Blockchain for Artists — Easy Way to Create and Launch NFT Collections

From memes to million-dollar art, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are taking over art in itself. Want to create your own NFT collection? This guide reveals the process in simple terms.

What is an NFT Art Collection?

An NFT art collection is a collection of tokenized digital assets on the blockchain. These sets may consist of limited editions of 5,000 to 10,000 unique tokens, each with unique characteristics and a common subject or artistic approach. In the collection, every token is a digital asset whose ownership can be tracked. These tokens are rare and legitimate, and collectors can exchange them on NFT marketplaces.

NFT art collections enable artists to sell digital artworks and receive royalties when they are bought.

The idea of having digital art was first questionable. However, by 2022, the NFT art market had expanded quite drastically after Beeple's "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" sold for $69 million at Christie's, which made people take NFTs much more seriously.

NFT Market Growth and Trends

Over the past few years, the NFT market has completely taken off, reaching a valuation of over $40 billion in 2021. As 2022 rolled around, even more people joined the trend. Instead of sticking to traditional galleries, artists and collectors were searching for new ways to buy and sell art online, which is why this trend occurred in the first place. The NFT community grew quickly because platforms like OpenSea made it much simpler for artists to share their work with others worldwide.

NFTs are widely used in gaming, virtual real estate, and entertainment in addition to the art world. Millions of dollars are being spent on virtual land in games and virtual worlds like Decentraland and The Sandbox, all to make new venues for the use and exhibition of digital art. The fact that even major game companies like Ubisoft and Square Enix have experimented with NFT-related technology makes it clear that this trend will only continue.

How to Create an NFT Art Collection?

Although it may seem overwhelming, building an NFT art collection is actually a simple process. This is how you can begin:

1. Choose Your Concept

The first step in creating an NFT collection is deciding on a concept. What makes your collection unique? You can make pixel art, 3D models, or even animated characters - the key is to come up with an idea that will be interesting or relatable to others in some way. It can help to check out famous collections for inspiration. As an example, CryptoPunks, one of the first NFT projects, became famous for its 10,000 unique pixel art figures.

However, you don’t have to be limited to only those ideas. Artists like Pak have used abstract art and generative design to make NFTs that have sold for millions. The important part is the uniqueness of the artwork and its draw to a specific audience.

2. Select the Blockchain

When creating NFTs, selecting the appropriate blockchain is probably the most important thing to consider. For that, Ethereum is the most often used option due to its large community and security. Ethereum is used by the majority of large NFT platforms, such as Rarible and OpenSea. High gas costs, however, can make using Ethereum costly and lower your earnings when you create or sell NFTs.

Other blockchains, such as Binance Smart Chain, Tezos, and Solana, are also used pretty frequently. They offer quicker transfers for lower prices. For instance, Tezos is particularly environmentally-friendly due to its energy efficiency. Solana is another excellent option, especially if you wish to accumulate a sizable collection of NFTs without significant transaction expenses - it is quick and has very low fees.

3. Minting NFTs

The next step is to "mint" your NFT. Minting simply means converting your file into a distinct token on the blockchain, which gives it a unique ID, which makes it uncopyable.

Platforms such as OpenSea, Rarible, or Foundation can be used to mint NFTs. Even if you're not very tech-savvy, these websites are made to be easy to use.

For example, OpenSea is incredibly beginner-friendly and offers a function called "lazy minting" that allows you to mint NFTs without having to pay gas expenses upfront. Rarible and Foundation also provide simple tools, but they tend to focus more on carefully chosen art collections.

4. Add Metadata

NFTs rely heavily on metadata - which contains all of the information about your artwork, including its title, description, and file information. This information is uploaded when you mint an NFT, and it will be displayed to those who are interested in purchasing your artwork. It also increases the value of your NFT since it makes it easier for collectors to see what it is about and relate to your digital art, which is why it's important to have precise and detailed metadata.

5. Promote Your Collection

The next step is to promote your collection - the NFT world is pretty crowded, so just putting your NFTs up for sale is unfortunately not enough. You will need to put your art online to increase your chances of selling.

Social media is super important for this. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Discord are where a lot of NFT enthusiasts hang out. Many popular NFT projects grow by being active in Twitter communities, where artists chat with potential buyers. Discord servers are also great places for collectors to discover new drops and connect with creators.

