Art Academy: Learn Painting and Drawing Techniques with Step-by-Step Training (Nintendo DS)

This is fab! A really simple but splendid idea which should appeal to a wide range of people. I am happy to go Mario Karting with the best of them, but in more reflective moments, sitting down and developing a skill (and I do feel that this game can develop a skill beyond just being good at a particular game) is great fun.The Art Academy consists of a series of lessons which teach you the basic controls, then show you the basics of sketching and painting in different styles. You are led through the lessons step by step by Vincent the artist who demonstrates each step, then allows you to complete the step yourself. You can save the lessons at any point - some take longer than others - and your completed works of art can be saved to the game card. It's a shame that there isn't a way to get the pictures off the DS though. I have been amazed at how good the few pictures I have done so far look not because they are great works of art, but because they look something like what they are supposed to look like! My art teacher from my school days would be amazed as creativity with pencils and paint really isn't my gift!The other part of Art Academy is the Free Painting section which allows you to really get creative. You can either choose from one of about 50 stock photos included with the game or, if you have a DSI take pictures of your own, and then use all of Art Academy's tools to make a picture.Using the game is a surprisingly pleasing experience. You soon feel as if you are using a pencil or a paintbrush rather than a stylus. You learn how to mix colours too.This is an excellent use of the DS - I can't think why no-one has nailed it sooner than this. My only complaint is that I'd have liked a few more lessons - there are 10 main lessons and then some mini lessons to help you practice the skills in the main lessons, perhaps more stock photos, and a means of getting images off the DS (at least on the DSI with its removable memory card). However these are no more than niggles, and certainly not enough to detract from this product's five star rating from me!

I put the game into my 3ds and it doesn't even work.. my 3ds works 1000% and it also came with some other game.. which I'm not even able to play called Dogz Fashion.I out the game in.. and it doesn't show up in in the game section, I took it out blew out the back of my 3ds.. nothing.. softly cleaned the back of the game.. nothing... I was rlly looking forward to trying it too

I purchased this as a present for my wife, thinking that it would be solely a fun distraction.... I'm pleased to say (as someone who attended life classes & drew/painted still life many years ago) that it DOES, in addition, deserve a little merit as an educational tool.Essentially you are given a picture of a subject (such as an apple) & you are given tools & palette to produce your own interpretation of that subject.Although life skills (such as viewing the subject from an exactly maintained distance & angle) are lost (as you are essentially drawing from a picture), the skills of composition, perspective and accentuating form via the use of light & shade are still taught (via the inbuilt program) & readily acquired.The colour palette is easy to use (probably TOO easy in comparison with traditional materials), and although it produces a pleasing pastel-like & often impressionistic finish, it really does produce a very "sameish" finish to each successive piece of work.The program has actually come as a bit of a revelation to my wife, who now understands how the observating/copying the effects of light & shade on an object can bring a drawing to life. This has in fact driven her on to trying drawing with pen & paper...It is worth having for the non-camera Nintendo console (as a large database of pictures to draw is included), although would be much better with the camera version as subjects/people/animals familiar to the user can be photographed & then drawn/painted.Having said that, there is nothing to stop you doing this from a traditional photo, for example.A great little distraction (and not too pricey)!

Art Academy was bought for my 13 year old daughter for Christmas as she really enjoys art and is quite a good artist. She has been really pleased with it, as she says that it helps show you how to draw and shade things step by step. She has created a lot of really good drawings including a wave which she is very pleased with as she says that she wouldn't have known how to draw moving water before. Although she was already quite good at art and it is helping her to improve, it would really help give ideas of where to start for those who struggle with their drawings. She says it is really good fun and enjoys completing drawings and unlocking new projects and that it has taught her loads. I would have to give this a real thumbs up.

This was in fact bought as a gift for my wife, she became bored with it fairly quickly and gave it away. That is not to say the concept is not OK but for her, she found the learning soon became unwanted.

I've always admired people who can paint and draw, especially because I am so bad at it. It's always something I would love to be able to do, so when I saw this advertised on tv it seemed so helpful and easy to follow, and I was right. I haven't completed all of the lessons yet but some of the drawings/paintings I've done so far have turned out fantastic (which came as a big shock I must admit). Even after the lessons are finished, you can just paint whatever subject, wherever and whenever you like.If you are interested in drawing/painting and would like to improve your skills then this is highly recommended, I've learnt so much already and I only started it a couple of days ago.Worth every penny and more!