It is a moment every artist dreams about, the moment when the labor you’ve put into your passion pays off and it reaps real monetary value. For NFT creators, it is when the button turns from ‘Buy now’ to ‘SOLD’. No artist ever forgets their first sale.
We speak to two budding Mintable artists, treeskulltown and vertrose10 on how they felt when that moment arrived for them, what they did to land their first sale, what inspires their works, and what’s next for each of their creative journeys.
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where does your name come from?
V: Vertrose, my name, comes from an Italian painter named Verdirosi. His paintings are a representation of philosophical concepts like death, life, and love with characters and personifications. I’m from Sardinia, a small island in Italy, and I still live there.
T: My name comes from a play on words around Celtic culture and my travels, two things that inspire me. “Triskell” becomes “triskull” and the “town” like a city between here and elsewhere on the borders of dreams and mysteries.
2. How did you get started making digital art?
V: I started doing art with photography and filmmaking, I then decided to digitize my photos and created some NFTs in the process. I started digital art because I love art and cryptocurrencies, it’s that simple! I’m new to this NFT world, but I really enjoy doing it and being part of this cool wave!
T: Digital and crypto art was natural continuity in my creative journey. I had been experimenting digitally for a long time and NFTs are just a great way for digital artists to get recognition for their work. It was an obvious choice for me.
3. Can you talk a little bit about the work that made your first sale?
V: The artwork from my first sale was inspired by World Of Warcraft, the famous MMORPG by Blizzard. The figure that I was reimagining was Deathwing The Destroyer, a terrible dragon that appeared for the first time in the “Cataclysm” expansion.
T: Mine was an instinctive creation made in the beginning stages of using digital tools on a tablet, I describe it like simple poetic prose with a touch of color. This work is actually part of a digital crypto art project I’m working on, a series of 50 NFTs called silent street. I started this project in 2017 as a virtual encounter between poets and watercolor artists. These exchanges were also where I developed my graphic and textual style.
4. Walk us through how you felt when you found out someone had bought your NFT.
V: I was very happy after my first sale, I didn’t think anyone could pay money for an artwork made by a neophyte in this sector.
T: It was honestly quite a nice surprise from the collector who made this acquisition. I am so deeply honored.
5. Your artistic styles are distinctly interesting, how would you describe them?
V: I don’t think I have a personal style. I like to vary a lot. Every artwork is different from the other, I think being versatile is my style, that’s my only constant!
T: I consider my work to have elements of the primitive and underground, inspired by the styles of tribal or rock paintings. I like to leave its artistic interpretation to whoever looks at it.
https://mintable.app/Collectibles/item/Hashtags–Silent-street_16/jFZtXiFvW30nm6f
6. What is the process of creation like for you? Are there any specific programs or software that you use?
V: I start an artwork from a place of not knowing. I mainly use reflex and post-production software. I have a picture from which I start, but then I let the colors lead me; like a fantasy guide through a whimsical journey.
T: My work has always aimed to offer evidence of instinctive simplicity, to rediscover the pleasure of drawing as a child and oft-forgotten creative freedom. Therefore I tend to use any drawing software that allows this simplicity when I’m creating. Any software I decide on needs to give me ease of use with my graphic pen, software such as infinite painter on android, procreate on iPad, and Krita on Linux or windows are some that I’ve created with.
7. Can you name some artists that have heavily influenced your style of work? If you got to spend an entire day with one of them, who would it be?
V: I’m very influenced by the romantic movement, I’m referring to William Turner for example. Another three artists that have influenced my work are Van Gogh with his heavy colors and dynamism, Monet with his delicacy and soft tints, and the master Leonard Da Vinci. They are all masters in their own right, but I’ll have to say Da Vinci for sure.
T: I have my own universe but I will say one of the artists I’m most influenced by is an artist who died too soon and too suddenly – Jean-Michel Basquiat.
8. Now that you’ve made your first sale, what’s next for you? What do you think the future of crypto art and NFTs are like for artists such as yourself?
V: I hope that the future of my art will be a bright one. And for Mintable and for crypto art in general, I’m very optimistic about it – I think NFTs are here to stay and they’ll stay for sure!
T: It’s very motivating, the next step for me is to continue what I started with and finish my series of 50 NFTs. I want to follow that with another series inspired by the names of streets of treeskulltown to build an entire city. The future for me is full of projects, and I hope for sustainability for all actors in the crypto art sphere.
9. Last question, why did you choose Mintable, and what did you like about it?
V: I was looking for a store that allowed free minting and came across Mintable. I found it simple and functional. I like the simplicity of the process and the user-friendly interface e.g. the tag opportunity in every work is something that not even bigger markets have. When in reality, it’s crucial for getting your works seen!
T: I like Mintable above all for its ease of access and a community that’s open to experimentation.
Find vertrose10 on Twitter @vertrose22 and Instagram @vertrose10
Find treeskulltown on Facebook @treeskulltown, Twitter @newflesh2_0, and instagram @ @new_flesh_2.0. Other webpages: https://gouul.eu/ and https://newflesh.co/
