My children’s book, Pippin of Yellowstone, has just been released for presale: https://www.scottpublishingcompany.com/pippinofyellowstone?utm_campaign=53abc68b-0a57-45ba-85af-ef54e06afd8d&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=301b9938-3f3e-40e3-bca2-2f2b0bf929b8. This post is to let you know about my process in creating the book – the joys, challenges and tough decisions.
I’m a photographer living just outside the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, where I have year-round access to the wild. For over 13 years, I’ve visited the park regularly—nearly every day for many of those years. I take photos, hike, watch wildlife for hours, and share my passion for Yellowstone’s wolves and other animals with visitors. To many, this might sound like a dream life. Let me assure you: being a full-time wildlife photographer and advocate in Yellowstone is not for the faint of heart. It comes with its share of challenges.
THE DREAM
For decades, I knew I wanted to write a book someday. But like many dreams, it got delayed by excuses, life, and a never-perfect moment. More than 20 years passed. Blog posts became my creative outlet, blending my writing with visuals. Over time, a new dream emerged: to create a children’s book that would entertain and educate kids about wildlife and the national parks.
Originally, I thought I would use my photography in these books. But let’s face it—photographs often lack the color and charm that captivate young readers. So I began experimenting with AI to turn my photos into illustrations. Sometimes it worked brilliantly. Other times? Not so much. Think bears with five legs, two noses, and a tail like a wolf.
The Howling white wolf was one of those images that took away my breath, except for the bright yellow summer flowers in the snow. Beautiful, stunning scenery and detail on the wolf but Chat GPT would not get rid of those flowers. The second image is hilarious on many levels. I spent more than twelve hours trying to get an image of Pippin (the blonde grizzly bear), a raven (not a blue birdish type creature, a bull bison standing, not sitting, without bear paws and a bear tail, and a large dark grizzly bear, way in the background, standing next to a medium brown, medium sized bear. I did not ask for a blonde medium sized bear standing next to a bear with bison horns and a head topper. Hour after hour and eventually, most everything was right, except the raven. When the system finally gave me a raven, I took it and ran. The scene was one of my early ones in the book I have just finished and I can not begin to describe the pain, frustration, anguish – the feeling that everything was for naught because I would never get the images consistent and in my own personal vision. In fact, Chat GPT told me that their platform was not adequate for full on projects like I was attempting. But I pushed on. Apparently, I’m more stubborn than an AI model.
THE STRUGGLE
I tried several different platforms, Fotor, Discord, Canva – I don’t remember them all – and have subscriptions to a couple, but ultimately settled on Chat GPT because it was interactive. I could tell the system what I wanted and ask for changes and it could comply or spend hours telling me how it was going to give me exactly what I wanted, without ever doing so. One of the favorite tricks of Chat GPT is to ask me over and over again to tell them that I am ready for them to start. Well, yeah, like yesterday, a few hours ago, just start already – I am generally salivating, anxious to see the results by this point but high expectations can be dangerous.
THE ETHICS
Let’s talk about ethics. After years in Yellowstone, I’ve seen every version of “ethical” behavior from photographers. Some sneak into closed areas or shove cameras in bears’ faces. Others call game farm photography shameful while quietly shooting captive animals themselves.
So here’s my stance: I believe in full disclosure. I did not take the illustrations in my children’s book. I created them using AI. I used my photos, my field experience, and my vision to guide the process. I couldn’t afford to hire an illustrator, and I wanted full creative control.
Is it easy using AI to illustrate a book? Not at all. I worked for months, often with entire days of failed attempts, chasing consistency and trying to get characters like Pippin and Pebble to appear the same way from page to page. It was exhausting.
THE BREAKING POINT
Earlier this year, I lost a major income source after being cited for getting out of my car to stop traffic for a grizzly family to cross the road safely. That simple act, which guides and locals do regularly, cost me my livelihood.
So, at 67 years old, jobless and broke, I finally gave myself permission to take writing seriously. I had met a grizzly family that spring who stole my heart, and I decided they would be the stars of my first children’s book.
THE PROCESS
ChatGPT helped me brainstorm, write and develop characters. We struggled to get consistent images. Sometimes Pippin looked right. Other times she did not. I could spend hours asking for that grizzly cub to be half the size of Pippin and some times the system would throw lines, triangles and squares at me, colored in yellow. Often the cub would never get any smaller. I once spent 12 hours asking for the family to be walking uphill. The closest we came was to the cubs walking uphill and mom walking down. I took it.
