Art Blocks, unlike other NFT collections is a platform. This platform is focused on algorithmic and generative art. The artists create the style of the collection, the colors, and forms, or the “blocks” if you will. To create an original piece, each mint goes through endless possibilities. A generative script is created by the customer at minting. The result is unpredictable and randomly generated art. Based on which collection you have, your NFT may be a static or multimedia image.
Blue Chip collection, including World Of WomenOder DoodlesThe art is created by an artist (or a group) of artists. Art Blocks are created by multiple artists. Some are better than others, as you can see. The platform’s creator is Erick Calderon, better known as Snowfro. He’s the artist and coder behind Art Block’s first and flagship collection, Chromie Squiggle. You’ve probably seen them around, and one of the squiggles serves as the logo for the whole platform.
Other iconic and multi-million dollar collections launched through the platform are Fidenza by Tyler Hobbs and Dmitri Cherniak’s Ringers. These are, of course, the most successful and standout collections. Art Blocks releases new collections every week. You can check out the latest projects in Art Blocks. This is a very full calendar. The Dutch Auction method is used to avoid gas wars during minting. The Dutch Auction method is where the price of the sale begins at a high level and gradually decreases over time. If it is ever reached, the clients will wait until their desired price.
What is the Art Blocks Method?
The platform has so far generated $277M in primary and $1320M secondary sales. Platform royalties range from 10% to 2.5% for primary market sales. For each secondary sale, the artist is entitled to a fair 5% royalty. From primary sales, there’s a mandatory 25% donation to the artist’s favorite charity. This is interesting but amazing.
According to Art Block’s website, they offer “genuinely programmable on demand generative content that is stored immutably on the Ethereum Blockchain.” That’s not entirely true. While the script and NFTs will be there for a long time, the art cannot be kept on-chain. These files can be found in IPFS and other storage options.
Art Blocks also claims that “collectors actively participate in realizing an artist’s vision by generating unique algorithmic artworks,” which is debatable. The mind-blowing thing is that an Art Blocks holder with access to the script and Ethereum’s ledger could theoretically reproduce the NFT. Technically, all they say is true.
Even though Art Blocks is a platform, it’s not open to everyone. Each artist is selected by an Art Blocks team who curates and chooses those artists that are worthy to participate. There are three levels of collections available, each one with its own characteristics. Let’s look into them.
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Different Collections
- Curated Collection: This is the main one, Art Blocks releases it “on a regular schedule.” Only a few selected artists have made it to The seven quarterly seriesSo far. According to their website, “Art Blocks established a curation board to carefully select projects for inclusion in our Curated Collection. The Curated Collection is a group of projects that push the boundaries of Generative Art in their technical innovation and aesthetic beauty.”
The company’s account executive, Druid, expanded on the collections’ characteristics A Medium post. “Since we launched Art Blocks in November of 2020, our first official set includes all Curated drops in 2020, with full quarterly sets beginning in 2021. Artists have a six-month cooldown between deploying projects in the Curated Collection.”
- Playground Collection: This one is less formal, “Art Blocks artists who have been previously included in the Curated Collection” can play around and do what they want. Druid expands, “It’s important to note the Playground’s limitations: first, an artist can only launch a Playground project after a Curated project. Second, only one project per artist can be active in the Playground at once, and it must be completed before another can be launched on the Playground.” Also, there’s “a two-month cooldown between deploying projects in the Playground Collection.”
- Art Blocks Factory: This is more general and it’s for artists that don’t necessarily have participated in The Curated Collection. According to the website, “The Factory Collection includes projects selected directly by Art Blocks and highlights our standards for technical quality and artistic beauty.” And according to Druid, “Factory artists will be required to sell out their entire project before releasing anything else on the platform. They also will have a two-month cool down between projects on the platform.”
Powerful by Art Blocks
The last but not the least is that this company provides these services. It is a very intriguing product. “Powered by Art Blocks (PBAB) is a custom branded solution from Art Blocks. It allows the generative NFT minting technology used by artists at Art Blocks to be integrated with third-party sites”. That means that organizations can use Art Blocks’ “smart contracts and rendering infrastructure” to generate “branded generative projects.”
PBAB is a promising future investment. Keep an eye out for it.
For more Blue Chip NFTs guides keep an eye on NewsBTC This one is for CloneX This one is for Goblintown.
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