onchainmasks

jsheps

Jack Shepherd

A collection of 1024 randomly generated on-chain pixel art.

Mad Jack has proven himself to be a passionate contributor to the on-chain community. He is deeply committed to his vision for[ Mad Masks](https://www.fullyonchain.art/collections/mad-masks) and has worked tirelessly to bring it to life. His talent and creativity are evident in the quality of the artwork he produces, and his ability to manage all aspects of the project on his own is a testament to his skill as a solo founder. Mad Jack's passion for art and blockchain technology is evident in Mad Masks, and it's clear that he has a bright future ahead of him in this exciting and rapidly-evolving field of NFTs. Join us for a small conversation. 

![mm-04](//images.ctfassets.net/0ty17mikmgai/3KYWYXCrDFCP7fWgI4MQsL/4b958abe4d39c4384a88de29dc3221be/mm-04.jpeg)

### Can you give a brief introduction of yourself?

I'm Mad Jack, a creator from Ontario, Canada.

I'm most known for creating [Mad Masks](https://madmasks.io/), an on-chain collection of 1024 pixel art masks with 12 ultra-rare mega masks. There are 12 base mask designs with 4 colour variations of each, making 48 different masks with various combinations of traits.

### Please tell us about your background and how you got into art and coding.

I've always been a computer nerd. Starting back when CD Roms were a revolutionary technology and dial-up internet was the only thing available. 

My Dad worked in IT, so I always had access to a computer. Regarding art, I was highly encouraged to create thanks to my mother, who continually crafts something and is a talented painter.

I started as an illustrator during school and shifted to web/graphic design. Since then, I have been working as a co-founder of an agency for about 15 years and counting. My focus is working with clients to reimagine their business and improve their physical and digital presence. 

Front-end web development is part of my skillset, so I've always dabbled with art and code. My expertise shines through in transforming a brand for digital.

I became interested in blockchain because of the intersection of art/development and the community built around it.

### Do you remember the first time you heard about NFTs?

I heard about NFTs in the news when they took off. Headlines were about how much money people were making and the craze capturing hope and promise. Mainly the big names like BAYC and Punks. I missed the initial run.

I started purchasing mostly ETH around 2017 but had not fully explored NFTs until January 2022. I was on holiday and revisited Twitter, discovering a rabbit hole of unique and fun content. At that time, we were at the top of a bull run, so the energy differed from the bear market. If I recall correctly it was Jack Butcher that got me onto NFTs since I was following him before through Visualize Value. 

My first purchase was Larva Lads, a wordplay on legendary Larva Labs, a clever punk remix. It's a unique community that made me appreciate meme culture's power. It's also where I connected with so many inspiring people. 

Twitter is where a lot of the content for NFTs lives. It's a gateway for discovering everything from influencers to collections to enthusiasts posting about this or that and spaces. You can really learn a lot if you know where to look. And there are so many helpful people here generous with their time. 

Navigating the space is an experience from your first crypto wallet to joining Discord and having fun in the metaverse. And simply having engaging or entertaining conversations.

![mm-01](//images.ctfassets.net/0ty17mikmgai/4jpR4CY7U5kyjYYhkmbY1B/ab0216a76745e4d77194fea3066a1dd6/mm-01.jpeg)

### What inspired you to create Mad Masks?

Masks have always fascinated me. I've drawn, painted and even collected a few pieces over the years. 

Whether for utility, ceremony or simply as an art piece, they have always been interesting regarding the variety of use cases. Many of my childhood heroes, like Batman or Spawn, wore them too.

Part of it was creating something that was a passion of mine. The other part was frustration with how the space sometimes makes you feel. For anyone who has been here for more than a year, you have experienced the good and the bad and you see the same things repeatedly happen, which can be maddening. 

Specifically, in the context of NFTs, I wanted to create an end-to-end collection to explore generative art and see what I could develop with my take on adding something familiar yet refreshing.

Often in collections, you'd see masks as an accessory, so I wanted to make an entire collection dedicated to masks with enough variation and interest within the masks themselves to feel complete as a set.

### For Mad Masks, who or what were your biggest influences or sources of inspiration?

I've been a fan of pixel art since my childhood with playing games on Nintendo and GameBoy. My all-time favourites were classics like Mario, Mortal Kombat and Pokémon, to name a few!

The masks themselves are inspired from around the world. I wanted to represent as many cultures and continents as possible, from Native, Mexican, African and Asian-inspired reference points.

In NFTs, there were several collections I was inspired by, especially collections like the legendary Gremplin's Cryptoadz, Nouns and The Boneys, which is a smaller collection and more focused on the art and fun, a vibe I align with significantly.

### Which tools did you use to create Mad Masks?

I'm old school when it comes to making things. I created the original art in Adobe Illustrator and migrated it to Figma to finish.

One of the challenges with being an independent creator is the lack of a team and resources to lean on. Within these confines, you must rely on platforms to launch your collection successfully. 

