# 🖌️ BasePaint FAQ (2025)
*Disclaimer: BasePaint evolves constantly. Mechanics may change — follow [Twitter](https://x.com/basepaint_xyz) for the latest updates.*
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## 🔵 General
**Q: How does BasePaint work?**
A: [BasePaint](https://basepaint.xyz) is a shared 24-hour pixel canvas where artists collaborate in real time.
When the timer ends:
1. The canvas locks.
2. An **open-edition NFT** of the artwork becomes available for 24 hours.
3. **90%** of proceeds go to artists, proportional to the pixels they painted.
4. **10%** goes to the BasePaint protocol.
**Q: Where are the smart contracts?**
* [Brush](https://basescan.org/address/0xD68fe5b53e7E1AbeB5A4d0A6660667791f39263a)
* [Painting & Canvas Minting](https://basescan.org/address/0xba5e05cb26b78eda3a2f8e3b3814726305dcac83)
* [Animated Canvas (Burns)](https://basescan.org/address/0xc59f475122e914afcf31c0a9e0a2274666135e4e)
* [Onchain Referral](https://basescan.org/address/0xaff1A9E200000061fC3283455d8B0C7e3e728161)
Most mints now go through the Onchain Referral contract (since 03.14.2024).
**Q: Why doesn’t my name show up in chat?**
A: Names resolve via **ENS** and **Base Names** ([base.org/names](https://www.base.org/names)).
Coinbase `.cb.id` no longer works.
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## 🖌️ Brushes
**Q: How do brushes work?**
A: Mint a trial brush at [basepaint.xyz/brush](https://basepaint.xyz/brush).
Trial brushes come with **99 pixels** that refresh daily. Each day your brush strength slightly **decays** if unused.
Paint good art and help others in chat to be nominated for a **permanent brush** (100 px +).
**Q: Can I combine multiple brushes?**
A: No. The app automatically uses your **highest-pixel** brush.
**Q: Can I sell brushes?**
A: **You shouldn’t.** Brushes are dynamic and reputation-based:
* Pixel counts rise or fall based on use and behavior.
* Flagged or decayed brushes lose functionality.
* Many secondary brushes are **frozen**.
→ Buying secondhand brushes is **not recommended.**
**Q: What’s a flagged brush?**
A: Brushes used for vandalism (spam, griefing, etc.) are flagged and permanently frozen.
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## 🎨 Painting
**Q: How do I paint?**
A: After minting a brush:
1. Left-click to paint pixels.
2. Right-click to erase your own pixels.
3. Click **Save** to save them to the canvas — otherwise no one sees your work.
**PRO TIP:** Reload after saving to confirm your pixel count updated properly.
**Q: What are the keyboard shortcuts?**
A: Number keys (1–9) select colors.
**Q: Can I mint my own work?**
A: Yes — after saving, you can mint your contribution under the [“BasePaint WIP”](https://opensea.io/collection/basepaint-wip) collection.
**Q: What if someone paints over me?**
A: You still earn credit. All pixels you’ve placed count toward your share and streak.
**Q: What are the painting rules?**
* **Be Kind:** Respect other artists.
* **Be Original:** No tracing or copying existing art.
* **Be Yourself:** One brush per painter.
* **Be Creative:** Don’t spam, grief, or overwrite maliciously.
* **Keep It Clean:** No logos, QR codes, hate symbols, or NSFW content.
* **CC0:** All works are public domain.
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## 🔥 Burning & Animations
**Q: What’s the animation burn?**
A: You can burn 2 BasePaint NFTs to mint an BasePaint Animation — ongoing collaborative animations built from community burns.
Animations count 4X towards [voting power for theme selection.](https://hackmd.io/Y1NyWxLFSFKIuIfG2nYpNA?both#%F0%9F%97%B3%EF%B8%8F-Voting)
You can view and mint the latest animation at [basepaint.xyz/burn/today](https://basepaint.xyz/burn/today).
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## đź’Ž Subscription Mint
**Q: What’s the subscription mint?**
A: [Subscriptions](https://basepaint.xyz/subscription) let you automatically mint each day’s canvas.
Subscribers get:
* Daily guaranteed mints
* 5% discount on collecting canvases
* 4x voting power for [proposing and voting on daily themes](https://hackmd.io/Y1NyWxLFSFKIuIfG2nYpNA?both#%F0%9F%97%B3%EF%B8%8F-Voting)
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## 🗳️ Theme Nomination & Voting
**Q: How does theme voting work?**
1. Visit [basepaint.xyz/theme](https://basepaint.xyz/theme)
2. Connect your wallet
3. Vote or propose a theme
4. The top-voted theme becomes tomorrow’s prompt
Voting uses **Quadratic weighting**: more BasePaint canvases = more power, but not linearly.
**âś… Do:** Submit palette-inspired, CC0-friendly ideas.
**🚫 Don’t:** Submit brands, celebs, or NSFW content — votes on removed themes won’t be refunded.
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## 🤝 Ambassador Program
Earn 25–100 % of BasePaint’s protocol fee by referring new painters or collectors.
Details: [Twitter thread](https://x.com/basepaint_xyz/status/1765835819594744146)
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## đź’° Claims, Streaks & Troubleshooting
**Q: How do I claim earnings?**
A: Go to [basepaint.xyz/claim](https://basepaint.xyz/claim) or call the `authorWithdraw` method directly onchain with the list of days you contributed.
**Q: What are streaks for?**
A: Streaks boost your reputation and can unlock perks (brush upgrades, badges, etc.).
Miss a day → streak resets → pixel decay accelerates.
**Q: I lost pixels / can’t paint / UI bugged — what do I do?**
A: Refresh the page, clear cache, and confirm you’re on **Base mainnet**.
If the issue persists, tag @basepaint_xyz on Twitter.
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## 🧠TL;DR for New Artists
1. Mint a trial brush → [basepaint.xyz/brush](https://basepaint.xyz/brush)
2. Paint something good.
3. Save your pixels to the canvas.
4. Claim your share after the mint.
5. Don’t buy random brushes.
6. Stay kind, stay weird, paint daily. 🎨
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## 🪶 Changelog
**v2.0 — Oct 2025**
* Added trial brushes (99 px) & pixel-decay system
* Updated ENS/Base name support
* Added animation burns ([/burn/today](https://basepaint.xyz/burn/today))
* Added subscription mint ([/subscription](https://basepaint.xyz/subscription))
* Removed Coinbase `.cb.id` mention
* Updated brush sale warning
* Streamlined streaks & claims
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