Convert Digital Art into NFTs – Quick Guide for Beginners
You can convert digital art into NFTs using a set of creative skills and a personal computer.
What is NFT?
Non Fungible tokens (NFTs). In economics, the word “non fungible” is frequently used to express characteristics like uniqueness and non-interchangeability. Non Fungibility in the crypto world simply means that one object cannot be traded for another.
As a unit of account, a “token” is essentially a certificate of validity kept on the decentralized blockchain, making digital assets traceable and accessible to all. As a result, NFTs are a one-of-a-kind virtual currency that can take the form of paintings, movies, music, collectible objects in video games, or any other sort of creative digital creation.
Since the emergence of NFTs in early 2021, everyone on the planet has been buying and selling these tokens. But how does one go about converting genuine art into NFTs and selling them? Is it difficult? Is coding required to create an NFT?
In other words, the processes involved are straightforward. Read this concise tutorial below to learn the primary method and its details.
What is Crypto Art?
The most prevalent use case for NFTs is art, so it is no surprise that cryptographic art in NFT form has suddenly grown in popularity. This new technology, which now allows artists to make tens of millions of dollars from their digital paintings, has attracted many creative individuals who could only dream of such simplicity and accessibility previously.
The public has been drawn in by sensational, high-profile auctions of NFTs tied to digital art. The most costly sales made the news because they fetched millions of dollars. “Merge” by pseudonymous digital artist Pak was the most expensive NFT in 2022, costing $91.8 million.
Everydays: the First 5000 Days NFT series by artist Mike Winkelmann, known as Beeple, was auctioned off for $69.3 million in 2021.
Crypto art is connected with one-of-a-kind artworks made by well-known artists and auctioned off on markets that include not just prominent NFT platforms but also traditional auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Nonetheless, the majority of art in the crypto world is made by unskilled newcomers.
However, certain NFT collections, such as the pioneering CryptoPunks or the lately famous Bored Ape Yacht Club, are instances of generative art. This style of art is typically produced with the assistance of different autonomous systems. These popular collections’ graphics are generated by combining a variety of simple picture components in various combinations.
Convert Digital Art into NFTs
If you’re wondering if you should convert digital art into NFTs, the obvious response is “why not?” The process of developing an NFT is not difficult, expensive, or sophisticated. All you need is a set of creative talents and a computer.
Again, NFTs have the ability to transform not only photos but also music, films, GIFs, and other digital goods. So, first and foremost, you must select an appropriate art field that best matches you. Based on this, you will realize what kind of talent you will need to become a true NFT creator.
As a graphic artist, for example, you will be expected to utilize graphic editing applications such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, MS Paint, CorelDraw, and others. You may also experiment with different approaches, such as three-dimensional (3D) modeling, which is regarded to be more challenging for novices. If you pick 3D animation, you will be needed to develop animated images and characters in 3D modeling software such as Blender or Cinema 4D, which will subsequently be translated into NFTs.
Following that, you will need to come up with a distinct idea for your single artwork or maybe a whole collection, as well as consider the content that it will eventually change into.
Is coding necessary for NFTs?
Without coding, it is fairly simple to make an NFT from digital art. The process of making them is known as minting. It is the act of putting a unique instance of a token on the blockchain. NFTs are minted after they are generated, just like metal coins are made and circulated.
Following this method, the specific piece of digital art becomes safe, tamper-proof, and difficult to change. Since becoming an NFT, this digital object may now be bought, sold, and digitally monitored when resold or recollected.
Minting NFTs into digital art is a creative approach for artists to fairly monetise their work. Artists can implement a royalty clause upon minting on most NFT markets, generating passive income from secondary purchases of their creations. Artists can benefit if the demand for their work grows, becomes well-known, and increases in value.
Most NFT marketplaces offer minting as an automated procedure. To get started, you’ll need to follow the basic steps outlined below:
You can still try to code an NFT yourself if you have prior skills in this field and a desire to become an NFT developer. To delve extensively into NFT programming, keep in mind that the Ethereum network retains a monopoly on NFT development.
