Are you an artist or art enthusiast looking for a new way to express your creative side? That’s precisely what Art Blocks can do for you.
Art Blocks is a revolutionary platform that’s well-regarded in the NFT industry and is dedicated to generative art NFTs. This platform gives artists the ability to create unique digital masterpieces of art that can be securely stored and traded on blockchain networks. In fact, many of today’s most valuable NFT collections were created on the Art Blocks platform, such as the Fidenza collection, which is among the most talked-about NFT collections internationally.
It’s gonna be a valuable read for you since we’re going to take an in-depth look at Art Blocks and their potential to revolutionize the art industry on a global scale.
We’ll discuss their significance, what makes them unique from existing art forms, and what the future holds for them.
Read on to learn more about this exciting new technology!
What is Art Blocks and How Art Blocks Work?
Powered by Ethereum, Art Blocks is a platform that provides programmable and unique generative art NFTs for collectors to possess. These NFTs denote ownership in art.
In terms of uniqueness, no one can predict how an artwork will look until the buyer buys it. Each and every generated piece is unique in its own way.
How on earth is it possible? Well, the art behind Art Blocks is pretty simple. As a generative art medium, it relies on algorithmic processes as a means to create autonomous art work. Nevertheless, each artwork contains a number of random variables to make it unique. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Minting Process
The Art Blocks NFT project provides investors with the opportunity to mint NFTs. Where a mystery surrounds NFTs as the user has no way to predict NFTs’ exact appearance until they mint them. A variety of algorithms are used in the process of generative art NFTs, which facilitate autonomous art creation.
During their creation, each generative art NFT starts with a random string of code, serving as a point of reference to create the design.
A designer who wishes to convert their design into Art Blocks NFTs must upload their proprietary algorithms first. They must specify how many NFTs they want to mint.
As part of the process, blockchain allows Art Blocks NFTs to be processed in real-time.
How does it work?
A sequence of steps takes place behind the scenes as soon as you submit your code to Art Blocks:
- In the first step, a random hexadecimal string is generated.
- In the hexadecimal string, each element represents an aspect of the artwork bound by parameters that are in line with its aesthetic. Chrome Squiggle, for instance, wouldn’t randomly start dropping emojis unless it was specified in the programming by the creator.
- The final step involves the production of the final product. Each variation depends on what the algorithm produces – for example, one might specify yellow, while another might specify green.
NFTs are treated as art pieces under ERC-721, delivered to their buyers. Regarding its popularity, remember that Generative Art NFTs were also used by prominent NFT projects such as CryptoPunks to ensure randomness in their collections. However, the generative art produced in these projects differs from that in Art Blocks.
CryptoPunks, another NFT project launched in 2017, differs significantly from Art Blocks NFTs in one important way. The CryptoPunks collection of eccentric artwork has already been minted, in contrast to Art Blocks, which is yet to be minted.
There are some projects in the Art Blocks series that feature interactive artworks, such as Asterisms, and others that feature static artworks, such as Archetype.
Brief History of Art Blocks
Inspired by CryptoPunks, the Art Blocks project came to life in November 2020. The project was developed by Erick Calderon, aka Snowfro, who has developed CryptoPunk projects previously.
In a similar way to CryptoPunks, Calderon manipulates the minting process using smart contracts and deep knowledge of technology.
It was his technique that created collectibles with the rarest traits of CryptoPunk. In response to this idea, Calderon began to consider how NFTs could be made without end users knowing what they’re buying. Art Blocks NFT was developed by encrypting NFT traits in code and presenting the first collection.
Calderon’s Chromie Squiggle collection of Art Block NFTs is designed with an emphasis on provenance and generative output. All 10,000 pieces in the Chromie Squiggle NFT collection were the same, featuring a clever mix of simplicity and uniqueness.
Throughout the whole NFT piece, there were various textures and opacities of colorful squiggles. Over 9000 traders and collectors participated in the Art Blocks project, which recorded a sales volume of over $100 million.