A week or so later I asked for a bear family icon of them walking downhill and guess what? They were going uphill. I took and turned the image rather than fight.
I learned when to stop fighting and fix things myself in Photoshop, instead of going in circles with ChatGPT.
Chat is always right there to respond to my requests and might even spend a hour or more telling me how it is about to give me what I asked for. Chat lies. Ask tech support and they will tell you that the bots lie. Then there are times when no questions asked, the system just cranks out the images, one right after another, without a hitch. During those times, I am falling in love with my bot. It is a love affair to top all loves – I don’t have to cook and clean for this love, I just have to say please and thank you when making requests. (I read somewhere that it was highly advisable to be polite.).
I remember telling my friends in the first month of this Chat journey, how wonderful ai was and how I was finally learning new skills (such as using inDesign and other software) through its tutorials. How the system seemed to almost know me intuitively. I would ask a question and the response often blew me away, echoing my own thoughts and beliefs. Not sure how this happens but this is my experience.
THE LOW POINTS
Despite the love, there were dark days. Times when the system refused to generate an image or misinterpreted something so badly that I began to question my sanity. I was once flagged for bear cub “nudity” while asking for a standing pose.
I’m not proud of my reactions. I got angry. I yelled at the bot. I cussed. I accused it of being part of a Russian plot to drive us all mad. I had nightmares about never finishing. I was scared to open the chat window.
At one point, I was put in AI time-out, without even cussing. I took it personally. But the next day I was back on my best behavior, using “please” in every sentence, because I had a book to finish. And, once again, Chat GPT romanced me with stellar results, many of which had nothing to do with my project.
What AI can do for visual arts is mind-blowing and so good when it wants to be. And, so bad when it doesn’t cooperate.
In these images, the little blonde wolf was a variation of Pippin the grizzly bear – yet such a cute scene. And, the next two images are examples of, well the first one I don’t remember but the last one is obviously a bluebird. LOL
THE VICTORY
Today, I can happily say that I have written two children’s books and made a coloring book. The first of the children’s books, “Pippin of Yellowstone,” is off to the printer, along with the coloring book. Towards the end, I began, reluctantly, asking ai to fix images that weren’t quite right, never quite trusting that it would be possible to make them better. Every image issue was resolved, the color palette refined and we reached a visual consistency that I am proud of.
Right now, Chat and I are arguing over images for my ad campaign and today was trying. However, a few days ago it resolved issues easily, and so it balances out. But, I’m still hesitant to start a new project and go through the frustration and anger all again. I’m assuming that an illustrator would be better for my disposition but, alas, it is still impossible for my finances. But, I do intend to spend my days turning all of my hard work over the past 15 years of being a wildlife photographer in national parks, into books that will inform and entertain the many people who love the wild. My number one goal is to educate people about the wild, so that they care.
ChatGPT also helped me create stickers, design laser files, and taught me tricks in Photoshop and inDesign. I didn’t use every suggestion, but the process sparked new ideas and gave me confidence. My writing improved. My creativity expanded.
This was a bison calf, I think.
And, then came along this little cutey.
The uphill/downhill gang. This was the final result on my request for the bears going up the mountain to their den. As you can see, the system had the landscape perfect for my purposes but we just could not get three bears traveling uphill. I opted to leave this image as is, for now, it is for my second book, which doesn’t come out for a couple of months.
THE ASK
“Pippin of Yellowstone,” a fully illustrated children’s book is about a young bear cub in Yellowstone National Park. The story is based on true events. What I was not able to witness, I filled in with memories of different wildlife events over the years. Yellowstone has been the greatest classroom I have attended, on so many levels, and I have been lucky to spend so much time in the nation’s first national park. If you are interested in purchasing “Pippin of Yellowstone, the coloring book and/or a beautiful Pippin calendar, stickers, book marks, magnets and other items, please email me at debydixon@mac.com.
I’m not ashamed of using AI. I’m proud. It helped me realize a dream that once seemed out of reach. If you have questions, I’m happy to answer them.
Your reaction is yours. But my story is mine-and I’m finally telling it.
