I turned my friend into a NOUN-inspired avatar!

TobiaSNOUN_GIFtransform_BIG..gif
Not gonna lie, over the course of this first month of being a member here on HIVE, I've learned quite a bit about Web3, NFT, crypto art, and CC0. While I am still learning, so many questions have popped up in my head, especially around NOUNS and NFT art. Let's dive right in, shall we?

According to sources like Medium, the Nouns Center, and Nouns DAO on DAO Central the term "NOUN" define this really cool generative non-fungible token project on the Ethereum blockchain. The project presents several tokens, also called NOUNS, represented by 32x32 pixel characters based on people, places, and things.

According to Nouns.WTF
"Nouns are an experimental attempt to improve the formation of on-chain avatar communities. While projects such as CryptoPunks have attempted to bootstrap digital community and identity, Nouns attempt to bootstrap identity, community, governance, and a treasury that can be used by the community."

Pretty cool, eh!? I really like the concept of it!

Although I can pretty easily grasp every artistic aspect of NOUNS (32x32 pixel characters based on people, places, and things) there is a WHOLE WORLD I AM ABSOLUTELY IGNORANT ABOUT concerning how blocks are generated by it, or how it can help community builders on gathering their tribe, give their members a digital identity, and foster a better world through the growth of Web3.

Needless to say, backstage, there is a LOT going on behind this simple pixelated square. So much so, that they were auctioning daily for around 100 ETH back in 2022! (As Medium says here). Today they rate at around 30 ETH according to NOUNS.WTF.

I couldn't let it slide that nouns are a beautiful work or pixel art. Simple yet effective, as pixel art should be. The simplicity seems like a thought process, for both simplifying transactions without cluttering the processing rates and also to foster quick generative models to create a personalized identity for NOUN owners. - Which is pretty cool!

It really touched me in the sense that people from all around the world could share a digital avatar that could represent their identity. And it really got me thinking about my friend TOBIAS.

Working as a pixel artist for indy videogame projects is really something that puts "virtual friends" and "virtual work colleagues" into perspective. Since circa 2010, I have worked diligently as a freelance artist for a Netherlands company called Myth Entertainment which recently released an MMORPG called Phobos (which you can play on Steam!).

Across many meetings and forum discussion threads, I can pretty much say I've known Tobias for more than 10 years as the guy who handles the servers players connect to in order to play the game. YET, believe it or not, I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIS FACE. Not even in Zoom calls.

So I decided to make him (or rather, my vision of him) into a NOUN-inspired sprite. Namely 32x32 pixel characters based on what I BELIEVE Tobias looks like, taking how my other Netherland friends look. 😂

Well as stereotypical as this may seem, all my friends from the Netherlands are coincidentally blond. As someone with a deep voice, I imagine Tobias shall have a nice beard. People are very tidy over there and it feels like it could be chill at night in the Netherlands, so I'm gonna give him a scarf. I still have to keep it simple tho so I came up with something like this:

TobiaSNOUN.2_big.png
The original size of an actual NOUN is actually pretty small, check it out (this is a 32x32 pixel sprite):
TobiaSNOUN.2.png
This is some TINY art! haha

You know, after working on that tiny pixel canvas for so many years, you learn that you can accommodate much more information than needed if you really wanna be overkill about it 😂
So I made quite a few edits to make Tobias a bit more 3D-looking. It may defeat the ideal simplicity of a NOUN but heck, ART IS FUN!

And the retro look still works!! Look at him!!

We can even walk the extra mile, and consider that THIS DUDE IS A MASTER OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, you know, dealing with servers all day, making sure tens of thousands of people get to enjoy their game with no connection problems and all... A true hero for all of us. Maybe even a superhero! 🤓

(Erhm...so yeah, I made him with electric powers! ⚡️⚡️⚡️LEAVE ME BE!!!⚡️⚡️⚡️)

Tobias - The IT server god.

It is really hard to stay on topic when you really love making art and going crazy about it, right? LOL. But the point is, NOUNS are definitely pretty cool, and I hope you can find your own way of finding a NOUN that best represents you once you decide it's your time to be part of a community like a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO).

There are many examples here on HIVE you can check, like for example @gnars, dedicated to supporting the artistry of extreme athletes. 🤘

Thanks for following today's post down to the very end! You're awesome!
Talk to you soon!
Galiant