Item Customization and Painting

Overview

Item customization in Pokemon Pokopia revolves around the Paint system, unlocked by recruiting Smearguru, one of the seven Special Pokemon. Painting lets you change the color of placed furniture, building exteriors, and blocks without affecting their functional properties. The process has three steps: produce dyes using the Crush specialty, craft Paint Balloons (or use Smearguru directly as a follower), and apply the color to any item marked with a paintbrush icon.

Unlocking the Paint System

The painting system is unlocked during the Bleak Beach storyline. Follow these steps to unlock it:

1. Reach Great Trainer Rank by completing the "Yawn Up a Storm!" quest in the Withered Wasteland. This opens the gate to Bleak Beach.

2. Find Smearguru in its private hut on the far northern beach of Bleak Beach, underneath a gazebo. Smearguru will be painting on a canvas.

3. Bring Smearguru a Leppa Berry. Leppa Berries are obtained by headbutting trees (they look like small apples). You can also use Water Gun on withered trees to revive them, then headbutt for berries.

4. Have a Pokemon with the Crush specialty (such as Onix or Pawmo) turn the Leppa Berry into Red Dye.

5. Return the Red Dye to Smearguru.

6. Build the Tiny Atelier habitat (Habitat #092) to recruit Smearguru. It requires 1 Blank Canvas and 1 Seat.

7. Once recruited, Smearguru gives you the Paint Balloon crafting recipe and the Paint specialty becomes available.

Producing Dyes

Dyes are not found in the world; they must be produced using the Crush specialty. Give berries or food items to any Pokemon with the Crush specialty, and they will grind them into colored dye. Different berries and food items produce different colors.

Each of the six berry types produces a distinct base color. Black and White paint cannot be targeted directly; instead, they appear as random bonus drops when crushing other berries. Leppa, Chesto, and Lum berries occasionally yield White paint alongside their primary color, while Pecha, Rawst, and Aspear berries occasionally produce Black paint. Because the bonus drop rate is low, stockpiling extra berries and crushing them in bulk is the most reliable way to accumulate Black and White paint.

The Crush specialty also has a second function: grinding raw Limestone into Concrete when used with a Concrete Mixer. Make sure to give berries specifically when you want dye, not construction materials.

Pokemon with the Crush Specialty

There are 20 Pokemon with the Crush specialty. Onix and Pawmo are among the earliest you can recruit.

Two Painting Methods

There are two ways to apply paint to items:

Method 1: Smearguru as Follower

Set Smearguru as your follower Pokemon, then walk up to a placed furniture item or building. If the item is paintable (indicated by a paintbrush icon), interact with it and Smearguru will paint it directly. You choose the color from your available dyes. Smearguru can also apply patterns and color individual segments of multi-part furniture pieces, not just the entire item at once.

Method 2: Paint Balloons

Craft Paint Balloons at a Workbench using dyes (at least 2 units of dye per balloon). Stand in front of or select the item you want to paint, then use the balloon on it. Paint Balloons are throwable items that apply color on impact. The balloon's color matches the dye used to craft it. This method works without Smearguru present, making it useful for painting items in regions where Smearguru is not stationed. Paint Balloons are especially handy for:

• Painting elevated decorations or items placed on high shelves

• Recoloring items in tight spaces where Smearguru cannot easily reach

• Quick batch painting of multiple items without walking to each one

• Painting building exteriors by throwing balloons at the outside walls

What Can Be Painted

Not every item in the game supports painting. Look for the paintbrush icon on an item to determine if it is paintable.

Color Mixing and the Full Palette

Pokopia features 18 paint colors in total, derived from 8 base pigments (the six berry colors plus Black and White). The 8 base colors can be applied directly using 2 units of the same paint, while the remaining 10 are created by combining 1 unit of two different base paints at a Workbench when crafting Paint Balloons. Smearguru can also mix colors directly when painting in follower mode.

Buying Paint from the PC Shop

Once Palette Town reaches Environment Level 5, paint becomes available for purchase directly from the PC Shop at any rebuilt Pokemon Center. This provides a reliable alternative to berry crushing, especially for Black and White paint, which are otherwise only obtainable through low-chance bonus drops. Before reaching Environment Level 5, the daily shop inventory may occasionally include paint, but the selection is random and limited.

Patterns

Smearguru can apply decorative patterns to paintable items in addition to solid colors. When using Smearguru in follower mode, you get the option to choose between a solid color recoat or a patterned design. Patterns typically only apply to the fabric areas of any given item, and some items support two-part painting where you can color different sections independently.

There are 33 patterns available in total. You start with 10 beginning patterns unlocked by default. The remaining 23 are obtained from three sources:

Once you have obtained a pattern item and shown it to Smearguru, the design remains unlocked permanently. Patterns add visual variety beyond simple color changes, allowing for striped, spotted, or other decorative effects on furniture and blocks.

Tips

• Recruit Smearguru as early as possible. The painting system is purely cosmetic but adds enormous visual variety to your settlements.

• Keep a Crush-specialty Pokemon like Onix or Pawmo in every region so you can produce dyes wherever you are.

• Stockpile different berry types. Each berry (and possibly food items) produces a different dye color when crushed.

• Paint Balloons work without Smearguru present. Craft a supply and carry them with you for on-the-go painting across all regions.

• Check for the paintbrush icon before attempting to paint. Not all items support it.

• Experiment with color mixing to discover additional shades beyond the base berry colors.

• Use Smearguru's follower mode when you want to apply patterns or color individual segments of multi-part furniture. Paint Balloons only apply solid colors.

• Photograph painted items at a friend's island and duplicate them with the 3D Printer. The printed copy retains the original color.

• The Paint specialty has a cooldown between uses. Plan painting sessions to batch multiple items at once.

• Recruit Bastiodon by building the Shield Fossil Display habitat (Habitat #197) in Rocky Ridges. It requires 1 Exhibition Stand and 1 Shield Fossil. Bastiodon has the Crush specialty, giving you another reliable paint producer.

• Once you reach Environment Level 5 in Palette Town, buy Black and White paint from the PC Shop instead of relying on random bonus drops from berry crushing.

• Trade Honey with Vespiquen to unlock exclusive paint patterns. You get up to 4 trades per day.