So you’ve seen the tent. That shady green canvas setup in the middle of your town square. You walk in, the music gets all low and sneaky, and there he is—Crazy Redd. He calls you "cousin," offers you a "family discount," and tries to sell you a masterpiece for 3,920 Bells.
Don't let the charm fool you. Redd is a shark.
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, filling the museum’s art gallery is one of the biggest grinds in the game. Unlike the older titles where buying art was basically a coin flip, New Leaf actually gives you a fighting chance. You can look at the art. You can see the flaws. But honestly, some of these "tells" are so tiny they’ll make your eyes bleed if you’re staring at a 3DS screen without a plan.
Getting a fake sucks. Blathers will give you that disappointed look, and Timmy and Tommy won't even buy the forgery from you. You’re stuck paying a 100-Bell disposal fee at Re-Tail just to get it out of your inventory.
Let's make sure that doesn't happen again.
The Golden Rule: Zoom In
Before you even think about handing over your Bells, you have to use the camera.
When you’re standing in front of a piece in Redd's tent, you can zoom in by pressing up on the D-pad. Use the L and R buttons to rotate the view. If you aren't doing this, you're basically guessing. Most forgeries in ACNL have one specific, glaring error that separates them from the real deal.
Sometimes Redd has four fakes. Sometimes he has one real piece. Occasionally, if the RNG gods are smiling, he might have two genuine items, but that's rare. Usually, it's a 1-in-4 shot.
Spotting the Fake Paintings
Most people start with paintings because they take up more space in the tent. Here is the lowdown on the most common scams Redd tries to pull.
The Amazing Painting (Rembrandt’s The Night Watch) is a classic trap. In the real version, the guy in the center-right is wearing a black suit with a red sash. In the fake, the colors are flipped—the guy on the right is in white, and the guy on the left is in black. If the man in the middle isn't in black, walk away.
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The Basic Painting (Gainsborough's The Blue Boy) is another one that trips people up. Look at his arms. In the real painting, his right arm is hanging down by his side while his left arm is tucked against his hip. The fake? He’s got both hands on his hips like he’s about to give you a lecture.
The Famous Painting (Da Vinci's Mona Lisa) is probably the most famous piece in the game. You’d think it’d be easy, right? Look at the hands. In the genuine version, her right hand is resting on top of her left. The fake has the left hand on top. It’s subtle, but it’s there.
The Serene Painting (Da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine) is almost funny. The real one features a lady holding a skinny, white ermine (it looks like a ferret). The fake? She’s holding a straight-up fluffy white house cat. If it looks like a pet you’d find in a suburban living room, it’s a forgery.
The Wistful Painting (Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring) has a very specific tell in New Leaf. Look at her headgear. The real one is wearing a blue headband/turban. The fake one has an orange one. Simple as that.
Pieces That are Always Real
Sometimes you get lucky. There are several paintings that Redd sells that are never fake. If you see these, buy them immediately:
- Calm Painting
- Common Painting
- Fine Painting
- Flowery Painting
- Moody Painting
- Nice Painting
- Perfect Painting
- Proper Painting
- Scenic Painting
- Warm Painting
- Worthy Painting
If one of these is in the tent, your search is over.
The Statues: Where Things Get Weird
Statues are harder. They’re 3D, the lighting in the tent is terrible, and the differences are often structural.
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Take the Ancient Statue (the Dogu figure). This is one of the easiest to spot once you know what to look for. The real statue has its eyes closed. The fake has its eyes wide open. It looks creepy, honestly.
The Beautiful Statue (Venus de Milo) is a trickster. You have to look at the hair. In the real version, her hair is short and doesn't touch her shoulders. In the fake, she has long, flowing hair that reaches down to her shoulders.
The Gallant Statue (Michelangelo’s David) is all about the drapery. The real David has a cloth (a sling) draped over his left shoulder. The fake has a cloth draped over both shoulders like a towel.
The Motherly Statue (Capitoline Wolf) is a math problem. The real statue has two human infants underneath the wolf. The fake only has one. Count the babies. If there's only one kid, Redd is trying to fleece you.
The Robust Statue (The Discobolus) is probably the most "video-gamey" fake. The real athlete is holding a smooth, stone disc. The fake is holding a literal UFO. Yes, a flying saucer with ridges. It’s absurdly obvious once you zoom in.
How to Handle Redd’s Schedule
Redd doesn't have a set day like the shop hours. He’s a "roaming" NPC. He’ll show up once a week, Monday through Saturday, between 10:00 AM and midnight.
If you're trying to speed-run your museum, you can use time travel, but there's a trick to it. If you find Redd on a Tuesday, buy your art, then save and quit. Move the clock to Wednesday to get your mail, then move it back to Tuesday. Redd will be there again, but his inventory will have reset.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Visit
- Clear your inventory. You can only buy one piece of art per character, but you still need space for the furniture Redd sells (which is often high-end or rare).
- Bring a friend. If you have multiple player characters in your town, each one can buy a piece of art. If Redd happens to have two real pieces, switch characters to snag both.
- Check the "Always Genuine" list first. It saves you so much time. If the Flowery Painting is there, you don't even need to look at the others.
- Wait for the mail. Remember, Redd doesn't give you the item on the spot. He ships it. It will arrive in your mailbox the next morning.
- Don't throw fakes in the trash immediately. While Blathers won't take them, some fakes actually look cool in a "villain" themed room or a basement gallery.
Filling the museum is a marathon, not a sprint. You're going to get some duplicates. You're probably going to accidentally buy a fake because you misread the "Mona Lisa" hands at 11:45 PM. It happens. Just keep this guide handy, zoom in close, and don't let that fox get the better of you.