The Art of Falling In Love | Pentagon ✔

Chapter 18

"It's sad." I said, staring at the painting. "I love internet, but it's taking over so many people's lives. That's why I paint little things like this. I want to remember what the world was like before everyone was too crazy on their smartphones."

I reached for another painting and cleared my throat when I noticed him staring at me. "Here, it's from last year's spring."

I showed him a painting of two old couple, walking underneath the cherry blossom trees. "I wish I could paint, so I could paint you." he said softly.

I smiled. "You can learn." I got on my feet and grabbed his hand, pulling him up. "Now." I said.

He shook his head. "Not easy."

"Nothing's easy at first." I said and grabbed a plain white paper, taping it on a board. "You can't paint me, but you can paint something else."

I grabbed the set of water colors and handed him the brushes. "Start with water color."

"And?" he asked cluelessly staring at the piece of paper.

"Just experiment with the shades of blue right here." I said, tapping the upper part of the paper.

"Okay." he said, looking so focused. I smiled to myself. He grinned. "Does Artist Yuto look good?"

"Yup." I said grinning, "Come on, now paint."

"Yes, miss."

After several minutes, I watched him balance the shades of blue. He doesn't know what he's doing yet but he got the sense of it. "Make the corners darker, the middle lighter." I said.

"Whoa, I'm just randomly brushing blue paint but it's hard..." he said.

I laughed. "Don't give up. Now, more waves." I said and he painted until the it looked like a nightsky.

His eyes widened as he turned to me. "Whoa! How did that happen?" he asked, amazed.

I giggled and sat beside him, taking the white acrylic paint. "Now, you really have to get the paint on your hands. You'll splatter acrylic paint to make stars."

He dipped the brush on the white acrylic paint and some water and then I showed him with a dry brush how he should splatter it. And then I told him to use different sizes of brush to make the stars look more vibrant in the nightsky. His index finger was filled of white paint.

"Now, you draw vertical lines with black paint." I said, "Make short and tall ones for the trees."

He did slowly, carefully, and obediently. I snapped a quick picture of him and he smiled. "I better look good in that photo, not a struggling painter."

"Trust me, a struggling painter is a good look."

"Well, if you say so." He said raising an eyebrow.

And then I asked him to make vertical lines, thicker and longer from below, thinner and shorter all the way up.

Until he finished. "Whoa! Whoa!" he exclaimed, smiling big. "I'm going to frame this!" he said.

I laughed. "Okay, I approve. You have potential."

"It's an honor to hear that from you, Ms. Painter."