Artistic Pursuits (A Homeschool Crew Review)

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.

We are always thrilled to get to try new curriculum from vendors that we haven't known about prior to being asked to review for them.  On the other hand, it's just as thrilling to get the opportunity to review a vendor that we not only have reviewed in the past, but have enjoyed and continue to use throughout the years.  Artistic Pursuits Inc. is one such company that we used their products multiple times and Ashleigh was pretty excited to find out she would be reviewing ARTistic Pursuits, Middle School 6-8 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition.

Ashleigh with Artistic Pursuits Author Brenda Ellis

Ashleigh loves art and the ability to create and the ARTistic Pursuits curriculum has played a huge role over the years in the growth she has shown since first picking up a pencil and making doodles.

The company was started by Brenda Ellis and has grown to be a full family business.   Mrs Ellis herself has more than 25 years of teaching art to students grades K-12th as well as having homeschooled her own three children. She believes that every child can understand the concepts of art and enjoy the process of putting ideas and visual images on paper.  The ARTistic Pursuits curriculum is designed for students to see the various techniques demonstrated after which they select their own subject and apply what they learn to their own artwork.  This is a concept that has worked really well for my own daughter and over the years, her art skills have grown leaps and bounds.

For this review, we were given a copy of the newly expanded edition of ARTistic Pursuits, Middle School 6-8 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition.  This 96 page spiral bound softback book contains 16 units that forcus on the elements of art theory and composition and covers ideas such as shape, form, texture, symmetry, rhythm and proportion.

 

The lessons are broken into four parts and should take roughly 2 weeks per lesson if a student is working at a pace of one lesson per class, two one hour classes per week. At this pace, the book contains a full 32 weeks worth of art instruction, although students can work at their own pace and may work at a faster or slower rate.

The 16 units are structured in such a way to follow the same format: 

Lesson 1: introduces the student to the topic of focus (shape, perspective, ect) for the unit. Here the student builds their visual vocabulary using words and examples and assignments are given to help the student to pay attention to and observe the concept in their own environment.

Lesson from the book

Lesson 2:  focuses on art history and art appreciation.  For this day, the student is shown how artists use the weekly focus in their own works of art.  The student is then given an assignment that has the student create their own work based on the artist/artwork studied.

Lesson 3:  Here the student learned how to use materials and tools while applying the lesson material to make their own artwork. Students learn about various supplies such as the grades of drawing pencils and then how use those materials to create more texture and dimension to their assignment for the lesson.

Lesson 4:  a final assignment for the unit asks the student to incorporate the new techniques they have learned in a wide array of drawing projects such as still life, landscapes, photographs and more.

For this course, students will need a set of drawing pencils (2H to 4B or more), a vinyl eraser, sandpaper (for chiseling an edge on their pencil), a drawing pad, bristol pad (or drawing pad made for ink), black waterproof drawing ink, #8 round tip paintbrush, 1 #101 Imperial pen nibs and a pen holder. (These are required for the 2nd semester of the course and are not necessary for the first portion of the course).

How We Used It

As soon as the book arrived, Ashleigh was ready to get started.  As mentioned, we had used ARTistic Pursuits curriculum in the past and now that Ashleigh is considered 6th grade, she was super excited to get started at the middle school level.   I think she was slightly disappointed when the first lesson in regards to space had an assignment asking her to simply write her signature stretching it across the page.   That was the assignment in it's entirety.  The assignment was important to the study, mind you, but she thought she was going to be creating the next Picasso I guess.

Well, she had to add some sort of artistic embellishments at least.

Luckily, the next assignment for that particular unit on space had her sketching a copy of Portrait of the Elephant, Dal Badal, Chasing His Attendant.  This lesson taught two things - about the cultures and art from India and China, as well as teaching her to visual her drawing space to better utilize it before starting to draw

The final lesson in the unit about Space asked her to read a story about The Blind Men and the Elephant. Afterward, she was asked to draw an illustration of it while focusing on the placement o fthe objects within her drawing space. So, as you can see, each drawing assignment continues to focus on the topic while providing multiple assignments to put art on the paper.