Later, the Fidenza collection by Tyler Hobbs was launched on the Art Blocks platform in March 2021, which boosted its popularity. The Chromie Squiggle collection has been hailed as one of the most significant artistic works in the history of NFTs since it was introduced during its earliest development stages. On OpenSea, Art Blocks average around 6 ETH at the floor price, and the most expensive Squiggle sale even reached 750 ETH.
Art Blocks 2021 Highlights
In October 2021, Christie’s auction house auctioned a total of 30 pieces of crypto art built on NFTs with a price tag of 393 ETH, equivalent to $498,292.56 USD at the time of writing. As the 1st live auction to utilize Ethereum’s cryptocurrency, ETH, this auction made history.
The collection showcased works from Art Blocks Curated as well as the earliest NFT-based art project “Curio Cards”.
A number of Art Blocks artists are involved in the project, including:
- Snowfro
- Tyler Hobbs
- Bryan Brinkman
- Dmitri Cherniak
- Kjetil Golid
- Luxpris
The Art Blocks team announced via Twitter on Oct. 6, 2021, the company had secured $6 million from True Ventures as part of their second round of venture capital investment.
The CEO of Snowfro, Eric Calderon, explained why more funding was needed, “Cognizant of the bold career moves people were making to come work with us, promising at least two years runway, even if we didn’t sell a SINGLE NFT, was critical.
It was impossible for us to allow people to board this bus without seatbelts. After being in crypto for so long, even hiring new staff meant raising more money.”
Art Blocks Statistical Information
As of September 2022, Statista reported the following data on Art Blocks’ NFT trading activity worldwide:
3 Levels of Art Blocks Collection Tiers
There are 3 different levels of Art Blocks NFT collection tiers artists can choose from such as Art Blocks Curated Collection, Playground Collection, and Factory Collection.
Curated Collection
As a first-time user, consider commencing your experience with the Art Blocks Curated collection as this collection features artworks that are approved by the board of curators at Art Blocks. The actual platform vision is best represented by these.
In addition, this category releases quarterly sets of projects.
In order to be placed into the Art Blocks Curated collection, NFT projects are required to undergo a rigorous verification process, which can take anything from a few months to 2 years in some cases. Art Blocks Curated projects offer a unique combination of both aesthetically pleasing and cutting-edge technology.
Playground Collection
Those projects that end up in the playground collection don’t undergo rigorous verification procedures, which is why they are more experimental in nature. In order to be considered for Playground projects, artists must have previously released curated projects on the platform.
Essentially, Art Blocks encourages its artists to experiment with new ideas. Artists are only allowed to have one playground project active at a time. Prior to initiating a new project of this nature, the artist must release another curated project.
Factory Collection
Generally, this is a space where anything goes. Why? Creating a Factory collection on Art Blocks was necessary to overcome the difficulty of including generative art NFTs in Curated and Playground collections.
The Factory is open to all artists, while Art Blocks will ensure the piece is original and not copied in any way. It’s as simple as that. Checking out the Factory collection brings to mind going to local art galleries, discovering hidden gems, and savoring a tasty treat for free.
Famous Art Blocks Projects and Artists
Autoglyphs by Larva Labs
The first on-chain generative art NFT project, Autoglyphs was developed by Larva Labs, the company behind CryptoPunks. In the developer’s words, Autoglyphs are “experiments in generative art, each unique and derived from code.” The NFTs could be acquired for 0.2 ETH (around $35 at the time) back in 2019. Nonetheless, the Autoglyphs were only available in 512 quantities. This historic NFT is available for around $230,000 at 189 ETH (due to its extreme scarcity).
