstan.
He noted that he created the images by trying different approaches and constant correcting his request in search of the “perfect formula.”
Princess Leia Organa is one of the main characters of Star Wars franchise and a member of the Imperial Senate. Photo credit: Yesentayev’s Instagram
Yesentayev said that working with such apps is similar to a big experiment.
“We have suddenly found incredible opportunities, and we are exploring them to understand what this tool can do, therefore such pictures are made not only for entertainment but also for research,” he said.
Yesentayev said that he now works on projects in completely new areas, and uses artificial intelligence tools.
“We are doing several projects with branding packages and some works were designed with these tools. I also teach people to work with these apps and plan to create a community of artists working in this area as well as develop this new and very promising direction field,” said the designer.
Luke Skywalker is one of the main characters of Star Wars franchise and legendary Jedi Master. Photo credit: Yesentayev’s Instagram
Apart from creating images out of a sense of curiosity, he also uses modern technologies to express his standpoint.
“Art is a way of expressing inner thoughts and emotions and reflecting on relevant topics. I try to give feedback to the situation and events that concern me through my creativity, I show social problems in my works sometimes. The right metaphor is very important in social issues as it always evokes a greater response from people,” Yesentayev added.
