I’m an artist that creates digital art with pixel-based graphics. I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of pixel art as a form of representational art, and I’ve studied the history of pixel art extensively. With the invention of the blockchain and NFTs, I saw an opportunity to create pixel-based land art on a new type of canvas: the virtual world.
I decided to become an NFT land artist on Next Earth, a new virtual world where users can buy virtual land NFT “tiles” on a 1:1 replica of Earth. On this platform, I can create pixel-based land art which is forever embedded on the blockchain for everyone to see.
Why I Believe in NFT Land Art
What makes NFTs valuable is that they’re verifiably unique. In traditional cyberspace, anything can be copied and nothing is traceable, but with NFTs, items are provably unique. If you buy pixel-based land art from me on Next Earth, only you can own it, and no one else can clone it.
NFTs aren’t just limited to digital assets: I can create pixel-based land art for whoever wants it. While the space is still in its infancy, we see more and more examples of true tangible value in the form of digital art.
Think about it: We all know that replicas of real-life iconic properties, like China’s “copycat” buildings, are not as valuable as the originals, and the same holds true for copycat art. However, it’s often difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between the copycat and the original. With NFTs, no one can copy your art, so it’s always valuable as an authentic original.
Immortalizing My Childhood Favorite: Minecraft
Minecraft is a game that has been around for a while, and it’s still going strong. It’s a game where you can build anything from the ground up. You can go anywhere in the world, dig down to the bedrock, and build something amazing.
Next Earth is doing something very similar: You can buy virtual land on the planet, and then use that land to create art. Think of it like pixel-based Minecraft: You can build anything you want on your own virtual property. The possibilities are endless.
I wanted to combine the two, and draw my favorite Minecraft item: The diamond sword, as a pixel-based land art NFT.
I started by buying “ocean tiles” in Next Earth, which are where you can fill in tiles with different colors to draw pixel art. After a few minutes of drawing, I published my land art and put my creation for sale on the NFT marketplace.
This is just one example of how you can use Next Earth to create your own virtual land art pieces. There are so many possibilities: You could immortalize your favorite landmark; you could even create your favorite video game item or character. It’s really up to you and your imagination.
The Land Art Community
Other artists are now making pixel-based art pieces as NFTs, and they’re selling them on the decentralized virtual marketplace.
The idea is to create a world so rich with pixel-based art that it would take you days to finish exploring all of it. The hope is that pixel-based art will become a major form of expression in the Next Earth metaverse.
Beyond Next Earth, NFT-based art is shaping up to be a major new medium for artists and collectors. We’re seeing more and more artists create NFTs to sell their work, and we’re starting to see some really interesting projects pop up on the blockchain.
After all, artists have been notoriously underpaid for their work, while collectors have had to pay exorbitant prices on the secondary market. NFTs are changing all of that. With NFTs, artists can now earn money for their work, and collectors can own unique pieces of art that are truly one-of-a-kind.
Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash