For an upcoming project I'm working on I needed some custom artwork to make a cutting template. In the past, I've scoured the internet for images I could use, but in this case, I couldn't find anything suitable. I'm not really much of an artist but I know someone who is great at drawing, Mr AI image creator...

I'll show you how I used Microsoft Bing Image Creator to produce an image I could turn into a template. The best part is all this is free!

I even used Bing to create the Matrix-themed background for this Instructables thumbnail.

Supplies

Bing AI image creator
Instant Background Remover
Paint.Net

Step 1: Get AI to Create You Image

I wanted to make a bird-shaped wind spinner (aka whirligig) that's themed after a specific New Zealand native bird. There are lots of Pukeko around where I live and I love the colours on them.

To make the image go to Bing Image Creator

The hardest part is learning how to request what you want, it may take a few attempts to get what are after. I used the input:

"A slim Pukeko walking from the side with a white background and no shadow"

Now just save the image you created.

Step 2: Remove the Background

Now go to Instant Background Remover and upload the image you just made. Select the white background option and download the PNG file. This tool does a great job of removing any shadows or other artifacts you don't want on your template.

Step 3: Convert the Image Into a Mask

Now open the image in Paint.Net and use the magic wand tool to select the background of the image, then in the Edit Menu select 'Invert Selection' and then press the Del key to remove the image. I then just used the fill tool to make a black template.

I didn't want legs on my template so I just quickly used the paintbrush tool to remove them.

Now you need to print out the template glue it onto some wood and cut it out. Done!

Step 4: Draw the Wings (Optional)

This isn't needed, but I created another layer in the image and quickly drew some wings up to make the pattern for the wings later. It was just the easiest way to make sure I got the scale correct.