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Sean Bettsv2.0.0
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generative art experimentHistorical prototype

nAnimals

An experiment in generating collections of animal artwork through code and rules, with an NFT minting and hatching experience.

2021View on GitHub (opens in a new tab)
Green nAnimals cat with a hip-hop inscription on a blue backgroundPink nAnimals dog with a red paint-splatter backgroundGrey skeletal nAnimals character on a blue backgroundPink nAnimals rabbit with a circular forehead marking and striped orange backgroundRed nAnimals rabbit with purple cheek markings on a blue backgroundRed nAnimals cat wearing sunglasses on a grey background
In practice

What it does

  1. Explore animal artwork generated through code and rules.
  2. Connect a wallet to view its collection of digital animals.
  3. Explore minting and hatching as part of a collectible experience.
  4. View the artwork and details associated with each collectible.
  5. Record ownership and hatching through transactions on the blockchain.
Behind the work

The challenge

nAnimals was my first and only attempt at procedural art. At the height of the NFT craze, I wanted to understand how code and rules could generate a collection of different artworks. The creative challenge was designing the system that produced the animals, then connecting the collection to a minting and hatching experience. The artwork was generated procedurally, without generative AI.

What I learned

I enjoyed exploring how code could generate art, but came away deeply sceptical of the market around it. The promise of making money from NFTs felt much closer to gambling, dependent on someone else being willing to pay more. The creative experiment interested me; the economics gave me little reason to pursue it further.

Built with

  • Solidity
  • OpenZeppelin
  • React
  • Redux
  • Web3.js
  • IPFS