Liverpool artist Sean Webster has announced a landmark NFT project which will make metaverse history by becoming the first to ban ‘optional royalties’ in a bid to protect the rights of fellow artists and creators.
Titled ‘The Pals Universe’, Sean will be unveiling 4,444 totally unique hand drawn NFTs in his signature ‘doodle’ style which will be available on 11th November. These will be 100% mint free – giving collectors the chance to support Sean’s movement, and to own a rare and coveted piece of art history.
Intended to spark joy and remind us of the greatest of human endeavours (art) in a bleak, grey, political, and economic period of uncertainty, the collection will consist of ‘Pals’ and ‘Foes’ – a series of hand drawn characters, with added generative traits to highlight their unique personality, occupation, ‘superpower’, and style.
‘Pals’ are upbeat, happy little fellas, that are intended to reflect the raw creativity bouncing around inside all of us, whilst the ‘Foes’ are born of Sean’s fears, self-doubt and uncertainty.
The collection will also feature 100 super rare collectable NFTs. These include 10 ‘Super Rare Crazy Pals’, 20 ‘Rare Wild Pals’, 20 ‘Rare Wild Foes’, and 50 ‘Rare Icon Pals’ which are inspired by celebrities and other notable NFT projects.
Speaking about the project, Sean Webster says:
“What I fell in love with about NFTs, and the web3 space is the fact that it enables artists to fulfil their creative visions, and to be in control of their destiny, without compromising their work to sustain a career.”
“I began creating The Pals Universe in October 2021 and have been working on it consistently for the last year. A lot of the art was created on the move through urban sprawls so is informed by abstract feelings, treks, and trudges, as well as everyday objects, like buildings, trains and buses.”
“I have plans to develop the project, build the Pals, and bring this IP to the world across many mediums. It’s a free mint project so creator royalties are imperative in helping me build towards this. Certain marketplaces have diverted their model away from supporting artists, which simply will not work for this project, and therefore I am banning those marketplaces. I firmly believe NFTs will only continue to thrive if creators and royalties are respected and defended, so The Pals Universe project has decided to take a stand for all creators.”
