HOW TO CREATE AND SELL NFTs
I am a long time traditional artist in that I have created and sold hand drawings, paintings, photographs and other types of art. I have sold a number of portraits of well known celebrities including Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen (from the film Bullitt) along with portraits of Johnny Depp, Uma Thurman, Kiera Knightley, Kate Beckinsale (Underworld Film) and more. All of these works are my hand painted or drawn interpretation of the person. I have also sold a few portraits of artists as well, I did a surreal drawing of Salvador Dali and one of Picasso as well. My are is on Fine Art America because they allow for the creation of prints on their site so that saves me the hassle of making prints for customers.
Uma Thurman
Hand drawn Pastel on Canvas Board
16" x 20"
In addition to the types of art previously mentioned I have created many surreal images that are purely from my imagination, here is one example:
I hand drew this image over a 21 hour period of time, the drawing is on heavy acid free art paper, I used pencil and ink and did the drawing for my wife.
The discoloration in the image was a result of me spilling coffee on the work, I was going to start over but she insisted I leave it as is.
The reason I'm showing you hand drawn or hand created works is to give an idea that anything, literally any file can be used to create an NFT.
Here is an example of a digital work I created that I used as an NFT artwork.
"I See You"
This image is all digital artwork. I use a digital art pad and other types of software to create digital images.
I can add any effect to an image or alter shapes etc. until I feel the image is complete.
I uploaded this image to Opensea and currently have it available as an NFT.
When I first heard about NFTs a few years ago, I didn't pay much attention to it because it was a mention in a blog I subscribe to. I then heard about NFTs on a podcast, then a few tv shows and then a celebrity talked about how they were buying and selling NFTs.
I started studying the subject around Jan 2020 but it wasn't until May of 2021 that I actually created and uploaded an NFT.
A number of people have mentioned to me that they opened an account and uploaded a file, they then say "Now what do I do?"
The process to create and sell NFTs is still developing in the sense that companies like Coinbase where digital currency is exchanged are now getting more involved in the NFT world.
The way I was able to create NFTs and even sell a few is as follows.
*I set up an account with
MetaMask (crypto wallet)
You will need to purchase currency, I currently own approx 11 different types of currency. I didn't plan on owning that many and to be honest the amounts of most of these currencies are very low, I didn't go looking for them, Coinbase offers free currency is you take some quick and easy online courses so I went for it and they added the currency to my account.
You will however need to purchase a few hundred dollars in currency, I purchased Ethereum (ETH).
I suggest $250.00 to $300.00 to start.
Metamask is an extension you add to your desktop (you can find instructions online for phone or desktop, chrome extensions are easy to add.)
The reason I opted for Opensea is because I can upload all the art or files I want at no cost and when it sells I only pay a 2.5% commission to Opensea.
When you purchase NFTs to add to your portfolio you will pay what are called Gas Fees, these fees vary and are the reason it can be difficult to sell an NFT, people seem to hate paying gas fees even though it's always been a part of the process. If you don't want to pay gas fees, don't waste your time thinking about buying or investing in NFTs. I'm sure as time go on this will change but I suspect there will always be fees associated with the purchase of a digital asset.
I keep hearing people say they have to pay an upfront fee to start with Opensea and then no fees after that, I don't recall paying that upfront fee and when I press them to give me more info they tell me it turns out the fee is from another entity like coinbase. If something has changed an you have to pay a fee to upload your first NFT with Opensea then so be it, it's worth it because other platforms charge on a per upload basis.
You can go to youtube and search "how to make and sell NFTs" and you will find endless videos.
There are so many people wanting to get into this world now that youtubers are making money from explainer videos because the more subs they get, the more ad revenue they get.
Here are some important tips about actually selling an NFT file or digital asset.
As it is with all things that are "for sale", you will have to promote promote promote. If you are a celebrity or a person with a huge following on Discord or Instagram etc., you will have an easier time of selling NFTs.
If you are the average person, you will need to build over time. Twitter is loaded with people who claim they want to buy your NFT, this is for the most part Bogas. When you see a twitter post that says "I'm buying, drop your NFT", it means that person is trying to build up followers so they can later try to sell thier twitter account to an unsuspecting NFT creator. If you are trying to sell your NFTs, you want to find collectors or investors, NOT creators. Don't waste your time, simply keep posting your NFTs with hashtags like #NFT #NFTart #NFTdrop #NFTartist and others you will find there.
When someone likes your post, follow them and ask them to follow you, this will build up your followers list and while most will be other NFT creators, it will help you avoid the fake "I wanna buy your NFT" people. Another good hashtag is #NFTcollector or collectors . I also use hashtags like #crypotart and #cryptocurreny etc.
You can set up a FB or Meta page that is dedicated to your NFTs and then invite everyone on your friends list.
You can share them on linkedin, reddit, pinterest and more. Remember, its all about marketing just like any other product. 95% of NFT creators don't sell anything or very little, I base this on asking them and reading about the realities of NFTs. There are stories of success like CryptoPunks and some others but again these are the exceptions. If you are good at marketing you can sell, I have sold two NFTs so far but those were the result of offers made that were much lower than what I was asking for.
I have now changed my approach, I'm going to go back to focusing on selling my traditional art and offer NFTs as a sideline. I'm sure there are a few out there who will disagree with me on this approach but those folks are part of the exception, I know this from my exchanges with literally hundreds of NFT creators who have sold nothing at all and are getting weary of all the time they invest with no success.
You can also build a website dedicated to your NFTs, I added mine to my podcast website because it deals with art and I created this blog that your reading now and have had a few hits from people visiting here.
Good luck with your venture, I hope you find success.
