We test Pokemon Art Academy out with a real family. Bringing together Pokemon collecting and real artistic skills this is a game that offers a fresh challenge and some educational benefits along the way.

I ask Nintendo to confirm the details on the trophies. “The Pokémon Art Academy game doesn’t have a scoring system, so there is no way to evaluate how good the player’s drawing is.
The ‘trophies’ in this game are more there to show the current progress, and which lesson is a main lesson and which one is a mini-lesson.”

“Within a course, the trophies appear as: Yellow/Gold trophy when the player has finished the main lesson; Grey/Silver trophy when the player has finished one mini-lesson”

Official blurb:
“Grab your stylus and start your Pokémon-drawing journey in Pokemon Art Academy 3DS, only on Nintendo 3DS family systems! This Pokémon-themed iteration of the Art Academy series offers budding illustrators and Pokémon fans alike 40 lessons to learn how to paint, sketch and draw with beloved Pokémon characters. Along the way, students of Pokémon Art Academy can pick up actual illustration skills that they can transfer onto real canvas or paper, or share their digital masterpieces with the world.
Wield the stylus with tactile precision on the Touch Screen to use the plethora of paint, pencils and pastels. A friendly tutor takes students of all ages through easy-to-follow lessons and step-by-step guides that teach genuine painting and drawing techniques, each of which breaks down complex-looking images into simple steps and show off new techniques that allow anyone to create artwork they can be proud of. While other Art Academy titles focus on traditional and fine art, this Pokémon-themed iteration lets players try their hand at illustration. So head into Pokemon Art Academy and meet Professor Andy, who teaches players to draw and train their creative skills — beginning with starter Pokémon and working up to legendary masterpieces.
Every artist needs tools, and the Touch Screen toolbox once again houses a bright range of pencils, pastels and paint. There are also art materials brand new to the series, such as Markers that make block colours with clean sharp edges, and Airbrushes that allow for a fine graduation of colour. In addition, the new Outline Pen leaves a smooth line that cannot be coloured over – perfect for cartoon drawings with slick borders. Finally, don’t worry about making mistakes when experimenting, as the new Undo feature allows the removal of several previously made steps from a masterpiece-in-progress.
Content supported by Nintendo including access to 2DS and the game.”