The truth is Strago dabbled in art himself, in his youth - he and Gungho used to talk about an illustrated field guide to monsters - but he never had much in the way of technical skill. On lucky days he might catch the life of something, some suggestion of its energy or motion, but the proportions were always all wrong, and contours got away from him.

Relm's been brooding for weeks - worried, although she won't say it, that without magic she'll have to relearn to paint from scratch - and so finally he sets up two easels, two sets of paint pots, and tells her they'll practice together.