Public Domain Artwork vs AI Generated

When I first started writing this blog back in 2017, the only artwork I could readily access were images from the Public Domain, though I did on one occasion hire James V. West for commissioned art. Unfortunately at the time, PD artwork was being used everywhere in the gaming community, becoming ubiquitous and common. I eventually tried my hand at photo manipulation to create unique derivations, but that was more effort than the results warranted.

These days I have access to image generation sites, and AI. Now while the end product can sometimes produce images with obvious errors, research indicates that posts with colorful, original artwork draw readers' attention... perfect or not. And I'm fine with that. I can actually draw, but not well, and not in a timely manner. Using Gemini allows me to create what I need, when I need it. And if the occasional mistake slips in, I can reject it, or embrace the chaos and have fun explaining why the characters is supposed to have an extra hand growing from his chest!

The next image is from the Public Domain, It's an old scan from "The Green Fairy Book", edited by Andrew Lang, and illustrated by H. J. Ford. The artist was a master, and has created images that continue to inspire artists and  art lovers for over a century.

Personally, I loved this image, so I used Gemini to recreate it in a colorful, new style. Is it perfect? No. Is it something I enjoy and can use? Yes. Will I continue using ai generated artwork in the future? You bet your Bippy!

If you are one of the many people that hate ai generated artwork, my blog is not a safe space for that kind of attitude. I've heard all the tired old arguments and the slurs of "ai slop", and I'm over it. It's a useful tool, and I have no problem using it. I will never apologize for exercising my freedom to create art and music, despite my personal limitations. You do you.

Looking To The Public Domain For Game Artwork

Artwork draws the eyes, draw the eyes and you draw the attention. Artwork is a necessity for any visual medium, especially blogs and gaming content. If you want your work to catch and hold the reader's attention, you need to add visuals, even if they are only moderately related to the content.

But original artwork costs $money$ and very few of us have extra money available. Stealing artwork is out of the question. One should always give credit and attribution to artwork made available for public use by creators.


The Public Domain offers an enormous amount of freely available artwork for the cash strapped writer, or gaming creative team. But give care to where you get your artwork from. Though it may be in the Public Domain, some artwork has been altered, or modified, by many websites, and copyright issues can become a problem if you misappropriate their work. Always check your sources thoroughly.


Here is a list of artists in the Public Domain. It is by no means exhaustive, but should provide an excellent selection of various styles to choose from.

The Deluge, engraving William Miller, c.1844

Heinrich Aldegrever
John D. Batten
John Bauer
Ivan Bilibin
William Blake
Hieronymus Bosch
Harry Clarke
Gustave Dore
Ernst Haeckel
John Huss
Theodor Kittleson
Henry Justice Ford
John Milford
William Morris
Alphonse De Neuville
Adriaen Pietersz
Arthur Rackham
Lancelot Speed
Christian Von Mechel
Lucas Brandis
Louis Le Breton
Walter Crane
Albrecht Durer
J. M. Gandy
Arthur Hacker
Adolf Hiremy Hirschl
William Hogarth
Wenceslaus Hollar
Franz Huys
Paul Jamin
Alois Kirnig
Karel Vitezslav Masek
William McAusland
Evelyn De Morgan
Sebastian Pether
Edouard Riou
David Roberts
David Ryckaert III
Anton Seder
Sidney Sime
John Vinycomb
Marten Eskil Winge
Milo Winter
N. C. Wyeth




Eve Tempted by Serpent, c.1799-1800, William Blake

The Historical Maps of John Speed

John Speed is probably one of England's most celebrated map illustrators. His maps are amongst the most sought after by collectors. And fortunately for the gaming community, these beautiful maps also quite useful for adventure campaigns.

The digitized maps of John Speed available here.