Name

Mobile Art Academy

Legal name

Mobile Art Academy

Website

https://mobileartacademy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Art Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Arts & Design (Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation) (EDAMAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA), Creativity, Art & Music Learning Apps (EDACANAE)

Keywords

• Digital art education
• Online art courses
• Mobile art instruction
• Creative technology training
• Art workshop programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Course Sales: One-time purchase model for individual video courses teaching specific apps and techniques. Courses range from $22-$47 per class.
2. Course Bundles/Packages: Pre-packaged collections of 25+ or 50+ video lessons at discounted rates (e.g., BASIC Package for $67, PRO Package with 50+ lessons).
3. Free Introductory Classes: Free entry-level classes (e.g., How to Paint a Peacock, Holiday Card courses) that introduce students to mobile art apps and upsell to paid courses.
4. Camps and Workshops: Live online summer camps for children ages 8-14 teaching animation, 3D sculpting, eBook creation on iPad via Zoom.
5. Conference Recordings: Sale of recorded conference sessions from mDAC Summits, such as the 2020 Virtual Conference at $67.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mobile Art Academy sells online video courses, live workshops, and summer camps that teach digital fine art creation on mobile devices (iPads, iPhones, Android tablets). The curriculum centers on popular third-party art apps including Procreate, ArtRage, Paper 53, ArtStudio, Autodesk SketchBook, Snapseed, ArtSet, and Infinite Painter, with offerings ranging from free introductory classes to premium courses ($22-$150), bundled packages, masterclasses, and instructor resource kits.

Product overview

Mobile Art Academy is an online education platform that teaches digital art creation on mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, Android tablets). Founded in 2013 in Silicon Valley, the company offers a comprehensive catalog of video courses organized around specific art apps and techniques. The core product consists of individual courses on apps including Procreate, ArtRage, ArtSet Pro, Paper 53, Autodesk SketchBook, Snapseed, Infinite Painter, and ArtStudio. These are supplemented by bundled packages (MobileArt BASIC with 25+ lessons, PRO with 50+ lessons, and specialty combo packages), live camp programs for children, masterclasses, and access to recorded conference sessions from the annual mDAC Summit. Courses range from free introductory classes to premium courses ($22-$150) and target users from beginners to experienced artists. The platform also publishes The Joy of Drawing series combining video lessons with companion books for traditional and digital drawing instruction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Procreate Fundamentals Course Self-paced beginner course teaching Procreate app basics including brushes, layers, settings, and digital painting techniques on iPad, priced at $37.00 USD.
• ArtRage Digital Painting Course Beginner curriculum for the ArtRage app covering oil brushes, watercolor brushes, color palettes, layers, and reference-photo painting, available for iOS and Android.
• ArtSet Pro Course Course on the ArtSet Pro app teaching oil brushes, pastels, charcoal, conte crayon, and blending tools with a traditional natural feel, for iPad only.
• Paper 53 Fundamentals Course Beginner course on the Paper by FiftyThree app covering pencil, watercolor brush, ruler, roller, scissors, and color mixing tools; free app for iOS.
• Autodesk SketchBook Pro Course Course teaching professional-grade paint and drawing features of Autodesk SketchBook for iOS and Android tablets.
• Digital Plein Air Painting Course 30+ minute video course with written lesson plan and reference photo teaching outdoor painting using iPad with Art Set and Procreate apps, priced at $22.00 USD.
• Portrait Painting on iPad Course Step-by-step portrait painting course using Procreate, covering canvas setup, tonal underpainting, mid-tones, highlights, and finishing techniques, priced at $37.00 USD.
• Inner & Outer Game of Selling Your Art Course 9-lesson course on art sales techniques by Martha Zlatar, covering mindset, limiting beliefs, 8 stages of selling, objection handling, and collector cultivation, priced at $47.00 USD.
• The Joy of Drawing Course Series Video course following The Joy of Drawing book covering traditional and digital drawing techniques using Procreate; includes 20 lessons (Traditional + Digital), companion book, and community page access, priced at $97.00 USD.
• iPad Art Camp Week-long live online camp teaching digital drawing and painting on iPad for ages 8-13, covering Disney characters, still life, abstract art, and fonts via Zoom.
• iPad Creativity Camp Week-long camp teaching animation, movie creation, 3D sculpting, music composition, and eBook creation on iPad for ages 8-13 via live Zoom sessions.
• Digital Watercolor Masterclass Masterclass on digital watercolor painting using Procreate, taught by watercolor artist Elaine Pawski covering watercolor brushes and techniques.
• Digital Collage Masterclass Masterclass on creating digital collages in Procreate covering layers, masking, photo import, color palette, and brushes, taught by Barbara Braman.
• Holiday Calligraphy and Decoration Masterclass Masterclass on creative lettering and 3D calligraphy using Procreate for holiday cards, taught by master calligrapher Margi Laurin.
• How to Paint a Peacock (Free Class) Free introductory class teaching basic steps of creating art on iPad or iPhone using the Paper by 53 app, led by Caroline Mustard.
• Create Animated GIFs (Free Class) Free course teaching animated GIF creation using the Sketchclub app for social media enhancement, taught by Jeannie Mecorney.
• Hanukkah Holiday Card with ArtSet (Free Class) Free holiday card creation course using the ArtSet app, taught by Jeannie Mecorney.
• Holiday Card Painting with Procreate (Free Class) Free course creating 4 holiday card lessons using the Procreate and Snapseed apps, taught by Caroline Mustard.
• MobileArt BASIC Package Bundle offering access to 25+ video classes including Paper FiftyThree, Procreate, and Holiday Card courses, priced at $67.00 USD.
• MobileArt PRO Package Comprehensive package with 50+ video classes covering ArtSet, ArtStudio, Sketchbook Pro, Autodesk Sketchbook, and more; described as the most popular offering.
• Plein Air Combo Package 20% discounted bundle including Procreate, Art Set Pro, and Digital Plein Air Painting courses taught by Jeannie Mecorney and Caroline Mustard, priced at $69.00 USD.
• Mobile Digital Art Basic Instruction Kit Instruction kit for art instructors, coaches, and parents with PDF/slideshow lessons on Paper 53 and Sketchbook for Education, including National Visual/Media Arts Standards integration and 5 years of classroom experience, priced at $150.00 USD.
• mDAC 2020 Virtual Conference Recording Video recordings of the MDAC 2020 Virtual Conference (June 27-28, 2020) including Power of Procreate 5.0, Figure Drawing, Self Portrait, and Procreate Lettering sessions, priced at $67.00 USD.
• mDAC Summit Annual Conference Annual Mobile Digital Art & Creativity Summit bringing together digital artists and speakers from around the world for workshops, masterclasses, and an international exhibition, held in Mountain View, California.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• ArtRagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for digital painting courses. Mobile Art Academy developed a six-part lesson series teaching ArtRage app fundamentals including oil brushes, watercolor brushes, color palettes, layers, and photo importing. Partnership enables course development with direct involvement from ArtRage.
• MicrosoftflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain sponsor of mDAC Exhibition bringing HoloLens mixed reality technology, Paint 3D, and Story Remix to exhibition attendees. Microsoft representatives demonstrated future technologies for art studios and schools. Dan Ayoub delivered keynote on Microsoft's vision for AI and mixed reality in creative education.
• ProcreateflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain sponsor of mDAC Exhibition with artist work displayed on Procreate Wall of Fame. Procreate is featured extensively in Mobile Art Academy courses as the primary iOS painting app.
• Autodesk SketchBookcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain sponsor of mDAC Exhibition bringing SketchBook Pro to demonstrations. Mobile Art Academy offers courses on Autodesk SketchBook Pro for iPad and Android.
• Bay PhotocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrint sponsor for mDAC Exhibition for five consecutive years, printing the entire exhibition for the annual show.
• Paper 53coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of mDAC Exhibition and featured app in Mobile Art Academy courses. One of the earliest and most popular art apps featured in curriculum.
• Pacific Art LeagueflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for mDAC Exhibition since 2013. First organization to support the exhibition by housing it in their historic building in downtown Palo Alto. Multi-year partnership supporting mobile digital art showcase.
• TechCodecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain sponsor hosting the two-day mDAC 2017 conference in their Mountain View conference space.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Udemy: Massive global course marketplace with thousands of digital art, illustration, and Procreate tutorials sold as one-time purchases. Overlaps Mobile Art Academy's content and pricing model (individual courses $20-$50) but as part of a vastly broader catalog across all subjects.

