Recent advances in artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) have led to the rapid generation of high-quality images. AIGC has attracted the attention of commercial digital art asset creators. Traditional artist-led processes contrast with current AI tools that often reduce creators to passive roles. This study examines the integration of AI image generation into commercial digital art, emphasizing the importance of preserving creators’ creative autonomy. Our formative study (S1) involved interviews with commercial digital art creators, highlighting a need for greater control and transparency in AI-assisted painting. In response, we developed RealtimeGen, an integrated tool that merges human creativity with AI’s capabilities, allowing creators to intervene in the generative process. A user study (S2) comparing RealtimeGen with the popular AIGC tool Stable Diffusion was also carried out. The results showed its enhanced user experience and workflow compatibility. Our work contributes to understanding and improving AI-assisted painting workflows for commercial creators, offering them greater creative agency.

Modern Chinese painting is a new type of painting inherited from ancient Chinese painting. Drawing modern Chinese painting is time-consuming and laborious, which is difficult for novices to start. Symbols are fundamental components of Chinese cultural works both materially and mentally. We introduce a symbol-based modern Chinese painting system termed Magical Brush. Magical Brush combines symbolic cultural factors with AI generative models, with the attempt to help novices create a complete modern Chinese painting, learn basic ideas of Chinese paintings and obtain co-creation engagement. In user study, we compare Magical Brush to other AI and non-AI digital painting tools. Results indicate that by combining cultural factors, Magical Brush can help novices easily create modern Chinese paintings and experience the cultural connotations in the process.