Sell AI Art as NFTs in 2024 & Make Your Living as an Artist 💰
The NFT Platform Foundation Is Perfect to Monetise Your AI Art (Without Technical Skills)
Hey friends! 👋 ✨ We hope your summer is creatively fruitful! Whether you’re packing your bags for a vacation or already lounging by the beach, we have some exciting alpha to share.
Today, we want to discuss a very important and hot topic — the monetization of AI art. 💸 Are you ready?
The Overcrowded Spaces: Etsy, Fiverr, Adobe Stock
By now, you’ve probably come across countless articles on Medium and across Social Media on how to make prints on demand on Etsy, which is honestly overcrowded these days, or how to sell your services on Fiverr, where you need to compete fiercely for clients. Selling your art on Adobe Stock often doesn’t yield significant returns at the end of the month.
If you’ve tried all these platforms and they haven’t worked for you, it’s time to explore a different path — NFTs.
💡And you don’t need a PhD in data science or knowledge of JavaScript or programming to get started.
Aren’t NFTs a Past Trend?
Well, the NFT boom was in 2021, you are right. Many artists made incredible sales by introducing their artworks on the blockchain early, with notable examples like Beeple, PAK, Trevor Jones, Mad Dog Jones, XCopy, 3LAU, Hackatao and Exquisite Workers.
However, NFT platforms and artists were and are still going strong in 2022, 2023, and even in 2024. They’re making a living or at least earning some attractive passive income.
Most trending activity happens on X (formerly Twitter). Artists prepare their works as series, drop them on their chosen marketplace, announce their collections on X, connect with collectors and get discovered through hashtags or the NFT platform itself.
You don’t need to print or ship anything — it is totally digital. Unlike traditional methods like prints on demand, which require significant effort in setting up shops, managing inventory, handling shipping logistics, and dealing with SEO to stand out in a super saturated market, you need to create stunning art, connect with like-minded people, and be open to new technologies like blockchain and crypto.
Choosing the Right NFT Platform
Which NFT platform should you choose? Today, we want to focus exclusively on Foundation and teach you how to do a blind drop and make some good cash.
💡 This article is not sponsored - we are simply sharing our insights based on our own positive experiences.
Foundation Origins
Launched in 2021, Foundation was founded by Kayvon Tehranian and Matthew Vernon. Initially an invitation-only platform, it eventually opened up to everyone. It has a large number of collectors and features a user-friendly interface. Foundation is currently a leader among NFT marketplaces with no doubt, and it’s easy to see why: it’s sharp, fast, beautiful, and user-friendly. The communication between the platform and artists is excellent, with regular highlights on the front page that help artists get discovered. If you have any issue and reach out Foundation with a question, they continuously respond in less than 24 hours and follow up if you have doubts.
Seller and Buyer
When it comes to sales, there’s always a seller and a buyer. In the world of NFTs, these roles are filled by artists and collectors.
The artist owns all of the legal rights to their work, including the trademark and copyrights associated with the artwork. They keep the right to exhibit, reproduce, and distribute the piece; however, they are not allowed to mint the piece twice. Once it is dropped on the blockchain, it becomes a unique digital asset.
Once collectors purchase the NFTs, they become their digital assets. Collectors can show, share, display, trade, or resell them on the secondary market. However, they do not own the intellectual property rights to any NFT they purchase and are prohibited from using it commercially or making any alterations to the artwork.
Before diving in, it’s crucial to understand both perspectives on blind NFT drops: that of the collectors and the artists. Knowing what collectors look for will help you make informed decisions as an artist.
Wouldn’t you agree?
Blind Drops: Collectors’ Perspective
Before anything: what is a blind drop? It might sound a bit daunting, but it’s quite simple. A blind drop involves purchasing artwork as a digital asset based on an introductory GIF without knowing exactly what the final image will look like. Think of it like buying a cat in a bag.
For example, if there are 100 pieces in a collection, a collector might purchase one, a bundle of five, or a bundle of ten. They know the general style but can’t see the specific images. It’s like an art lottery. 🎰🎨
Collectors discover the artwork once the artist reveals it. The collectors see the collection intro, quantity, the date of the release, and price. Sometimes, the description highlights special traits within the collection, indicating that some artworks might be more valuable or probably more popular on Social Media.
These blind drops can be found on the discovery page, which is updated regularly.
Blind Drops: Artists’ View
Imagine making significant earnings from a single blind drop, like 1 ETH or even 3 ETH (Ethereum). It is possible! Some artists in our collective (Exquisite Workers) that are spread all around 50 countries have achieved impressive sums without leaving their homes.
While the crypto market can be volatile — 3 ETH today might be worth $9,300 and $2,300 tomorrow — this model still has a pretty exciting potential.
Let’s say you’ve generated 5,000 images on Midjourney using a particular generating model (see our previous educational articles on Midjourney 4, Midjourney 5.2, Midjourney 6, and Midjourney Niji 6).
After scrolling through all these works, you notice a particular theme or subject you’re exploring. Take a week or two to review these images and select the very best 150, following your heart and taste. Choose only those you’ll still be proud of in 2, 5, 10, and even 20 years.
Ensure there are no bugs or imperfections — if any edits are needed, use tools like Photoshop, Procreate, or in-paint tool within the Midjourney platform if available for your generating model.
