The Curriculum Choice

Usborne Art Treasury

Art, Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Hands On 2 Responses »

Jan 152010

After many years of homeschooling, seven to be exact, I finally made an effort to include art appreciation in our school day. I decided to use The Usborne Art Treasury as our “spine”. The book introduces artists of many genres – from African masks to Vincent van Gogh to Georgia O’Keefe. Each artist is covered on four pages. The first two pages introduce one piece of art and a short biography about the artist. The next two pages offer step-by-step instructions to create an art project based on the artists piece of art.

This is a wonderful way to introduce your children to various artists and their artwork. In creating the art projects, your child will have the opportunity to explore various art medium – from oil pastels to watercolor paints to chalk pastels. They will also learn about different techniques used in art – from creating collages in the style of Picasso, creating African masks, or making sculptures in the style of Giacometti.

Emma's art based on Van Gogh's Starry Night

What do my kids think?

My daughter (my budding artist) loves the book! She loves being able to explore the different genres of art and to try to recreate art by the “real” artists. My son (who has no desire to do “art) tolerates it. He doesn’t complain, and has created some really nice art work based on the art in this book.

My experience with this book has been fabulous. I highly recommend it. This is a gentle introduction to art and artists.

Issac's art based on Van Gogh's Starry Night

Written by Tara, homeschooling two with a little bit of everything. You can visit her at her blog, Mom Teaches 2.

Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad

Art, Hands On 3 Responses »

Dec 102009

Draw Squad book

Our entire life has been made better by using Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration but I could easily say that this has been the most loved, used, and admired book in our art instruction courses over the past ten years. All three of my boys have worked their way through this art instruction book at least once.

Learning to draw can be an adventure. For my boys it has always been about making things look real. They wanted realistic cars, planes, houses, and animals. They wanted results! In my searching, I found Mark Kistler and his Draw Squad book. This book helped my children to get past stick figure drawing and sparked their continued interest in learning to draw even more proficiently.

Each lesson has a drawing challenge that you can keep track of on the provided progress sheet.

How is the Book Set -Up?
First Mark Kistler describes what he calls the Ten Key Words of Drawing. These include foreshortening, shading, surface, size, contour lines, overlapping, density, shadows, attitude, and daily use. These ideas are thoroughly covered in the Draw Squad book for your child to learn and then apply in their everyday drawing. These words are now a part of our art vocabulary. Working with these concepts in their own drawings, they can easily see how other artists use these tools and concepts in their paintings.

Each lesson gives you step-by-step instruction.

There are 30 drawing lessons in this particular book and they each are structured in a way that easily breaks down the steps to understanding the lesson’s concept and then the lesson helps your child apply the concept to his own ideas. Learning to draw is like learning a new language and Mark Kistler gives us the vocabulary and tools to speak a new “drawing” language in a fun and creative way.

How Long Does it Take?

We could easily complete a lesson each week so this book has a whole year’s worth of drawing lessons. We worked through the complete book in the 4th grade and then again in the 7th grade just for fun.

What Supplies Do You Need?

The book is set up like a workbook where you can actually make many of the drawings right on the pages. We have preferred over the years to do our actual sketching on drawing paper. This means the only supplies you will need are a stash of paper and some good old number two pencils.

I like to keep the completed drawings in a three ring binder. A one inch or perhaps a one and half inch size is enough to hold all those wonderful drawings your child will make in a year’s time.

After the lesson, Mark Kistler challenges the kids to draw something from their own imagination using the lesson's concepts.

Do I Need To Know How To Draw?

Mark Kistler can help anyone learn to draw. His style is easy to follow, encouraging you to learn the basics alongside your child if you have the desire. Draw Squad makes the process fun and so simple that you will feel successful after the very first lesson. The book is also very easily used independently by a middle school child.

My kids had fun learning to draw using Draw Squad!

What Do I Like Best About This Book?

As each of my children worked through this drawing book, I could see the lesson concepts reflected into their other artwork. Many people look at Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad and see a cartooning book, but the cartoon qualities are just the beginning and a vehicle for learning the way to make things look real when you sketch them out. The ideas eventually translate over into more serious artwork. Mark Kistler not only teaches children how to get started, but then he encourages them to add in their own personality. I love this aspect of his teaching.

When we make learning fun and our children have some success, they develop a love for that particular skill. I have seen that in action in our family using this particular drawing book.

This Book is Not Just for Young Children

Drawing and sketching are such important skills for everyone, young and old. Your children will use these skills for the rest of their lives. I have found that it is never too late to give it a try. I took my first drawing class at age 39 and I regret not doing it sooner.

If you are a fan of Mona Brookes’ book Drawing With Children, you may be interested to know that she wrote a glowing forward to Mark Kistler’s Draw Squad book.

For more information and free drawing plans from Mark Kistler, check out his website: Imagination Station

For more information and samples of our artwork, see my Squidoo Lens: Getting Started with Drawing and Painting

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom. She also blogs at http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com and her business is found at http://www.harmonyfinearts.com. I would love for you to join us for the Outdoor Hour Challenges: http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com.

Usborne Introduction to Art

Art, Charlotte Mason 2 Responses »

Nov 162009

Our family completes artist study once per month during the school year. We focus on one artist during that month – learning about their life, observing their art and completing art projects of our own.

One super book that has helped us during this art study time is The Usborne Introduction to Art by Rosie Dickins and Mari Griffith. Even more than being a specific help during artist study, it’s been an awesome, well, introduction to art!

In a 144 page, hard-cover, fully-colored book, you (oh, and your children!) are introduced to all sorts of art and artist related topics such as:

how to look at paintings critically
noticing art themes – like prayer, war, Biblical scenes and more
recognizing scenes
watching for illusions
artist’s materials and how they’re used
sections on Ancient/Medieval art, The Renaissance, Baroque/Rococo, Revolution art and the Modern World of art

Each and every page of this book is brightly colored with authentic artwork, photographs and “just enough” reading material for the typical upper elementary and middle school student. As with most artist study books, there are a few nudes here and there. If you’d rather your children not view these, you will need to preview the pages.

As with many Usborne books, this book is internet-linked, which means every few pages offers you a quick-link resource where you can go to find more about a certain topic on a safe internet site. There’s also a neat section in the back with an art timeline going from ancient times all the way to 1995. (The very first notation on the timeline mentions cave paintings dating to about 35,000BC. This is the only questionable reference I found.) You can also find a brief biography of each artist highlighted in the book – that’s about 140 artists – and a glossary of art terms.

The Introduction to Art has been a wonderful addition to our library!

There’s one more fun book I’d like to mention, just because we’re talking about art and Usborne.

The Art Sticker Book goes along with Introduction to Art very well. It’s sort of an introduction in and of itself. On each two page spread, there is information about a certain topic like:

fashion
children
nature
self-portraits
and 11 more!

In the back of the book, your children find full-color, authentic artists painting stickers to place in the correct picture frames on the information pages. My kids have had a ball with this book!

Along with these books, don’t forget about the Dover Art Cards as great art resources. What have you used to spice up art/artist study time?

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find Cindy blogging at Our Journey Westward and Shining Dawn Books.

Draw Write Now

Art, Uncategorized, Unit study resources, Writing 3 Responses »

Nov 082009

draw write now 1

We enjoy incorporating art into our unit studies. There are many ways to accomplish this, but one of my favorites is to have my children do a lesson from Draw Write Now, a series of books containing beginning drawing lessons and handwriting practice for primary and elementary students. The author, Marie Hablitzel, developed this collection of lessons for her second-grade students after seeing that they were becoming frustrated with their drawing skills and bored with tedious handwriting drills. Starting with the idea that drawing and handwriting require many of the same skills, Mrs. Hablitzel began designing lessons that combined the two. She also integrated these lessons with other subject areas such as reading, history, geography, and science. The result was students who became enthusiastic about learning to draw and write.

The series consists of eight volumes which can be purchased separately or as a set:

Book 1 – Farm Life, Kids and Critters, Storybook Characters

Book 2 - Christopher Columbus, Autumn Harvest, The Weather

Book 3 - Native Americans, North America, The Pilgrims

Book 4 - The Polar Regions, The Arctic, The Antarctic

Book 5 – The United States, From Sea to Sea, Moving Forward

Book 6 – Animal Habitats: On Land, Pond and Rivers, Oceans

Book 7 – Animals of the World: Tropical Forests, Northern Forests, Forests Down Under

Book 8 - Animals of the World: Savanna Animals, Grassland Animals, Mountain and Desert Animals

You can see the wide variety of topics, which makes it easy to find a drawing lesson that relates to what your students are learning about.

Each volume contains approximately twenty-four lessons, laid out in a clear, straight-forward manner. Each lesson includes five parts:

1. Introduce the subject – Information and questions are scattered throughout the books that the teacher can use to spark the students’ interest in the subject they will be drawing. There are also suggestions for books related to the topics.

2. Draw the subject – This is my favorite part of each lesson because the author has simplified the drawing process by breaking it down into easy steps, which are pictured for the student. The teacher is encouraged to help students see the objects they are drawing as combinations of lines and simple shapes.

3. Draw the background – Students are encouraged to be creative and use their imaginations as they add details to their drawings.

4. Practice handwriting – Students copy text that relates to the subject of the drawing. I’ve found that my children are much more excited about handwriting practice when it relates to something they have drawn.

5. Color the drawing – Tips are included for the best ways to color certain shapes so as to enhance the child’s drawing and not detract from it.

Each book is rounded out with additional information that I have found very helpful:

Teaching tips that give great insight and ideas for helping students to succeed at the five parts of each lesson.
One lesson in each book is dedicated to helping the student draw something from their imagination, as they are encouraged to think about things like how people move, positioning of a horizon line, choosing the size of a subject and deciding upon its placement on the paper, and more.
“Learn More” sections that contain supplemental information about the subjects being drawn.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the Draw, Write, Now series. After using these lessons, my reluctant artist has gained confidence in his drawing ability and even enjoys drawing now. And since I’ve never had an art lesson in my life, but have always wanted to learn to draw, it has been fun for me to do these lessons along with my children.

You can do a sample lesson from Book 1, the easiest of the eight volumes, by visiting the Draw, Write, Now website, where you’ll find much more information about this series.

Written by Shannon, who enjoys learning to draw alongside her three children. She can be found blogging about her family’s homeschool adventures at Song of My Heart.

Come Look With Me-Art Book Series

Art, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Preschool 3 Responses »

Oct 292009

To most of us, modern art is a mystery. I admit freely that most of the abstract modern art that I have been exposed to does not move me emotionally. I find myself trying to “understand” it and make sense of it but there is very little to understand about art like this.

Untitled Mark Rothko

I really have to go out on a limb here and say that I am not the only one left scratching their head over this sort of painting. Granted not all modern art is this expressionistic. If you want to prepare you children for a museum visit where you know you will be seeing some modern art, I have a suggestion.

Painting On One Page, Questions and Background on the Other

Come Look With Me: Exploring Modern Art by Jessica Noelani Wright is just one book in a whole series of really great children’s art books. Each two page spread has one page with a color art print and one page with questions to use to discuss what you are looking at as well as background information about the artist and the artwork. Other artists presented in this book are Grant Wood, Georgia O”Keeffe, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Andy Warhol.

stack of books

Perhaps you wish to expose your young children to paintings and artists but don’t know where to begin. You might be interested in checking out more in the Come Look With Me book series. Our favorite is Come Look With Me: Animals in Art.

Come Look With Me! Animals in Art by Gladys S. Blizzard is a book we have enjoyed tremendously over the years. This is a great art appreciation book for young ones, having text that goes along with the prints and questions so you can discuss each painting with your child. Some artists included in this book are Edward Hicks, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, and even some prehistoric art.

My son was inspired to draw his own cat after reading the book. I always encourage my boys to draw something from the art appreciation books that we read. In a way it is copying, but I think imitating an artist’s style helps them learn to solve their own drawing or painting problems. Art is just a way of solving problems. You learn to make things look real, you learn perspective, you learn balance, you learn design, and so much more when you are drawing or painting.

Simple but effective. As the parent, you don’t have to be the expert.You can use these books one at a time, one painting at a time to introduce in a casual and enjoyable way the delight in great art. Some paintings you will really love and some you will not at all. That is the beauty of art, there are no right or wrong answers.

Paintings Large Enough to See Details

The books in this series have artwork large enough for you to really see the details. The book could be displayed very easily as part of your picture study. There are just enough questions for each painting to get your child really looking at and observing the artwork presented. Even though these books are fairly short, you could take the featured artists and expand your study by viewing more of their paintings online before moving on to a new artist.

spines

Check your local library before purchasing any books in this series since you may find that you can borrow these popular books instead of purchasing them. I love them so much that I have quite a collection on our art shelf.

Look for these additional titles:

Enjoying Art With Children -Manet, Renoir, Picasso, and more

World of Play -Bruegel, Homer, Rivera, and more

Exploring Landscape Art with Children -Van Gogh, Roussseau, Bierstadt, and more

The Artist at Work -Turner, Millet, Monet, Degas, and more

American Indian Art -Native American artwork including paintings, beadwork, dolls, and other art objects

Art in Early America -Peale, Catlin, Heade, Audubon, and more

This series of art books can be used as part of your picture study plans, art appreciation plans, or just as an enjoyable way to share art with your children.

Dover Art Cards

Art 7 Responses »

Oct 052009

Before Barb posted her wonderful review about Dover art cards back in July, I had the same topic on my list of products I wanted to write about. I considered changing my planned review, but decided if the cards are good enough for two of us to review, then everyone needs to know that! And they are!

Unfortunately, I’m fairly new to the cards, so I don’t have all the creative ideas laid out (yet) like Barb suggests, but they have already come in quite handy for artist study!

In our home, we choose to study one artist per month through the school year. Once per week during that month, we observe the artist’s work, read books about his or her life, and try our hand at creating our own pieces in the style of the artist. Each week, we choose one painting (or other work) to focus on for in-depth study.

Before I found the Dover art cards, we would look at the chosen works on the internet or in a book that I checked out from the library. This worked well for us (and still does when I don’t have the particular art card I want), but having the art cards has really improved the learning and the presentation.

My children can get their hands on the sturdy, postcard-sized reproductions to observe up-close. They’re able to prop the postcard up in front of them as they attempt to recreate the painting. They’re able to sort the cards in order from first productions to last, either within one artist’s collection, or among many artists. They have also been known to sort the cards based on characteristics like “impressionist”, “bright”, “dreary”, “moving” – whatever suits their fancy.

As the mom and teacher, I’ve been able to set up little artist centers to display art work, library books and art supplies that I want my children to gravitate toward. These centers allow me to secretly direct the learning by offering enchanting little spots for my children to dive into the artist themselves.

Dover offers a bunch of art card books, most having around 24 cards and priced between $5.95 and $6.95 per book. The cards come four per page and are perforated to tear apart easily. Printed on a thick cardstock, the front of each card shows the painting with a glossy coating. The back of each card gives basic information about the art including the artist, title, year of production and art medium used to create the work.

I ought to mention that you will occasionally come across a nude or two in the books. I simply tear the pictures from the books and file them away in a baggie until I need them, allowing me to discard any that aren’t suitable.

I’d love to hear how you use your art cards!

-Written by Cindy, eclectically Charlotte Mason mom of 3. You can find her blogging at Our Journey Westward and Shining Dawn Books.

Complete-A-Sketch

Art, Hands On, High School, Highschool 1 Response »

Oct 012009

My boys unanimously agree that they like the Complete-A-Sketch workbooks from Insight Technical Education.

These have been a great tool for both my sons as part of their drawing skills curriculum. The workbook is set up so there is a small completed sketch in one corner and then there are several guides marks on the larger portion of the page where the child will duplicate the sketch from the top. The back of the book describes it as “complex dot-to-dot”, but I have found them to be challenging for my very technically apt middle and high school age boys.

They have learned to use a straight edge and circle template with these workbooks. I have expected neat and careful work. Even so, these assignments are considered “fun” by my boys.

We have completed:
Orthographic Volume 1
Perspective Volume 3

We will be ordering and completing the Advanced Complete-A-Sketch program later this year. One aspect of this program that I especially like is that now you can purchase the books as an ebook. The ebook version allows me to print a page for my son on demand which will be very handy.

Here are some samples.

Here is a “before” sample.

Here is an “after” sample.

I would recommend these workbooks for middle school age students and above. I purchased my Complete-A-Sketch curriculum from Rainbow Resource. If you purchase the print edition, I would recommend getting one workbook for each child since this is something you can not share.

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom. She also blogs at http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com and her business is found at http://www.harmonyfinearts.com.

Have you heard about Eeboo?

Art, Charlotte Mason, Preschool, Science, Writing 5 Responses »

Aug 092009

Brenda and I had the privilege to review products from a new-to-us company with a funny but memorable name, eeBoo. We decided to combine our reviews into one entry so you can see a variety of their items and get two different perspectives about a line of products that is sure to become one of your favorites too.

Here is Brenda’s review to start us off.

I’m always on the hunt for new companies to add to my list of favorites to buy high quality games and toys from. It makes it easier to go into a toy store or shop online when I have a pre-approved list of companies, and it helps me narrow down my searches. Eeboo has been added to my list.

wall_birds1 Eeboo has an amazing assortment of products for young minds. I was fortunate to be able to review some wall cards and a story game, provided by this excellent company. The wall cards are perfect for my budding bird-lovers. They are beautifully illustrated number cards that have birds from 1-10. These cards are durable and look lovely displayed on a wall.

Now, if your tot doesn’t have an interest in birds, how about trains? Eeboo has counting trains too. Their wall cards don’t end with counting numbers, they also have a wide assortment of alphabet cards like animals, tools and flowers. There are several ways that I have thought about using these cards since I can’t display them all and I also happened to buy the tool alphabet set at a toy store while on vacation this summer. I thought about sliding the cards into page protectors in a binder to make a book, and displaying just a few at a time while we are learning that letter or number on an IKEA curtain wire including clips for 4.95, in the school room.

I’m definitely going to use these cards with the my little girl when we begin bird watching for our nature studies. I have collected a hand full of field guides to help us discover which birds we are watching and these particular cards will give us a head start because they have the names of the birds on them. The illustrations are also perfect for having young ones draw a bird in their nature study book, cause we all know birds don’t usually stick around and pose for a picture for too long.

tms_forest

Eeboo also has the perfect tool for budding writers. Tell Me a Story cards have brought hours of fun and laughter for my 5 year old daughter and I. The first time I opened this game, she devoured the box. We had to go through every card! The directions come with several games to play but her favorite is when we both take turns choosing a random card from the pile and add on to our silly story…and add…and add…and giggle.

We have the Mystery in the Forest edition, and I’m so happy to discover that there are 3 more editions. I’ve secretly bought her another one for her next birthday.

My “school” plan for using this pre-writing tool is choosing a few cards for her to dictate (or tell me a story about), while I write it down for her. Then I would read it back to her and have her draw a picture to go with her story. This would also work well with my seven year old son. I have also found that if I leave these cards in the dining room that my other children find them and start coming up with their own games to play with them. I can see why Tell Me a Story cards have won the Best Toy Award, because they are very versatile.

Written by Brenda, a classical eclectic mother of 5. You can find her writing at Tie That Binds Us about her homeschooling journey.

Now it is my turn! Our family decided to test these products out together…including our teen boys and my daughter Amanda! Thumbs up from everyone!

Screech Owl at Dusk. Robin Cheer Up. September Serenade.

eeboo-pencils_nature Don’t those color names make you want to go grab your nature journal and start sketching? Even before we opened the pencil box, we all noticed the beautifully illustrated tin they were packaged in. The watercolor style painting of birds on this eeBoo pencil set is attractive and so inspiring that you will want to open them up and get started. The sturdy tin box will be a great way to transport the pencils in a backpack on our hiking adventures. We all appreciated among the twenty-four pencils in the set that there are three shades of yellow, three shades of green, and four shades of brown. When you work in your nature journal it is wonderful to have a variety of natural shades to choose from when you need just the right color for a wildflower you find or to sketch a tree seen in a meadow. We will be adding these colored pencils to our list of items to take on our nature rambles, using them when we are inspired out of doors.

Speaking of nature journals, our family was also asked to review their Nature and Observations Notebook. We loved the size and feel of this journal. It is spiral bound and has a variety of features that give this special journal a little something extra.

eboo-ntbk_nature
12 glassine envelopes for field specimens and pocket to store them.
128 Pages including: Sketch Pages and Note Pages
10 fold-up sheets for stationery
2 sheets of stickers for specimens envelopes and stationery
The envelopes are perfect for holding pressed flowers and you can store them in the pocket on the inside of the front cover. The journal also includes beautiful specimen labels to attach to each envelope. Very handy! The journal has pages that are both lined and pages with sketch boxes to encourage you to illustrate this memory book. At the back of the journal there are 10 removable pages to be used as stationery and they come complete with stickers to seal the stationery closed. This is one complete nature journal! eeBoo also offers a travel journal and a summer journal .

Summing it all up, our family decided that the beauty of the eeBoo products is what attracted us at first but after using the pencils and their nature notebook we love the quality and versatility of the products as well. We look forward to filling our nature journal with colorful sketches. Thanks eeBoo!

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom. She also blogs at http://www.harmonyartmom.blogspot.com

Dover Art Cards

Art, Charlotte Mason 1 Response »

Jul 092009

cassatt-and-cezanne-art-cards

I have long used the Dover Art Cards for our study of art. They are very reasonable priced and they are helpful to show a large number of paintings by a single artist.

Here’s what we do:

*I introduce the artist with a short biography. I particularly enjoy the Getting to Know the World’s Greatist Artists series by Mike Venezia. Our library has a good collection of them, but they are available new and used on Amazon.com for a reasonable price.

Mary Cassatt Cards

I slip the art cards into a sheet protector and then post them on our art wall.

*After introducing the artist, we view their artwork on the internet or with the Dover Art Cards if they are available. We choose one of the pieces to be our wallpaper on our computer. I will challenge my children to memorize the name of the painting and the style or period that it is from. The boys sometimes will memorize more than one piece and will use the Dover Art Cards to quiz themselves.

*We choose four pieces this way, one each week for four weeks. At the end of the four week period, they will make an entry in their art journal narrating about the artist and giving a review of any of the pieces they liked and why. They also add the artist to their timeline by printing out a portrait of the artist and gluing it in their notebook.

*An activity we enjoy with the cards is to try to copy the artwork for our journal. My children will decide which piece of artwork they like and then use colored pencils, watercolors, or oils to try to duplicate the artwork. I’m always surprised which pieces they choose and they how well they turn out.

Van Gogh's Starry Night in Oil Pastels

*Use the cards as a way to review an artist at the end of each term. Challenge your children and yourself to name the artist and the painting’s title.

I recommend that you preview any sets of cards that you want to use with your children. Some of the sets contain nudes and would be unacceptable in some families. I personally buy the sets I want and then toss out any of the cards that I think are not appropriate.

Here is a list of my favorites: Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Mary Cassatt

cards-in-the-box Tips for storage:
*Separate the cards from the books they come in.
*Use a rubber band to keep each group of cards together and store the cards in a photo box with homemade dividers showing the artist’s name.
*Alternately: Slip each artist’s cards into a sheet protector and store them in a binder.

You will not go wrong in ordering some of these sets of cards. They will be used for many years, at least they have in our home. I usually order mine from Amazon.com, but you can find them at Rainbow Resource as well.

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom. She also blogs at http://www.harmonyartmom.blogspot.com/

Artistic Pursuits-High School Levels

Art, High School, Highschool 3 Responses »

Jun 252009

St George's Dragon

For families with children in high school that are looking for a high quality, easy to implement art appreciation and art skills plan all in one book, Artistic Pursuits Senior High, Books 1 and 2 may be a good fit. Using great art and solid teaching of the basic art elements, your child will be able to work through the two high school level Artist Pursuits books independently.

Each of the sixteen units starts with an art element that is featured in a painting presented in the unit. The book neatly ties together the observing of a work of art and then applying the art elements in a clearly explained assignment. Your child is given specific instruction for creating a piece of artwork that illustrates their understanding of the focus of the unit.

Working on perspective

The book not only introduces great art, it also gives step by step instructions on how to get started with the art medium being used. Even if your child has never picked up a drawing pencil, charcoal, or a brush and tube of watercolors, they will find that Artistic Pursuits will give them the steps necessary to get going and to feel confident that they are not going to be in over their heads.

There are three elements to each lesson:

*Challenge Your Vision-These creative assignments jump start the learning of the featured art element.

*How To-The student practices with the art medium, using techniques outlined in the assignment.

*Project-The student shows their interpretation of the art element by completing a final project outlined at the

Charcoal project-figure proportion

end of the unit.

The biggest complaint that I hear about Artistic Pursuits in our family is that you are working on one or perhaps two kinds of art materials per year. Book One uses drawing pencils and charcoal and Book Two uses watercolors all year. We worked around this with our boys by supplementing with additional time each week for “free art” with a variety of art materials.

Grading art projects can be tricky so I appreciate having the evaluation sheets in the back of the book to copy for each unit. It gives me a more objective way to determine if the boys have accomplished the lesson and its assignment. It assigns a certain point value to three different aspects of the lesson. The projects are not graded on ability but rather by having us look at the finished projects together and using the “Looking Back” questions at the end of the unit, the boys help me to determine if they accomplished the assignment as stated. Artistic Pursuits Watercolor

In addition, each high school level book gives you information on how to record your child’s work on their high school transcript. The author breaks each high school level book down for you: Book 1-Studio Art and Book 2-Painting. The book also helps you to put together an art portfolio for your child if they wish to use it as part of their college entrance materials.

We have been very happy with the Artistic Pursuits books over the years and the high school level plans have lived up to our very high expectations. The lessons we have learned through the pages of these books will carry on throughout a lifetime. Thanks Artistic Pursuits.

If you have younger children, you may be interested in reading my review of the Jr. High level of Artistic Pursuits and a few thoughts on the K-3 Book.

Watercolor project

Written by Barb-Harmony Art mom. She also blogs at http://www.harmonyartmom.blogspot.com/

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