Launched AI art brand with three retail locations and seasonal collections

The Project

Lemuris is an AI-generated art brand creating photorealistic images of animals — from archetypal sacred figures to tender, emotional portraits. The vision: give form to what can't be photographed but deserves to be seen. Animals as you feel them, not just as they appear.

Methodology

I work across multiple AI tools — Midjourney, ChatGPT/DALL-E, Gemini, Higgsfield — each chosen for its specific strengths depending on the image I'm after. To streamline this multi-tool process, I built a custom GPT that helps me generate optimized prompts for each platform, acting as a creative bridge between vision and execution.

The workflow: inner vision → prompt engineering via custom GPT → generation across platforms → curation and selection → print production in multiple formats.

Achievements

- Created a full collection of AI-generated animal prints — from sacred figures like Bastet to tender portraits of cats, owls, dogs, foxes and reindeer

- Launched the first seasonal collection (holiday 2025) with prints sold across 3 owned retail locations, in multiple formats — with strong customer response and high margins

- Currently developing the next seasonal drop — the AI-powered workflow enables full collections to be produced by a single creator in a fraction of traditional timelines

- Built a custom GPT tool to optimize my creative process across different AI platforms

- Currently launching Lemuris as a standalone brand with its own website

- Next phase: online sales and B2B distribution to other pet shops through existing industry connections

Learnings

Each AI tool has a personality. Learning to match the right tool to the right vision was the real skill — not just prompting, but knowing which platform will understand what you're trying to surface. The custom GPT became essential: it translates my creative intent into the specific language each tool needs.

The biggest surprise: customers don't care that it's AI. They respond to what the image makes them feel. That validated the entire project.

AI makes seasonal collections viable as a solo creator. What would normally require a team — concept, production, variation — becomes a one-person operation with the right tools and prompting system in place.

Website:

https://vanessaingridpepe.wixsite.com/lemuris