painting animation override (+ mini easels, canvas override)
this post includes three different painting-related mods, so you can download only the files you want to use.
upd. aug 2, 2026:
- elders now use the default painting animation;
- added a gender-neutral version of the override. in this version, female sims use the male painting animation too, since i think it feels more neutral and works better for young adult and adult sims.
upd. aug 8, 2025: fixed the bar stool issue.
upd. jun 13, 2025: fixed a texture that could sometimes show up on other objects.
painting animation override
there are two versions:
1. gender-based version: animation style depends on the sim’s gender (you can still switch between them using my other mod)
2. gender-neutral version: female sims use the male painting animation too.a bar stool will appear automatically at the beginning of the painting interaction.
the override applies only to:
- small and medium canvases. large paintings use the default animation;
- teens, young adults, and adults. elders use the default animation.not compatible with:
- kids sims can paint by zulf;
- painting gameplay rebalance by zero.
functional mini easels
i also made three functional mini easels based on the existing game easels. they can be placed on tables and used for painting.
- includes all ea swatches;
- use bb.moveobjects before placing them.
canvas and frame override
this override changes the thickness and frame of the canvas.
there are three versions with different frame colors.
the canvas thickness is the same in all versions. here’s a comparison with the ea canvas:
easels now show up as “modded” in build/buy, i had to slightly adjust their slots so the new canvas looks right on them.
not compatible with no fade on everything by mizoreyukii.
spanish translation by darwks (patreon)
brazilian portuguese translation by andy ms (patreon)
brazilian portuguese translation by jezzamia (patreon)
russian translation by madame de muffin (boosty)
german translation by simsyju (curseforge)
simplified and traditional chinese translation by meowcats (patreon)
choose which mods you want to download:
painting animation override, choose only one version.
- gender-based version: download 'simkatu_painting_animation_override'
- gender-neutral version: download 'simkatu_painting_animation_override_gender_neutral'functional mini easel
download: 'simkatu_functional_mini_easel'canvas and frame override, choose only one version.
the versions only differ by frame color:
- 'simkatu_canvas_frame_override_v1' - light wood frame;
- 'simkatu_canvas_frame_override_v2' - black wood frame;
- 'simkatu_canvas_frame_override_v3' - dark wood frame.
Comments (100)
May I ask why the stool turned into a white EA original furniture when I was drawing? But when I found this stool in the architectural furniture, it looked quite normal. Only when sitting to draw will the stool make mistakes.
can you try redownload the file with animation override? this issue should be fixed
for some reason, my sims continue using the regular EA painting animation. my game is properly updated, xml injector is installed correctly, and my sim is a young adult female. i also don't have any conflicting mods
maybe you are choosing large paintings? the override applies only to small and medium canvases
Awesome, ♥ Thank you
Is it a specific piece not compatible with zero or the whole thing? I didn’t think his mod messed with animations 🙁
hello. not sure if something is conflicting with this mod but my sims keep on resetting when they’re trying to paint. it started when another sim’s mentoring them and now everyone’s unable to paint at all. thank you, i love all your mods!
thank you for the report, i''ll look into this, can you check if you have the updated version of the mod'
Thank you so much for this mod!! It really makes painting seem more intimate for the sim. Would you ever consider a version where the barstool is wooden (or less modern) for historical and medieval simmers? Again, thank you for this wonderful mod.
do you have to use the specific canvas that you created in order for the animation to function?
no, you can use just the animation override
can i use just the override animation or do i need the easel too?
yes, you can use just the animation override!
hi, simkatu! i translated this mod into brazilian portuguese too! <3 here is the link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/156606170?pr=true tradução atualizada para pt-br: https://www.patreon.com/posts/156606170?pr=true
hi! thank you so much ❤️
I had the mod that lets kids play in the park by Zepid, I don't know if that's why they weren't sitting down.I've already deleted the Zepid mod.
i checked that mod and i don’t see anything that could cause a conflict. could you try testing my mod alone in a new save (only my mod in the mods folder)? does everything work fine in that case?
nevermind now with the other update the animation is ok
this mod is broken now with the new update of marketplace in sims 4
can you please tell me what issues you’re having?
are there possibly any other mod incompatibilities or is this broken now? i dont have "no fade on everything", but for months ive had weird shadows on counters, stairs, plates, and black bars on the sides of rugs (all non-cc build buy items) and i kinda just dealt with it until now. after hours of removing mods i narrowed it down to either simkatu_functional_mini_easels.package or simkatu_canvas_frame_override_v1.package (i ended up deleting both so im not sure if only one is causing the problem or if both of them are), i have a bunch of other mods from you and only this mod is causing that issue for me D:
could you try redownloading the files? this issue was fixed earlier: "upd. jun 13, 2025: updated the canvas and frame override files! fixed a texture that could sometimes show up on other objects"
Here is my German translation: https://www.curseforge.com/sims4/translations/painting-animation-override-mini-easels-canvas-override-by-simkatu-german-translation-translated-by-simsyju
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I'm getting a conflict between this and Zero's painting rework. It cancels the action. I'm just gonna remove the other one but I figured I should post here? I had assumed the other one just added a social media sales interactions to the computer and wouldn't have expected a conflict, so I don't think the issue is on your side BUT idk, possibly putting this info here is useful in some way or to someone running both?? and thank you for this so much!! it adds an amazing flavour that my badass garden-growing community mystic leader just melts so beautiful into <3
thank you for the sweet comment and for letting me know about the conflict! i wasn’t aware of this mod. i looked into zero’s tuning, and it does override the same files as mine(
Hi, just wanted to let you know that, for some reason, having your canvas overrides installed with Better Build Buy by twistedmexi makes canvas not appear in build buy catalog at all
Do u have cc enabled in better build buy lol
is this compitable with the feb. 3rd update?