For the unit about using lines, Ashleigh decided for one of the assignments to draw the vase with flowers and peacock feathers that I keep on my table.  This lesson was from the second unit and I saw a huge different in her line work (and the use of heavy and light lines) just from the artwork above from lesson 1.

Ashleigh has made it to Unit 4 in her study and has learned so much already. Her typical line drawings, which were good in their own right, had really progressed to being so much more.  She's learning to use texture and shading in addition to her line work and the differences have been pretty amazing. 

Ashleigh using a photograph on the internet for a drawing reference

Without a doubt, we will continue on with the book thru completion and from there, we'll most likely purchase ARTistic Pursuits, Middle School 6-8 Book Two, Color and Composition and continue on with the curriculum.  Artistic Pursuits Inc. also offers to books for the high school level as well. As for Ashleigh's progress, I'll continue to post her artwork to the blog to showcase her progress as she moves through the program.

For more information about the vast selections of art instruction offered by Artistic Pursuits Inc., be sure to visit their website.  You can also find more information about the company at the following social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisticPursuitsInc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARTisticPursui1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artisticpursuitsinc/

Members of the Review Crew were offered their choice of art instruction books for a large variety of grade levels, including preschool, elementary, middle school and high school levels. Be sure to click the banner below to be taken to their reviews and see if the ARTistic Pursuits curriculum is right for your homeschool family.

Beyond the Stick Figure (A Homeschool Review Crew Review)

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.

When it comes to art, I have two kids who couldn't be further from each other on the spectrum. My youngest loves art and spends most of her free time drawing her sketches on paper or making  animations on her tablet.  On the other hand, my son never enjoyed doing anything artistic.  The only picture I have that he's ever done was of a creeper from Minecraft and that was with tons of coaching on my part just to get that.  This is why usually, when you see an art instruction review on this blog, it's almost always featuring Ashleigh and her work.

When members of the crew were given the opportunity to review the Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses from Beyond the Stick Figure Art School, I saw an opportunity to get Garrett doing his own artwork.

The video based course is taught by Sally Stansfield, a native of England who followed her dream and attended Loughborough College of Art and Design in England where she obtained her degree in art.  A wife and homeschool mom to eight children, she felt that art could be taught incrementally in a step by step manner like any other school subject. She saw first hand how traditional teaching methods for this subject can be detrimental. Now, she wants to share her passion with children young and old to ignite their own love of creating art.

Using the Curriculum

The very first video was entitled "Just for Mom" and I found this video perfect for setting the tone for the class.  Basically, it's a video telling moms to allow the child to do their own work the way they want to do it and not the way you the parent or anyone else wants to do.  Instead of correction, allow the child to explore their own creative nature.  I thought this was an excellent message to start the course with.

The course is broken up into various sections, with each section having a number of video lessons.  For example, the Drawing course is divided into three sections, each containing anywhere from 5 to 33 video lessons for that section.  We were given access to the Complete Drawing course as well as the Pen & Ink, Watercolor, Acrylic, and 3D design lessons as the bonus courses.  Also included was a second course entitled Paint Your Own Family Portraits.

Since I wanted to use this curriculum with Garrett, we started from the very beginning of the course.  I want to reiterate that I was doing this curriculum with a kid who hates drawing.  While the course is called Beyond The Stick Figure, my kids hates even drawing stick figures and will do them as the peak of his effort when asked to do any sort of illustration. Even when the drawing subject is something that Garrett enjoys, such as Minecraft, he does only the most minimal of work.  So we opted to start with Drawing Part 1.

For the portion of the course we were able to use during the review period, we needed a pack of Prismacolor markers, white printer paper and a Strathmore brand sketch pad.   As the course progresses thru the different mediums, the student will need other materials, such as watercolor and acrylic paint and terracotta air dry clay.  The drawing course does have printable workbooks for the course that can be printed out as well. 

