Paintings are one of the most underrated decorative blocks in the game. Not like an area of your house? Hide it behind a painting. Want to make a secret entrance to a bunker? Hang a painting on its entry. But, all of that’s only possible once you learn how to make a painting in Minecraft. So, let’s get exploring!
How to Make a Painting in Minecraft (2024)
Our guide only goes over the process of obtaining a painting in the game. You can use our list of all paintings in Minecraft to discover your artwork options.
What are Paintings in Minecraft
Paintings are unique decorative entities in Minecraft that you can place on the side of other blocks. What makes them better than most other decorative entities is their versatility. A painting can cover the surface area of up to 16 blocks, making it an easy decoration of every build.
Though, if you don't have that much space, it can also fill up areas as small as one block. Plus, you get multiple designs to choose from with every single size. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves and first learn how to make a painting in Minecraft.
How Many Paintings Are There in Minecraft
There are a total of 30 unique paintings in Minecraft but only 26 of them can spawn in your world. You can divide them into four different groups, according to their size:
- 1×1 Blocks
- 2x1 Blocks
- 1×2 Blocks
- 4×2 Blocks
- 4×3 Blocks
- 4x4 Blocks
The dimensions of the dimensions of all the rectangular paintings are in width x height format. Moreover, the four missing variants are also part of the 1x1 group of paintings.
Buy Paintings from Villagers
Even with their beautiful designs and options, the in-game structures don't spawn paintings inside them. So, other than learning how to make a painting in Minecraft, you only have one option: trading. You can buy 3 paintings from a master-level shepherd villager for 2 emeralds.
This trade is always present and serves as the only renewable way to get paintings in Minecraft. The only problem is that you need to level up the villagers before trading with them. Luckily, our guide on how to find emeralds in Minecraft might help you out.
What Do You Need to Make a Painting
You only need to collect the following items to make a painting in Minecraft:
- 8 Sticks
- 1 Wool (any)
- Crafting Table or Crafter
Sticks are the core ingredient when it comes to crafting paintings. You can make sticks by placing two planks vertically next to each other on the crafting grid. But, if you are playing on the best Minecraft desert seeds, breaking dead bushes might be a better plan.
How to Get Wool in Minecraft
Follow these steps to easily get wool in Minecraft:
1. First, you need to search for sheep in your world. They spawn in every biome that can generate grass including cherry groves.
2. Then, use three iron ingots to make shears in Minecraft.
3. Once you find a sheep, use shears on it to collect wool. This method yields 1-3 wool every time.
4. While you can also kill a sheep to collect its wool we strongly suggest against it. If you keep the sheep around, you can trim it multiple times to get wool. Plus, killing a sheep only results in a single block of wool.
Crafting Recipe for Painting in Minecraft
Once you have all the items, it's extremely easy to craft a painting in Minecraft. Place the block of wool in the middle of the crafting grid and surround it with sticks. Just like that, your painting is ready!
In case you are wondering, the type of wool doesn't affect the painting. Instead, it's the placement that controls which painting you get in Minecraft. Keep reading to find out how.
How to Use a Painting in Minecraft
Once your painting is ready, it's time to place and use it. Similar to hanging signs, you can only place paintings on the side of other blocks. Furthermore, if the block is placed next to another block, the painting tends to expand itself to cover it.
For example, when you place a painting on a block that is not connected to other empty blocks, it takes its smallest form. Meanwhile, if there is a block beneath that block, it becomes a 1×2 painting. But, there is no way to determine the design of a painting as it is completely random.
So, if you end up placing a painting but don't like its design, it's to break and replace it. You might have to do it multiple times to get the painting you want. Plus, you would also need to adjust the empty area if you are looking for a particular size.
Use Paintings to Make Entrances
Now that you know how to make paintings in Minecraft, it would be a shame if you only use it for decorations. Unlike other flower pots and decorative blocks, paintings are entities. This means that you can walk through them as long as the block behind them allows it.
Let's use this mechanic to make a secret door in Minecraft:
1. First, place a few signs on top of one another. Unlike paintings, you can place them on the ground and top of one another.
2. Then, place paintings on the sides of signs to hide them.
3. Finally, fill up the surroundings with building blocks to make paintings feel like a part of a wall.
4. Now, the paintings will act as a decoy wall that you can use as an entrance. There is no need to add Redstone contraptions or buttons. Simply walk into the painting to end up at the other side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do paintings drop in Minecraft?
You can break the painting using any tool or use your hand to pick it up. Paintings in Minecraft drop as their item form when broken.
What is the biggest painting you can get in Minecraft?
RGB and Pointer are two of the biggest paintings in Minecraft. They have a length of 4 blocks in terms of width and height.
Are the paintings in Minecraft real?
Most of the paintings in Minecraft are based on the work of the artist Zetterstrand. He is also the one who turned them into their pixelated versions that you can witness within the game.
Make and Use Paintings in Minecraft
The best part of making paintings in Minecraft is that you don’t need a brush to make them. But, if you have one, it can help you uncover rare treasures in Trail Ruins around your world. They also help you create decorated pots which, like paintings, are perfect for decoration. Having said that, how many paintings are you crafting for your build? Share your plans on our Discord server and discover what everyone else is making!