Picture of the Week! (Chalkboard Art by B)- February 2, 2014

B enjoys drawing with chalk on his chalkboard.  This is his latest creation.

ARTistic Pursuits: Early Elementary K-3 Book Two (Schoolhouse Review Crew)

 Product: Early Elementary K-3 Book Two: Stories of Artists and Their Art by Brenda Ellis

Vendor Contact Information: ARTistic Pursuits

Age Appeal: Kindergarten-Third Grade

Format: Paper cover, Comb-binding Book (ISBN 978-1-939394-02-6, copyright 2013), Non-consumable with 85 pages, 36 lessons, and 175 illustrations

Price: $47.95 (supplies purchased separately)

ARTistic Pursuits Early Elementary K-3 Book Two: Stories of Artists and Their Art by Brenda Ellis focuses on artists from the late Gothic period to the 17th century.  Some of the artists included are Cimabue, Limbourg, and Anguissola.  The projects include watercolor painting, oil pastels, mixed media, and printmaking.  

A parent reads the lesson, which will either be a fictional story or a study of a work of art by the artist then the student will do the following project.

Our Experience:

My children usually love working on art projects and learning about artists.  ARTistic Pursuits was a perfect fit for them. 

We would spend one day reading the lesson, discussing what we learned, and answering the questions.  The following day the children would work on the project.  I would read the project to them and let them work on it themselves.  It would take them around an hour to complete their project, depending on how much effort they were putting into it.

What I Liked:

• The children were excited and always asked me to do to a lesson.
• The detailed text about the artists and their work.
• The amount of instructions for each art project.
• The list of supplies in the front of the book and how they were broken down into groups.
• How my children learned about the artists, their techniques, and some of their artwork.

What I Disliked:

• The price of the book was something that may not fit into our school budget. 

What B (boy, age nine, officially in third grade) Liked and Disliked: This book is perfect for art lovers.  There are so many projects.  You get to learn about all sorts of different artists.  This book is perfect for gifts.  You do need a lot of watercolors.  Not many of the things involved oil pastels,but you do need some oil pastels.  I really like ARTistic Pursuits.  I think it would be perfect for kids my age.  And kids not my age.

What C (girl, age seven, officially in first grade) Liked and Disliked: I like to do art.  I think that ARTistic Pursuits is good, because you get to learn about other artists.  Getting to do art is entertaining, because it is fun.  I like painting, but the book has too many watercolor painting projects.  We had to buy a lot of paints.  It’s good for kids my age.

Momma would definitely recommend!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of ARTistic Pursuits Early Elementary K-3 Book Two: Stories of Artists and Their Art through the Schoolhouse 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.  All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.  All links were current when posted.

See the Light

Product:  See the Light

Vendor Contact Information:

www.seethelightshine.com

e-mail- info@seethelightshine.com

92 Saddlebow Rd.

Bell Canyon, CA 91307-1136

Age Appeal: Age 6 and up or grade 1 and up, could be used for middle school age if a child has had no drawing lessons

Format:  DVD

Price: $99 for 9 volumes, 36 lessons (1 year)

 

 

If it difficult to get your children to drawing lessons, then bring the teacher to you with the DVD Art Class series produced by See The Light. 

• You will find the basic supplies around your house.
• There are short lessons.
• Art history and Bible knowledge are included.
• Each lesson will build on the ones before; Volume 1- The Basics, Volume 2- Shape and Space, Volume 3- Value & Color, Volume 4- Color Blending Techniques, Volume 5- Proportions for Composition, Volume 6- Texture & Form, Volume 7- Perspective for the Landscape, Volume 8- Balance & Foreshortening, Volume 9- The Portrait

Our Experience: 

We were given Volume 1 (art lessons 1-4).  This DVD was all about the basics:

• Lesson 1- Tools Of The Trade
• Lesson 2- It All Starts With A Line
• Lesson 3- Contours & Composition
• Lesson 4- Draw What You See
• Bonus!- Chalk-It-Easy Chalk Art Lesson 

B and C were really excited about having drawing lessons, because art is one of their favorite subjects.  We made a special trip to the store to buy them their own special drawing tools and then got to work learning the lessons.

The children had fun watching the lessons and learning how to draw lines on the paper.  Next they learned contour drawing with apples.  They had to draw at least ten apples, before they started.  When they drew two apples together they were able to use pencil, charcoal and black marker.  In their own sections you can see how their contour charcoal drawings of apples turned out.

The lesson that proved to be the most difficult was Lesson 4, because it was very hard for B and C to do contour drawings of a shoe.  They became very frustrated and we needed to stop doing it.

We have also done the bonus chalk art lesson.  The kids had a lot of fun using the chalk.  The benefit of using chalk was that perfection was not required.  The pictures they did of Cross Hill are below.  It did take us two hours to do it, so plan on lots of time when you do this lesson.

What I liked: 

• I never took drawing lessons, so it was great to have step by step lessons.
• The kids were really interested in learning more.
• They liked being able to draw with different tools.

What I Disliked:

• Lesson 4 was about drawing the contours of a shoe and was too difficult for B and C.

What B (boy, age seven officially in first grade) Liked and Disliked:  It was tricky to learn how to draw an apple, but I learned how to do it.  There was only one thing I disliked.  In Lesson 4, I had to draw a shoe.  And drawing a shoe was very tricky.  I liked the bonus chalk lesson of drawing Cross Hill.  It is a beautiful picture.  I think See the Light is great for kids my age!   

       

 

What C (girl, age five working on kindergarten) Liked and Disliked:  I loved the art lessons!  I did all the lessons.  The Chalk Art picture was fun.  And smudging the charcoal was fun.  It was good for kids my age.

         

 

What Dad Thought: "See the Light" art program had some ups and downs. I liked that in the first lesson they taught you to draw what you see not what you know. For example, you now that a coffee mug has a handle but if you turn it just right you won't see it. If you don't see it, even thought you know it's there, don't draw it. The chalk lesson was presented exceptionally well so that B & C picked up on the ideas to create a chalk picture. Adding scripture relevancy to the art was a nice touch.

What I didn't like was in the 2nd part of the fourth lesson was the drawing of the shoe. It seemed a bit complex for a 5 & 7 year old. I remember beginning with basic shapes and shading. Going directly to a shoe was a big step. Also, the concept of learning to draw was nullified as the presenter was drawing a shoe that had already been traced out on the piece of paper. My kids already know how to trace. It should have been a new, free-hand drawing to really be a teaching tool.

Overall, the program seemed advanced for B & C with the exception of the noted things I liked previously mentioned. Using a traced outline to teach free-hand drawing is contrary to what they were trying to teach and therefore I do not recommend this product.

Other Products Available:  $10/month for online access of 4 lessons per month, The Crossmaker DVD, The Gift of Love DVD, books for parents and kids, and more

I would recommend See the Light art classes for learning how to draw. For more reviews go to The Homeschool Crew review page.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free for review purposes through The Homeschool Crew. All links were current when posted.