I don’t think I’m alone when I say blacksmiths are super darn cool.
Who wouldn’t think being a smith, refining raw ore into molten metal, fabricating weaponry in front of a raging forge is cool?
Even if you don’t care for the work or the heat, a medieval blacksmith is a cool aesthetic. And you can replicate it with all of these Minecraft skins.
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say there is a definitive blacksmith skin, this one by creator Demicha might as well be THE Blacksmith for me.
It strikes all the categories for a prototypical blacksmith from the work apron to the rugged demeanor down to the sooty color palette.
Even the beard on this fellow screams blacksmith to me. One look at this skin has me wanting to build my own smithy and start selling diamond and netherite tools.
Maybe it’s because dwarves and blacksmiths both typically deal with mining.
Maybe it’s because dwarves and blacksmiths typically have rad beards.
Either way, dwarves and blacksmiths are intrinsically connected in my brain and also in creator Ash’s brain.
Dwarf Red Beard is a hilarious name and also a hilarious long haired and bearded skin. There’s something majestic about a dwarf with a massive beard. Make it red? You’ve got me sold.
While blacksmiths are heavily associated with medieval and fantasy aesthetics, they don’t all have to be fantasy exclusives.
Sometimes, you want a more modern sleek blacksmith aesthetic.
I’m not saying I know what modern blacksmiths are like or what they wear.
I’m just saying that creator AcousticGuitars’ blacksmith skin with its dark apron and rolled burlap brown sleeves feels hip and modern in a way that braided dwarf beards do not.
I couldn’t tell you what exactly captivates me so much about this skin.
That’s a lie. I can tell you right away. It’s the mutton chops. Mutton chops are among the most underutilized facial hair styles, and I dare say that’s a crime.
The chops elevate this skin from regular blacksmith to smith of legend. Even without the hyperbole, come on. Don’t the mutton chops just make you believe this guy knows what he’s doing?
I don’t think that blacksmiths are associated with one particular hairstyle.
But there’s something about a beard that makes me believe they can fashion a strong suit of armor.
This skin by creator Capace manages to capture all of the essential blacksmith characteristics with simple ease: rugged, tough, probably likes swinging a hammer.
I could certainly see myself setting up in a village smithy with this skin, crafting the finest of iron tools for my Realm’s compatriots.
It’s nice to get some woman representation among the smithing community. Blacksmiths are too often thought of as burly men with burly facial hair swinging burly hammers.
Since this Forgemistress is Dwarven, that insinuates that though she isn’t a man, she can still be a burly woman swinging burly hammers to make burly armor.
She just has less facial hair than the other smiths around.
Because of the fantasy influence intrinsic to the idea behind medieval blacksmiths, there tends to be an element of role play involved in these smith skins.
I love creator G4L4P4G0S’ Weapons Apprentice, or really any Minecraft creator’s original character content.
I’d highly recommend reading through the smith, Brigitte’s, background for an added layer of smithing coolness.
Skins have progressed so far from the early days of Minecraft.
Skins from the latest patches can look like they’re from entirely different games with mystifying 3-D illusions.
That being said, I don’t think anything beats skins like this Viking Smith from those original Minecraft eras.
The 2-D chunkiness, the simple and squared details: it’s what makes Minecraft so unique to this day.
Whether it’s nostalgia or flawless and effective character design, something about this Viking-themed skin just makes me want to keep coming back for more.
