How to Buy Art Blocks NFTs

Want to jump straight to the answer? You Need Ethereum to buy NFTs, which you can get today on Gemini.

NFTs exploded onto the crypto scene in 2021, with sales ballooning from $100 million in 2020 to over $22 billion in 2021. As our world becomes increasingly digitized, the continued expansion of the NFT sector seems inevitable. 

Art Blocks is an NFT platform that generates original art pieces. Learn how you can buy Art Blocks NFTs today. 

What is Art Blocks?

Art Blocks is an NFT platform that generates original pieces of art on the Ethereum blockchain via algorithms. Generative artists upload their algorithms, and buyers choose an algorithm they like based on a gallery example. 

The buyer then presses ‘mint’ without knowing how their NFT will look. When the NFT is minted, the blockchain records what algorithm was used and exactly how it ran to create the one-of-a-kind piece of art. 

Brief History of Art Blocks NFTs

Erick Calderon founded Art Blocks in late 2020 as a way to focus on his passion for generative arts. Despite having a huge passion for art, Calderon discovered he didn’t possess the talent to create art with his own hands. Being an entrepreneur at heart led him to open his own ceramic tile business. This contact with design in the tile industry satisfied his artistic side for a while, but he wanted more.

In 2017, Calderon began surfing Reddit to learn more about cryptocurrencies. What excited him even more was the talk about non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which he thought might be a great way to create value for generative art. 

Then one night, while reading through Reddit posts, Calderon ran across a thread by the founders of Larva Labs. They were encouraging people to check out their new project CryptoPunks. At the time, they were also giving away CryptoPunks ― all you had to do was pay the transaction fee. 

Needless to say, Calderon took advantage of their offer and claimed a few. To Calderon, this first experience of owning NFTs was revolutionary. After watching NFTs struggle over the next few years to try and make it into the mainstream, Calderon began to formulate his vision for a better platform where artists could mint their own NFTs using an algorithm. Out of this vision, Art Blocks was born. 

The birth of Art Blocks was anything but smooth sailing –– the first few prototypes were disappointing, and the project languished. It wasn’t until Calderon, a self-taught coder, wrote the code himself and launched the first version of Art Blocks in November 2020. By February 2021, Art Blocks was incorporated and had a full-time staff by April. 

Despite the issues getting the project off the ground, things exploded in August when Art Blocks saw sales close to $600 million. The best day in August saw $69 million in transactions take place. Things got so crazy that people were buying almost anything they could get, which caused prices to skyrocket. One notable sale saw Crypto Guru Kevin Rose buy an NFT from Tyler Hobb’s Fidenza collection in June for $3,000 and sell it in late August for $2.5 million. 

Top Art Blocks Projects

Here is a list of some top projects on Art Blocks.

• Fidenza - Tyler Hobbs
• Singularity - Hideki Tsukamoto
• Chromie Squiggles - SnowFro
• Ringers - Dmitri Cherniak
• Apparitions - Aaron Penne

All of these projects have been part of the curated collection. To have a project included in the curated collection, artists must load their script onto the Art Blocks testnet. 

Once the script is loaded, the testnet will generate sample outputs for the curation board to consider. The curation board evaluates projects to see if they fit well into the broader curated collection.

Perks of Holding Art Blocks NFTs

With the sales and values of NFTs surging to unbelievable heights in 2021, the perks of owning Art Block NFTs has also surged. As NFTs move further into the mainstream, they will increasingly be viewed as status symbols. There also can be huge perks by getting into newly launched projects early. 

Speculating on price has paid off big for many investors who have gotten in early. Prices have soared from hundreds of dollars per NFT up into the millions. NFTs are extremely risky as an investment. But for the avid collector, Art Blocks NFTs can not only make a beautiful collection, but they could also end up paying off big as an investment.

How to Buy Art Blocks NFTs

If everything you have read so far may make you want to jump on the NFT bandwagon. Keep reading for what steps you will need to take to buy and store NFTs. 

Best Wallets For NFTs

Best Hardware Wallet: Ledger

The best hardware wallet for storing your ETH and NFTs is the Ledger. The Ledger wallet comes in two models: the Nano S and Nano X. The Nano S is the less expensive model, but it cannot store as many apps as the Nano X. In addition, the Nano X is Bluetooth-enabled and works with the Ledger Live mobile app. 

Both wallets use an industry-leading specialized Secure Element chip for security. The secure element chip, which is used in credit cards and passports, provides the highest level of security for a chip. Regardless of the Ledger model you select, you are providing the highest level of protection for your crypto assets.

Best Software Wallet: MetaMask

To connect with the Art Blocks website or OpenSea, you need a MetaMask wallet.

MetaMask is a browser extension that works with Chrome, Firefox, and Brave browsers. Because MetaMask is a browser extension that is both Ethereum wallet and Web3.0 provider, it can easily interact with decentralized applications (dApps) right from your browser. 

To install MetaMask, just choose your browser or mobile operating system, click on install MetaMask and follow the instructions. The last step will be to transfer ETH from the exchange to your MetaMask wallet.

Current Crypto Prices

The overall crypto market has been in a steep correction for almost two months now. In that time, Bitcoin is down over 40% from the all-time high set on November 10. 

There are a few altcoins that have bucked the trend, most notably Cosmos (ATOM), Fantom (FTM, and Harmony (ONE).

Is it Worth Getting an Art Blocks NFT?

NFTs are risky. If you are buying them strictly as an investment, you must be good at assessing the overall market and individual NFTs to invest wisely. 

On the other hand, if you love art and would get enjoyment from just owning NFTs, then the investment is secondary to the joy of ownership. So whether or not it is worthwhile to own an Art Block NFT could very well come down to your reason for purchasing one.