The course starts extremely basic.  Students learn to draw straight lines, curved lines, dots and circles. Then they learn how to put these different style of lines together to begin actually creating artwork.   They also learn concepts such as color theory along the way.  Each part is broken down into daily lessons that feature a video of the instructor presenting instructions for the student, which they can follow along with on their own.  Once the assignment for the day is complete, the student can mark it as complete.  When they long in the next day, the next lesson will be waiting where they can easily pick right back up at.

I wasn't entirely sure how Garrett would do with this program.  Turns out, he has enjoyed it.  I don't overload him with it, so he does his lessons three days a week on M-W-F and I only require him to complete one lesson each day so it keeps things very manageable for him.  He watches a lesson, then he grabs his markers and his sketchbook and he gets to work.

To say that I'm impressed with this art curriculum would be an understatement and I'll be interested to see how Garrett's skills in his art studies improves as he progresses through the upcoming lessons.  But the fact that he's drawing flowers and abstract art after years of crying over being forced to even just draw a stick figure for assignments is a positive improvement in my book.  It will also be interesting to see how he takes to doing watercolors later down the road.

For more information about the Beyond the Stick Figure Art School, visit their website.  You can also find them on the following social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyondthestickfigure/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britladyinamerica/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/beyondthestickfigureart/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCROy5BkqT_cZvQu1dTPRYzw

Members of the review crew have been usingBeyond the Stick Figure Art School with family members of all ages, including themselves.  Be sure to click the banner below and read their reviews.

ARTistic Pursuits (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Ashleigh loves art.  I love being able to provide materials for art instruction to help Ashleigh hone her artistic skills.  So when we were given the opportunity to review Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4, the fourth book from the K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 series from  ARTistic Pursuits Inc. , we were thrilled. 

Designed and written by homeschooling mom Brenda Ellis, ARTistic Pursuits uses the theory that all children can learn artistic concepts and put them to use on paper.  Starting with the most basic of these concepts in early instructional books, students progress each year until they are studying these concepts on a much deeper level of technique and application.  Students are introduced early on to various mediums such as pastels, modeling clay, watercolor crayons, and paints while they learn tips and techniques that will carry them through a lifetime of artistic pursuits. 

Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 is book 4 in the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray series.  These are series of 8 volumes of hardback books, written by Brenda Ellis,  to introduce students grades K-3 to various art concepts. Each of  64 page books in the series features 18 lessons, 12 of which are written in text format in the book and 6 of which are found the accompanying DVD/Blu-Ray disks (both disks are found in the front of the book, giving you the option of which format you want to use).

Each book focuses on a primary art medium for students to learn, such as pastels, clay, pencil drawings, ect.  

Volume 4 emphasizes lessons on using different methods of watercolor painting, including resist (creating negative areas in a painting) and frescoes (watercolor paintings done on wet plaster). Students also learn about scratch art and using oil pastels in the book.

Sample Art Lesson from Book 4

 In addition to the art instruction, the book also contains the stories of artists such as Giovanni Cimabue, Jan van Eyck, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.  

Table of Contents for Book 4

Students are introduced to artwork created by these masters of the Italian Renaissance and try to learn different techniques in their own art from what they observe in these master's works of art. 

How We have Used It

Anything that has to do with art, Ashleigh is all over.  She is, without any doubt, our artistic child.  Over the past few months, Ashleigh has really developed her own style of artwork and that has really shined thru with each of her lessons with this ARTistic Pursuits book.

While Ashleigh is 4th grade, there is still more than enough offered in this book for her to learn from.  Starting with the lessons about the Masters.  Each lesson brings the students attention to the various techniques that the artist was known for.  Each lesson also offers a series of questions designed to make the student really study the artwork being presented.  While the questions are gears for younger students, Ashleigh didn't seem to mind answering them at all.  She has really enjoyed learning about the artists we have studied so far and there is just enough material presented to keep her interest without being dry and boring. 