Fidenza by Tyler Hobbs
Tyler Hobbs is an Austin-based visual artist whose work involves the development and programming of custom algorithms. He created “unpredictable, organic curves” in his Fidenza collection that were generated algorithmically and determined by the mix of sizes of elements. Collaboration between himself and Dandelion Wist, the creator of the generative art platform Archipelago, was recently released as QQL. Despite the QQL algorithm being accessible to everyone, mint pass holders can only create official NFTs that use the QQL algorithm.
A well-known generative art NFT project on Art Blocks is Tyler Hobbs’ Fidenza. This list contains 999 NFTs, the cheapest of which costs at least 83 Ethereum (around $102,000). They were introduced in June 2021 by Hobbs, featuring colorful pastiches.
Lost Poets by Pak
In Lost Poets, players play a strategy and collectible game in a multi-staged NFT format. It was launched in September 2021 by Pak, one of the world’s most celebrated artists. Among the NFTs in the collection, 65,536 can be obtained, and 1,024 are origin NFTs. There is more information in the cryptic roadmap for the project. In accordance with the project’s website, each NFT represents a single piece of art that was created using artificial intelligence and designed specifically for the purpose.
Ringers by Dmitri Cherniak
“Ringers” was created by Dmitri Cherniak, a Canadian artist and coder. At least 1,000 generative art NFTs are included. A series of “strings and pegs” distinguishes these. Among the most popular NFT collections on the Art Blocks platform, this collection was created using the platform. As of now, 44.9 Ethereum has been set as the floor price.
How to get Art Blocks NFTs?
It is possible that the information you have read so far has inspired you to join the NFT revolution. You won’t regret participating in an Art Blocks NFT drop.
Art Blocks NFTs have undoubtedly changed the lives of their lucky owners, something that can be clearly seen today. Others, however, are interested in art regardless of their economic status.
Follow the steps below to get Art Blocks NFTs.
It is difficult to keep up with Art Blocks NFT drops due to their fierce competition. Ultimately, mining Art Blocks NFTs relies on anticipating series drops and ensuring you have enough MetaMask funds to cover gas costs.
- Start with the MetaMask as it’s a great crypto wallet to start. Install it.
- From MetaMask, go to any open Art Blocks project.
- Open the project, and if there are any mints left, there will be a purchase button.
- As soon as you pay in ETH, you’ll receive your unique generative artwork in your wallet.
OpenSea and other secondary marketplaces are also options for buying Art Blocks. OpenSea provides options to filter results and view curated artworks from Art Blocks through its marketplace. As an added precaution, you can also use conditions for additional verification, eliminating any future concerns about scams.
Future of Art Blocks
As far as Art Blocks is concerned, it appears to have a bright future. A recent Art Blocks trading volume average of $100,000 to $1.2 million per day has been reported previously. There have been significant increases in the value of each of the projects mentioned in this guide over the past few months. This means that generative art NFTs and the platform will remain in high demand for a long time.
Conclusion
A lot of generative art is developed, known, and appreciated through the Art Blocks platform. Artists can’t just filter the outputs and choose which results to show the public; they need to accept every outcome of the algorithm they create. A fair amount of effort is put into curating the content for Art Blocks collections, ensuring they are aesthetically appealing, algorithmically sophisticated, and of high quality. As a start-up project, Art Blocks evolved into a blue-chip NFT studio and played a crucial role in blockchain art’s development.
NFT artists and anyone interested in generative art should consider investing in Art Blocks. With all the information you’ve gathered above about Art Blocks, it should be easy for you to link it up to your wallet and make a purchase. Your investment will ensure that you own an original piece of art, no matter what you choose.
Hi, my name is Brandan Henry, and I’m an NFT, Blockchain, and Research enthusiast, as well as a content writer for NFT-onomics. I’m deeply passionate about exploring the potential of NFTs and blockchain technology. My mission is to educate people on the capabilities of non-fungible tokens and their applications. I stay up-to-date with the latest NFT news and trends, and as a full-time writer, I excel at generating creative, out-of-the-box ideas surrounding NFTs.