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A practical guide to creating and selling NFTs in 2026. Learn how minting works on chain, when to use ERC-721 vs ERC-1155, how to store art on IPFS, deploy your own contract with OpenSea Studio or Manifold, price and list for sale, handle royalties, and avoid common gas and rights mistakes.
Creating an NFT means deploying or reusing a smart contract that implements a token standard, then calling a mint function that assigns a new tokenId to your wallet and sets a tokenURI that points to a JSON file describing the item. Selling it means listing that tokenId for sale on a marketplace where a buyer can purchase it, with ownership transferred on chain and fees and royalties handled by the marketplace.
The token itself is the on-chain record, contract address plus tokenId. The media file lives elsewhere and is referenced by hash. For 1-of-1 art, most creators use ERC-721 where each tokenId has one owner. For editions and game items, many use ERC-1155 where one contract can track many token types with balances per holder.
This guide helps you if you already make digital work and want to test whether on-chain sale fits your practice.
It is a good fit for:
It is not for you if you expect quick or passive income, want to avoid managing keys and fees, or plan to copy existing art. Most new tokens and collections sell slowly or not at all, liquidity fell sharply after 2021, and you are responsible for custody, storage, pricing, and accurate records. If you only need background for a role, read "How it works" and "Pros and cons" and skip the deployment steps.
You need a self-custodial wallet. MetaMask, Rabby, and Coinbase Wallet are common for Ethereum and Layer 2 chains. When you create a wallet, the app generates a Secret Recovery Phrase, a 12-word phrase that is the master key for all accounts in that wallet. MetaMask documents this at support.metamask.io/start/user-guide-secret-recovery-phrase-password-and-private-keys.
You will need a small amount of ETH to pay network fees. The exact amount depends on the chain you choose. On Ethereum mainnet, a contract deployment can cost several dollars in gas. On Base, it is usually cents.
An NFT is not created by uploading a file alone. You deploy a smart contract that implements a token standard, then call mint functions that assign tokenIds and set a tokenURI.
The contract stores a tokenURI, a link to a JSON file with name, description, and an image URI. Wallets and marketplaces read that JSON to show the media. The JSON pattern is defined in the ERC-721 metadata extension.
Use ERC-721 when every token should feel like a distinct object with its own traits. Use ERC-1155 when one token id represents many identical copies, when you need batch minting, or when you want fungible and non-fungible items under one contract.
Each token needs a JSON file like:
{
"name": "Example Piece #1",
"description": "A piece from a 10-item series on urban night light.",
"image": "ipfs://bafybeib.../1.png",
"attributes": [
{ "trait_type": "Background", "value": "Night Blue" },
{ "trait_type": "Medium", "value": "Digital painting" }
]
}
For a small series you will create one image and one JSON file per token, then upload both as directories so the CID preserves filenames. Test the full set before mainnet. Generate previews and sort them into keep, weak, and broken to see if even common outputs look intentional.
Large files are not stored on Ethereum. They are stored off chain and referenced by hash.
Best practice from docs.ipfs.tech is to wrap files in a directory when adding, use CIDv1, prefix with ipfs:// for the canonical link, and generate gateway URLs only in your app's presentation layer. Pin the media and JSON with at least one paid pinning service and, if possible, your own node.
You have two main paths.
Open deploy with your own contract. Tools like Manifold Studio and OpenSea Studio let you deploy a contract you own. With Manifold, you choose ERC-721 or ERC-1155, you control mint permissions, metadata updates, and royalty settings, and you can add extensions for custom drops. The contract stays reusable for future releases. Docs: docs.manifold.xyz and help.manifold.xyz/en/contract-deploy. Manifold Creator Contracts use a delegate proxy to the Creator Core implementation and support mint, tokenURI, transfer checks, burn, and royalty configuration per token or per extension.
With OpenSea Studio, you have two modes documented at support.opensea.io/en/articles/8867080-how-do-i-use-opensea-studio:
In late 2023 OpenSea removed free lazy minting. As of October 3, 2023, creators deploy their own contract and pay gas to mint. OpenSea Studio currently supports Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Klaytn, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Avalanche for many flows. Check opensea.io/learn/nft/how-to-create-an-nft and support.opensea.io/en/articles/8867023-how-do-i-create-an-nft for the current list. For single items or collections, you cannot move tokens between collections later, so confirm the collection before deploying.
Curated galleries. SuperRare accepts artists by application and review. Only invited artists can mint there, and work is typically 1-of-1. Info: help.superrare.com/en/articles/10629742-offers-auctions-and-pricing. Foundation, which was a large curated platform from 2021, closed permanently. The platform went offline on April 27, 2026 after its sale to Blackdove did not complete, as stated at foundation.app and in the founder letter of April 15, 2026. Its contracts remain on chain and media stays pinned through April 27, 2027, but you cannot mint there now.
