The game has a new user interface, a higher resolution, and lets players mix media more easily.

[2] IGN's Chris Schilling found Art Academy to be better and more complete than its predecessor but still capable of more.

Art Academy, Schilling felt, could serve as an educational preparation for games like Colors.

He praised the usefulness of the game's classes and their flourishes of art history, and found that the larger Nintendo 3DS XL screen let the player add more detail.

[1] A sequel, Art Academy: Sketchpad, was released in 2013 as Wii U eShop app.