Skill Level Unlocks, Best Traits/Rewards, & Making Good Money
A Sim Artist Painting in The Sims 4
Painting in The Sims 4 is a very good way to make money, but to be great at it you won't be holing your Sim up in a room and painting all day as you would in previous incarnations of The Sims. Mastering the skill requires you to take up a job in the Painter Career and choose between two branches at level 5. Both of them unlock the ability to buy an Easel with a higher Painting Quality rating which will boost the Sim's success at painting Masterpieces regardless of skill. A master Painter can make serious dough using one of these two Easels, and you'll earn enough to support the initial investment to make your own Paintings every day at work. More importantly, the career unlocks some special abilities, allowing you to earn more from Painting.
How to: Painting Cheats Press Control + Shift + C then type testingcheats on and press enter. You can now set your skill level with stats.set_skill_level major_painting x (fill in 1-10) - we also have a full listing of Skill Cheats and a master list of Cheats in The Sims 4
The Painter Extraordinaire's Expressionistic Trait lets you make Paintings from extreme Emotions
Good Traits & Aspirations for Painters
Creative This Trait helps Sims get Inspired, which is helpful to Painting skill gains. However, its main role here is to let Artists fill the Fun need while Painting. Other Sims do not get these Fun gains.
Art Lover will let you get Inspired Moodlets from your own works of Art. Admire Art will help your Sim get Inspired - being able to get Inspired at any time is handy and is in your control.
Perfectionist was chosen as my third trait so that my Sim would produce higher quality paintings, even if they took a bit more time. He'll be unhappy about bad work, but his work should improve quickly given he's a perfectionist.
Painter Extraordinaire Aspiration this is a natural choice and will net your Sim lots of Satisfaction if they will focus on Painting heavily. Know that for requirements that you view paintings, admiring, gathering inspiration, or critiquing them all count as 'view'. Better Easels that come with the Painter Career will help you meet requirements for high-quality works. The Expressionistic Trait is the reward for this Aspiration, enabling your Sim to paint regardless of their mood - sad, angry, and other emotional Paintings. The best thing about this is, all those paintings can be used to give off auras to inspire emotion in Sims.
Buy the Cheap Easel. If you want quality-boosting Easels, you'll have to join the Painter Career with your Phone
Getting Started Painting Buy an E.A.S.L Easel for $350 from Buy Mode > Objects by Function > Activities and Skills > Creative or just search for Easel. With this, you can begin painting. There is a Painter Career that will get its own separate guide page, but this article will focus on the skill.
Painting Skill Level Advice and Unlocks The following are the types of Paintings you unlock as you level the skill. There are also a couple of Social Interactions. You'll get 5x the amount of stuff if you also pursue the Painter Career. To make things easy, you could consider leveling Painting first to give your Sim more free time. Juggling the job and your skill is a bit difficult, especially with a family.
Level 2 - Discuss Color Theory with Other Sims, which can make your Sim Inspired.
Level 3 - Can create low skill Pop Art at the Easel. Sims are also able to 'Paint from Reference' at the easel, allowing them to paint pictures of their surroundings.
Level 4 - Can create low skill Realism and Abstract Paintings, medium skill Classic Paintings
Level 5 - Can create low skill Surrealism and Impressionistic Paintings, medium skill Pop Art Paintings
Level 6 - Can create high skill Classic Paintings and medium skill Abstract and Realism Paintings
Level 7 - Can create high skill Pop Art and medium skill Surrealism and Impressionistic Paintings
Level 8 - Can create high skill Realism and Abstract Paintings, and also Describe Aesthetics with other Sims.
Level 9 - Can create high skill Surrealism and Impressionistic Paintings.
Level 10 - Allows you to Mentor other Sims in Painting, and of course your odds of making a Masterpiece are higher because your Painting level is max.
Unfortunately, you are almost required to join the Painter Career else you are stuck with the bad Easel, forever! It has a low Painting Quality, so makes it harder for your Sim to make great Paintings. Joining the Career will unlock better Paintings, so I suggest you do so. Another excellent reason is that it unlocks the ability to sell your artwork to the Art Gallery instead of the mysterious Art Collector - the Gallery gives 20% more than the face value of your non-Masterpiece paintings, so it's worth it! You will get more out of your painting, as there are lots of special rewards for joining the Painting Career and its two branches.
Painter Career Choices The 'Patron of the Arts' Branch of the Painter Career lets you get the Pre-Owned Painter's Easel that boosts Environment, has an Inspiring Aura, and has a Painting Quality level of 7. The 'Master of the Real' Branch unlocks the Deluxe All-Season Easel that has a Painting Quality of 9 without boosting Environment. There are other choices between the two to be made, so you should see the Painter Career Guide.
