How to Make and Sell NFT Art As an Artist

  • Digital Art Marketplace, NFTs
NFT art is perplexing to some. To them, NFTs seem like a strange, Matrix-like internet trend run amok. But NFT art creation and trading is making its mark. Suddenly, NFTs are impacting artists, the art community, and financial markets. Watching artists and collectors cash-in impressive profits from NFTs has the whole world wondering how to make and sell NFTs.

What Is NFT Art?

NFTs have digital signatures more reliable than an artist’s literal signature. NFTs’ true origin and ownership history is definitively traceable. Blockchain encryption makes counterfeit, theft, corruption, or destruction of an NFT next to impossible.

Almost any digital file can become NFT art. NFTs can be GIFs, videos, audio, images, or even articles. NFTs often combine images and audio. The original code for the internet was even sold as an NFT –World Wide Web source code NFT sells for $5.4 million.

So, when you can create a perfect copy of a digital file, why would you need an NFT? As a valuable asset, owning an NFT is like owning a certified original masterpiece by a world-class painter. The fact that prints and replicas of a famous Rembrandt painting exist does not diminish a genuine Rembrandt’s value. But a physical painting or other asset is vulnerable to theft, forgery, or damage.

On the other hand, NFTs have digital signatures more reliable than an artist’s literal signature. NFTs’ true origin and ownership history is definitively traceable. Blockchain encryption makes counterfeit, theft, corruption, or destruction of an NFT next to impossible.

The NFT is an original copy of a file encrypted using blockchain technology. The blockchain keeps definitive timestamped records of the artwork’s ownership and ongoing transactions via smart contracts. The source is definitive. The original artist can obtain royalties every time a new buyer acquires their work in the form of an NFT.

NFTs and cryptocurrencies are related. They both operate on their respective blockchain networks for highly secure authentication. The difference between a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Ethereum and an NFT is interchangeability.

An individual unit of Ethereum cryptocurrency, an ether (ETH), is interchangeable with any other ether, because they all have exactly the same value. NFTs fluctuate in value along with cryptocurrencies as the price of any physical good or asset. There is no significant functional difference between any two of the same cryptocoin. But each NFT is unique. Even NFTs with identical multiples are their own stand-alone items, and the owners cannot arbitrarily exchange them. That is what NFT means- non-fungible token.

The foremost importance of NFTs is how their conclusively signatures discern provenance and ownership. Individual NFTs’ proprietary status, origin, and transaction history is so reliably verifiable that it revolutionizes the process of authenticating artwork and compensating artists. A file’s records are decentralized, fragmented throughout millions of devices. Since the full version of the information does not exist in any one place, the task of stealing, corrupting, or falsifying an NFT’s records would be next to impossible. For artists and creators, NFTs embody the future of intellectual property rights.

How to Make and Sell NFT Art: Simple 8 Step Process

How to Make and Sell NFT Art As an Artist, Dot Red
For every promising artist who wonders “Where can I sell digital art?” – there is a marketplace that makes an excellent match. Do you want to sell physical goods other than prints to display your digital art? How do you want to handle payment and shipping? What environment fits your talent, style, and level of recognition? Are you willing to pay for features, services, and customization?

1. The creative part

NFTs of simplistic online gaming avatars have sold for millions, so your NFT does not necessarily have to be a hit song or a coveted piece of fine art. But your NFT should actually be your own creation.

Though the matter is yet to be officially established in court, copyright laws do apply to the content of NFTs. Profiting from someone else’s intellectual property without permission is a violation of copyright laws, and could certainly land you in legal trouble.

Any real artist or creator can come up with a creative image, video, audio, or multimedia work that people would want to experience. The NFT art marketplace is quite competitive. The goal is to devise something people will enjoy or admire enough that they actually want to own it, even though a replica would look exactly the same. Most creators who have attained large-scale success selling NFTs have benefitted from having a major online following, reputation, or fanbase.

2. Decide on the ‘how’ and ‘where’

When it comes to platforms for making and selling NFTs, there are plenty of options. There are multiple factors to consider when figuring out where to sell an NFT. Different platforms have varying levels of exclusivity, fees, and compatible cryptocurrencies and digital wallets.

Some of the most popular NFT marketplaces are OpenSea, Rarible, SuperRare, KnownOrigin, Foundation, VIV3, BakerySwap, Nifty Gateway, NFT ShowRoom, Axie Marketplace, and Mintable. See Where to Sell Digital and NFT Art.

3. Get the right wallet

You will need some amount of the proper crypto to pay your platform for the service of making and selling an NFT. For example, Ethereum-based crypto art marketplaces run on so-called ‘gas.’ The ‘gas fee’ is the basic cost (in Ether/ETH) of processing the creation of an NFT, its addition to the marketplace, and transactions. To save a little on this particular fee, try making NFT platform transactions over the weekend, when fewer people are using the network.

