As some of you may, I'm an avid Minecraft fan and I'm no stranger to illustrating scenes and environments from this timeless game. I've been wanting to illustrate Nether Portals and the environment around them for a long time, so I sat down and sketched a few portals shapes and ideas. I settled on two Overworld biomes, and two Nether biomes to host these mysterious portals. This was a great way to practice and experiment how I'd tackle the nether biomes and its foliage. I also rendered the obsidian blocks with more bumps and dips and not completely smooth and angular, like the game itself, to give it more character and interest. It's ironic considering how I love smooth, organic lines and patterns, whereas this game is full of lines, blocks, and pixels. It was a fun experiment to illustrate this blocky world through the lens of my organic, rythmatic style, and I would love to try some other structures in the future.
When the ruined Nether Portals were implemented to the base game in 1.16, I was shocked and excited. It was something I've always dreamed of having
in the game as it was a way to introduce the nether to inexperienced players and could further explore the story of Minecraft. They added
these ruined portals in almost every biome, including the oceans, the underground, and in the Nether itself. They come in 13 varieties with 2 sizes that it
makes stumbling upon these unique events every time. They appear broken up, toppled over, destroyed, "ruined" if you will, with lava pools, leftover gold
blocks/tools, and an unusable remnant of a portal that has some obisidan blocks replaced with "crying" obsidian which makes it unignitable. I love the look
of ruined portals that are half in the lava, with some missing elements. It makes it feel like it's been some time since a player or something used this
portal and it has since been abandoned. The bees fly around this mysterious, out-of-place monument to collect the pollen from the dandelions nearby.
The Crimson Forest is one of five Nether biomes and is home to the piglins and hoglins, fierce rivals battling in this hellish landscape.
The deep reds and oranges make this biome feel like a lush forest with a thriving ecosystem within the hot wasteland. This biome is very common and
relatively safe compared to more hostile biomes like the Soul Sand Valley or Basalt Delta. It's a great source of fireproof wood, food, and bartering with piglins.
I illustrated this portal as a reclaimed ruined portal or an active portal as you need to get to the Nether, but mostly because I wanted to render the portal itself.
This is my favorite biome in the Nether as it feels like a true natural ecosystem with mob rivalries, plenty of dense foliage, and the wonderful red violet wood. I hope
they add even more mobs or foliage to bring this bountiful biome to its fullest potential.
The Warped Forest is the most unique of the Nether Biomes added in 1.16. The Bright Teal/Blue contrasts with the dark, deep red of the nether and
acts as a haven from the hostile environment surrounding it. The only mobs that call this biome home are endermen with striders still capable of spawning
on open pools of lava. This makes it the safest place as long as you watch your step, and look away from the endermen. Nothing feels better and like winning the
lottery when you light and portal and spawn in this amazing biome. And you know your portal will be safe and hostile mobs won't kill you immediately. The access to
Endermen is also a plus mid-game as the players need to get ender pearls for eyes of ender in order to beat the game. This biome and its teal/blue foliage, tall
winding vines, and a calm, quiet atmosphere makes this one of Minecraft most iconic biomes.
As mentioned previously, these ruined portals can spawn underground in normal, Lush, and Dripstone Caves and will make sure there is an air
pocket so players can stumble upon and use it. This illustration isn't a true representation of a ruined portal as moss carpet doesn't generate
with it during generation. But this is a sandbox game where the world is at your fingertips with full-scale creativity, so I think it's fair to assume
a player placed the moss carpets there to make it fit into the environment more, which in turns develops the story further. That's why I love this game,
it's a balance and partnership between player and environment and it's a choice whether to abuse or honor it. I loved the introduction of Lush Caves and
its elements in 1.17/1.18 so I knew from the get go the foliage that dominates the Lush Caves will surround this portal. I would love to.
make a full illustration where I can include axolotls, glow squid, and a much fuller, dynamic environment.
