Visit Noortje Stortelder‘s MakersPlace profile
Brady Walker: Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Noortje Stortelder: I’m Noortje Stortelder, currently residing and working in Rotterdam, NL. Having graduated as a sculptor, I transitioned to primarily digital creation due to limited financial resources. For years, my storytelling medium was digital collages or “digital sculptures”, as I like to call them, working in a manner similar to traditional sculpture: layering, removing, and adding elements. My works ranged from photography to surreal new compositions. However, I have returned to sculpting over the past three years following a request for a physical sculpture.
Now, I create casts of body parts in various poses, which I then photograph and digitally manipulate. My work consistently explores themes of the body and transformation. My creations resemble dream fragments, with compositions in which black interacts with white, in contrast or harmony, spanning both the digital and physical realms.
BW: What has AI allowed you to create that you never would have otherwise?
NS: AI has expedited my creative process significantly. Previously, I would meticulously layer in Photoshop—a time-consuming endeavor. AI has now accelerated this process, often making unexpected choices that both confuse and surprise me. Additionally, AI enables me to blend my physical work with the digital, effectively transforming plaster into pixels.
BW: Could you describe your process from the initial idea to the finished piece?
NS:
- Beginning with an idea.
- Moving to lifecasting (selecting a body part or parts in a composition).
- Transitioning from lifecast to digital image.
- Progressing from photo to Photoshop.
- Implementing AI.
- In this case, I trained the AI using carefully captured photos of the body cast sculptures. Then the new process begins: curation.
- Once the decision is made and the idea emerges from the pixels, the remaining steps involve fine-tuning and editing until the piece is completed.
BW: Do you have any practical tips for transitioning from a total AI art beginner to a proficient AI artist? Feel free to interpret “proficient AI artist” as you wish.
NS: Absolutely! The best advice is simply to start experimenting. Dedicate hours to practice and exploration.
BW: Can you provide our readers with a few prompt snippets or style prompts to experiment with?
NS: Rather than relying on style prompts, I prefer to articulate what I wish to visualize. Let your imagination run wild!