Reach out to friends and ask for their opinions on your selection. Send them over a sharable Google Drive link and ask them to choose their ten most favorite and ten least favorite images. This feedback is crucial as potential collectors will likely react similarly.
From those 150 images, cut it down to your final 100.
Sleep on your choices, you might wake up and swap out a few for ones you like better — that’s normal. Just remember, for the blind drop, Foundation supports JPG, PNG, SVG, MP4 + MOV files (we recommend to stick to PNG image to make it simple).
Important Preparations
Now, give each piece a title. You might also want to make for each piece a short description if you’re feeling inspired. It can be an inspiration quote or the additional title. Keep it minimal so the art speaks for itself.
Branding your collection is key — we need a very cool GIF. Select 5 to 10 top favorite images from the collection. Ensure consistency, especially if they are portraits — aligning features like eye position helps maintain a seamless flow in the GIF loop. The pre-reveal dimensions should be a square, and at least 640x640px.
Set a logo for your collection, like the cherry on top of a cake. Make sure this logo does not disappear halfway through or only show at the beginning — it should be there for the entire duration of the GIF, like a best friend.
Choose a white color for clarity and ensure the logo remains flawless and unchanged throughout the loop. This way, whenever someone watches your GIF, the logo will always be displayed at the top like a super star.
Do it with your rhythm, don’t get overwhelmed. With the artworks, titles, intros, and GIF ready, you’re good to go.
Awesome job!
Setting Up Your Blind Drop on Foundation
Now, let’s head over to Foundation https://foundation.app/. If you don’t already have a profile, it only takes a few minutes to set one up. In the next part of this article, we’ll guide you step-by-step on how to execute a successful blind drop.
First of all, click on “Drop” and you will see this screen:
Choose a name for your drop — this will be the name of your collection. Introduce it under “Contract name”. Pick any related symbol, typically the first three letters of your collection’s name. This symbol acts as the smart contract token name on the blockchain. No need to worry about it too much. Decide on the number of NFTs: we recommend starting with 40-100. Then, select the blockchain network — here, it’s Base. Press “Continue” when you’re ready.
Now you see the “Artwork” screen. At this stage, drop in your pre-prepared super GIF. This isn’t where you place your entire collection of assets just yet.
Your pre-reveal image, the GIF we discussed earlier, will initially represent all NFTs in your drop. You can maintain consistent aesthetics across your upcoming collection. Once you’ve learned and set everything, leverage your knowledge.
Do you see the “Confirm onchain” button at the bottom? Hold off on that for now and read us carefully.
Please note, this is blockchain. After the contract is deployed, the contract name, drop symbol, token supply, and pre-reveal asset cannot ever be changed. Don’t click “Confirm onchain” if you’re not sure.
Once everything looks good and you feel happy, excited, and proud of yourself, you can set the date and time to proceed and create your FIRST amazing drop!
When you confirm, a screen will pop up for you to connect to your Metamask crypto wallet and pay for the contract, which typically costs around $15–40 for the entire drop. You’ll need to pay that amount in crypto, so get ready. If you don’t have crypto on hand, consider asking a crypto-savvy friend to help you out or purchasing some through Binance or another exchange.
You will now be redirected to scheduling and pricing your drop.
We recommend starting with a “Fixed price” and beginning with a lower price point. As you launch subsequent collections, you can scale up gradually.
Keep in mind that there’s a 0.0008 ETH marketplace fee for each sale in our primary market. This means a small percentage from each sale goes to the Foundation platform.
We recommend choosing to release the collection 30 minutes from the current moment to allow time to finalize any last details.
It might take several minutes for you to see your drop in your profile in the “Collections”, no need to worry about it.
Final Touches
When the drop appears in your profile, add a collection logo that can be again your super GIF (make it a bit faster), cover image, and description (500 characters max) to make your drop landing page stand out. You can also edit the drop URL. Great news is that this information on your drop page can be edited at any time.
Alright, now it’s time to start getting the word out there! Post your awesome artworks on X once or twice a day, and definitely pin a post introducing your collection with a link to Foundation. Connect with other artists, comment, RT, and keep an eye on their collections too. Be nice, friendly, and supportive.
As more people discover you and your posts, they’ll click through to your profile and see what’s up. Don’t forget to add your drop link on top of your X profile in the bio for visibility.
Selling your collection might take a hot minute — could be days, weeks, or even months. Patience is key!
Then comes the big moment: the grand reveal of your collection. Need a step-by-step guide? Just drop us a comment below! Oh, and swing by Foundation’s Help Center for some extra tips and tricks.
Last but not least, consider this article your ultimate BFF guide to NFTs in 2024 — a real dose of inspiration. Share it with your AI artists-friends. It’s never too late to start making bank with your AI art on the blockchain.
Let’s do this! 💵
📚 🤖 Special thanks to Roger Haus for generously allowing us to feature his AI artwork and expertise in this educational article. We deeply value your contribution. Follow the artist for more.
Hey there! We are Exquisite Workers — A Group of Artists-Friends & Educators 💕
Are you eager for more exclusive insights, prompts, and AI art techniques to transform your creativity into profit? Join us on this thrilling journey into the realm of boundless possibilities with AI!
💕 Give us your 👏 if you liked the article!
😄 Lets us know who is your favorite AI artist and we will feature them next time!
✅ Smash that “Follow” button for upcoming tutorials!
