What is map art?
Map art is a picture built out of blocks on the ground so that it shows up on a map item, which you can then hang in item frames. A map only knows a fixed set of colours, one per block type, so the generator matches your image to those map colours rather than to block textures. For a picture meant to be seen directly in the world, use the pixel art generator instead.
Flat vs staircase map art
Maps shade each pixel by comparing its block with the block directly to the north:
- Lower than the block to its north: the dark shade.
- Level with it: the normal shade that flat builds use.
- Higher than it: the light shade.
Flat map art keeps every block at one level, so each colour has one shade. It is quick to build and easy to fix. Staircase map art moves blocks up and down to reach all three shades, which triples the colours and gives much smoother photos, at the cost of a taller build. The generator keeps staircases as low as possible by dropping each column back to the base wherever the shading allows.
How to build map art in survival
Find the map area
Maps sit on a fixed grid: at the closest zoom, map edges fall at X and Z = 128 × n − 64 (for example −64, 64, 192). Craft a map inside the area you want and use the area it shows.
Lay the support row
Place one row of blocks just north of the map area, outside the picture. The first row of the picture is shaded against it. The schematic includes it at the right heights.
Build column by column
Work in north–south strips using the column guide. On staircase maps, place each block at the height shown; heights count up from the lowest block in the build.
Fill in the map and lock it
Hold the map and walk around the build until every part of it has filled in, then put the map and a glass pane in a cartography table. The locked copy never changes, and you can copy it for item frames.
Map art sizes
One map covers 128×128 blocks, so a 1×1 map art is 16,384 blocks and every extra map adds another 16,384. A 2×2 is 256×256 blocks and 65,536 blocks, and a 4×4 is 512×512 and just over a quarter of a million. The material list above counts yours exactly, in stacks and shulker boxes.
Most people hang the finished maps in a grid of item frames. If you are building a round gallery or dome to show them in, the circle generator plans the walls block by block.
Map art schematic for Litematica and WorldEdit
The .schem download holds the whole build: the support row at the north edge and every block at its height. Load it in a version of Litematica that reads Sponge schematics to get a guide to build over in survival, or paste it on a creative or test world with WorldEdit (//schem load, then //paste). Line the schematic's north-west corner up with the map area's corner, one block further north for the support row. Only the visible blocks are included, so on staircase maps you still place supports under raised blocks yourself.
Minecraft map colours
These are the map colours the generator can use, from the Java Edition map colour table. Each shows its dark, flat and light shade. Water is left out, because its shade depends on how deep it is rather than on height. The survival-friendly option skips the colours marked costly.
| Shades | Block to use | Also works |
|---|---|---|
| Grass block | Slime block | |
| Birch planks | Sandstone, sand (falls), birch slabs | |
| Mushroom stem | Cobweb, white candle | |
| Block of redstone | TNT | |
| Packed ice | Ice, blue ice | |
| Block of ironcostly | Iron door, lantern, anvil | |
| Oak leaves | Any leaves, flowers, saplings | |
| White concrete | White wool, snow block | |
| Clay | Infested blocks | |
| Dirt | Coarse dirt, jungle planks, granite | |
| Cobblestone | Stone, andesite, stone bricks | |
| Oak planks | Oak slabs, bookshelf, crafting table | |
| Diorite | Block of quartz, sea lantern | |
| Orange concrete | Orange wool, terracotta, acacia planks | |
| Magenta concrete | Magenta wool, purpur block | |
| Light blue concrete | Light blue wool | |
| Yellow concrete | Yellow wool, hay bale, sponge | |
| Lime concrete | Lime wool, melon | |
| Pink concrete | Pink wool | |
| Gray concrete | Gray wool | |
| Light gray concrete | Light gray wool | |
| Cyan concrete | Cyan wool, prismarine | |
| Purple concrete | Purple wool, mycelium, amethyst block | |
| Blue concrete | Blue wool | |
| Brown concrete | Brown wool, dark oak planks, soul sand | |
| Green concrete | Green wool, moss block | |
| Red concrete | Red wool, bricks | |
| Black concrete | Black wool, obsidian, block of coal | |
| Block of goldcostly | Light weighted pressure plate, bell | |
| Prismarine bricks | Block of diamond, beacon | |
| Block of lapis lazulicostly | None | |
| Block of emeraldcostly | None | |
| Spruce planks | Podzol, spruce slabs | |
| Netherrack | Nether bricks, magma block | |
| White terracotta | Calcite, cherry planks | |
| Orange terracotta | Redstone lamp | |
| Magenta terracotta | None | |
| Light blue terracotta | None | |
| Yellow terracotta | None | |
| Lime terracotta | None | |
| Pink terracotta | None | |
| Gray terracotta | Tuff | |
| Light gray terracotta | Mud bricks | |
| Cyan terracotta | Mud | |
| Purple terracotta | None | |
| Blue terracotta | None | |
| Brown terracotta | Dripstone block | |
| Green terracotta | None | |
| Red terracotta | None | |
| Black terracotta | None | |
| Crimson nylium | None | |
| Crimson planks | Crimson stem | |
| Crimson hyphae | Stripped crimson hyphae | |
| Warped nylium | Oxidized copper | |
| Warped planks | Warped stem, weathered copper | |
| Warped hyphae | Stripped warped hyphae | |
| Warped wart block | None | |
| Cobbled deepslate | Deepslate, deepslate bricks | |
| Block of raw iron | None | |
| Verdant froglight | Glow lichen |
Minecraft map art questions
How big is one map in Minecraft map art?
One map at the closest zoom level covers 128×128 blocks, one block per pixel, so a single map art needs 16,384 blocks. A 2×2 map art is 256×256 blocks.
What is staircase map art?
Each map pixel is darker when its block is lower than the block to its north, and lighter when it is higher. Staircase map art raises and lowers blocks to use all three shades, which triples the colours available. Flat map art keeps every block level and uses one shade.
Where do I build map art so it lines up with a map?
Maps sit on a fixed grid. At the closest zoom a map centred on 0, 0 covers X and Z from -64 to 63, so map edges fall on multiples of 128 minus 64. Open a new map inside your build area and build inside the area it shows.
What is the extra row north of the map for?
The first row of the map is shaded by comparing it with the block just north of the map, outside the picture. That support row, often called a noob line, makes the top row come out in the right shade.
How do you lock map art so it never changes?
Put the finished map and a glass pane in a cartography table. The locked copy never updates again, even if the blocks are later broken, and you can then copy it for item frames.
Does map art work on Bedrock?
Map art can be built on Bedrock too, since Bedrock maps also colour each pixel from the top block. This generator uses Java Edition's map colour table, so build a small test area on Bedrock before starting a large piece.