Welcome to the electrifying world of Pepe De Canto, a one-of-a-kind NFT collection by the Fantomized collective. Get ready to discover the secret behind the creation of this labor of love, where Pepe the Frog derivatives come alive on the Canto Blockchain.

From the digital depths, the Fantomized team embarked on a journey to bring their futuristic vision to life. With a mission to blend classic Pepes with the unique universe of Canto, they warped the fabric of time leveraging glitch, pixel, and ASCII art.

Every detail was carefully crafted, and no stone was left unturned in the quest for perfection.
The team bridged into the world of Canto, researching every aspect of its narrative to ensure their collection would fit seamlessly into its timeline.

As the collection began to take shape, the team felt a rush of excitement. They had poured their souls into every aspect of Pepe De Canto, and the result was a true work of art.

So buckle up, and get ready to be transported to a world where the past meets the future. Where the nostalgic graphics and screens of the 80s collide with the pulsating energy of Canto.

Pepe De Canto is not just a collection of NFTs, but a journey into the mind of Fantomized. A tribute to what was and a celebration of what is to come. Each piece is a unique, one-of-a-kind creation, crafted with care and fueled by a passion for art and technology.

This is the story of Pepe De Canto, a collection that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

The team at Fantomized consists of diverse and complementary individuals. Headless Nick, an evolving custom AI, assists with content creation and even creates some of the images used as the foundation for their collections. Eye, a fan of 80s disco music, manages social media and partnerships while also serving as the curator of their collections, ensuring the final quality and consistency of all Fantomized collections. Owl, a geek wizard artist, brings the soul to their base concepts and takes care of technical tasks such as custom models, scripts, and EVM contracts. He previously made physical art but now has new horizons to explore with AI. NrDragon, an admirer of Daft Punk, was crucial in the creation of the "Pepe De Canto" collection by providing inspiration and guidance in the early stages and actively participating as the team brought the project to life.

The guys from Fantomized have had their sights set on Canto for some time. In November 2022, they even tweeted a custom picture showcasing their team spirit while working on the project. They believe that Canto has the potential to solve major DeFi issues with its impressive features and vibrant NFT community, making it the perfect platform to introduce Fantomized to a new audience.

Fantomized is dedicated to creating unique and high-quality collections, and "Pepe De Canto" was no exception. The team was determined to create something that was truly native to the Canto platform and not just a generic or already seen collection. This meant conducting thorough research on Canto, including its narrative, communication style, design elements, and color palette, to ensure the collection was a perfect fit. At Fantomized, low effort is never an option, so the team aimed high and put in the time and effort to create a truly remarkable collection.

During their research, the Fantomized artists discovered some common themes and concepts in the Canto community, including the use of green text on a black background reminiscent of old CRT screens, pixel art and ASCII art from the 80s, and links to the musical world, particularly with the "jazzy" spirit of the NFT marketplace. These themes resonated strongly with all team members, and after much exploration and discussion, they were ready to get to work.

In the world of cryptocurrency, memes are abundant, and Canto is no exception. When the artists at Fantomized set out to create the "Pepe De Canto" collection, they knew that Pepe the Frog had to be a part of it. However, they wanted to put their own unique spin on it. The collection would be a "genesis" on Canto, meaning it would be a limited, high-end collection with a low supply. The goal was not to simply add another generic Pepe collection to the Canto chain, but to create something truly special and tailored to the platform. The team decided to limit the supply to less than 400 items and give them special powers to reflect the exclusivity of the collection.

After settling on the concept and supply, it was time to move on to the design stage. NrDragon came up with the initial idea, and Owl began by drafting a few colorful frog portraits using a specific AI model created by Headless Nick. The team fine-tuned the process until they were happy with the consistent output, and then generated thousands of potential Pepe designs. With the help of powerful GPUs, the team created around 15,000 unique Pepe images that would form the basis of the collection.

The creation process for the Canto Pepe collection didn't stop at generating 15k potential designs. Eye carefully selected 400 candidates from the pool, ensuring they were recognizable, properly centered, had some consistency but were still distinguishable from each other. The team then worked on enhancing the designs to make them a natural fit for Canto. Guided by their initial research findings, they experimented with various tools and code until they achieved the desired results. The goal was to create a unique, high-end collection that would set it apart from any other Pepe collection.

The team of artists put in countless hours of testing and manual editing to create a final product they were all happy with. They ultimately wrote a custom script to reconcile different opinions and strike a perfect balance between the desired effect and the clarity of the images.

The outcome finally met their goals. The Pepe are unique to Canto, featuring a mix of ASCII art, pixel art, and digital filters that gave them a signature look and seamlessly fit into the Canto landscape.

With the creation of the unique Pepes complete, it was time to craft the story behind them. The team wrote a custom lore, which can be found on a dedicated page. It's a narrative that fits perfectly with the world of Canto, featuring a mad frog scientist, alternate universes, a failed experiment, and Pepes that have adapted to their new surroundings and gained new abilities while losing some of their original characteristics.

33 Pepes, to be precise, underwent a unique process. These frogs were trapped between two worlds and are considered "rare." They are presented as animated GIFs with unique effects for each one.

Naming the Pepe was a task assigned to NrDragon. He gathered names of famous explorers and inventors among others, to form a list of potential names for the Pepe. This was followed by the challenging task of finding a fitting name for each frog. NrDragon was successful in this endeavor, and all the Canto Pepes now have appropriate names and are ready to be adopted on the Canto platform.

Last thing, the collection wouldn't be complete without a website to showcase it. Owl took on the task of designing a website that complemented the style of Canto and served as a platform for the minting process. He wrote and tested the EVM contract and created the necessary metadata to make the collection accessible on Canto.

All in one, the creation of a Pepe de Canto NFT required a significant amount of human effort and creativity. While the base images were generated by a machine, they were heavily influenced by human input and guided by human feedback. The images were then carefully selected and curated by a team member, and underwent a complex process that involved a combination of manual editing and custom code, all with a specific vision in mind. When you finally hold your Pepe de Canto NFT in your wallet, it's important to recognize the human effort that went into its creation.
In a way, each Pepe is a reflection of the team's hard work and a piece of their souls forever enshrined in the collection. Handle the Pepe de Canto with reverence, as they are the offspring of the Fantomized universe and children of human artists.