About

Creators

Hello there! We are Marisa and Florian Blum from Germany. 👋 StitchedPunks is our joint project that combines several of our interests: Embroidery, handicrafting, art, web design and blockchain software development. 👩🏻‍🏫 Marisa is an elementary school teacher who learned embroidery from her grandma when she was eight years old. 👨🏻‍🎓 Florian is a blockchain researcher doing his PhD at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

There are a lot of wonderful derivative artworks that build upon the creativity of the original Larva Labs CryptoPunks. But there are not many art projects that build upon the technological advantages the underlying blockchain offers. Because the original CryptoPunks are NFTs based on a smart contract, it is very easy to build software that is compatible with it. As the ownership of CryptoPunks can be checked from within another smart contract ("on-chain") it is possible to make it a requirement to own a CryptoPunk before ordering the corresponding StitchedPunk. This means, nobody can order the StitchedPunk of your CryptoPunk.

We believe this feature makes the StitchedPunks project very appealing. Suddenly, a StitchedPunk represents and embodies the physical ownership as a counterpart to a completely digital CryptoPunk artwork. This is very different from printing a digital artwork because there is no ownership connected or proven with it.

Wooden Frame

Every StitchedPunk starts with a strong frame. Our embroidery frames are from Prym, the oldest family business here in Germany with a long tradition in products for crafts. It is made from three layers of hard and durable beech wood. The adjusting screw is made of brass and keeps the tension of the fabric. Afterwards it can also be used as a hanger for putting your artwork on the wall. The frame has a diameter of 13cm (~5.1″) and a thickness of 8mm (~0.3″).

Threads and Colors

The embroidery thread is Stranded Cotton from Anchor. It is made of six strands of Egyptian cotton and is available in many different colors. When crafting StitchedPunks we carefully select the most appropriate color for each pixel of the reference image. We do this by comparing multiple shades of the same thread color, matching them against the pixel color of the original CryptoPunk artworks and considering the color temperature of the daylight.

When a thread color has been selected for a given pixel color, this mapping will be used for all future StitchedPunks where the same pixel color occurs. This reduces any variation in the color and improves the consistency of all artworks.

Cross Stitch × Pixel Art

Using the cross stitch technique for pixel art is a match made in heaven. The uniform pattern of the base fabric allows for a consistent embroidery where each cross stitch represents exactly one pixel. For creating an even more fine-grained image, the six-stranded thread is halved. Those three-stranded threads help to highlight smaller details and lead to more accurate results.

Back Cover

The back of the frame is covered by a sheet of felt. This prevents light to enter from behind, hides the thread ends inside and gives the StitchedPunk a cleaner finish.

So, how do you get your own StitchedPunk? For ordering a StitchedPunk, you have to own the corresponding CryptoPunk. Ownership can be proven for punks that are directly in your wallet (e.g., when you manage it directly on the CryptoPunk website) or owned as a WrappedPunk for ERC-721 markets.

To start the order process, you must have the MetaMask plugin installed for your browser, a working crypto wallet with your punks and some Ether. Then head over to your profile and visit the detail page for one of your punks to proceed.

We are asking for your email address during your order. This is necessary to contact you when the StitchedPunk is ready and to ask for your desired shipping address. We are completely aware that trust is a crucial aspect for every blockchain project. Therefore we want to emphasize that we will process and save your personal data with the highest care. Your email address will only be used to inform you about updates regarding your ordered StitchedPunk and your shipping address is required for sending you the finished StitchedPunk via mail. In case you do not want to share your private address, this is perfectly fine and we can work out a solution (e.g., sending your parcel to a work address or post office box). Free worldwide shipping is included with your order.

When you are connected with your wallet that contains your CryptoPunk, an initial ownership check is carried out. After entering your email, you are ready to submit your order. The current price will be shown before you push the order button and a MetaMask popup will show up. When you confirm your order, it will be saved on the StitchedPunksShop smart contract and you will receive the transaction hash. Both elements serve as your order receipt and you can immediately check the status of your order on the detail page of this punk. The source code of the smart contract can be viewed on Etherscan and GitHub.

Get me the embroidery frame! After your order has been saved, the manufacturing process begins. When we start to craft your StitchedPunk, you will receive an email and we update the order status of your punk in the smart contract. Just take a look at its detail page for the current status. You can also follow the official @StitchedPunks Twitter account to see which punk is currently created and a few details of the manufacturing process.

The day you have been waiting for: Your StitchedPunk is ready and will be shipped! We carefully put your artwork in a wrapping tissue and use padding inside the cardboard box. But no bubble-wrap or foam will be used as there is already too much plastic in our environment. There are great eco-friendly alternatives such as organic materials or recycled paper.

You will be notified about the shipment of your StitchedPunk and immediately receive a tracking number. The order status will also be updated on your status page (more precisely, in the smart contract).

That was the doorbell: Your StitchedPunk finally arrives! Now you can think about where to put your artwork on display. Use the brass screw to hang it on the wall, place it on your desk or put it on a shelf. Or you keep it safe and sound in your box, only to take it out every now and then.

Feel free to send us a photo of your StitchedPunk and how you chose to arrange it. We can put it on the detail page of your punk and in our gallery! You can also tag the StitchedPunk Twitter account in a Tweet or send us an email. In any case: We would love to hear from you! ❤️

Just as a CryptoPunk NFT represents the ownership of the digital artwork, the StitchedPunk NFT refers to the physical product. It contains metadata for your punk, such as the creation date and the production sequence number (e.g., StitchedPunk #9670 was the very first!). When your order is shipped, the StitchedPunk NFT will be minted to the wallet, your order was sent from. This will automatically update the order status of your StitchedPunk.

In the future, the NFT will also allow you to customize the detail page of your StitchedPunk a bit. If you like, you can update the physical location of your StitchedPunk (maybe we can show a map with all the StitchedPunks distributed on the world?) or give your punk a unique nickname! I'm sure you already know a good name or who your punk resembles.