GAME ART: KRISTOFFER ZETTESTRAND'S NEW MINECRAFT PAINTINGS (2024)

Kristoffer Zetterstrand, a celebrated artists who created most of the paintings in Minecraft, recently discussed his artistic process with Mojang. Zetterstrand's approach combines traditional painting techniques with modern 3D software, likening his creative setup to a theatrical stage where he can manipulate elements dynamically. In the game's most recent update, the company has introduced 20 new paintings, 15 of which are Zetterstrand's creations, bringing the total number of in-game art pieces to 46. These new works are larger than the previous ones, allowing for more detailed and complex motifs. Zetterstrand uses classical themes infused with video game elements, pushing the boundaries of pixel art by utilizing the full spectrum of sRGB colors, a luxury not available to early pixel artists. This approach helps in maintaining clarity even when the images are scaled down to fit the game's resolution, a challenge he navigates by focusing on abstract qualities and simplifying details to emphasize light and dark masses, similar to squinting to blur details in traditional painting. Despite the challenges and discarded attempts, the new paintings offer intricate scenes ranging from everyday objects to interactions between characters, including a mandatory skeleton, blending seamlessly into the game's aesthetic. His early video game inspired project works - from 2009, 2008 and 2007 - made history.

The full article is available here: Painting the Overlord