Episode 153: Artistic License
For Mortimer, it was a particularly exciting opportunity to immortalize his girlfriend on canvas. Of course, he had seen her, felt her presence, and spoken with her countless times. Yet, it had never occurred to him to draw her. When they reached the top, he gathered the paints he intended to use for the portrait. Then he asked her to stand somewhere. "I hope your hand doesn't fall asleep at some point."
"I’m not worried about my hand; I can always give it a quick shake now and then…" / "Yeah, no problem… I want to make the whole thing a bit brighter, so don't be surprised later." Bella stood as still as possible in the corner by the window; she knew it certainly wasn't easy to place the first brushstrokes precisely. "You should just paint me however you want and however you see me…" Mortimer kept glancing away from his canvas to memorize her exact position.
Normally, Mortimer painted with a quick hand. But this time, the subject was something entirely new, so he took his time with every single brushstroke. "It’s not that easy, man… I don't want to make any mistakes." / "The painting doesn't have to be perfect, Morty, okay? Just put your heart into it…" Once again, he glanced over at her for a brief moment. From that point on, he didn't say another word for the entire time he was working on the painting.
It was just before 7:00 PM when Mortimer put down his brush and paints. Meanwhile, Bella had lain down on his bed to rest. He had already finished the main elements and only needed to add the finishing touches to the painting. "Are you done?" / "Pff, yeah, I am, but… I'm telling you right now, it's not perfect. The quality is mediocre and… it's a bit runny." Bella could clearly see his doubts about his own artistic ability. "Can I take a look?" / "hm…sure.".
Bella got up from the bed. She had no particular expectations regarding the portrait. As she stood before the easel, she studied it longer than he had anticipated. Indeed, it seemed Mortimer had used a bit too much water, but the result had a charm of its own. "Please say something, Bella. I know it’s…" / "Lovely… It’s really lovely, Morty."
She turned to him with a genuine smile. Yet skepticism was still written all over his face. "You can be honest, you know? I… I’m actually not happy with it at all." / "Morty, I told you it doesn’t have to be perfect… I’m grateful you did this for me. As the saying goes, no one is born a master… You’ll surely be a good painter one day." / "Thanks…"
Bella spent the time leading up to dinner at the McGraws'. When Agnes and Stiles returned home from the movies, they were surprised to find the girl still there. But it is perfectly understandable to want to be where you feel most at ease. Still, Bella knew where her home was; after all, Xander and Pauline had ensured that she and Michael had a secure home following their parents' deaths. And then there was that pleasant, exciting flutter in their stomachs—both hers and Mortimer’s—whenever they thought about the following evening.
@dandylion240 , @greenplumbboblover 🙂
Author’s note: I wish the quality of the still lifes and portraits were significantly better. It has always bothered me that the images are so terribly blurry; I used to justify it by telling myself that my Sims might need glasses to draw better ^^^^. But oh well… unfortunately, you can’t expect any more than that from this game.
