Some of you know I’ve been diving into the world of AI (Artificial Intelligence) lately, not just for questions and fun additions to some of my videos, but also for breathing life into old vintage photographs by turning them into moving videos. The AI industry is rapidly creating a fundamental shift in the world, changing how we communicate, work, and make decisions. The paradigm shift promises to be as great or greater than the introduction of the internet.
The art world is understandably buzzing with concern about AI stepping on creative toes. Most of the AI discussion has been about generating digital art, but I recently stumbled upon a new take on AI.
The other day after getting into a conversation with my wife about California Poppies and their colors, I asked ChatGPT. ChatGPT was the first, and still one of the best AI applications on the web. It’s what sparked this new revolution. Anyway, I’ve only ever recalled seeing one color: that brilliant golden yellow carpeting hillsides across the state. But according to ChatGPT, poppies come in a whole palette of colors—and then it threw me a curveball. It asked if I wanted to know how to mix oil paints to paint one!!
Wait… WHAT?
Apparently, it remembered from past chats that I’m an artist. Could it really see color the way a painter does? Turns out, maybe yes! It rattled off exact pigments and proportions. After 50 years of mixing paints, I have to admit it looked spot-on. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it was eerily close. It even gave tips on painting them in oils, acrylic, and watercolor! It suggested tips on gradiating them to look better in sunlight. And, then the kicker, a pallet suggestion for a field of poppies, including the greens, etc.
WOW.
(For the curious, I’ve posted the full conversations below, which are quite lengthy)
Then I thought, let’s push this further. I grabbed a random, simple photo from my archives, a shot of clouds over the North Sea from a cruise ship, and asked it to identify the oil paint colors I would need to mix for the darker parts of the clouds. Not only did it break down the colors, it told me how to paint them! It even created a neat little color swatch chart for mixing. Although the advice given was good, I generally use other colors to mix grays, and there are dozens of ways to arrive at gray.
Of course, no algorithm can replace the instincts, creativity, and soul of an artist. Not yet, anyway. But it’s fascinating—and maybe just a little unnerving… how close it can get?
Ideas keep popping in my head, so am delving into this further. Can it help improve my paintings? Can AI take the place of an Art Instructor? I asked it that also, but next, look for Part 2 in the next few days — AIPainting Critiques.
Here are the two actual ChatGPT conversations–
First Chat – the color of Poppies
What colors are California poppies?
ChatGPT said:
California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) are most famously a bright, golden-orange color, but they actually come in a range of shades including:
Deep orange (the classic “golden poppy” look)
Yellow
Cream or ivory
Reddish-orange
Soft pink (less common, often cultivated varieties)
Wild ones in California tend to stick to the warm yellows and oranges, while gardens and seed mixes can show off the full spectrum.
If you’re painting them, the classic hue is usually a warm, vibrant orange with a hint of yellow at the petal edges. Would you like me to give you a ready-to-use painter’s color mix for them?
You said:
Yes
ChatGPT said:
Here’s a ready-to-use California poppy color recipe for painting, based on classic plein air palettes:
? Classic Golden Poppy Mix (Oil or Acrylic)
Cadmium Yellow Deep – 2 parts
Cadmium Orange – 1 part
Tiny touch of Cadmium Red Light – for warmth and depth
Titanium White – just a hint, if you need a sunlit highlight
For shadowed petals: mix the base color with a touch of Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson to create a soft, warm violet shadow.
? Watercolor Version
Base wash: New Gamboge + Transparent Pyrrole Orange
Add a dash of Quinacridone Red for richer inner petals
For highlights, lift color with a damp brush rather than adding white
For shadows, mix Ultramarine Blue with a touch of the base mix to keep harmony.
Tip from plein air practice: the petals are slightly more yellow toward the tips and more orange toward the center, so a subtle gradient will make them look luminous.
I can also give you a sunlit field poppy palette with surrounding greens that will make the orange pop more vividly. Would you like me to prepare that?