When I first started, I wasn't sure if I would use IPFS or on-chain, but I was lucky to have discovered Indelible Labs, which made launching the collection possible. They're dedicated to helping creators launch collections fully on-chain. Configuring the mega masks was a little finicky but we made it happen.

There are so many tools you can use now where you don't need to reinvent the wheel when before, you needed to often create a custom solidity contract. I'm a big no-code advocate and value the developers that create platforms to empower creators to help put work out there that might not otherwise see the light of day. 

It's essential to try different things and have other skills, but you should also focus on your strengths and be realistic with where you spend your time and effort.

### What is something most people don't know about Mad Masks?

The reality of how long it can take to make something.

I created everything from scratch and as an independent operator doing this solo, it's beautiful and challenging to create something on your timeline and with a specific vision.

I toyed with the idea and developed it in my spare time for many months before officially launching the mint on Nov 5th as a nod to Guy Fawkes. A good product takes time to craft, especially when building a narrative, art, traits, website, content, promotion, and so on.

The backstory was essential to set the tone and help shape a storyline to accompany the collection from a lore point of view that is somewhat undervalued in the space. I went as far as creating a language that helps realize the parallel universe.

Mad Masks launched without promises outside of the art, yet I've since added a token-gated member area with more content coming soon. There might be other things coming this year. And we'll see. It's essential to be honest and upfront, where most collections seem to overpromise and underdeliver time after time.

The art is cc0 which inspires collaboration with the community and other creators, an aspect I want to explore even more.

Your Mad Mask can be rendered off-chain for instances like where you want to use it on Twitter. Compatibility with on-chain can be hit or miss from platform to platform.

If you look closely at the collection, you could find a twin or at least a look alike. 

There are also hidden traits in the collection!

![mm-05](//images.ctfassets.net/0ty17mikmgai/73i4XtBEuEMrW0DZp2UNX5/b37b61b517a796500efc38010c23df27/mm-05.jpeg)

### Why did you choose to make Mad Masks fully on-chain?

I appreciate having the art stored as code, which feels somewhat elegant and semi-permanent, compared to owning a token pointing to a URL somewhere else, which feels incomplete and problematic long-term.

Not having to worry about IPFS and web hosting with the storage of assets seemed like a no-brainer to me. The cost of on-chain is less economical, but because the collection was smaller, it was not an exorbitant fee to make it happen. If your artwork is optimized, such as pixel art, it aligns perfectly with on-chain as a solution which should be a first choice if you can make it work.

The enthusiasm for on-chain is small but present, and various communities I collaborate with appreciate prioritizing this aspect of NFTs.

### Where do you see on-chain artwork going in the future?

I have several associates that are creating outstanding artwork on-chain. 

Watching the direction of 1/1 artists I admire deeply, like [ripcache](https://twitter.com/ripcache) and [SmokeStacks](https://twitter.com/smokestacks), who are exploring and pushing the boundaries of what you can do with on-chain art. Especially when creating animation and interactive experiences, the possibilities for on-chain are endless. 

There is something special about creating on-chain work, including PFPs and art itself, which is a massive draw for me.

### Which piece of artwork do you not own that you want to collect?

I have a never-ending list. 

I went down the PFP rabbit hole, and recently my attention has turned toward generative and 1/1 artists.

Art Blocks is always putting out fantastic curated series of works. Grails such as Chromie Squiggles, XCOPY and others are high on my list as desired, yet slightly out of reach at this point for me. Owning a 1/1 ripcache would be epic! 

As a collector, there are emerging artists you can support with editions and other avenues to find something you can afford.

PFPs are something I come back to and they are iconic pieces. I think that will always stay the same. One day it would be epic to have a CryptoPunk. Memes play such a huge role, which is why I look up to artists like Batz who is doing an amazing job synthesizing the culture.

My goal is to help bridge the gap between PFPs and art.

### What do you like to do when you're not busy with NFTs?

I spend a good part of my time in client services at work and outside of that, I have a family that supports what I do which is a blessing.

My daughter recently turned 1.5 and I'm delighted to see her growth as she discovers the world, which is a true joy.

Recently I've been rediscovering my passion for illustration which has led me down a path of drawing and creating digital art again, which is something different style-wise than you'd expect since I'm mostly known at this point in the space for pixel art. But it's full circle for me going back to my roots.

You might see some 1/1 and edition work as I explore other aspects of creating. It likely will not be on-chain due to the nature of the art. But you never know.

I'm excited about this space long term. We're still in an early cycle, and I genuinely believe we're part of a movement that will transform and continue to evolve.

### Thanks for taking the time for this conversation. What is the best way for people to follow you and your work?

Appreciate you having me. Truly an honour to connect with on-chain enthusiasts!

Check out the [Mad Mask website](https://madmasks.io) and follow us on Twitter [@MadMasksNFT](https://twitter.com/MadMasksNFT) for the latest things going on. And make sure to follow me on Twitter: [@jacksheps](https://twitter.com/jacksheps)

Mad Masks

An Interview with Mad Jack