Enviroblocks Collaboration

Please introduce yourself to our readers. What would you like them to know about you?

Hi, my name is Emptor (definitely not a real name). That’s Latin for “Buyer”. My twitter handle, “empt_vx”, the vx stands for vfx or special effects. So in short, even though i am an artist, I am also a collector at heart (i’ll buy your art if i like them!). In real life i also collect playing cards, enamel pins, art prints, you name it. My real name is Fadhil, and Professionally, i am a Creative Director / Graphic Designer at my Creative Agency here in Jakarta, Indonesia. I also run a streetwear brand with some of my buddies. 

What was the inspiration for this piece?

About my collection, Enviroblocks, it is an NFT collectible based upon the idea of collectible “building blocks” of cities, environments, people, and objects. You can say it’s also inspired by Legos. I like the idea of how people can use their imagination in placing these building blocks and making a city of their own, in their head, imagining scenes, by looking at my building blocks.

How long have you been designing in the digital realm?

I have been designing graphics and making physical art in different forms for over a decade.

Can you tell us about your workflow (how do you come up with ideas, what tools do you use to create)?

About my work flow, especially with enviroblocks, I usually imagine the bigger picture first, and then narrow it down to several smaller, much more detailed ideas regarding the building. For example, currently, the “timeline” that is on enviroblocks is the “Future” timeline, so i try to imagine first how would the future be? is it going to be post-apocalyptic? or will humanity thrive? if it was post apocalyptic, where would people go to work? how does their transportation runs? is it gas? is it water? After i’ve narrowed down my ideas, i look for inspirations from all over the internet, but usually, i already had a rough idea of what i was looking for. For my original art style i mainly uses Blender , Illustrator, and Photoshop, but for enviroblocks, i’m using magicavoxel.

Who are your artistic influences?

My Artistic influence changes from time to time, but for now, i’m very inspired by Beeple. Also, MadMaraca, she is one hell of a voxel artist, she’s the reason i went back to learn more about magicavoxel since i didn’t know voxel art can look that pretty. I can’t name each one of them, but i bookmarked a ton of really great NFTs on twitter, that i always go back to from time to time to draw inspirations from. Oh and the graphics on Bitcoin Origins? Jeez.

What got you interested in NFTs/Crypto Art/Digital Collectibles?

I started out as a crypto trader first, forced by my friend who made fortune in the space, but i couldn’t find success in trading as i got what you might call “Paper Hands” hahaha. Then i tried becoming a DeFi degen, also no success. Then i found out that there are games on the blockchain that can earn you real money, with tradable tokens called NFTs, so i started playing games. I mean, nothing to lose, i also play games on a daily basis. It was mind blowing for me to discover, as with regular games you’re technically not allowed to buy and sell in-game items, but in NFT gaming they’re actually encouraging you to do it! It took me a few blockchain exploration (and some plenty of gas fees) until i finally landed on WAX. Nowadays i only spent my time on WAX, and as daytime jobs prevents me from playing too many games (much busier now than several months ago) i chose to make my own collectible instead, as it’s therapeutic for me and distracts me from the pressure of my daily life. If people wanted to buy my art, that’s a bonus. I’m happy enough to be able to create. I also try to buy some NFTs that i really like on WAX, just to keep them in my wallet forever hahaha.

Where can we find you online?

Anything else you’d like to share

I’d like to share that in the near future i will also be making another collectible based upon my personal art style, a mix of 3d and 2d digital painting instead of 3d animated voxel like enviroblocks. Do be on the lookout for more enviroblocks and my new collections! Also, if you’re interested in making your own collection on WAX but lack the technical skills such as making the graphics itself, do send me a DM on twitter and maybe we can work something out ;).