What to Paint First I started with small paintings, as they took less time and would give a return on investment quickly. Even if the painting isn't great, it is likely to at least get your money back. You can do large paintings on days off (if you're in the Painting Career) and sometimes put them on hold to take care of your needs and go off to work. Try to fulfill the requirements of the Painter Extraordinaire Aspiration as you go along. You can look ahead to see the requirements by pressing 'G', clicking change Aspiration, and looking at the 4 categories of unlocks you need to complete to get the Expressionistic Trait.
10 Million Views!My YouTube channel has grown a lot the last 6 months. I now have over 125 videos on Youtube and am nearing 100k subscribers. I'd like to invite people to check out my content and, if you like what I'm doing, subscribe!
Click to Enlarge. Collecting Paintings will let you later use them for Career/Aspiration Requirements
Selling Paintings vs Collecting Art Once a Painting is complete, you can click 'Sell to Collector' to instantly sell it. When in the Painter Career, you'll unlock the ability to sell all paintings to the Art Gallery, which gives 20% more than the painting's face value. Masterpieces are the exception to the rule, as you can see below. Hover over the Painting on the Easel to see its name, quality level, and sell value. Putting the Painting in your inventory also allows you to sell it and see the price. You may like one of your Sim's paintings and find it's worth little money, so it can help you decide whether selling is worth it to you. Paintings made while under the influence of an emotion may also help to inspire that emotion in the room, so you may want to hold on to some of those.
Masterpieces' Sell Value Whether you are in the Painter Career or not, Masterpieces are sold to the Art Gallery because they are exceptional pieces of work. This is the exception to the +20% rule - they will not sell for more than their face value, as they come with the extra value already calculated into the price you see because they are destined for the Art Gallery! Thanks to HelenP for pointing this out.
Admiring Works of Art can Inspire your Painter
Getting Inspired Being Inspired will help your Sim make better-quality Paintings. Taking a thoughtful shower, reading a book, and doing other creative things will help your Sim become inspired. Use a Computer to go to Web > Browse Art will (almost always) make your Sim Inspired. Sometimes, after a Sim completes a Painting, they'll get another Inspired Moodlet which will make them Very Inspired. This is a good time to jump right into another Painting, and preferably a large one. The Painter Career will also give you the ability to Research Art References, Critique Paintings, and Gather Inspiration from them, so it will help you get inspired faster.
Talking to other Sims may trigger Emotions
Triggering Other Emotions for Different Painting Types and by Painting Auras! Clean up in the Mirror and Try on Outfits to get Flirty, and take a Steamy Shower. So long as your Sim is happy, you'll get to paint a Flirty painting for $100. Once you have the Painting, you can use it to boost emotions. Hang it on the wall and click enable emotional aura (or disable) so that your Sim will be easier to put in that mood again - this works with all Mood paintings. Playful can easily be acquired by digging up deposits around the Neighborhood, getting time capsules, and collecting MySims Trophies from them. You can do Confident and Focused Paintings as well as other Emotions you can trigger. Hover over interactions to see what emotions are triggered, and stack those effects in your favor! If you get to VERY confident or VERY focused, your end-results will likely be better.
A painting that takes ~2 hours, yet is worth $1400 without Marketable! It would have sold for nearly $3,000
Getting Rich from Painting Getting Very Inspired is key to making Masterpieces that are worth a lot of money, along with the Creative Visionary Reward, which raises success rate for Masterpieces. Take also the Marketable Reward to increase the base price of your Masterpiece Paintings. This will sell them at over double their pre-Marketable base value! All this combined makes the Sims 4's Painting Skill super profitable, and one of the easiest ways to make money in the game.
Full List (Pictuers) of all Paintings A 'list' of the different paintings can be found on our Forum here. Officialghosts has painstakingly arranged them and taken screenshots. Addons may change this to incomeplete.
If you like my sites and Youtube Channel, consider supporting me on Patreon to help me to continue. If you'd like to support my guides in another way you can use our Amazon link for your next purchase (if in the US). We also offer a paypal donate link so you can contribute directly.
We now have a Youtube Channel with over 50 guides in video format to go along with the huge site I've already created. Check it out and consider subscribing if you like my style.
