Cryptocurrency: Digital artist nets hundreds of thousands in NFT sale
BBC By Joe Langstaffe
BBC Wales News
A graphic designer has become one of Wales' most commercially successful artists overnight after some of his digital works sold for almost 500,000.
Ashley Crossland from Cardigan, Ceredigion, designed 7,200 individual works which were bought as non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
NFTs act as certificates of ownership and are designed to protect copyright.
"I never thought it would be this successful," he said of the series based on anthropomorphised stags.
The series was sold for a cryptocurrency called Cardano and each design is unique.
"As I've always liked art and technology, I was drawn to the NFT space because it creates the possibility of digital collectability, something that wasn't as easy before.
"I started posting sketches of humanoid deer in communities online and before I knew it the project had gathered a lot of interest and quickly became a massive success."
- What are NFTs and why are some worth millions?
- Will NFTs open up new opportunities for new artists?
- Beeple's NFT digital art nets 50m at auction
Since the general sale, which was held over two days at the end of March, some of the individual pieces have been resold for as much as the Cardano equivalent of 6,500.
