How to Mint Your First NFT on Solana

Over the past few years, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) have emerged as a game-changing technology for artists and creators. NFTs have paved new paths for creators to earn and build digital communities, alongside new forms of ownership for fans and collectors. That’s why artists all over the world have been participating in web3 in huge numbers. The total amount of NFTs sold in 2023 was $6.3 billion for collectibles and $1.2 billion for art-related NFTs. 

Web3’s unique capabilities underlie the remarkable growth of this new intersection of art and crypto. Unlike traditional galleries and record labels that act as intermediaries, web3 allows creators to sell their work directly to collectors all over the world. Smart contracts — a key aspect of web3 tech — enable automatic royalty payments on secondary sales, which ensures that artists continue to earn from their work's appreciation over time. 

Further, the decentralized element of Web3 platforms can reduce the risks of censorship, and give creators more freedom in expressing their ideas. Lastly, transparency and immutability of blockchain records provide a clear provenance for digital artworks, helping to combat fraud and establish the authenticity of creative works. 

Since its launch in 2020, Solana has emerged as the leading blockchain network for NFTs. Over 32 million NFTs were minted on Solana in May 2024 alone! So if you’re an artist curious about how web3 can be used as a new avenue for sales and building an online community, it’s all at your fingertips. 

Here, we’ll walk you through every step to get your art onchain and start experimenting with NFTs on Solana.

Minting an NFT means creating a unique token on the blockchain that represents a piece of work. Before minting your original artwork as an NFT, you’ll need to ensure your artwork is in a suitable digital format. Common file types include JPG, PNG, and GIF for digital works, and MP4 for video content. Consider whether you want to create a single, unique piece of art, or a limited edition series. Don't forget to have essential metadata for your NFT ready, like a title, description, and any additional attributes that make your piece unique. You’ll need it when it’s time to mint your work.

To interact on Solana, you'll need a compatible wallet. Popular options include Solflare and Phantom, and you can read all about it in our guide How to Set Up a Crypto Wallet. You’ll choose a wallet, create an account, and securely store your seed phrase. Remember that you'll need to fund your wallet with SOL tokens to cover minting fees and marketplace interactions.

NFT marketplaces are like digital bazaars where users can discover, buy, sell, and trade NFTs. Choosing your NFT marketplace is one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make as an artist on Solana. Several marketplaces specialize in Solana NFTs, and each comes with its own specialization and communities.

Magic Eden — Collector-centric platform for creating, discovering, and collecting unique NFTs.
Tensor — Marketplace on Solana with advanced suite of trading tools, one of the most popular places to trade NFTs on Solana.
DRiP — Follow creators and get free NFTs every week.
Exchange Art — Fine art marketplace focused on unique art by independent creators.
Mallow — A marketplace specialized in unique, 1-of-1 NFTs.
Primitives — Social platform for minting, sharing, and collecting digital art.

The minting process may vary slightly depending on the marketplace, but if you’re an artist who creates unique, 1-of-1 digital works, a great place to start is Exchange.Art. Let’s take a look at the step-by-step process of minting and auctioning a unique work on a platform like Exchange.Art

1. Create an account on Exchange Art. This may require verifying your identity.

2. Connect your Solana wallet

3. Head to your profile and click "Create" to start the minting process

4. Upload your digital artwork

5. Add metadata (title, description, attributes)

6. Choose minting options (edition size, royalties)

7. Pay the minting fee in SOL

Within seconds, your art will be live on the blockchain. Next, you’ll want to launch your auction. Here’s how you do that on Exchange.Art. If you’re logged into account, first navigate to your profile or dashboard. 

1. Locate the NFT you want to auction and open its details page

2. Look for an "List for Sale"  and select "Auction" as the sale type

3. Set your auction parameters: Starting price, reserve price (optional), and auction duration (typically 24 hours to 7 days)

4. Choose the start time for your auction

5. Review and accept the platform fees and confirm your auction settings

6. Submit your auction for approval

Once approved, your auction will be scheduled. As your auction goes live, you can monitor its progress in your dashboard. Remember, the key to success as an artist on web3 is to take part in its community, so make sure to get out there on social media and interact with like-minded artists and collectors. 

Minting unique pieces is a good starting point for web3 artists, but more experienced creators may want to consider minting collections on platforms like Magic Eden and Tensor. Digital art NFT collections can number up to the tens of thousands. On other blockchain networks, this can be prohibitively expensive, but is possible on Solana thanks to innovations like NFT compression.

One of the things that makes Solana such a powerful technology is its community. Once you’ve minted your artwork onto the blockchain, success as an artist in web3 often depends on building a strong community around your work. There are lots of ways for you to get involved. The easiest way to start is by utilizing social media platforms like Twitter, Telegram, Discord. They provide an excellent base to interact and collaborate with other artists and collectors in the Solana NFT space. You can also participate at in-person Solana NFT events and Twitter Spaces to increase your visibility.

The simple rule is that the more you participate, the more you’ll get back. Creating a robust community around your NFT project plays as big of a role to the project's success as does designing the art itself.