The artist at the gate had grown so conceited that his sketches all bore his own distinctive chin. (conceited: vain, egotistical, self-important; distinctive: characteristic, distinguishing, individual) His egotistical patter could enthrall a stranger, but residents began to detest his crass remarks. (egotistical: conceited, egotistic, self-centered; enthrall: captivate, fascinate, enchant; detest: loathe, abhor, hate; crass: coarse, insensitive, crude) The last straw was a smug self-portrait above a sign promising that an inferior likeness was impossible. (smug: self-satisfied, complacent, conceited)
A little girl asked for a drawing of her hirsute dog. (hirsute: hairy, shaggy, hair-covered) The dog refused to simper, smirk or even sit. (simper: smile coyly, smile affectedly, smile foolishly; smirk: smile smugly, smile self-satisfiedly, smile derisively) Every expression the self-absorbed artist drew was his own. (self-absorbed: self-involved, self-centered, egocentric) Finally he let the creature sidle behind a basket and watched the way one ear tilted toward his pencil. (sidle: edge, slip sideways, move stealthily)
It was the first good drawing he had made in a month. His self-deprecating caption, "A model impervious to flattery," brought back two customers. (self-deprecating: self-disparaging, modest, self-mocking; impervious: immune, unaffected, unmoved) The dog remained indifferent and ate the eraser. (indifferent: apathetic, unconcerned, uninterested)