{"commentics_url":"\/\/www.carls-sims-4-guide.com\/comments31\/","page_id":38,"enabled_country":false,"enabled_state":false,"state_id":0,"enabled_upload":false,"maximum_upload_amount":3,"maximum_upload_size":5,"securimage":false,"securimage_url":"\/\/www.carls-sims-4-guide.com\/comments31\/3rdparty\/securimage\/securimage_show.php?namespace=cmtx_38","lang_text_drag_and_drop":"Drag & drop images (max 3)","lang_text_drop_success":"Success","lang_text_drop_error":"Error","lang_error_file_num":"Only {{fi-limit}} files are allowed to be uploaded.","lang_error_file_type":"Only images are allowed to be uploaded.","lang_error_file_size":"{{fi-name}} is too large! Please upload files up to {{fi-maxSize}} MB.","lang_error_file_size_all":"The files you've chosen are too large! Please upload files up to {{fi-maxSize}} MB.","lang_text_loading":"Loading ..","lang_placeholder_state":"State","lang_text_country_first":"Please select a country first","lang_button_processing":"Please Wait..","lang_button_submit":"Add Comment","lang_button_preview":"Preview"}
Hi, I need to know is there a mod where you can invent to put in TS4 where custom paintings jpgs can be added for them to paint. I been waiting the last 10 years from TS2 - TS4 for it to come if you can email me cheers!
Hi Carl,my Painter Sim quit her job to do the renaissance aspiration. In fact she quit it a bunch of times. Now that she has settled back to being a painter I am seeing "Master of the Real (5)" but she is already at the top of her career. Shouldn't it be Master Of the Real (10) ?
When you rejoin a career, it sets you right at the bottom of the job, unless you have branched before. If you have branched, it just goes to the bottom of the branch.
Hi Carl,I remember from TS3 that paintings appreciate if you hold onto them for awhile. Do they still appreciate while playing a retail store in Get to Work after you place them on sale? Or has this be disabled since TS3? I appreciate all you guys do, your website is my goto spot for The Sims Content.
The increase in price to paintings was not in the base game. That was added with the Consignment shop; which I believe was added in Ambitions. It is conceivable that they will put it in a future update, I suppose, but to be honest, making money is still very easy in Sims 4.
Hey Carl! I am having trouble finding information on a question I have. My sim is a painter and I have decorated her house with her paintings. If I upload this house into the Gallery, will her paintings be there for others to see? or will there just be white canvases all over the walls? Thanks
Admin: All the paintings should be there but the name of the painter will not be. Sometimes there is a glitch where some of the paintings will display who the painter was, while others do not. However, all crafted items upload.
Hi. I haven't kept track or paid a whole lot of attention, but I assume different size paintings take respective amounts of time to paint (e.g. a large painting takes longer to paint and a small painting). Is that accurate or does is take about the same amount of time to paint a painting regardless of size? If my sim paints an excellent small painting, is that painting going to sell for noticeably less than an excellent large painting, or will they sell for about the same?Thanks! Your website is my first choice for Sims related information.
Smaller paintings are much quicker to paint than large paintings. I haven't actually timed it but there is a noticeable difference. The price of a painting is affected by the reward traits you can purchase and also by the skill of the sim. Some of the most expensive paintings my sims has made were large abstract followed by a difference in only a few thousand simoleons by small abstract. There's a thread on the forum showing all the available paintings if you are interested. All the Paintings Also a thread explaining the value of the different genres and skill based multiplier. Skill Based Values The post from DarkWalker is particularly good.
I like to put art that's uploaded to the gallery into my library to use on my houses. Within the last week though, when ever I place the "room" or wall of paintings, all the canvases show up blank. Any idea why that's happening? I have the custom cc. box checked.
Hello Carl!My sim is at level 7 in painting and I would love to paint a portrait of my family members (alone) so I can place them around our home.. is there away to do this with out going to the realism paint?
The only way you can do this is to use the Paint from Reference action and have the sim whose portrait you want to do sitting or standing nearby. Have autonomy off while doing this or the subject sim will keep trying to walk away. If you want to paint a portrait of the painter use a mirror while using the paint from ref action. Here's a link to the photography skill that might be of interest as well. Photography Skill
My sim is in the painter extraordinaire aspirations, and one of the tasks is to view 3 painting in an art gallery. I've been to the art gallery dozens of times and viewed maybe 100 paintings, but it still hasn't given me that reward. Am I doing something wrong?
Yes, you are using the incorrect building/lot. You need to take your sim to the Museum in Willow Creek. It's a base game lot with a base game aspiration.
No problem, it makes perfect sense to go to the Art Gallery but base game aspirations can only work with base game objects and lots. To be honest, I took my sim to the San Myshuno Art gallery too... lol *face palm* Then I realized!
