about intrinsic.art

intrinsic.art is a platform that lets you customize and purchase generative art NFTs. You can explore works by your favorite artists by choosing which traits you want. The best part? You own the traits, so you can recombine them in new ways or trade them with other collectors to build your ideal work of art.

Learn more about why we created intrinsic.art by reading our blog post: Introducing intrinsic.art: Generative Art Reborn.

FAQ

What is generative art?

Generative art is a type of art created by a system that is not fully under the artist's control. At intrinsic.art, artists create coded algorithms as art, and collectors help to shape the output.

What is a trait?

A trait is an attribute or feature that describes what the final artwork will look like.

What is a seed?

A seed is a unique number or value that determines the exact visual output of the artist's code.

How is intrinsic.art different from other generative art NFT platforms?

At intrinsic.art, traits are not just descriptive attributes, but fundamental building blocks of the artwork. This means you can choose which traits to combine in advance to customize your art. Additionally, you can convert your artwork back into its component traits at any time to trade with other collectors and create new artwork. The collective output from an artist’s algorithm may change over time as collectors explore new combinations of traits, so a collection may continue to surprise with new discoveries long after the initial supply of editions has been minted.

Why are NFTs the best way to purchase generative art?

NFTs provide an automated, verifiable source of randomness, a permanently distributed digital record of the artist's code, and a record of ownership provenance.

What do I need to purchase an NFT on intrinsic.art?

To purchase artwork, you will need an existing Ethereum crypto wallet funded with ETH on Base.

Two wallets that we recommend are MetaMask and Coinbase Wallet. MetaMask provides a Getting Started Guide, as well as an extensive Learning Platform for those looking for a broader introduction to Web3, Crypto Wallets, and NFTs.

We operate on the Base blockchain in order to provide very low transaction fees when you purchase or transfer artwork. Coinbase provides a basic guide for using Base with your wallet of choice.

How do I purchase artwork on intrinsic.art?

First, connect your wallet and make sure that you are connected to the Base network. Next, choose a project, select your desired traits, and mint your artwork. You can find your NFT in your inventory after purchase. To support an orderly auction process, we only allow one artwork purchase at a time - i.e. no queuing transactions.

Can I purchase traits without owning artwork?

Yes, you can purchase extra traits individually and use them later to create artwork. You can also trade the traits with others.

On the project page, go to the traits tab. Select the desired quantity of each trait, and click the Buy Traits button. You can find your traits in your inventory after purchase.

How much does it cost to purchase?

At intrinsic.art, individual traits determine the total cost of the art. Artists set the price per trait. When you select your traits, you will see one total price for the whole artwork. When you purchase individual traits, you only pay for the number you want to buy.

How does the Dutch auction work?

When a project is launched, each trait has the same starting price. That price will gradually decrease over time until it reaches a resting price, or until all of the traits have been sold. At any given time, all traits will have the same price. However, some traits may sell out before other traits if they are more popular. If there is a particular trait that you like, be sure to buy it before it’s gone!

Can I use the traits I already own to mint a new artwork?

Yes, when minting your artwork, the UI will show you which traits you already own. You only pay for the new traits you want to include in the artwork. Your owned traits will be attached to the new artwork NFT and will no longer be listed in your traits inventory after.

How do I reclaim the individual traits from an artwork?

To decompose an artwork NFT that you own and reclaim its component traits, go to your inventory, select the artwork whose traits you want to reclaim, and click the "Reclaim Traits" button at the bottom of the individual artwork page. Please note that reclaiming traits will result in the conversion of the artwork NFT into its corresponding trait tokens, and the original artwork will be burned. Additionally, the random seed that generated the artwork will be lost, and it will no longer be possible to recreate that particular artwork. Once the transaction is complete, you can find the individual traits in your inventory.

Can I sell or trade artwork that I own?

Yes, artwork you own is stored in your wallet as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) using the ERC-721 format and can be sold or traded on most secondary marketplaces like OpenSea, Blur, or sudoswap.

Can I sell or trade traits that I own?

Yes, traits you own are stored in your wallet as NFTs using the ERC-1155 standard for semi-fungible tokens and can be sold or traded on secondary marketplaces like OpenSea or sudoswap. Some automated marketplaces like Blur do not yet support ERC-1155 tokens, but likely will in the future.

How does all of this work under the hood?

Each individual minted artwork is unique, which is why it is stored as a non-fungible token (NFT) using the ERC-721 standard.

Each individual trait is one of a limited series of identical tokens. Although often still referred to as an NFT, they are more accurately described as semi-fungible tokens. Much like a general admission event ticket, any one token has the same properties as any other token in the same group. Using the ERC-1155 standard for semi-fungible tokens allows more flexibility to take advantage of this difference and create efficient transactions.

When you mint a new artwork, the trait information is stored directly in the ERC-721 token. When you choose to reclaim the underlying traits in the artwork, the ERC-721 token itself is burned, and you receive the ERC-1155 trait tokens in your wallet in return.

I’m a solidity dev. Just show me your smart contracts!

https://github.com/intrinsic-art/intrinsic-art-contracts

Is artwork released on intrinsic.art permanent and on-chain?

Yes, to varying amounts depending on the project. Some projects may have algorithms written in pure javascript code, with no dependencies on external libraries. These projects are 100% stored on-chain. Other projects have algorithms written in javascript that rely on external libraries to assist in rendering. In these cases, the libraries used, such as p5.js or three.js, are so commonly documented and archived that they can be expected to be available far into the future. Some libraries have been written entirely on-chain as a further safeguard, and we expect more libraries to be on-chain in the future.

I’m a generative artist. How can I sell my work on intrinsic.art?

We are interested in working with established generative artists with experience creating and selling NFTs, and who are interested in developing projects tailored to the unique strengths of our platform. If you would like to learn more, get in touch with us at inquiries@intrinsic.art.

I’m with a secondary marketplace or defi trading platform. Can we partner with you?

We’d love to talk! Send us a note at inquiries@intrinsic.art.

Who is responsible for intrinsic.art?

Phil Smith is a generative artist, NFT collector, and member of Fingerprints DAO. Find him on X and Farcaster.

Taylor Webb is a Solidity and web developer. Find him on X and Farcaster.