Unfurl

Unfurl is a visual R&D project exploring the aesthetic intersection of organic botanical growth and fabric physics. Working with defined color palettes and using flowers and textiles as the main subjects, I built it entirely through a generative AI workflow - driven by curiosity and a genuine interest in understanding what these tools can do.

Initial iterations: frames that were close to the vision but didn't quite make the final cut. These were primarily developed using Flux. —

Interesting results so far, but precise control is still a hurdle. (It is definitely getting better, though). —

We often view AI-generated work with a certain level of suspicion, and I can really relate to that. The idea that AI-driven creation is, by definition, based on "stolen" data is a concern that should bother all of us in this field. Transparency is vital and in this project, I wanted to show the specific steps I took to build this piece. While it is absolutely true that this could have been created using traditional 3D workflows, my goal - as with many of my other projects - is to learn. I want to understand the technology at hand so it can ultimately serve my commercial work.

To be transparent about my process, I’ve listed the source materials used for these visuals below. The floral and fabric photography, as well as several gradients, were sourced from Pexels and Unsplash. These were combined with custom blurred gradients I designed in Affinity, abstract and fabric renders from Cinema 4D. In some instances, I also integrated previous AI explorations from my daily Instagram page to see how they would evolve within this new context. 

My process for Unfurl was as much about the journey as the final result. I started in Miro for the moodboard and used Claude and Gemini to workshop the prompts. For image generation, I experimented and developed databases with Kohya, Krea, and used several diffusion models like Flux to see how they handled the images that I wanted to achieve.

I also took the opportunity to test other tools like ComfyUI, Vizcom, and Figma Weave to see where they fit into my daily workflow. The motion was generated using Kling mostly, taking those static frames into a "fluid space". Finally, everything was upscaled in Topaz and polished in After Effects. A huge thanks to Tom Parry for the music and sound design that brought this experimentation to life.

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Abstract and fabric explorations inside Cinema 4D with the help of X-Particles and Redshift. —

Fabric and flower photographs sourced from Pexels and Unsplash. —

Sometimes, I start by having a conversation with Claude or Gemini about prompting; other times, I only use images from the database that I want to have more prominence - examples below are from Krea. —