Direct peers

• Skillshare: Subscription-based online learning marketplace with a large catalog of creative courses including digital illustration, mobile art, and design. Directly competes with Mobile Art Academy for the same self-directed learner persona and overlaps significantly on Procreate, Photoshop, and digital painting topics.
• The Gnomon Workshop: Long-running online training library for entertainment and concept art covering digital painting, illustration, and 3D workflows. Comparable in artist-taught video course model, perpetual access structure, and professional/serious-hobbyist audience.
• CreativeLive: Online education platform focused on creative arts, photography, and design with both live workshops and on-demand courses. Comparable in subject matter (digital art, photography, illustration) and in combining individual courses with workshop-style events.
• CGMA (Computer Graphics Master Academy): Online school for digital art used in film, games, and animation with structured term-based courses taught by industry artists. Comparable in delivering tool- and technique-specific digital art education (painting, illustration, concept art) to serious self-directed learners.
• New Masters Academy: Online art school offering structured video courses and live mentorship in drawing, painting, and illustration. Comparable in artist-led video course model and in spanning beginner to advanced learners, though broader in topic coverage than mobile-only art.
• SVSLearn (Society of Visual Storytelling): Subscription-based online education community focused on digital illustration, storytelling, and concept art taught by industry professionals. Comparable in format (subscription plus structured workshops) and in targeting artists building skills in mobile/tablet-friendly digital workflows.
• Domestika: Online creative school specializing in illustration, design, and digital arts with professionally produced video courses taught by working artists. Closely comparable in format (one-time course purchases or bundled learning paths), audience (aspiring digital artists), and emphasis on app-/technique-specific instruction.
• Schoolism: Online art school offering structured, instructor-led courses in illustration, concept art, and digital painting taught by working professionals. Highly comparable in model (artist-taught video courses on specific tools/techniques) and target learner (aspiring to intermediate digital artists).

Emerging players

• Ctrl+Paint: Independent online resource offering digital painting tutorials and downloadable lessons focused on fundamentals like value, color, and brushwork. Comparable in being a small, artist-run digital art education property with video course products and a similar self-paced, self-serve model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mobilearted
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/mobileartacademy
• Facebookfacebook.com/mobileartacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mobile-art-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mobile Art Academy