For most beginners, deploying on Base via Manifold or OpenSea Studio is the lowest cost path with full contract ownership. Apply to SuperRare later once you have a coherent body of work and consistent sales.
Ethereum gas is the price you pay for computation. Since EIP-1559, a transaction fee is base fee plus priority fee, often shown as maxFeePerGas and maxPriorityFeePerGas. The base fee is set by protocol and burned on Ethereum. The priority fee is a tip to the validator who includes your transaction. A basic ETH transfer uses 21,000 gas. Minting uses more. Docs: ethereum.org/developers/docs/gas and github.com/ethereum/EIPs/blob/master/EIPS/eip-1559.md.
Costs move with congestion and with ETH price. As a current reference:
Takeaway: if you want to experiment cheaply, create and list on Base or another low-fee Layer 2. Reserve Ethereum mainnet for higher value 1-of-1 work where collector preference for mainnet matters.
EIP-2981 defines royaltyInfo to signal a recipient and amount, for example 5 percent to an address. It is a lookup, not enforcement. The token transfer itself does not know if it was a sale. Marketplaces must decide to honor the signal. Spec: eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-2981.
In practice:
After you mint, the token sits in your wallet. To sell, you create a listing on a marketplace that indexes your contract and chain. The common sale types are:
You set a price in ETH or USDC, sign a listing with an expiry, and the marketplace holds the signature off chain until a buyer fulfills it through Seaport or a similar protocol. You pay no gas to list, only when the sale executes or you cancel on chain.
Timed auction with reserve, or an English auction where the highest bid wins. Useful when demand is uncertain and you want price discovery.
Collectors can make offers on your token even if it is not listed. You can accept an offer, which executes the transfer.
Marketplaces charge a fee on each sale. OpenSea charges 2.5 percent on many routes, SuperRare charges 3 percent to the buyer on secondary, and other venues vary from 0 to 5 percent. The seller often also pays the royalty you configured if the venue honors it. Proceeds go to your payout address minus those deductions. You then owe record keeping and, in the US, tax reporting on primary sales and royalties as ordinary income when received, often on Schedule C if you operate as a business, and capital gains on secondary flips.
Choose one visual direction and make five to twenty finished pieces in that style before minting anything. For a generative set, lock the algorithm and test at least 200 outputs. Decide if each piece is 1-of-1 (ERC-721) or an edition (ERC-1155), what total supply makes sense, and what traits define rarity. A small, coherent group is easier to explain and price than scattered singles.
Write a one-sentence pitch, a short description, and a trait sheet. List trait types and values, for example Background, Palette, Structure, and set approximate percentages. This becomes your metadata attributes.
A note on NFT.Storage: Classic NFT.Storage stopped accepting new uploads in July 2024 and its successor paths have wound down. The IPFS concepts still hold, but you should pin with an active service you control now, not rely on legacy free storage.
Using OpenSea Studio as a reference, the flow documented at support.opensea.io is: For an Open Collection (ERC-1155, mint to yourself):
For a Scheduled Drop (ERC-721, buyers mint):
With Manifold, the steps are similar: deploy a Creator Contract at studio.manifold.xyz, choose ERC-721 or ERC-1155, add branding and symbol, deploy, then mint through Studio or through an extension you register for staged drops like open editions, burn-to-redeem, or ranked auctions. See help.manifold.xyz and docs.manifold.xyz. With Manifold you can also deploy an extension contract and call registerExtension on your Creator Core to add custom claim logic.
Test the contract on an explorer. On Etherscan or Basescan confirm the contract is verified, holders look correct, and tokenURI returns valid ipfs:// JSON.
X is still the primary discovery channel for NFT sales. Post progress shots, explain the idea behind the work, and reply to other artists and collectors with specific comments. Relying only on mint announcements rarely works. You need a small group of collectors who like your niche, not a large follower count.
Keep a simple site or mirror page with your contract address, chain, total supply, mint price, license, and contact. Document your license in plain language: personal display only, commercial use to a limit, or full transfer. For many art sales, buyers get a display and personal use license but not the underlying art copyright. If you do not state it, assume no copyright transfer.
Track every transaction from day one: deployment gas, mint gas, marketplace fees, platform splits, sale proceeds in ETH and fiat value at time of receipt, and royalty payments. US creators should plan for ordinary income treatment of primary and royalty receipts, Schedule C if active and continuous, and keep receipts for gas and software as possible deductions. Confirm with a CPA. Keep a CSV of tokenId, buyer address, price, date, and tx hash for audits.
