This year has been an amazing ride for NFTs. At times, 1 of 1 crypto artists have led the way. Other times, NFT collectibles in editions of 10,000, by often anonymous teams, have dominated the scene. However, artist-driven collectible projects, including both generative art and collectibles series created by individual artists, are picking up steam. In particular, collectibles series designed by individually identifiable artists are now proliferating. One such series, Toddlerpillars, launched this week and appears to be a very well-thought-out example of such a collection.
From 1 of 1 Crypto Artists to Artist-Driven Collectibles
Both styles of artist-driven collectibles, generative art and artist-driven projects, rely on tools and algorithms that allow one to take work originating with a single artist, create a large number of variations and, in the process, distribute distinctive traits throughout the collection. These are then minted by collectors who may or may not know exactly what they’re getting at that point. Such collections have done very well in the marketplace with generative art appearing to be more prominent at this point considering the staggering success of projects such as art blocks.
Now, more artists are coming out with their own individual collectibles projects. This week a collectibles series dropped which is a strong example of a well-thought out, artist-driven collection, Toddlerpillars. It has a great backstory. The art is awesome. The team and partner companies appear quite solid, and the community is off to a great start. In addition, the roadmap shows a long-term commitment to diverse forms of utility.
Evaluating an Artist-Driven Collectibles Series
The Toddlerpillars project shows that one can apply many of the concepts popularized by 10k and PFP collections to collections created by crypto artists. While the art is what attracted my attention, Toddlerpillars is also a good example of a well thought-out project that addressed the many details now required for the success of an NFT collectibles series.
Backstory:
Toddlerpillars are based on the work of Jon Beinart whose plastic doll sculptures from the aughts caught a great deal of attention both on and offline. Beinart first exhibited a physical Toddlerpillar sculpture in 2002. He then moved on to painting in 2011, followed by the launch of Beinart Gallery in Melbourne.
For the NFT revival of his work, Beinart teamed with award-winning illustrator Tim Molloy, who is described as an old friend and who created the illustrations on which the collection is based. In the process, Molloy drew over 888 traits for 9,999 Toddlerpillars.
Community:
The Toddlerpillars art has provoked an enthusiastic response as one can see in their Discord, which you can join, and via their Twitter account. In addition, they teamed up with Superchief Gallery for a Toddlerpillars derivatives contest. You can find many examples of lively submissions to the contest on Twitter.
Partners for a Fair Launch:
The Toddlerpillars team is working with a strong group of partners in Ether Cards, Chainlink, and Superchief Gallery. In particular, Ether Cards and Chainlink are powering many aspects of the launch including randomly distributing traits throughout the collection. This effort makes use of Chainlink VRF to provide verifiable randomness for the rich assortment of traits:
“There are 9,999 Toddlerpillars, each featuring 19 traits from a possible combination of 888 attributes. There are 60 traits that only appear once in the entire collection. There are also super-rare traits that will only appear on 5, 10, or 20 Toddlerpillars in the entire collection.”
Toddlerpillars were initially minted at 0.04 ETH, an accessible price compared to many collectibles releases. In addition, minting presale activity focused on those involved with their Discord and holders of Ether Cards.
Roadmap and Utility:
Toddlerpillars‘ impressive roadmap has a variety of concrete plans and utility possibilities from granting full commercial rights to NFT holders to launching a new collection, Chimerapillars, with freebies for Toddlerpillars holders. Other future attractions include 1 of 1 art releases, additional art collabs, community meetups, events with Superchief Gallery, and other ongoing promotional efforts. Additional goodies include Toddlerpillar metaverse assets, vinyl toys and, possibly, a blockchain-based game and an animated series for adult viewers.
That’s a lot to take on. Given that many rugpulls have been preceded by awesome roadmaps, one might be a bit skeptical. However, the combination of elements, the history of the artists, the quality of the art, the spirit of the community, and the strength of the technical partners all go to make such a roadmap convincing.
Public Sale Information
The Toddlerpillars project’s minting opportunities first went to those who showed early interest via their involvement in Discord and to holders of Ether Cards. The price was 0.04 ETH across the board and the Public Sale occured November 19th at Noon, EST. The minted Toddlerpillars will be revealed November 20th at Noon but you can see many examples on their website. You can also check the early action on OpenSea for the initial presale mints.
This Is Not Investment Advice
There are so many NFTs now available and so many great projects that it is truly difficult to know which endeavours will be a long-term success. I am not saying to go buy Toddlerpillars, but I am saying that they are an excellent example of how to design an artist-driven collectibles project. Will they become a classic? We’ll know a lot more soon.
The true test of Toddlerpillars, after the initial waves of activity, will come over time as the roadmap unfolds and the community responds. As uncertain as such processes can be, the future of the larger NFT marketplace may be an even bigger question mark. Regardless, Toddlerpillars is off to an impressive start and worth finding out more about.
Featured Image: Screenshot from the Toddlerpillars Website.
