Unleashing Creativity with Custom Paintings in Minecraft
Minecraft is a game built on blocks, but it offers endless ways to express your personality. One of the most overlooked decorative elements is the humble painting. Vanilla paintings are charming, yet after years of placing the same skull-and-roses or creeper face, they can feel a bit stale. That is where custom painting resource packs step in, completely transforming your interiors with fresh, high-quality artwork. Using the CustomModelData feature introduced in version 1.14, you can now hang everything from serene landscapes to cosmic nebulae on your walls without replacing any existing textures.
What Makes This Resource Pack Special
Inspired by the custom paintings famously used on the Hermitcraft server, this resource pack adds dozens of new artworks while leaving the original paintings untouched. It cleverly assigns each new design a unique CustomModelData number, so you can summon exactly the piece you want. The collection includes a wide range of scenes, from pixel-art style platformer backgrounds to realistic oil paintings and even deep-space photography.
The pack ships with 42 ready-to-use paintings, grouped into thematic sets. You will find tranquil rivers, dense forests, misty mountains, country roads, bustling ports, arched bridges, dramatic sunsets, glowing nebulae, delicate floral still lifes, ancient temples, and a symbolic sun after a storm. Every image is sourced from public domain or CC0-licensed art, meaning you can freely use them in your builds, videos, or server worlds without worrying about copyright.
How to Install the Custom Paintings Pack
Installation is straightforward. First, download the resource pack zip file from CurseForge. Place that zip file inside the resourcepacks folder of your Minecraft installation. Then activate it in the game’s Resource Packs menu. If you are running a server, you can also set it as the server resource pack so everyone sees the same artwork. For those who prefer a streamlined experience, the pack can be easily installed via the foxygame.net launcher — a convenient, flexible, and modern Minecraft launcher where you can download mods right from the menu without digging through folders manually.
Placing Custom Paintings in Your World
Because these paintings rely on CustomModelData, you cannot simply craft them on a crafting table. You have two reliable methods to obtain them, and both work in survival mode.
Method 1: The Give Command
If you have operator permissions or are playing in a creative world with cheats enabled, the quickest way is to use the /give command. The syntax is:
/give @p painting{CustomModelData:<number>}
Replace <number> with the index of the painting you want, as defined in the pack’s painting.json file. For example, /give @p painting{CustomModelData:1} would give you the “River” painting. You can then place it like any normal painting, and it will cycle through sizes as usual, but always display the custom artwork.
Method 2: The Custom Roleplay Data Datapack
For a more survival-friendly approach, mukitanuki’s Custom Roleplay Data datapack is a perfect companion. After installing the datapack from CurseForge, you can hold any painting item and run the command:
/trigger CustomModelData set <number>
This changes the CustomModelData tag of the item in your hand to the desired index. It feels much more immersive and requires no operator privileges once the datapack is set up. Check the datapack’s CurseForge page for full instructions, as it also works with other custom items.
Adding Your Own Artwork
One of the most exciting features of this resource pack is its open-ended design. You are not limited to the included 42 paintings. By editing the painting.json file and adding your own PNG images to the pack, you can expand the gallery indefinitely. Each new painting needs a unique CustomModelData number, and the image must match the resolution of the painting size you are replacing. This means you can hang family photos, server logos, meme art, or original digital paintings — all inside Minecraft. The pack essentially becomes a framework for your personal museum.
Credits and Artistic Sources
All sample paintings in the resource pack are built from artwork released under CC0 or public domain licenses, ensuring complete freedom of use. The pixel-art landscapes come from ansimuz’s top-down river, forest background, mountain at dusk, and country side platform tile sets. The classical paintings include works by Robert Henri, Henryk Dietrich, Frederic Edwin Church, Jan Davidsz. de Heem, and George Frederic Watts. The stunning space images are courtesy of NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team, featuring the Eagle Nebula and Cone Nebula. A modern photograph of a brown high-rise building by Lucrezia Carnelos rounds out the collection. You can find the original images by searching the titles and artist names, but the pack already optimizes them for Minecraft’s blocky canvas.
Why Custom Paintings Elevate Your Builds
Interior design in Minecraft often gets reduced to placing a few item frames or banners. Custom paintings change that completely. A medieval tavern feels authentic with a moody landscape above the fireplace. A futuristic base comes alive with nebula canvases glowing on the walls. Even a simple starter house gains personality with a still life in the kitchen. The ability to choose exactly which painting appears — rather than relying on random placement — gives builders precise control over storytelling and atmosphere.
Moreover, because the pack uses CustomModelData, it plays nicely with other resource packs and mods. You can combine it with connected textures, shaders, or even custom furniture mods without conflicts. The paintings remain as standard entities, so they interact with lighting, shadows, and shader packs just like vanilla paintings.
Conclusion
Custom paintings breathe new life into Minecraft decoration, turning blank walls into storytelling canvases. This resource pack delivers a generous starting collection while giving you the tools to expand it endlessly. Whether you use the give command for quick placement or the survival-friendly datapack for a more grounded experience, adding these artworks is simple. The blend of pixel art, classical masterpieces, and real astrophotography ensures there is a painting for every build style. Download the pack, hang your favorites, and watch your builds transform from empty boxes into lived-in spaces full of character.