Constantine's Gambit: A Game of Vampires

In the dimly lit, crumbling tenement apartment building on the outskirts of New York City's Lower East Side, a sense of foreboding hung in the air like a miasma. It was a place where the living and the dead coexisted in an uneasy dance, where the walls ran thick with the secrets of the damned. At the heart of this eerie domain was John Constantine, a man with a reputation for being as ruthless as he was cunning. A vampire, or so the whispers went, with a taste for blood and a talent for manipulation. But Constantine was no ordinary creature of the night. He was a being of darkness, with eyes that burned like embers from the depths of hell. And he was not alone. A vampire bat, its leathery wings beating softly in the shadows, watched with cold, calculating eyes as Constantine went about his business, collecting debts and exacting revenge on those who dared to cross him.

[Workflow: I created the vampire, buildings, and JC during separate prompt sessions in Tengr, and the bat from a NightCafe prompt.   Combined everything into a single image, added a fog layer, spectral glare behind the bat, and the font work. Hand-fixed up AI artifact issues from the various source images during final edits in Affinity Photo.]

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Dreary Bus Ride with John Constantine

As the dreary London fog swirled around the bus, John Constantine gazed out the grimy window at the city's grey modern sprawl. The bus rumbled along the crowded streets of downtown, the iconic Big Ben tower looming in the distance like a skeletal giant. Constantine's eyes, red-rimmed from a night of heavy smoking and harder drinking, squinted against the misty drizzle that clung to his face like a damp shroud. He was headed to a meeting with a mysterious client, one who claimed to have information about the latest supernatural shenanigans plaguing the city. But as the bus inched along, Constantine's mind began to wander, his thoughts consumed by the weight of his own mortality and the endless struggle against the forces of darkness that lurked in every shadow. The bus lurched to a stop and Constantine's gaze drifted back to the fog-shrouded streets, his eyes narrowing as he sensed something malevolent lurking just beyond the veil of reality.

[Workflow: Inspired by an Aaron Campbell panel from John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America #1, I then started with a basic image of JC from a couple NightCafe image prompts, hand-fixed up AI artifact issues, layered in better glass for the windows, and added more paint texture to the outer bus shell during final edits in Affinity Photo.]

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Aaron Cambell's inspirational panel

John Standing in a Back Alley

John Constantine is standing in a back alley.  This quick image was created within NightCafe with a couple minor fixes by hand.

The Dark Side of John's Cigarette Habit

As the acrid smoke of the underworld swirled around him, John Constantine stood tall, his worn leather trenchcoat flapping open like a dark wing. The stench of brimstone and despair hung heavy in the air, but the cynical mage barely flinched, his eyes fixed on the burning pyre before him. His left hand cradled the cigarette, the ember glowing like a tiny, defiant star amid the infernal chaos. The flames that danced around him seemed to flicker in time with the rhythm of his slow, deliberate drags as if the very fires of hell itself were drawn to the rebellious spark within him. And yet, despite the apocalyptic backdrop, Constantine's gaze remained calm, his expression a mask of world-weary resignation. He was a man who'd faced the abyss and emerged with a few scars, a cigarette pack of Mayfairs, and a healthy dose of skepticism. As he exhaled a plume of smoke, the darkness seemed to writhe and twist around him, as if the very fabric of the underworld was trying to claim him as its own. But Constantine just smiled a wry, mirthless curve of his lips, and took another long, slow drag on his cigarette.

[Workflow: Started with a basic image of JC from image prompts in Tengr, hand-fixed up AI artifact issues, then used Freepik's Pikaso inpainting expansion feature to give a wider-angle view. Generated some of the flames with Nightcafe prompts, and the wings with Tengr.   Merged and layered in all the pieces into a single image. Added cigarette and smoke, added a swirling layer of hellish smoke, enhanced the flames, and added sparks/ember Fx for the final edits in Affinity Photo.]

Hi-rez image link [3840px wide]

Constantine Stands on the Dark Rail

As the dimly lit industrial train yard outside Chicago swallowed the darkness, John Constantine stood defiantly on the worn railroad tracks, his eyes locked onto the swirling vortex of hellish sunburst energy before him. The air was thick with the acrid stench of brimstone, clinging to his throat like a noose, while the distant rumble of the approaching train grew louder, its headlamp casting an eerie glow on the rusting behemoths of steel that loomed in the shadows.

