For the first time ever, kids will be begging to attend summer school. Summer art school, that is.
With its release next week, Nintendo expands its line of art training video games for the Nintendo 3DS with Disney Art Academy, which will teach kids how to draw more than 80 of their favorite Disney and Pixar characters. The game includes classics, such as the OG face of Disney—Mickey Mouse— to Snow White, Woody, Elsa and a ton of more animated characters that kids and parents love.
With the quickly approaching Art Festival, Disney Art Academy is in a dire need of an art extraordinaire. That’s where players come in. After Professor Ian welcomes prospective students on the warm and sunny beach, they gain some insight on the academy. Then, it’s time to get out that stylus and get drawin’.
Whether a child is a Picasso-in-the-making, or may lack in the artistic department, the Disney adaptation of the game makes sure to assess their skill level before they throw them into the world of sketches, shading, and stencils. After the professor talks a little bit more about Disney Art Academy and the exciting Art Festival that will showcase all of his or her best work, its time to complete the Entry Skill Level exercise. For this, the student chooses which half of the #DisneyPowerCouple to draw: Mickey or Minnie Mouse. I decided to take a whack at Mickey Mouse, and was brought to a screen that featured a completed sketch of Mickey’s head. From here, Professor Ian led the way on what and when to color and draw. Finer details, such as the tongue and ears, were the finishing touches.
Once the first work of art is done, aspiring artists get choose a background for their drawing, add it to their portfolio, scribble their very own signature—which kids can change at any time—and earn their first star stamp card. Throughout the game, players will earn various stamp cards to record their progress after they complete each lesson.
Now, kids are ready to take on Art Academy, Disney style. The game gives players the choice of two different projects to start with: Expressions or Portraits. After they choose one, they get to experience a warm-up that teaches the basic skills that the lesson will cover. For instance, I decided to start off with a little portrait practice. With the choice of a few classic Disney princesses, I gave Snow White a try. Throughout the lesson, the instructor explains key concepts appropriate to that specific drawing. Whereas Snow White is “the fairest of them all” I was schooled on the effects of contrasting colors, and why Snow White’s dark hair, light skin, and bright red lips are crucial in order to properly portray the princess. Likewise, every preceding lesson has a main theme that students learn and then execute throughout the lesson, all while they simultaneously unlock new art tools for their tool box along the way.
What would a Disney game be without a little magic? New to the Art Academy series is the Magic Brush, which lets artists add special magical touch such as stars, clouds, glitter, and more fun features.
An important factor to keep in mind is that while there is an eraser tool, sometimes it’s a bit easier to simply undo, and even redo, an action through the use of the “L” and “R” buttons. Additionally, players can zoom in and out of their drawings when they press on the up and down arrow buttons, as well as scroll to the precise spot that they want with the circle button. Lastly, while the touch screen is the artist’s canvas, the top screen acts as a helpful point of reference that always displays the picture with the corresponding step that a player is working on.
Disney Art Academy is the go-to game for Disney lovers who have their own creative flair. The Nintendo game is designed for any skill level, and acts as a great reference tool for kids who want to learn more about art and enjoy a little Disney fun along the way.
