Teachers can use mobile applications to integrate the visual arts back into the classroom, but how? This article generates recommendations for selecting and using well-designed mobile applications in the visual arts beyond a "click and view " approach. Using quantitative content analysis, the results show the extent to which a sample of 16 mobile applications promoted physiological features (e.g., interactive touch), psychological learning principles (post, share comment/art work), pedagogical voice (e.g., social constructivist teaching), socio-cultural dimensions (artist 's background), aesthetic understanding (e.g., line, color) and creative self-efficacy (e.g., the belief in the ability to make a new painting). We propose to address this imbalance through the pedagogical model Play, Curricular activities, Reflection, Discussion (PCARD).