Hi dear friends.. Miss you all and miss the art contest.
As an avid Minecraft enthusiast, I recently decided to participate in the Splinterlands Art Contest by designing an Earth Elemental character entirely within Minecraft on my Android phone. Given my deep love for the game, I wanted to combine my passion for Minecraft with my interest in digital art, creating something unique for the competition. The process took me approximately two days of scattered work, involving both building the character in Minecraft and enhancing the final image using Snapseed for a more polished and professional look.
Why Minecraft?
Minecraft has always been more than just a game to me—it’s a creative platform where imagination can take physical form. The blocky, pixelated aesthetic of Minecraft might seem limiting to some, but I see it as a challenge to innovate. Since Splinterlands features a variety of elemental creatures, I thought an Earth Elemental would be a perfect fit for Minecraft’s natural, terrain-based building mechanics. The idea was to construct a creature that embodied the raw, rugged essence of earth, using materials like stone, mossy cobblestone, and terracotta to mimic textures found in nature.
The Building Process
Creating the Earth Elemental required careful planning. Since I was working on a mobile device, the controls were less precise than on a PC, but I embraced the challenge. I started by sketching a rough outline of the creature’s shape—a towering, humanoid figure made of rocks and vines, with glowing embers for eyes to give it a mystical touch.
Structure & Proportions
- I began with the skeleton of the elemental, stacking blocks to form a broad, muscular torso and thick limbs to emphasize its strength.
- The head was kept slightly smaller to maintain balance, with overhanging "brow" blocks to create a menacing silhouette.
- For the hands, I used coarse dirt and gravel to make them look rough and uneven, as if they were formed from natural erosion.
Texturing & Detailing
- To avoid a flat appearance, I mixed different block types: andesite for lighter patches, cracked stone bricks for weathering, and vines crawling up the arms to suggest age and growth.
- The legs were designed to look like they were merging with the ground, using grass blocks and podzol at the base.
Lighting & Atmosphere
- Since Minecraft’s default lighting can be harsh, I placed glowstone and lava pockets inside the elemental’s body to simulate an inner fiery core, visible through cracks in the stone.
- To capture the best angle, I experimented with different FOV (Field of View) settings and used the in-game daylight cycle to find the perfect shadow effect.
Post-Processing with Snapseed
While Minecraft’s visuals are charming, I wanted the final submission to stand out in the Splinterlands contest. I exported the screenshot and imported it into Snapseed, a powerful mobile photo-editing tool, for enhancements:
- Contrast & Sharpness Adjustments – I increased the contrast to make the textures pop and sharpened key areas like the elemental’s glowing eyes.
- Color Grading – I added a slight sepia tone to give an ancient, earthy feel while boosting greens in the vines for vibrancy.
- Selective Blurring – To mimic depth of field, I blurred the background slightly, ensuring the elemental remained the focal point.
- Dramatic Lighting – Using the "HDR Scape" filter, I intensified the glow from the lava cracks, making the creature look more mystical.
Challenges & Takeaways
Working on a phone had its limitations—small screen size, touch controls, and occasional lag—but it also pushed me to think creatively. The two-day effort was spread across multiple sessions, allowing me to refine details incrementally.
This project reinforced my belief that art can come from anywhere, even a blocky sandbox game like Minecraft. By combining in-game building with post-processing, I transformed a simple concept into a contest-worthy piece.
Final Thoughts
I’m incredibly proud of how the Earth Elemental turned out. It represents not just my love for Minecraft but also my dedication to adapting tools in unconventional ways. Whether or not it wins the Splinterlands contest, the experience itself was rewarding—proving that creativity has no boundaries.
Process :
And thanks. ❤️❤️