Creativity

Creativity, that's what NFTs are all about!

This is the second post in the series on making and selling your NFT collection using free and opensource software.

You can find the first one HERE

Creating the images is the most fun part of the project. My initial goal for the Crypto Bay Yacht Squadron (CBYS) project is to create 5 000 unique generative images of yachts. These I will call Able Seaman Yachts (Petty Officer Yachts will follow later).

A simple breakdown of the anatomy of images for a generative image collection:

• A "base" image. Take the Bored Apes as an example. It is basically the face and shoulders of an ape. In the CBYS project the "base" image will be a hull and mast.
• The base image can have varying qualities but doesn't have to. In the CBYS project the hull will have varying colours.
• Different elements are then added to the base image. This is done by layering elements on top of the other. Using the able Seaman Yachts as an example, the first element and first layer is a background. The second element and layer is the hull and mast, which gets overlaid on the background. The third element and layer is the flag and the fourth element and layer is the rig (sails) of the yacht and the last element and layer is the cabin.
• Each of these elements (layers) can have varying qualities but doesn't have to. For example the Able Seaman Yachts have only one design and colour for the rank. There are 9 backgrounds however and 12 colour schemes for the hull. The more variations you have though, the more unique combinations you'll be able to make. As an example if you have 5 different backgrounds, five different colour hulls and 5 different rigs (sails) you can make (5 times by 5 times by 5) 125 unique combinations (important - we're not going to make these combinations ourselves! We only need to make the different layers and varying qualities of the layers. The software and code will do the rest, but we'll get to that, the software and code needed for generating these combinations in a later post)

Software needed

We don't need to spend a fortune on a vector graphics program like CorelDraw. I personally use Inkscape, though there are alternatives. Some artists say that no opensource software is as good as CorelDraw, while others say that Inkscape is just as good for their needs. For my purposes I found Inkscape perfect, easy to use and though I'm no Picasso the CBYS Able Seaman Yachts do look pretty cool!

So download Inkscape and get drawing!

Watch THIS video tutorial by Daniel from Hashlips. It is a comprehensive tutorial.(As mentioned in the first post, there are some challenges which I'll deal with in future - but for now watch the first part of the tutorial on how to create and save the layers in different files).

A few points to remember when creating your artwork:

• The ideal size for your NFT images should be 1000 pixels by 1000 pixels as far as I can tell.
• Make sure your elements fit when you overlay one over the other (The way I did it was starting with the backgrounds and saving them in a folder. Then opened the background image again and drew the hull on top of it. When finished I deleted the background only and saved the hulls in their own folder. I did the same with every element (layer) to ensure they don't overlap, clash or are eschew when overlaid)
• Try and keep the defining elements within a circle within the 1000 by 1000 pixels document. Some collectors use their NFTs as avatars and when elements are outside of the circle it may not show up on their avatar. 

But what to draw? Literally anything you want. Take a look at Opensea to see how divergent the artworks are. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to draw and a basic road-map (or should I say nautical map) of where I want to go with the CBYS project. Personally I found a lot of inspiration on Pixabay and Pinterest, go have a look.

So get drawing!

And let me know what your own project is coming along in the comments.

Follow Crypto Bay Yacht Squadron on Twitter.