Meet the artist Santino Ramos

I had seen this artist around for a while we kept missing each other due to time zones so sadly I had to forward on the question but I will say he is coming on NFTcircus tomorrow as well but this guys work is getting better each drop and has working with some of the best artist on WAX

Hey How you ?

Good.

What got you into crypto?

I was doing motion graphics/animation for a guy who was working out of the weedmaps headquarters. It was like 2010/2011. One day he couldn’t pay me and he offered me this thing called a bitcoin. I immediately got mad because I thought he was trying to rip me off with this fake internet nerd money. He had no fiat to pay me so I insisted he cash it out. I got the 60 bucks he owed me but I should have taken the bitcoin. He later offered me one for free but said I had to set up a wallet to receive it. As always, in life if you don’t make time for something you will never find the time to make it happen. Before I had time to make the wallet, the head of the company found out and took all his miners and somehow got some of his bitcoins. I don’t know how and it was all very unclear what was happening. I think the guy made off with a bunch of bitcoins or something because once the price went up he just disappeared off the face of the earth. Years later I would realize how insane that all was and I should have at least stayed in the game and learned more about crypto. I didn’t start educating myself on crypto until 2015 and then I got fudded out of the space in the 2018 crash. I returned to crypto for good during the pandemic. I’m no longer a tourist. I’m now a resident.

How did you get discover NFTs?

I remember hearing about crypto punks and thinking that it was a great technological feat, one that my art could benefit from. I wanted to mint my art on the blockchain. The idea of selling digital art was something I always wanted to do and thought about when I was young playing with photoshop on the computer. It’s also a lot less messy than painting. I started researching NFTs to see if this boyhood dream was actually possible. It was. Not only had this “tech startup” called Larva Labs been doing it but then there was an artist doing it named Beeple. Then I really got inspired because now artists were doing it. A world of artistic possibilities opened up to me.

Why did you choose WAX for your project?

Because once that world of artistic possibilities opened up, I realized it was too expensive to experiment on or to learn with and I needed to find a different chain then the main one everyone was talking about at the time - Ethereum. I found WAX and Atomic Hub and they had a how to video embedded on their website. It was a CryptoStache video. I learned about NFTs and how to mint them by watching his videos. I’ve been a Stacher and a part of that community ever since and now I’m part of the team.

What is the idea behind your project?

The idea is Art. santinoramos on WAX is an Art Collection. Fine Art with various influences as the art pieces are taken from various times in my life as well as new pieces made exclusively for the collection. High effort fine art on WAX.

When did it launch?

Over a year ago.

How many NFTs have you dropped so far?

15 on my own collection. 2 on skatecoinwax and 1 with Broken Dollz.

What was the first one you dropped?

I didn’t really do a drop for my first NFTs until NeftyBlocks became a thing. Before Nefty I was trying to mint them and put them on the market. I was still trying to figure things out.

How did the community react?

They didn’t they didn’t know I was here. It took me a while to realize that WAX is not ETH. ETH people will buy your stuff whether they know you or not if they like it and they think it could be valuable. WAX is community based and mostly the people minting your stuff are the homies supporting and then it’s the snowball effect.

When’s the next drop ? Sneak peak?

I just dropped 10 Chummy Kings - 1 of 1 PFPs. Each one has a name instead of a number. It was a collab with Senor Lupe. There is still one left. I plan on an airdrop for the holders of those Chummy Kings.

What is the process of making your NFTs?

It varies. It’s never the same. It depends on the project and what I am inspired to create for the collab or my drop. I’ve done so many different styles of art. A lot of times it’s about digitizing what I’ve already spent so much time on but other times it’s done all in computer 100% digital.

What programs do you use for creation?

Pencil. Paper. Charcoal. Paint. Canvas …and open source software like GIMP..

How long does each NFT take to create?

A long time if I count the time I’ve spent on the artwork. Days and weeks, and in the case of some drawings and paintings that I plan to mint, months.

What is your favorite NFT you have made? Why?

WAX that would be King Chummy OG. I own it and it is currently my profile pic on twitter.

Have you done any collabs?

Yeah. Sk8coin Metazine, Broken Dollz, and Senor Lupe is the most recent collab.

Who would be your dream collab?

With a Fighting Game!

Are you a collector of NFTs?

Oh yeah.

Who is your favorite NFT artist?

Senor Lupe

What has been the best part of doing your project?

The collabs. The community. The frens. Creating the NFTs and the artwork is always fun and exciting as well.

What has been the hardest part?

Getting whitelisted/verified. Not just the check mark by the marketplace but the community. You kind of have to prove yourself on WAX over time. You don’t just show up and drop NFTs, you have to be in the community. It’s also about sticking around. I’ve seen collections, especially games, come and go.

What's the long-term goal of the project?

To bring more fine art to WAX and the blockchain overall. I’m already talking to the community about doing IRL art galleries with screens showcasing NFTs in Los Angeles. I’ve been creating art my whole life. It has and will always be a part of my life and I want to document that journey on the blockchain. Not to be morbid but we all have to leave this earth at some point but the blockchain will be here forever. This is why this art collection is a cross chain collection.

Have you introduced anyone to WAX?

Yes. I often meet other NFT artists in “the metaverse” and I always let them know WAX lets you do more with your art and it doesn’t cost you a lot.

What do you like to do to unwind?

Watch YouTube or old sitcoms.

Tell us something random about you?

I love anchovies on Pizza.

Where is the best place to keep up with the project?

https://twitter.com/SantinoRamos

https://santinoramos.com/art

Where can we buy your NFTs? https://neftyblocks.com/c/santinoramoshttps://neftyblocks.com/c/santinoramos…

When is the next drop?

https://neftyblocks.com/marketplace/auctions/1373

Only dropped this 1 of 1 3 days ago it is my first auction. It’s a 1 of 1 collab with artificial intelligence.

Any chance of a drop or competition for the readers?

That’s interesting. Maybe.

Is there anything you would like to add or say before we finish?

Yes. santinoramos on WAX is my primary collection and all about art but I also have a martial arts collection called 3dmartialart on WAX which is my secondary collection for educational purposes. https://neftyblocks.com/c/3dmartialart and I also love the WAX community.

Don't to check him out on show tomorrow night at 16:20 PST