Here's a slightly difficult question if I got the Expressionistic Reward Trait would I have a better chance creating a masterpiece playful painting if I was very inspired or would I have a better chance at making a masterpiece if I was already in a very playful mood.
Good question, without your sim having gained the Expressionist Reward trait (from completing the Painter Extraordinaire aspiration) my answer would be Very Playful with all other genres needing Very Inspired to increase the chances of a masterpiece. But with the Expressionist Reward reward trait 'Inspired' should be enough to get a masterpiece fairly regularly. Very Inspired would increase the odds again.
I've got a Sim who's created 3 Excellent painting on the ordinary easel. One of them's a Masterpiece (which I didn't sell cuz the game warned me not to)! Two things seem to be necessary: paint when Inspired, and paint a genre for which you can do "high skill".
Don't worry about selling masters, your sim will paint many over the course of their life time if you paint in the Very Inspired state. Preferably with about a 18+ stack of positive/inspired moodlets. Stop painting when your sim falls out of the 'Very" state and bump their mood up to it again, then complete the painting. Also some sims are 'naturally' better painters than others (random hidden skill) and will reliably produce master after master with very little effort when in the Very Inspired state. Easiest way to stay in a 'Very' mood is to create a room where a Very Happy sim will instantly become inspired (or focused etc etc) when they walk in through environmental effects/objects - use the various means available in-game to get your sims mood into a very happy one then just use the Inspired room for painting, or the focused room for hacking and so on.
I found the best way to crank out masterpieces is to put inspiring decor in a room, fill it will items that have a high "environment" such as the Knight Armour, and use the Black Easel (Deluxe all-season Easel).
{"commentics_url":"\/\/www.carls-sims-4-guide.com\/comments31\/","page_id":38,"flash_id":0,"scroll_reply":true,"scroll_speed":1000,"lang_text_view":"View","lang_text_reply":"reply","lang_text_replies":"replies","lang_text_replying_to":"You are replying to","lang_title_cancel_reply":"Cancel this reply","lang_link_cancel":"[Cancel]","lang_text_not_replying":"You are not replying to anyone","lang_button_loading":"Loading..","lang_button_more":"More Comments","show_read_more":false,"read_more_limit":150,"highlight":true,"date_auto":true,"show_pagination":true,"pagination_type":"multiple","timeago_suffixAgo":"ago","timeago_inPast":"a moment","timeago_seconds":"less than a minute","timeago_minute":"a minute","timeago_minutes":"%d minutes","timeago_hour":"an hour","timeago_hours":"%d hours","timeago_day":"a day","timeago_days":"%d days","timeago_month":"a month","timeago_months":"%d months","timeago_year":"a year","timeago_years":"%d years"}
Readers who use adblock or those who'd like to thank me for my efforts can now pledge $1/$5 monthly via Patreon. This helps a lot with server costs and provides some stability for my business.
I now have a guide page to Tiny Living Stuff where you can learn about Murphy Beds, the new death, as well as the lot bonuses you'll receive if you manage to keep the size of your lot down with this new pack's Tiny Home Lot Type.
Let's Play Playlist
New I now have a guide to Making Super Sims in The Sims 4. Look for a text version within the next 72h. It won't have THAT much more info but it will help out as a checklist.
This was inspired by a series, "Let's Play a Super Sim" in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to each part for people who are interested. You can also see the Let's Play as a Playlist on Youtube.
The Sims 4 Discover University has been announced for November 15 for PC/Mac and December 17 for Xbox and Playstation 4 consoles. Click to learn more about the pack, see my summary of the livestream or read our FAQs below.
10 Million Views! 
Comments (17)
I need to know is there a mod where you can invent to put in TS4 where custom paintings jpgs can be added for them to paint. I been waiting the last 10 years from TS2 - TS4 for it to come if you can email me cheers!
I am having trouble finding information on a question I have. My sim is a painter and I have decorated her house with her paintings. If I upload this house into the Gallery, will her paintings be there for others to see? or will there just be white canvases all over the walls?
Thanks
There's a thread on the forum showing all the available paintings if you are interested.
All the Paintings
Also a thread explaining the value of the different genres and skill based multiplier.
Skill Based Values The post from DarkWalker is particularly good.
Guide to Cheats
EA Bug Report
Photography Skill
But with the Expressionist Reward reward trait 'Inspired' should be enough to get a masterpiece fairly regularly. Very Inspired would increase the odds again.
I found the best way to crank out masterpieces is to put inspiring decor in a room, fill it will items that have a high "environment" such as the Knight Armour, and use the Black Easel (Deluxe all-season Easel).