Sensational Sculptures

Today’s builder, Eonli, is clearly an amazing artist, and Minecraft is his medium. From queens and angels to intricate, flowery “prisons,” his work covers many subjects, but all of them are truly gorgeous!

“I mainly create various kinds of sculptures,” he says. “Most of them represent a human or something similar, and I insert a theme each time.”

Like many artists, Eonli starts with a basic sketch and then adds more and more detail to get to the finished project. “When I create a sculpture, the first thing I think about is the movement of the body,” he tells me. “I try to make the build look as real as possible, as if at that moment the sculpture was living and a photograph was taken. Another constant goal is to make the sculpture visible and enjoyable from every position, which is very difficult and requires working from all angles.”

One of Eonli’s tricks to create the illusion of movement is to pay close attention to the clothes he adds to each build. For example, in his Nature build you can see how the hem of her shirt seems to be lifted up a little by a gentle breeze. Eonli tells me this sculpture was inspired by another builder we’ve featured here before: Dr. Bond. He calls Dr. Bond’s work “simply fantastic,” (I certainly agree!) and says that it invigorated him to pay even more attention to small details and experiment with lighter colours.

But all of this attention to detail doesn’t slow Eonli down! “Usually my sculptures are built in four days or a week, depending on the project and how much commitment I put in. I really like exploring new styles; I always try to change something between projects.”

One of these experiments was his entry in Planet Minecraft’s snow globe contest. Melograno (that’s “pomegranate” in English!), was the contest winner, and it’s easy to see why. The globe includes a miniature city nestled against the trunk of a giant tree with a strange - but strangely cute - beast looking down on it.

Unfortunately, this creature is trapped inside the globe, which Eonli says is supposed to represent loneliness. Poor thing : (

Eonli was inspired to create this bonsai by the long history of using pomegranates in traditional Italian art. He also says he’d like to include more local culture in his future builds. “There aren’t many projects representing Italian art, and it’s worth showing how fantastic the history of my country is.”

And he wants to continue doing that through Minecraft. “I think it’s a truly unique medium,” he tells me. “One thing I always dreamed of was the freedom to create what I like and maybe to inspire those who look at my works.”

Well, I’m certainly inspired! And Eonli has some very encouraging words for other artists, too. He says that it’s really important “to always be proud of what you create and to not be afraid to try different things.”

He continues, “sometimes I look at beautiful creations and think, “I can’t reach that level, what’s wrong with me?” I’ve made this mistake more than once and it leads to the loss of your uniqueness. But you learn from mistakes, so if you don’t make them you can’t learn.

“Always keep a goal in mind and overcome it. Do not give up when you encounter difficulties and do not be afraid of your mistakes. Follow your path step by step, without stopping. If you fall, get up!”

Good advice for everyone, not just Minecraft builders!

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