Imagining a Vikingr: Behind the Scenes of My AI Art Process
On August 1, 2025, this Víkingr (Old Norse ~ opportunistic seafaring adventurers) image came to life. This AI-assisted digital artwork called Lake Winnipeg’s Víkingr is my submission to the Icelandic Festival art show in Gimli, Manitoba.
As AI generated art can be new to some and controversial to others, I wanted to share what goes on behind the scenes. The story behind this piece and what the creative process entailed.
The story
When storms rage across Manitoba’s great inland sea, this solitary víkingr braves the elements to show that sometimes the most unexpected heroes sail the most legendary voyages.
This piece imagines the majestic pelicans of Gimli as noble figureheads come to life. It represents the humour, culture, and freedom my hometown brings me.
Creative Process
Total time invested: 37+ hours
This piece was a collaboration of human creativity and AI technology. I made the creative choices of what stays, what goes, what emotions are evoked, and what shape the story takes. While the AI tools helped me explore and visualize the possibilities.
1. Concept development (4 hours)
Over a few months, I explored ideas and sketched out early concepts. I knew I wanted pelicans and Lake Winnipeg to be the focus. I played with the idea of bringing the pelicans to life as the Icelandic air force (as we often teasingly call a squadron of pelicans) and as Vikings. A stormy lake and heavy rain storms are some of my favourite memories. This plotting and planning helped shape the mood, themes, and imagery I wanted to bring to life.
2. AI image generation (20 hours)
Using Midjourney, a generative AI program that creates images from text prompts, I created over 1,100 image variations by refining prompts. I experimented with composition, styles, lighting, color palettes, atmosphere, and blending multiple images until I captured my vision.
Prompt: An American white pelican wearing a horned Viking helmet. The pelican is sitting on the front of a Viking ship in stormy water. In the Norse art style –ar 2:1 –profile essz73o –stylize 350 –v7; plus 3 of my own reference images
3. Digital painting & modification (8 hours)
Using Procreate, a digital drawing app, I reworked and refined the image by adding and removing elements, shifting the perspective, adjusting colour and mood, and layering in texture.
4. Resolution enhancement (1 hour)
Using Topaz Gigapixel, a software application that uses AI to upscale images, I enlarged the image preparing it for print, cleaning up pixels while preserving clarity and detail.
5. Final refinement (4 hours)
Returning to Procreate, I did one last round of adjustments of fine-tuning details, cleaning up artifacts, and making sure the final version was polished and print ready.
6. Printing (too many hours to count!)
The final step was finding printers to bring this piece to life. Determining the final format involved a lot of research and test prints. For the art show submission, I chose the 36″x18″ high gloss metal as I wanted the scene to emphasize the wetness of the rain and lake and reflectiveness of the solo pelican. And for family and friends who were interested in a smaller piece, I had two types of special 20″x10″ metallic ink art prints done on mat paper that were surprisingly gorgeous. Two different looks and feels with no clear winner on a favourite.
Finding quality printers was a huge factor in this process. Only a handful of companies in Canada can do this size of metal printing. It is not cheap to print on metal, but it’s light weight and you don’t need a frame or mats. And the mounting hardware provides a whole other dimension to the piece as it pushes the picture about 3″ away from the wall. I’m selling the 36″x18″ for $500 which includes shipping in Canada. As for the art prints, we are incredibly lucky in Victoria to have a few specialty art printers. I’m selling the metallic prints for $80-90 plus shipping. Matting and framing can range from $100-400.
Exploring the Vikingr possibilities
Here are a few versions that didn’t make it to the final print. But they helped shape the path to it.
Final reflections
Creating Lake Winnipeg’s Víkingr wasn’t just about producing a final image. It was about exploring what’s possible when old stories and new tools meet.
I’m still experimenting. Still learning. Still questioning.
If you’re curious about how I approach AI, what I worry about, what I’m excited about, and how we can all take part in the larger AI conversations, you can read more in my artist statement Is AI the end of art as we know it?