With a sweep of his wrist, Constantine's worn leather trench coat fluttered open, revealing a twisted, blackened crucifix adorned with strange symbols and gemstones. It hummed with dark energy as he held it aloft, the relic serving as his focus for the arcane arts. The demon, its grotesque form writhing in agony, clawed at the energy beam searing its flesh, letting out a blood-curdling scream that echoed through the night.

The train's horn blared a warning, a monstrous beast hurtling toward him with deadly precision. The engineer's frantic attempts to brake were futile against the massive weight of the locomotive. Yet Constantine's gaze never wavered; he poured every ounce of his arcane power into the ritual, the air around him crackling with energy as the train bore down.

At that moment, the framework of reality seemed to tear asunder, the boundaries between worlds blurring. The demon's screams crescendoed, mingling with the train's horn, a cacophony of impending doom. But Constantine stood firm, a solitary figure against the tide of darkness, determined to vanquish the horrors that lurked beyond.

As the train thundered closer, he felt the weight of his choices pressing down on him. This was just another day in the life of a man who had made a pact with the devil himself, and he would not let it end here.

[Workflow: Started with a basic image of JC standing with his arm raised forward from image prompts in Tengr, then used Freepik's Pikaso inpainting expansion feature to give a wider-angle view. Added relic to hand, created fire bolts, and Fx, created the inbound train lights approaching, digital sign inlay, texturing for a painted canvas impression for the final edits in Affinity Photo.]

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Trio of John Constantine AI Image Creations

Here are a handful of quick Tengr image prompt creations with only some very minor AI-glitch corrections by human hand.

CGC 9.5 Rated: Darkseid Trading Card (DC Comics Villain Series 1 - 2023)

I took the Darkseid image edit I previously created and updated it to be a CGC-certified trading card for the imagined "DC Comics: Villains Series 1" released as a set of 48 cards in 2023.

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Portrait of John Constantine

John Constantine smoking a cigarette in London.

[Workflow: JC's starter image from my Tengr prompt, masked in a background of London, canvas texturing, along with masking and AI artifact clean-ups in Affinity.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]

Rooftop Batman

I started this image from a NightCafe image prompt, then finished it up in Affinity with artifact clean-ups, updating the bricks with a new texture overlay and more clouds.

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Lilitha Summons a Demon - Expanded Edition

Lilitha was once a skilled sorceress who delved too deep into the dark arts, seeking power and knowledge. She made a pact with a powerful demon, trading her soul for unimaginable power. Now, she uses her abilities to fight against evil and protect the innocent.

[Original Workflow: Bing Co-Pilot images brought into Affinity Photo for final hand edits, revised version used Freepik's Pikaso inpainting expansion feature to give a wider-angle view. For version 2 I cleaned up AI glitches, added proper shadow for the demon, new layers for extra smoke, flames, and dust.]

Hi-rez image link [3760px wide]

Batman Standing in Old Downtown Gotham City

As the full moon cast its silvery glow over the crumbling rooftops of downtown Gotham, Batman stood upright and scanned the fog-shrouded streets with his eyes. The rain-soaked pavement shone like a dark mirror, reflecting the faint light of the city's distant skyscrapers. The smell of damp earth and decay was in the air, a familiar perfume that only Gotham could produce. The Dark Knight's foot rested casually on the concrete gargoyle, his stone wings outstretched like a sentinel guarding the city's secrets. The brief flutter of bats in the moonlit sky was the only sound that broke the silence, their leathery wings flapping in unison as they danced in the wind. It was a night like any other in Gotham, but Batman's instincts told him something was wrong, a feeling that grew stronger with each passing moment. The crusader's eyes narrowed and his mind filled with possibilities as he contemplated the darkness, his presence a beacon of hope in a city that often seemed to devour itself.

[Workflow: I took the last image I created and tried Freepik's Pikaso inpainting expansion feature to give a wider-angle view. I cleaned up AI artifacts and layered in some rain and fog FX for the final edits in Affinity Photo.]

Hi-rez image link [2160px tall]