It says on Scarlet's Realm Mod List there's no known issues. Which means yeah it should be. <3
It would be great to be able to paint together.
thank you for the idea!
Hi! I love this but I cannot get this to work. My sim will not sit while painting. I have everything installed, doing a small painting and no sitting or bar stool happens for me. I even double checked my mods folder and I dont have any animation overrides for painting
i recommend trying this mod in a new save without other mods to see if the issue remains. you should also clear your game cache before testing again. could you try that? i will think about what else might cause this, unless it is a conflict with another mod, but for now I am not sure( I tested the mod in an updated game and everything works fine on my side
Sorry I don't know what's going on with this mod, but I downloaded the frame override and the mini easels and my sims arent going into the mini easel animation for some reason? Like no stool appears, and also, they just immediately finish the painting. I love your work btw, just wanted to let you know!
thank you for letting me know! i tested this in my game and everything works on my side. i recommend trying this mod in a new save without other mods to see if the issue remains. it may be a conflict with another mod. you can also try checking it with the better exceptions mod, there is an option in the menu called "check conflicts". for now this is all I can suggest, because I am not sure what exactly causes this(
i LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR OVERRIDES OMG I CANT most of my sims are into painting so this is a must have on my game!!
thank you so much! I'm glad you like it 🥺💗
Does not compatible mean that kids cant use it or that having both in game will cause errors or problems?
i didn’t include child animations in my file, so their bodies will probably deform. the other possible outcome is that they simply won’t use my custom animation and will use the default one instead
This is a wonderful mod! You do beautiful and realistic animations which really enhance the gameplay <3 Just a suggestion, would you do a mod to change the hand used for some interactions such as painting, that would be really cool :)
thank you! I'll think about it 🤍
this doesn't require xml injector right?
yes, this doesn't require xml injector1
Thanks for your mod! Here is my translation into Russian https://boosty.to/madamedemuffin/posts/ba99db4d-0096-47d2-b570-c1e3a9ef7245
thank you so much for your work!
you kill it every time with these animation overrides!! thank you, love this!!!
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Thank you again!
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so for some reason the animation wont start? i put the mini easel on a table, but my sim starts painting in the default animation. ( am using the medium size )
could you please check with another sim (and male and female) or try a different painting type (impressionism, classic, etc.)? the only things that come to mind that might help are clearing your game cache or, if you have "simkatu_change_animation_type_addon" installed, checking in the menu to make sure "default animation" isn’t selected?
these frames and canvas thickness looks like broken in my game
could you please explain more? on my side it doesn’t look broken. what exactly happens in your game? if you have any pictures, could you send them to me on tumblr (www.tumblr.com/simkatu/), please
Is there a way to change the chair? My defaults to one that is ugly and not like the beautiful one in your photo lol
could you send me a screenshot of how the chair looks in your game on tumblr (www.tumblr.com/simkatu/)? in my game it looks like the one in the video
Do we download all the files, or pick just one?
there are 5 files attached to the post. 1 is the painting animation override, 2 is the functional mini easels, and 3–5 are three versions of the canvas and frame override. you can download just the ones you want, or all of them — just make sure to pick only one of the canvas and frame override versions
Love it :') Brazilian Portuguese Translation https://www.patreon.com/posts/133928668?pr=true
thank you so much!! I appreciate it ❤️
We have a hero here
haha thank you 😀🥰
love ittt, needed the tabletop easels to host paint and sip parties, thank you!!
i love that! so glad it’ll be helpful 💛
such a cool idea! thank you!
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this looks so relaxing. appreciate this and you sm! 💓
💓💓💓💓 thank you!!
thank you. you are very talented :)
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You are so amazing with these!
thank you 💞
EA's animation was the ugliest part of the game! Thanks for putting it right.
glad you enjoyed my animation! i actually really love maxis animations, but yeah — sometimes you just want sims to feel a bit more human in how they move and act
So we're going to need that room that you used for the preview because it's beautiful. ^.^ tehe
you can find this room on the gallery, it’s called "da vinci art studio" by nesse4tw, i just changed it a bit 💛
Can’t wait to check this out 😁
hope you’ll enjoy it 💞
Incredible as always! The way I've been wanting something like this in the game! You always come through with the best overrides!
thank you so much!! you are too sweet 💗💗
Hi! Here's the Spanish translation I made for this mod: https://www.patreon.com/posts/painting-by-al-131487140
you’re amazing — thank you for the translation ❤️
this is amazing, thank you! :)
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Let's go, already in my game!
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That's amazing, your creations make game much better.
i’m so glad you feel that way, thank you 💕
I absolutely LOVE all of your mods — they're so unique and add such a cozy vibe to my game. Thank you!! 💜
you're the sweetest, thank you 😭
i waited for the 'read in bed' to be public and right after you posted a new mod-- i couldnt wait even more, so i subscribed. so worth it! i tried this mod and it looks soo good!!!!
thank you so much!!
Thank you :)
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As I always say every time you post a new mod: I love you! Thanks!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ thank you so much
I love it! <3
thank you 🥺
you are amazing!! thank you!!
thank you so much!! ❤️