People used to go into supermarkets, jump to the street artists, and buy what they needed and liked from the first blip when art was solely in a physical form. However, some say this was something we used to do before the advent of digital art. Nowadays things like NFT (non-fungible tokens) are taking over the world.
Despite the fact that people are obsessed with digital art, artists frequently prefer to represent it in a tangible form as well. Quite often they create physical copies of their digital artwork to deliver to their customers as a thank you gift or just as an accompaniment to their digital artwork.
There are a variety of ways to turn digital art into an actual object, however, for artists, 3D printing is the ideal option.
The question remains: is it possible that digital art may soon dominate the world, leaving no room for physical art, or perhaps physical art will remain alive with the help of technology like 3D printing? This is something we’ll go over in further detail in this blog.
When did NFT become so popular, and what exactly is it?
NFTs disrupt traditional ideas of property, where there is a clear owner. Instead, each token has a unique identity that is irreplaceable.
This approach is similar to cryptocurrencies: every token has an assigned value that can be used as currency on different platforms. It may also be exchanged with other assets on dedicated exchanges.
In fact, NFTs can be anything from an artwork, a domain name, a piece of music, a trading card, or just about any digital commodity with a monetary value- even a tweet. No wonder individuals all over the world are currently obsessed with it.
It would be a mistake to claim that NFTs are only now becoming known and that no one knew anything about them previously. A better way to put it is that NFT only recently became mainstream, yet it has been around for a long time. The first type of NFTs to enter the market was “Coloured Coins,” which are bitcoin tokens with additional functionality that allows them to represent other assets on the blockchain.
Despite the fact that NFTs have been around for some time, their popularity has recently risen. In February of 2021, an artist known as Beeple sold a 10-second video for $6.6 million, launching NFTs into the mainstream. Collectors who purchased the film received no physical representation of the artwork in exchange for their money.
Now that we know what NFT is and how long it’s been there, let’s look into it a little further and see how some of the artists were able to turn their digital art into a tangible object with ease.
NFT artists that created a physical version of their digital art
NFT artists occasionally choose to create physical versions of their digital works, although not very frequently. Even though not many NFT artists use this technique yet, but once they do, they choose 3D printing technology to help them create tangible representations of their digital artwork since it makes it easy for them to modify items.
The first 3D printed NFT art collection was launched by artist Ioan Florea. He decided to try 3D printing NFTs and has made a collection of his interesting artworks available. His first exposure to blockchain technology was during the Bitcoin-Inside 3D Printing Show in 2014-2015, when he displayed 3D printed cars. Ioan Florea’s art incorporates conceptual mixing and open source technologies, as well as the use of NFT as an artistic technique. He uses large-scale 3D printers and custom-modified robots. His art can be found on OpenSea and his website.
“In my art, I create a bridge between the virtual world and real-world adding to the visual perception a tactile interaction by touching the abstract code and algorithm and holding them with your hands”-Ioan Florea artist.
Vulkaza’s customer Jonny Hurts is another fantastic example of NFT artists that have used 3D printing to bring their ideas to life. He used Vulkaza, a managed 3D print-on-demand service to 3D print the physical representation of his digital art. He 3D prints some of the pieces of his digital art and delivers them to his customers as a thank you for buying and supporting his work, or, better yet, recently he chose to 3D design a fireplace frame in which customers can place their phone while displaying the NFT they bought online! What a brilliant concept!
Danit Peleg, a fashion designer and pioneer in 3D printed apparel, is another outstanding example. For her degree project at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in 2015, she made international headlines by becoming the first designer in the world to construct a full collection utilizing desktop 3D home printers.
Danit took it a step further in 2020, by offering digital files of 3D printed clothing that customers could download and print themselves. You may literally shop for digital clothing, download a file, and then 3D PRINT the garment to make it physical. It’s so simple these days that we’ll soon be able to buy anything we desire on the internet.
3D printing technology may be used by NFT artists in a variety of creative ways, and yet here you read only a few instances of digital artists who transformed their digital work into magnificent and one-of-a-kind 3D printed goods.
It appears that this is just the beginning, and those who create digital art will undoubtedly turn to 3D printing or other technologies to turn their digital ideas into tangible objects. Let’s accept the fact that having a piece of art in your hands is still a thrilling experience that isn’t going away anytime soon.
But why is 3D printing so popular? What makes it so good and useful for NFT artists? Let’s take a closer look at it.
How 3D printing technology can be useful for NFT artists?
The primary benefits of 3D printing are its speed, flexibility, and cost savings. That is something that distinguishes 3D printing from other technologies. For example, other industries might take longer, and with 3D printing, it can be done pretty quickly. In fact, all you need is to make a design (though not always; some people hire designers to bring their ideas to life). However, in the case of NFT artists, they certainly already have a design, so there are no concerns at this stage, they are good to go; 3D printing technology will handle the rest.
Let’s look at some of the other advantages that 3D printing can provide for NFT work:
- Launching exhibitions
It is fantastic because it allows people to view a physical thing that was once only seen on a computer screen. There you can meet and connect with potential future customers since they might like your art instantly. A good example is our customer Rasmus Stride and his exhibition ‘The Daydreams’. Now his physical art can be found on OpenSea as well.
- Buyers can obtain both a digital file and tangible objects
Consider this: for example, if the customer is a gamer and at some point, an NFT artist decides to release a digital version of the customer’s favorite character, they will be able to buy it as a physical object and display it on their shelf at home. It’s like getting two things for the price of one. All it does for NFT artists is increase their popularity. Another important factor is that even if the cryptocurrency’s price swings or crashes, its owners will still have a beautiful, precious, and one-of-a-kind work of art.
- The 3D printed model will boost the popularity of the initial creation
Word of mouth has tremendous power. When a person experiences digital art in their hands and understands how fantastic it would be to have it in their homes, offices, or anywhere else, they may feel tempted to purchase more. They might, on the other hand, provide a sincere recommendation to someone.
- Tangible products can be used for interior purposes
There are numerous NFTs that are both stunning and feasible. Sculptures and vases, for example, are fairly prevalent, and with a few tweaks, a 3D printer can produce excellent, practical results. It has the potential to become a fantastic piece of interior design.
- 3D printing means an endless array of options and zero shipping cost
Did the idea pop into your head? It indicates that you are good to go. This is all that is required for a 3D printer to produce a credible design. And local 3D makers will make it even better; you won’t have to buy anything from China or anywhere else in the world, since your product will be locally produced.
Physical and digital art may appear to be completely separate things that don’t get along, but this isn’t the case, as the examples above demonstrate. On the contrary, it opens up dozens of new possibilities, and when they’re combined, amazing things happen.
Physical art has always existed and appears to be here to stay, especially now that we have technologies like 3D printing that allow digital art to be converted into a physical good in a relatively short amount of time, not to mention the fact that you can choose to stay sustainable by using 3D printing technology.
Physical art will not be forgotten; rather, it will get stronger with the aid of digital art, or should we say, digital art will be boosted by physical art? There is no right or wrong way to phrase it. The facts remain the same.
