Leni Kauffman

Illustrator! Portfolio: https://www.lenikauffman.com

[lenikauffman]

That time of year for Tempura Udon 🍜

[lenikauffman]

Transgender Day of Remembrance 💗🤍💙

[vashtaylor]

[portfolioday]

We're told our art is worthless, to get a real job, that we will starve. But look how quickly they work to steal our labor for their profit. We are fed this lie again and again because it's a lot easier to exploit us when we don't value ourselves. Clearly it is profitable to create and use AI. Even platforms purporting to support artists (that would have NO content for their platforms without us) are eager to throw artists under the bus for profit. Ask yourselves: Why are AI creators so cautious about the music they pull for their datasets yet so cavalier with visual art? It's because they'd be sued into oblivion. The music industry deserves a lot of criticism but you can rest assured that they will defend their ⓒ tooth & nail. When bots scavenge your data, they scrape away at the rights to your work. Opting out is only an option if all AI programmers decide to start collecting data ethically. There is currently no incentive for them to do so. If a musician samples someone's work for their music, the sampled party gets credit AND royalties. Some artists have proposed an AI model that is both opt-in and allows artists to gain royalties every time their data is used to generate an image. No such thing exists currently.

I urge you to watch this conversation hosted by Concept Art Association feat. the US Copyright office, an AI ethicist, Greg Rutkowski and moderated by Karla Ortiz: https://youtu.be/7u1CeiSHqwY As an aside, how many of you heard from distant relatives or old acquaintances for the first time in forever because they had a brilliant idea for an NFT and you are just the person to make it? Suddenly, your skills are worth something to them. Visibility is crucial for making a living as a visual artist, but the platforms we use to gain visibility are growing increasingly hostile towards us. So what can we do? Well... Be selective with where you host your art. Consider keeping most of it behind passwords, CAPTCHAs or paywalls, only posting thumbnails to socials. The point is to make it harder for bots to scrape the internet for your work. CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS and tell them this matter is important to you! Urge them to introduce bills that regulate how your data can be used! If you're in the US, find your Representative here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative And your Senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm Get involved in artist advocacy groups such as: https://graphicartistsguild.org/ We live in an attention economy, nothing is better at grabbing attention immediately than a well-executed image. Artists have already been battling decades of wage stagnation and devaluation but our work is more valuable than ever. Don't buy into the narrative that your skills are worthless. Fight for your rights. Do not support platforms that will diminish your rights for profit. They are NOTHING without you.

[lenikauffman]

Recent Gouache and coloured pencil illustration 🍂🍄

[meredithmcclaren]

Sigh.

It’s how she likes to sit.

Description: A black and white illustration of me in my office chair.  I am leaned all the way back so my cat can sleep on my lower face.  I am trying to look over her to fiddle with my phone while she naps.

[vashtaylor]

[lenikauffman]

A recent commission for Martha Waters of characters from her Regency book series including To Love And To Loathe and To Have And To Hoax

[lenikauffman]

Hello again tumblr! Going to be posting on here a bit more :)

This one is of my little adventurer in some kind of liminal space