You can also team up with influencers in the NFT space or join giveaway events to get more attention. Tools like Zealy and Taskon make it easy to create fun community activities where your followers can like, share, or comment on your posts to promote your collection.

Best NFT Marketplaces to Sell Your Collection

Once your NFTs are minted, they need a marketplace. Here’s a comparison of the most popular platforms:

• OpenSea: OpenSea is the largest and most popular NFT marketplace. Given its reach and user-friendly interface, it is the preferred platform for the majority of creators.
• Rarible: Rarible is a community-driven NFT platform. You can use their native token (RARI) to vote on platform upgrades.
• Foundation: This is an invitation-only curated marketplace for premium NFT art collections. To participate, you must receive an invitation from an existing Foundation artist.

Technical Tools for NFT Art Creation

You can use a variety of tools to produce great NFT art:

• Blender: Blender is a free, open-source program that digital artists use to make 3D models, animations, and images. Blender is used by many 3D NFT artists to produce intricate digital artwork that can be offered for sale on NFT marketplaces such as OpenSea.
• Adobe Creative Cloud: Adobe includes popular tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, which are often used to design NFT art. On some platforms, such as Rarible, Adobe has even enabled the direct minting of NFTs from its software.
• Generative Art Tools: For artists who want to make large NFT collections, there are generative art tools like Hashlips. With the help of these tools, you can automatically combine various characteristics to produce one-of-a-kind NFTs. This is ideal for projects like CryptoPunks or Bored Ape Yacht Club, where each component is unique but has some things in common.

Case Studies: Successful NFT Artists

There have been cases of artists have successfully launched NFT collections, such as the following:

• Mark Beeple: Mark Beeple made news when he sold "Everydays: The First 5000 Days" for $69 million. That's why his works are liked by both art lovers and regular people: they often combine scary images with political and social commentaries.
• Pak: This is an anonymous artist who goes by the name Pak and has become one of the most famous NFT creators. Pak sold "The Fungible," a collection of digital artworks, on the website Nifty Gateway for more than $17 million in April 2021. In the NFT art space, his simple and surreal works become very well known.
• FewOCiOUS: FEWOCiOUS has already made a lot of money from selling NFT art, at only 18 years old. Collectors love his bright, highly charged paintings, which has led to a number of high-profile sales at auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's.

These artists have capitalized on the growing interest in digital art and NFTs, not only by creating unique pieces but by leveraging their personal brand and storytelling to connect with collectors.

The Future of NFT Art

Although NFTs are already widely used, they will only continue to develop. The following are some significant trends:

Fractionalized NFTs

Fractional ownership is a still-developing trend that allows purchasers to own a share of a high-value NFT. This lowers the barrier to entry for collectors and allows more people to enter the market. One of the leading NFT platforms, Nifty Gateway, has already introduced fractional ownership, and it is expected that this concept will spread over the coming years.

Integration with the Metaverse

NFTs are essential to the development of virtual worlds where users can purchase, sell, and exchange assets as the metaverse grows. Artists can now sell digital art, avatars, and virtual real estate on platforms like Decentraland and The Sandbox, which are leading this field. According to a Bloomberg report, NFTs are the foundation of this virtual ecosystem, and the metaverse economy could reach $800 billion by 2024.

Eco-Friendly NFTs

Many artists are using proof-of-stake blockchains, such as Tezos and Algorand, to reduce their carbon footprint as concerns about the environmental effects of blockchain technology grow. In contrast, the proof-of-work architecture of Ethereum uses a lot more energy than these blockchains. For example, Tezos reported a 70% reduction in energy consumption following network modernization in 2022.

NFT Security and Scams

While the NFT area brings significant prospects, it also comes with concerns. Scams are growing more widespread as the market increases. Fake NFT ventures, rug pulls (when creators leave after collecting funds), and phishing assaults are widespread.

To protect yourself, always verify the legitimacy of NFT collections before buying or minting. Use approved NFT markets and avoid buying from unknown or unconfirmed sources. Artists should also consider adopting tools like Ledger or Trezor, which are hardware wallets meant to keep digital assets safe from hackers.

Conclusion

NFTs have provided artists with new ways of selling and promoting their work to the whole world and keeping creative control. Artists looking for profit can easily create an NFT collection of their own through the steps (from creating to releasing) that we outlined.

Since there are blockchains like Ethereum, Solana, and Tezos, which give lots of options for minting and selling digital art, creators pretty much have all the tools they need to flourish in this field.

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