At the end of 2012 I was approached by Nintendo to become an ambassador for their New Art Academy game to be used on the 3DSXL controller. It was an exciting opportunity for me, a surprising one too, as I had never expected that a gaming company would be interested in an artist like me!

Once I learnt more about the game the relevance became clear, The New Art Academy uses traditional drawing techniques, hundreds of digital pencils, paints and pastels and can be used as a daily portable drawing tool. For those who are new to art there are numerous helpful tutorials, and those who are more experienced will find that they revisit old skills and refine their art practice, all without any mess!

In November 2012 I was flown to Sydney to give my first Masterclass using the 3DSXL and New Art Academy game. Around 30 people attended, a mixture of press, my fans and Nintendo enthusiasts. We were lucky to ride by boat around scenic Sydney Harbour where we anchored in front of the Sydney Opera house, it was such a beautiful day! Everyone on the boat was given a 3DSXL and game to use and I gave them a tutorial about the program and how it can be used as a daily drawing tool. You can watch a brief video about the day here.

Alongside the Sydney masterclass Nintendo ran an "Inspirations of the Nation" competition, the 10 best entries as voted by the public won their own Nintendo 3DSXL, Art Academy game, flights to Melbourne, one nights accommodation and a Masterclass at my studio with me. It was such a great day and so fun to meet the winners!

Here are some pics of the Melbourne event at my studio below.