Nike Air Jordan x Lego

The classic Nike Air Jordan sneakers reimagined as if they were made out of Lego! For this series, I started by designing the sneakers in AI and modified the images in Photoshop to get my final references. It took four weeks of drawing and 152 pencils to turn this idea into a piece of fine art! 

This series was conceptualized as a result of the recent battles between AI platforms and artists.  I believe there are ways that artists can harness this new technology for greater creative freedom. As an artist that works with reference images, before AI became more broadly available, I was only ever able to draw existing items that I could photograph. So when I dreamed up what a sneaker made out of Lego would look like (and I was finally able to make it look realistic enough to suit my style of art), my excitement was through the roof! As with any new technology, there are lessons to be learned and advancements to be made in order to ensure the safety and security of all those that use it. While I’m not for or against AI and how these models are currently being trained, I do believe that there is a lot of good that can come from it. I also believe that nothing will ever replace the beauty of human creativity, nor will we artists ever stop creating. However, using AI as a starting point (rather than an ending point) in creating fine art is perhaps one way we can dream even bigger.