You will need the correct digital or ‘crypto wallet’ to correspond to the cryptocurrency and platform you want to use. Select and set up a crypto wallet that is secure and compatible. The digital wallet holds the cryptocoin you need to pay for the ‘gas’ and other service fees involved.

4. Load your wallet

Once your crypto wallet is ready to go, deposit the amount of crypto you need. Keep transaction and network fees in mind. Depending on the wallet you are using, you should be able to buy the desired amount (probably fractions) of cryptocoin using your regular currency. The Coinbase wallet exchanges USD and British pounds for ether. Robinhood, Trust Wallet, and MetaMask are also widely trusted crypto wallets.

5. Link your wallet

The next step is to connect your crypto wallet to your NFT marketplace of choice. You may want to install a plug-in onto your internet browser. You will probably have to enter your wallet password, click through, and sign messages to allow transactions.

6. Upload art to the platform

Your art could exist as an MP4 or MP3, a GIF, PNG, or other digital file. Most NFT marketplaces have a file size limit of 30MB. Select whether you want to sell a single NFT or multiples of the same item. Upload your digital file and double-check the preview.

7. Put your listing up for sale

Write up a description, add a banner to the page, and set the price you want for your NFT. You can opt for royalties and sometimes select which coin you would like to be paid in. Ask for a fixed price, begin a timed auction, or establish an unlimited auction so people can keep bidding on your NFT until you decide to accept.

Make sure the minimum price you set at least covers the total fees you are paying to the marketplace for its services, so you do not end up at a loss. Once your items sell, payment will transfer into your crypto wallet in the form of the platform’s native cryptocurrency. If you get royalties, the NFT’s smart contracts will automatically send you a portion of the transaction every additional time the artwork is bought and sold.

8. Strategize

Some platforms give you the ability to let a buyer ‘unlock’ features like bonus content, contact information, discount codes, or the full resolution version of your artwork. Providing secret or special extras for a customer alongside the NFT they purchase helps make your NFT more unique, scarce, and desirable.

Some of the artists who end up seeing considerable profits from NFTs have cleverly orchestrated ‘drops’ of art and card packs. This increases buyers’ anticipation and drive to purchase NFTs.

Where to Sell Digital and NFT Art

When comparing NFT art marketplaces, be sure to look into the fees they charge, the cryptocurrency and wallets they accept, and the features they offer.

There are numerous secure crypto art platforms to compare for anyone wondering how and where to create and sell NFT art. The platforms accept cryptocoins, mainly Ethereum, for payment. Cryptocurrency and NFT owners store their digital assets in digital wallets.

When comparing NFT art marketplaces, be sure to look into the fees they charge, the cryptocurrency and wallets they accept, and the features they offer. Think about whether you want to sell independent pieces or collections of multiple copies of your art. Account for how the platforms sell, whether they allow royalties or take commission, and how much. Remember that some NFT marketplaces are exclusive or invite-only.

What NFTs Mean For Artists

In order to actually sell art as NFTs, artists and designers are wise to creatively market themselves and their work.

How to Make and Sell NFT Art As an Artist, Dot Red
Crypto art and NFTs are rapidly moving the art trading world online. Some platforms like Dot Red are even developing hybrid (offline and online) and online spaces for art exhibits. The advent of crypto art is even impacting artists’ expressions, not just in medium, but also in the subjects of art.

NFTs present an exciting opportunity for artists to transcend institutional barriers to the art world. The art industry has traditionally been extraordinarily exclusive. Now there is a brand new generation of motivated online art collectors looking for fine art, pop culture memorabilia, and novelty items.

Artists’ intellectual rights to their creative works can become airtight through blockchain technology. Fairer compensation for creators is another substantial benefit. With NFTs, theft is incredibly unlikely. Forgery is pointless and easy to spot. The true origin of a file is plainly and unequivocally validated. So collectors may no longer have to wonder whether the piece of work they own is authentic or not.
More and more artists are thinking about how and where to create and sell NFT art. Establishing oneself on a global art selling platform makes an artist’s work visible to a much broader audience and more potential buyers. Artists and graphic designers of lesser means and opportunities finally have a greater chance at getting noticed for their work.

In order to actually sell art as NFTs, artists and designers are wise to creatively market themselves and their work. The crypto art market and the individual NFT marketplaces where artists sell are competitive. Success entails developing one’s online presence with a distinctive brand, voice, and audience. The skill of finding people who gravitate to the art, keeping them engaged within a community, and fostering strong emotional relationships is its own art form.

DotRed and the Future of Art

The future of art is a marriage between in-person exhibitions and virtual experiences. At DotRed, we digitize the visual and social art experience for the post-pandemic world. Learn about how you can feature your art on our platform to be shared at museums, galleries, and fairs.