Create some happy accidents with this Bob Ross-inspired Morrowind mod

Time to paint some happy little trees

I love Bob Ross. I mean, everybody loves Bob Ross, but I like to consider myself something of a superfan — I’ve seen every episode of The Joy of Painting, many of them multiple times, I have a collection of Bob Ross memorabilia (including a figurine that is currently on my desk), and I even dressed up as him to attend one of my sorority events when I was in college, including a curly-haired wig and fake beard. Bob Ross is a national treasure who embodies the kind of gentle, loving demeanor toward others and ourselves that I’m constantly striving to display on a deeper level, and now, I can do so in Morrowind of all places, thanks to this new mod inspired by The Joy of Painting.

Created by modder Merlord, the aptly named Joy Of Painting mod is available for download on GitHub. You will need to have the Ashfall mod installed first, though, which allows you to craft the ever-crucial easel and canvas. Once that’s done, all you need to do is place the easel down wherever you please (within reason), add a canvas, and then select which painting style you want to go with — the options include oil, watercolor, charcoal, and ink.  Unfortunately, the mod doesn’t let you freehand your painting or drawing, as you’ll only be able to select the subject of your painting based on who/what is in front of you. There are a few settings you can tweak, however, like brightness, contrast, and saturation.

It’s nice that players can take a break from beatin’ the devil out of their enemies and take some relaxing time to paint. I honestly couldn’t tell you what Bob Ross would think of video games, but I’d like to think he’d enjoy hearing that his legacy is living on even through interactive media. Here’s hoping that mods based on The Joy of Painting will become a regular thing, because I could use an ode to my favorite wholesome painter in every game I play for the rest of my life.