Software cost is low. The direct cost is gas plus pinning. Deploying a standard ERC-721 contract and minting one token on Base can be under $0.50 in total at quiet base fees, based on the 0.005 gwei minimum and observed ranges of $0.04 for a mint. A 10-item set on Base might be $1 to $5 in mint gas plus deployment. The same actions on Ethereum mainnet vary from a few dollars to tens or hundreds of dollars depending on congestion. A custom ERC-721 deploy on Base is often $1 to $5, on Ethereum $40 to $250. Add about $5 to $20 per month for pinning if you use a paid service, plus time for art, metadata, and support. Listing itself is an off-chain signature and costs no gas until a sale or on-chain cancel.
Use ERC-721 if each piece must be distinct with one owner per tokenId, such as 1-of-1 art or numbered editions where each tokenId has its own metadata. Use ERC-1155 if you need editions, batch transfers, or to manage many token types in one contract, such as a game where one id is a sword with supply 1,000 and another is a consumable with supply 10,000. For photography with 25 identical prints of one image, ERC-1155 is more gas efficient. For a set where every trait combination is unique, ERC-721 is simpler and has broader marketplace familiarity.
Start where you can own the contract and test cheaply. Deploy your own contract via Manifold or OpenSea Studio on Base, mint a small set to your wallet, then list on OpenSea which indexes Base and Ethereum. This gives you ownership and reach without curation delay. For open editions or free mints, Zora on Base is a common low-cost path. After you have consistent sales and a clear style, consider curation on SuperRare for 1-of-1 work. Do not plan around Foundation, which went offline on April 27, 2026.
Open Collection uses ERC-1155 and mints directly into your wallet. Items show immediately after upload and mint. Scheduled Drop uses ERC-721 and lets buyers mint into their own wallets during timed stages. Drops support bulk upload up to 10,000 files, presale stages and allowlists, and a delayed reveal. If you want a timed sale where the community mints, use a Drop. If you want to mint gradually yourself and list later, use an Open Collection.
No. ERC-2981 lets you signal the amount, but only contract-level enforcement plus marketplace support makes it required, and only on those supported paths. On OpenSea, that means a post-April 2024 Studio contract or an ERC721-C or ERC1155-C contract with enforcement turned on, which then limits sales to OpenSea and other Payment Processor venues like Magic Eden. SuperRare enforces 10 percent on its own platform. Elsewhere, sellers may pay zero. The top collections have earned large totals when royalties were honored, but that reflects early enforcement that later became optional on many venues.
Yes, by default you keep it. The buyer owns the token and typically a license to display the art personally. You keep reproduction and commercial rights unless a written license transfers them. Put the license in the project docs and in each token description. Common choices are personal display only, limited commercial use up to a cap like $100,000, or full commercial rights as with some PFP projects. Be explicit, because "owning the NFT" does not equal owning the art copyright.
Pin to IPFS with at least one independent pin and test resolution on multiple gateways. Wrap files in a directory so filenames are preserved, use CIDv1, and store ipfs:// in the contract. For work that must stay for years, add Arweave as a backup. Avoid pointing only to a single domain you control, and keep local masters with hashes so you can re-pin if a service closes. Foundation has said it will keep its IPFS gateway pinned through April 27, 2027, but you should still copy your own media now and not rely on any single gateway.
Check recent sales for similar work on the same chain and in the same medium, not headline outliers. For testing on Base, 0.01 to 0.05 ETH or $20 to $60 is a common first range. For Ethereum 1-of-1, many emerging artists start at 0.1 to 0.5 ETH. Start at one price for a small set, note collector response, and adjust the next mint. Factor in marketplace fee and royalty when you quote net proceeds to yourself and collaborators.
Copy the contract address from the official site or verified social account, check it on Etherscan or Basescan for a verified contract, review the holders and transfer history, and inspect the tokenURI. An ipfs:// CID that resolves widely is a better sign than a single https link. A non-verified contract that asks for unlimited approvals is a red flag. For generative sets, verify that the hash is the only randomness source and that library versions are pinned. For your own sales, never trust a contract address from a search ad, and revoke approvals you no longer need at revoke.cash.
There are durable roles tied to NFT tech, but fewer speculative ones than in 2021. Developers who know Solidity, gas optimization, and ERC-721 and ERC-1155 patterns work on minting tools and games. Product, community, design, and operations roles exist and follow market cycles. As a solo creator, treat the first six months as testing and community building with modest sales expectations, not as a full salary replacement. Prioritize teams and collectors with real usage, clear licensing, and audited contracts, and keep costs low by building on Layer 2 first.
What should I read next on this site?
Start with /what-are-nfts for the underlying standards, /what-is-a-blockchain for ledger basics, /what-are-smart-contracts for how contracts execute, /generative-art-and-nfts for long-form generative mechanics, and /how-to-choose-a-crypto-wallet for custody. For pricing and rights, see /nft-artist-royalties. For a collection-focused workflow, see /how-to-create-an-nft-collection.
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