Neophyte MMXXII is my ode to the computational beauty of nature. Generative plants grow from nothingness, bloom, fade away, and regrow anew. Each NFT produces a unique species of simulated plant life, and new varieties within that species arise over time. 

The emergent qualities of the genetic code cause Neophyte to ebb and flow between stability and unpredictability. Long term observation is rewarded, as the longest cycles take several hours to complete. These qualities combined, result in artworks which may be cyclical and relatively stable, or may never repeat themselves. 

Neophyte MMXXII is the culmination of an artistic inquiry spanning ten years, five software development environments, and a dozen artworks. If you’d like to learn more about this history, please visit my website.


A note to collectors: 

Collectors of the first 25 editions to be minted may request a signed 19.5x12" (50x30cm) printed circuit board artwork commemorating the release of Neophyte MMXXII at no additional charge. See @sterlingcrispin on Twitter or sterlingcrispin.com for more details.

Neophyte MMXXII is released under the NFT license 2.0, so collectors are free to make prints of their token, and commercialize them within limits. See the NFT license for details.

Neophyte MMXXII

**SCRIBBLINES** are a tribute to countless drawings that are being created every day during monotonous meetings and are forever lost in trash.

Almost everybody has experienced doodling (or scribbling) at some point in our lives to keep our brains active. The mental state of doodling is between awareness and daydreaming and is known to often inspire creative ideas. Studies have shown that this idle scribbling actually plays a significant part in helping a person concentrate and focus. 

There are many types of idle scribbles - *real world objects (e.g. houses, hearts), people, faces, squiggles, boxes and cubes, ladders and stairs, spider webs, triangles, swirls*, among others. "Scribblines" has always been my favorite idle drawing.  At the core of each piece is a pivot line, created by a random algorithm. This pivot line defines the shape of the entire art piece. Every additional line traces around the pivot line. Computer generated lines allow for perfecting what is never possible in the “pen and paper world” and thus make this, somewhat obsessive, exercise compelling to the perfectionist’s eye. All these become the basics for the Scribblines features.

**Precision**. Even with great effort it is hard to follow the outlines precisely. In scribblines, the lines precision varies from inaccurate (to simulate hand shaking micro movements) to robotically perfect precision.
**Determination**. In a real world environment it is unlikely to find enough time or perseverance to fill in the whole paper surface and finish these drawings. Due to this I chose most of the generated Scribblines to fill the whole screen. However some pieces are set to be finished as a 'bulk' shapes and not fill in the whole piece.
**Paper**. The backgrounds imitate typical types of paper in lighter or darker colour. There are few special 'sticky note' papers in the algorithm as well.
**Pen**. The most variability is produced by opening all possible pen options. Pen thickness can vary from "Rollerball - Ultra Fine" to "Marker - Extra Bold". The most variability is provided by variable line widths in one piece. Random line feature chooses from several line width possibilities for each single line. Thickening or thinning line features creates beautiful shapes with a fade-in or fade-out effect. A similar effect is achieved also by varying line color in some of the pieces.

Scribblines

"Rotae" explores the vast array of beautiful and unexpected shapes that can appear from the simple process of letting wheels rotate on (many more) wheels. Taking a step beyond what the physical toy could do that many of us have played with (long ago) and stringing together anywhere from three to eight wheels. The algorithm starts by determining the number of wheels and what "m-fold" symmetry to achieve. From there the radii and frequencies are calculated per wheel in such a way as to ensure that the output won't turn into chaos, but an unpredictable, yet fully symmetric path that closes on itself. Giving a seemingly endless variety in the paths that get drawn. After a few seconds you can watch how the line gets drawn, possibly revealing unexpected shapes hidden within.

Rotae

At the shoreline, waves wash over the sand, sorting and tumbling the grains into troughs and valleys. Each wash of water alters the microcosmic landscape in an infinitesimal loop. Inspired by the unfathomable mathematics of this natural phenomena, we invite you to plunge into the purity of movement and transformation through the medium of ones and zeros. The palette and pixels are regulated by an algorithm designed to mimic the textures, colours and gradients of the high tide beach, while the edition of 745 reflects the number of minutes in a full tidal cycle. Keyboard controls: P=pause, F=fast forward.

High Tide

Inspired by Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. Made with an interest in color theory and a love for color in general.

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