Teplight’s Delights

The last time I tried to make a sand castle, I lifted the bucket up and the sad lump beneath slumped over to one side. Then it was washed away by the merciful ocean. It was the worst moment of my life.

The last sandcastle [Teplight](https://www.planetminecraft.com/member/teplight/) tried to build was in Minecraft. It was his first time playing and he was working on a school computer. “It was about 15x15, mostly [made] with sand,” he tells me. “ [It had] a river inside it. Not a disaster, but it wasn’t good either. It was just simple.”

Looking through his newer builds, it seems that the word “simple” has been lost to the sands of time, never to be seen again. These builds are complex. They blend the organic with the inorganic. They’re fantastical and atmospheric, colourful and fun. Some have natural, flowing landscapes while others have perfectly, meticulously rounded towers and spires. Eyesores, the lot of them!

I asked Teplight how he’s achieved this style and what I could do to jazz my sad sand structures up a bit.

“Design and imagination is what makes your style,” Teplight says. “When I build, I’m always looking for different angles, contrast, proportions, layout, trying to make everything fit.”

When it comes to how he infuses atmosphere and feeling into his builds, Teplight isn’t sure how to explain it. “Ambience is one of the most important things in a build,” he says, “you need to picture it.” Anything beyond that is hard to explain - atmosphere isn’t a solid object, something you have or don’t, it’s just a feeling. “It’s mostly in the colours,” he says, “good contrast. Trees change everything. Atmosphere is only great with nice contrast.”

So, since that first sandcastle to builds like Fairy Lands and Atlantis - Temple Of Poseidon, what’s changed about Teplight’s building strategy?

“My approach changed a lot after building in a more organised way,” he says.

“Design rules are very important in building and layouts. I usually [continue] only after the layout and design rules are in place.”

Now, Teplight’s looking to a future where he can continue to build and design in more ways than just Minecraft. “My abilities are getting better and better,” he tells me, “and I’m still learning from people. Every time I see a project I always think as if I was to make it. You learn only by practising. [Now] I’m pursuing architecture. I would like to have a career in design for sure. I can’t say [much] yet, but what I can say is just that I’m looking forward to the future!”