Phenotype_io — Making Digital Art using Evolutionary Genetics
Phenotype is a genetic art engine that creates works of art using evolution theory and genetic mutation.
It evolves a blank canvas towards an end goal by making small mutations to the DNA of the image. Each work is unique, uses a maximum of 100 brush strokes, and no two renders are the same.
Genetic art is a method within computer graphics to create generative art. There are many ways to achieve the result however they are all based around the concept of evolving towards a goal through genetic mutation.
Each algorithm has it’s own unique style.
The algorithm starts by taking a seed blank canvas and copying that to a number of pool canvases. Together these represent a generation.
Each canvas in the current generation gets painted with a brush texture. The colour, position, size, and rotation is random. This represents the genetic mutation.
The canvases are compared pixel by pixel to the original source image and given a difference percentage.
The closest genetic match to the original source image replaces the seed canvas which then goes on to populate the next generation.
If none of the canvases are a closer genetic match to the current seed canvas, that generation dies and the next generation is re-seeded.
The process is time consuming and much less economical than using Machine Learning, but I think it has a more organic feel to it. Some images can take many hours to get to ~20% similarity, but I think they work best at lower similarity percentages when they have a more impressionistic feel.
Phenotype will automatically generate art and post the results to social media. So follow the Phenotype account on Twitter or Instagram if you’d like to see what it can do.
If you’re interested in purchasing NFT you can purchase the art on OpenSea.io or Hic Et Nunc