Solidity, which was intended for writing smart contracts that run on the Ethereum blockchain. Javascript and HTML/CSS are two others. Furthermore, the InterPlanetary File System is commonly used to store artists’ NFTs.
Choosing the NFT marketplace to sell NFTs
Choosing an appropriate NFT platform is an important component of the process of minting NFTs. The best option is determined by a number of factors, including the supported file format, crypto wallet compatibility, user accessibility to the platform, and the cost of minting an NFT, also known as a transaction fee, which is a payment made to compensate for the computing energy required to process and validate transactions.
In the crypto realm, there are numerous online NFT marketplaces, each of which operates slightly differently. The most important thing for artists to know is if the platform is curated or self-service, and then select the one that is most appropriate, visited, and user-friendly for them.
All artists have free access to self-service or uncurated NFT platforms. To upload NFTs onto them, simply register with a crypto wallet and pay the transaction cost to mint an NFT. OpenSea and Rarible are two of the most prominent mass self-service NFT marketplaces.
Curated NFT platforms are more picky about their artists. To register and begin minting your work on these sites, you must first submit an application detailing your NFT collection and previous artistic skills.
Another obvious downside of curated NFT marketplaces is the lengthy wait for expert decisions. However, because of these tough selection standards, most top digital artworks are presented on such platforms, giving customers more confidence in artists who partner with these platforms. SuperRare and Nifty Gateway are two well-known curated sites.
Setting up a cryptocurrency wallet
You will need a cryptocurrency wallet to access NFT sites, sign transactions, and manage your balances.
The most crucial thing to do before setting it up is to ensure that the wallet matches the cryptocurrency used on the NFT network you wish to use. Because the majority of NFT marketplaces are built on Ethereum, they accept Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH) as payment. As a result, a crypto wallet containing some ETH is required.
There are numerous crypto wallets with millions of users. Many of them have a wide range of features, and some even have their own mobile apps and browser extensions for fast access to blockchain-based platforms.
The type of bitcoin wallet you choose is determined by the level of security you are willing to accept. The main types of them include custodial, noncustodial, and hardware wallets. A custodial wallet is also known as a hosted wallet since the funds of users are automatically stored in it by a third party, much like how banks hold money in checking and savings accounts.
It is thought to be the most user-friendly and simple to set up. A noncustodial wallet allows customers complete control over the security of their cryptocurrency and eliminates the need for a third party to keep assets safe. A hardware wallet, also known as a cold wallet, is a physical device that may keep users’ cryptocurrency offline and secure it even if their computer is hacked.
Selling digital art as NFTs
Your NFT minting will most likely come to a stop with an NFT sell. Most NFT platforms allow you to select a selling method or set a price for your NFT while minting it. If worried about how to market your NFT collection, here is a quick guide on NFT promotion and marketing for your help.
The two most common methods for selling NFTs are fixed price sales and auctions. A fixed-price sale is thought to be the most straightforward and direct method. You will simply need to enter the price at which you wish to sell your freshly minted NFT. Some platforms also require you to choose a royalty percentage, which is the amount you will receive if your art is sold in the future, so keep that in mind as well.
Another option for selling your NFT is to hold an auction where purchasers may browse and bid on your digital artwork. Some auctions may be conducted solely online, while others may culminate in a full-fledged live auction. There are typically two kinds of them.
The first type is an English auction, which is an auction with an increasing price at which the highest bidder ultimately wins. A timed auction is a type of English auction in which an NFT can be bid on for a set length of time and the collector with the highest bid wins. The second type is a Dutch auction, which is a decreasing-price auction in which the price of your NFT reduces until someone buys it.
It is entirely up to you which method of selling NFT you employ. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, such as a potential lack of understanding of the true value of your artwork when setting a fixed price or reliance on time during auction sales.