Minecraft Paintings & Custom Art

Understand vanilla painting mechanics and learn how to ship your own custom paintings with a lightweight resource pack.

Contents

Vanilla painting mechanics
Controlling which painting appears
Custom paintings via resource packs
Clean workflow (images → textures)
Gallery layout tips
Common pitfalls
FAQ

1) Vanilla painting mechanics

Paintings are entities that fit against a wall and snap to the available area. The game picks the largest painting that fits (width × height in blocks). Craft with sticks + wool, then place on a solid wall.

Sizes: multiples of 16×16 px per block (e.g., 1×1, 2×2, 4×4 blocks).
Selection: cycling happens when you replace a painting without changing the available wall bounds.
Lighting: bright walls and daytime shots look better.

2) Controlling which painting appears

To force a target artwork, briefly frame the area with temporary blocks so only that size fits, place the painting, then remove the frame. Repeat replace if needed to cycle variants of the same size.

3) Custom paintings via resource packs

Custom paintings replace default textures. You package images in a resource pack under the correct paths and sizes, then enable it in-game.

Textures are arranged in atlases (version-dependent). Keep exact pixel sizes (multiples of 16).
File naming and JSON mappings matter; follow your version’s structure. Start from an exported vanilla pack for reference.
Use lossless PNG. Add alt text equivalents in documentation for accessibility when applicable.

Tip: If you want to stylize photos first, create pixel-art versions with the Classic Editor or follow the Pixel Art Guide before turning them into paintings.

4) Clean workflow (images → textures)

Prepare art: crop and resize to the exact block grid (e.g., 2×2 blocks → 32×32 px).
Export PNG with a consistent naming scheme (e.g., painting_2x2_modern_01.png).
Replace the corresponding slot in the painting atlas or JSON-mapped file.
Zip as a resource pack; enable it in-game and test on a plain wall.

5) Gallery layout tips

Use neutral blocks (quartz/deepslate) for walls; add soft lighting.
Keep consistent gaps between frames; align top edges for series.
Mix sizes for rhythm, but avoid overly busy compositions.

6) Common pitfalls

Wrong pixel size → mismatch on wall. Always match block grid.
Transparent backgrounds unintended → check alpha channel.
Multiplayer visibility differences → ensure all players enable the resource pack.

FAQ

How do I quickly generate pixel-art style images? Use the Classic Editor and see Getting Started.

Can I mix vanilla and custom paintings? Yes. Replace only the slots you need and document which ones changed.

How do I share packs? Zip the pack with a clear version and changelog, then share a download link; include screenshots.

Open the Classic Editor → · Back to Tutorials · Pixel Art Complete Guide