You said:
Yes
ChatGPT said:
Here’s a Sunlit Field California Poppy Palette you can use for plein air painting so the flowers pop against their greens:
? Poppy Petals
Cadmium Yellow Deep – 2 parts
Cadmium Orange – 1 part
Tiny touch of Cadmium Red Light in the flower centers
Highlights: base color + a hint of Titanium White (oil/acrylic) or lifted color (watercolor)
Shadows: base color + a mix of Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson for a soft violet
? Spring Greens (background & foliage)
Sunlit leaves:
Cadmium Yellow Light + Sap Green (lean toward yellow for that bright, sunny poppy contrast)
Mid-tone foliage:
Sap Green + Cobalt Blue
Optional touch of Burnt Sienna to tone down brightness
Shadowed greens:
Sap Green + Ultramarine Blue
Touch of Alizarin Crimson to neutralize
?? Sunlit Field Atmosphere
Sky reflection in shadows: Ultramarine Blue + Titanium White (thin glaze or wash)
Warm earth under poppies: Yellow Ochre + Burnt Sienna (warmer near stems)
Painter’s trick: If you want the poppies to “glow,” avoid putting strong darks immediately behind the petals—use mid-light greens or warm golds so the orange vibrates.
If you like, I can make you a small printable color swatch chart so you have all these mixes at your easel. Would you like me to make that?
Second Chat – How can you paint this?
what oil paint colors would you use to paint the dark areas of the clouds?
ChatGPT said:
For the dark areas of the clouds in your photo, you’d want colors that give you a cool, muted, slightly bluish-gray feel rather than a heavy or muddy tone. Here’s a mix that would work well in oil:
Base colors
Ultramarine Blue – for the cool blue undertone.
Ivory Black – to deepen without making the color too intense or warm.
Modifiers
Titanium White – to control value and keep it airy.
Burnt Umber – just a touch to neutralize the blue and give a slightly warmer gray in certain spots.
Alizarin Crimson (very small amount) – to subtly shift some areas toward a purplish-gray where shadows are richer.
Suggested mixes
Cool shadow gray: Ultramarine Blue + Titanium White + Ivory Black.
Neutral mid-gray: Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber + White (adjust to value needed).
Richer purplish shadow: Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson + White (just enough to lighten).
You’ll want to keep your brushwork soft and edges slightly lost in places, since in the photo the shadows blend gently into the lighter parts of the cloud.
If you’d like, I can give you a layer-by-layer oil painting sequence specifically for these clouds so you can capture both the soft atmosphere and the strong form.
You said:
ok
ChatGPT said:
Here’s a step-by-step layer-by-layer oil painting sequence for the clouds in your photo, focusing on those darker shadow areas.
1. Underpainting / Sky Block-In
Mix Cobalt Blue + White (cool and clean) for the upper sky.
Add a touch of Cerulean Blue for the lower horizon sky.
Keep the sky light in value so your clouds will pop.
2. Shadow Shapes First
Mix Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber + Titanium White to get a neutral, cool mid-gray.
Use a slightly thinned paint (with solvent or medium) to mark in the main shadow masses of the clouds.
Mix Ultramarine Blue + Ivory Black with a pinch of Alizarin Crimson to make a deep, slightly purplish gray.
Drop this into the darkest inner folds of the clouds — especially the bases and the shadowed side facing away from the sun.
4. Mid-Tone Shadows
Create a softer mix: Ultramarine Blue + Burnt Umber + More White.
Feather these into the deep shadow areas, blending gently toward the lit parts.
5. Transition Zones
Mix Ultramarine Blue + White (cool) and glaze it lightly over the edges where the shadow meets light.
This keeps the airy, misty feel without looking cut-out.
6. Highlights & Edges
For bright tops: Titanium White + a touch of Cadmium Yellow Pale.
For slightly warm edges catching light: White + Cadmium Yellow Pale + a whisper of Alizarin Crimson.
Use a clean, soft brush to blend edges into the sky.
7. Final Pass (Atmosphere)
With a very soft dry brush, lightly scumble Titanium White + Cobalt Blue over some shadow areas to soften and “push” them back into the distance.
Add subtle horizontal strokes near the horizon to match the hazy perspective in your reference.
If you want, I can make you a paint-mixing swatch chart for just the dark cloud colors so you can match them precisely while you work. That way you’ll have all the values ready before you even touch the canvas.
You said:
ok
ChatGPT said:
Here’s your dark cloud color swatch chart for painting reference:
