Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
If you are looking for homeschool art lessons, Artistic Pursuits Inc. has much to offer. From preschool through high school, this fine arts curriculum consists of several different books that teach art instruction, art technique, and art history.
Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary is the first volume in the K-3 Program. My kindergartener had the privilege of has delving into the book over the past month. The book consists of eighteen lessons, one for each week, but we completed several lessons each week to get a good feel for the program.
Components of Art for Children
Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary consists of both video and text instruction. There are six video lessons interspersed among twelve text lessons.
Video Lessons
The short video lessons teach kids techniques for using art mediums and tools and how to care for them.
Ariel Holcomb, the video host, uses props and her energetic personality to get kids interested in the lesson right from the start. Then Brenda Ellis, the artist, demonstrates how to make art using specific art materials. Ariel’s energetic introduction and Brenda’s soothing voice and well-paced instruction compliment each other.
The camera is zoomed in on Brenda’s art space, so kids clearly see what she is doing with her hands. She addresses common problems that might crop up, like what to do if you get too much water on your brush.
At the end of each video Brenda reviews step-by-step what kids need to do to create their own art piece. I really like how the art project is open-ended. Children are not meant to copy the instructor. They get to choose the objects they want to draw or make.
My son looked forward to the ARTistic Pursuit videos. They were just the right length, so he’d learn what to do but not lose attention. After we watched a video he couldn’t wait to get started on his own art project.
In the first video lesson, kids are introduced to watercolor crayons. They learn how to outline, color in, and layer colors. Finally, they learn how to use water and a paintbrush to activate the colors.
After watching this video lesson, kids get to practice the watercolor crayon techniques while creating their own art piece. Brenda encourages kids to choose objects that are meaningful to them to draw and color. My son settled on drawing his owl that lights up.
I highly recommend following the suggestions laid out in the book about gathering materials before you watch a video lesson. This makes transitioning from watching to creating quick and seamless. Your kids won’t have to wait for you to get things ready or start working on their own with the wrong materials.
Also, if you have an impulsive child you may need to help him make a plan. My son would get so excited that he’d just grab whatever was near in the room (like the piece of sidewalk chalk and potato masher he’d been playing with) and not take time to think about the practicality of using the objects for art.
I’d ask him to look closely at what he chose and think about whether they’d be good objects to use. Were they colorful? Were they made of shapes that would be fun to draw? Would he enjoy drawing them?
Text Lessons
Art History & Appreciation
The text lessons are organized by focusing on what artists do. Here’s what is covered in the book:
Artists…
- Compose
- Imagine
- Observe
- Communicate
- See Shapes
- See Form
- See Texture
- See Landscapes
- See Still Lifes
- See Animals
- See Figures
- See Portraits
One of the things that attracted me to the homeschool art lessons in this curriculum is the art history piece. As children are taught what artists do, they are introduced to famous pieces of art and led into a discussion appropriate for their age that focuses on these actions.
In lesson 5, called “Artist Observe,” kids read about how artists look carefully at their surroundings and then draw what they see using lines. Then they look at “In Flanders Field” and see how the artist painted a field of poppies that he observed. Brenda Ellis gives a brief description of the painting and then asks questions to guide children in making observations.
I loved how these questions got my son to pay attention to details in the painting. He was also encouraged to make conclusions about how the artist did certain things, like in this question on page 18: How does the artist show that this is a warm, sunny day?
Art Projects
After children have learned how to use the art medium in a video lesson and learned a specific art technique or action artists take, they engage in art projects to put that knowledge into practice.
In Lesson 8, called “Artists See Shapes,” my son enjoyed making a paper collage using shapes he cut out of construction paper. He added details using crayons and colored pencils. I had fun making a collage too!
When learning about how artist see form in Lesson 9, my son used folding methods to create a construction paper elephant that could stand up on its own. I thought it was adorable. He loved the process of making it.
Additional Materials You’ll Need
You don’t need a long list of materials for Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary. I happened to have everything on hand for all of the homeschool art lessons. Our watercolor crayons were hand-me-downs, so a few colors were missing.
We had never used the watercolor crayons before, and after doing the lessons in the book, I wish we had purchased a brand new set. Watercolor crayons are surprisingly easy to use and the results are amazing! When my son painted on the water he was fascinated by the transformation.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- watercolor crayons set
- oil pastel set
- ebony pencils
- vinyl eraser
- watercolor bursh
- watercolor paper
- drawing paper
- construction paper
- scissors
- Elmer’s glue
- glue stick
Artistic Pursuits Inc. offers Starter Pack Materials for purchase if you’d rather save time from shopping for the materials separately.
My son and I had fun experimenting with new art mediums, studying famous art pieces, and making original art of our own just like real artist do. Artistic Pursuits Inc. offers seven other books in the Art for Children series for grades K-3. After building a visual vocabulary in volume one, children can study art in order of history, starting with Ancient Art on up to Modern America. You can purchase the hardcover book and DVD/Blue Ray set or newly available online courses for the Art for Children series.
Artistic Pursuits Inc. also has a blog with free video lessons for beginning drawing students. This is a 16 week summer series that will be featured each summer. What a great way to get to know Brenda so you can feel confident in buying her products!
To find out what other families have to say about their experience using ARTistic Pursuits homeschool art lessons, go to Homeschool Review Crew and read more reviews like this.
