Greetings Metaverse
Non-Fungible Tokens aka NFTs, are the new virtual craze that has taken the art world by storm. Just
in case you've been hiding under a rock or meditating on a mountain top somewhere. NFTs are unique
digital tokens that are traceable to the owner and are verifiable by blockchain technology. This enables
digital artists to mint their assets via a programmable smart contract on the blockchain making its
ownership verified and traceable. This visibility acts as a certificate of authenticity and cannot be
replicated or counterfeited. Additionally, these tokens can be sold on auctions open to the world, and if
that wasn't enough, they also reward the owner with royalties every time an asset is resold.
Never before in the world of Digital Art have artists been able to earn royalties on their pieces. This is
a revolutionary concept in Art, let's call it a Digital Art renaissance. Digital art is finally being seen as
valuable assets that do not depreciate over time. As a result, NFTs are booming and generating an
incredible amount of investors wanting to own a piece of this digital pie.
From Crypto Kitties to Crypto Punk, Mad Dog Jones, Trevorjonesart, Nyancat, Fewocious, Pak and
Beeple to name a few, Digital artists are taking over the world and have already started raking in the
cash as a reward for their hard work and genius.
This week I sat down with one of the Digital artists who are the cornerstone of this industry. He started
off as a traditional illustrator who worked in photo retouching for a decade whilst refining his style
until he discovered ZBrush in 2013.
Meet Dope Pope, a ZBrush concept artist from Brooklyn, who specializes in
creature design. His expertise span multiple platforms such as film, tv,
toys/games. You might have seen his work before in some of the most popular
Kaiju characters in pop culture and cinema.
He is responsible for the greatness
that is Godzilla, King Kong and the Creature from Cloverfield.
Now officially an NFT artist verified on Opensea, and with some work about to
drop, I knew I had to find out more about the man behind the art.
Q. Tell us about your journey into becoming a digital artist
A. It goes back to the mid ’90s. I had just graduated from college where I majored in traditional illustration. But the first few years trying to get my footing there, it was actually the early dawn of digital art. SO little by little I’d get more interested and involved in that. Once I got my first computer in 1998 and hooked up Photoshop and Illustrator, I was all in. in 2000 I got a job doing photo retouching. I was there for a decade and learned Photoshop extremely well. I also blended the techniques I learned into my illustration and developed a unique style. But it wasn’t until 2013 that I got my hands on ZBrush, and dove 100% into 3D sculpture. It’s completely revolutionized my artwork, my mindset towards artwork, and my career.
Q. At what age did your passion for Kaiju first manifest ?
A. From the moment I could sit up straight. I was in love with anything monster related since I was a toddler. Also drew monsters and weird stuff at an early age. And loved watching any monster movie on tv. And never stopped loving it.
Q. How did you get into Zbrush?
A. I had noticed an influx of images online in the mid 2000’s that were absolutely incredible. 3D sculpts of creatures that looked so incredible. So I tracked them down to ZBrush Central and leaned about the software. I actually tried to use in in 2009, but could get the grasp of it. so I gave up. but I revisited it in 2013 because I was sick of not being happy with my work. So I committed to it this second time. And it stuck. Thankfully.
Q. What are your thoughts on the NFT revolution taking place? • Do you think NFTs are here to stay?
A. It’s controversial, to say the least. But I do feel like whatever this is, it will remain, or be the foundation of what remains. It’s a game-changer, and if one doesn’t get involved now, they’ll be in the dark pretty quick. It does seem to empower artists and rejuvenate creative motivations. So that’s wonderful.
Q. What has been your experience of NFTs so far?
A. Mostly positive. I’ve sold a few. I’m just getting started and I am taking it slowly. To learn as I go. And to make new friends and new art.
Q. What are your thoughts on cryptocurrency?
A. This baffles me. I understand this even less than NFTs. But it’s a fascinating universe. And I wish I had bought bitcoin ages ago when several of my friends were getting involved.
Q. Can we expect more drops from you?
A. Absolutely. I’m about to drop a 3 piece series on Foundation very soon. I’ll also be creating new pieces for Known Origin and SuperRare as well. And currently offer some pieces on Opensea.
So there you have it, from the man himself, NFTs have been a positive experience
to him so far because it empowers artists. He believes that they are here to stay
and so do we. It's a Game Changer.
Dope Pope was gracious enough to give us a sneak peek of his upcoming drop.
Watch this Space!!
Follow Dope Pope and keep track of his NFT releases:
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(O_o) Thank you