We have done one lesson per week, following the lessons in the order they are presented. I'm glad we decided to do it this way rather than skipping around as we found that lessons often referred back to the previous lesson as far as the material about the artist or the technique that was used previously. 

The first lesson we completed was a video lesson.  We watched a rather short video presentation that was an introduction to watercolor.  After this 8 minute video, Ashleigh was ready to start her first art project.  For this lesson, she was asked to paint a self portrait of herself wearing one of her favorite outfits, in watercolor.  

Ashleigh's Self  Portrait

This was actually her second attempt at this picture, as she did have some problems with creating a flesh tone she was happy with and she ended up smudging the face.  She got pretty frustrated with it.. The above is the final product after her second attempt. 

Her second lesson as about Giovanni Cimabue, who is an artist we have not studied previously.  Cimabue was a Greek painter who was brought to Florence, Italy to help paint the Gondi Chapel.  This lesson also introduced Ashleigh to the method of using gold leaf incorporated in paintings.   This lesson originally substituted gold paper for the gold leaf but we found a good deal on imitation gold leaf so we thought it would be fun to play around with it.   Ashleigh enjoyed it - mom wasn't such a fan at how messy it actually turned out to be.  But Ashleigh was super happy with her results so that's what matters. 

Gluing Gold Leaf to her Painting

Sparkly Artwork

Finished Project

 Our next lesson was about Giotto di Bondone.  This artist practiced under Cinabue as a young boy and liked to paint pictures of his sheep on stones.  He was also well known for his ability to show emotion in his art thru the use of gestures. For this lesson, Ashleigh had to show emotion through her own artwork, again using watercolors.

Showing expression and emotion thru gestures

Our final art lesson for the review period introduced us the the Limbourg brothers - Paul, Jean and Herman.  These brothers would paint the life of the Duke of Berry each month, using the surrounding landscapes and creating calendar paintings.  

For this lesson, Ashleigh had to create her own calendar page, based on what it looked like outside at this time.  She did a great job creating the calendar itself, including important days such as the first day of spring, her birthday and even the start of the Iditarod. 

 With our pace of doing 1 lesson per week, we have 14 weeks of lessons to keep her entertained for the rest of the school year.  I love that she will be learning different techniques to create texture and motion in her artwork.  

We have always been very pleased with all of ARTistic Pursuits Inc. materials and Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance, K-3 Vol. 4 doesn't disappoint. 

To find out more information about ARTistic Pursuits Inc. and their extensive collection of art instruction books, visit their website.  You can also find them at the following social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisticPursuitsInc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARTisticPursui1

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artisticpursuitsinc/

Each member of the Crew was offered to review one of the 8 various volumes of the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction books.  Be Sure to Click the Banner Below to Read Their Reviews Today.  

ARTistic Pursuits (A Homeschool Crew Review)

Art is a huge hit in this house.  Dad is very talented in the art department, even having had a piece that he created in high school being displayed in a local museum in his home town.  I was fairly artistic in my own right.  My oldest daughter also loves to draw and create her own characters and artistic pieces. So it was no surprise that Ashleigh would also display some talent as well.  

As a homeschool parent, I enjoy being able to not only encourage but also nurture and help develop her natural talents as much as possible.  When we were given the opportunity to review the latest release from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. to use with Ashleigh, there wasn't any hesitation.  This was a company that we were already very familiar with so we were very excited to review Art of the Ancients, which is Volume Two of the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray series. 

Designed and written by homeschooling mom Brenda Ellis, ARTistic Pursuits uses the theory that all children can learn artistic concepts and put them to use on paper.  Starting with the most basic of these concepts in early instructional books, students progress each year until they are studying these concepts on a much deeper level of technique and application.  Students are introduced early on to various mediums such as pastels, modeling clay, watercolor crayons, and paints while they learn tips and techniques that will carry them through a lifetime of artistic pursuits. 

Art of the Ancients is book 2 in the ARTistic Pursuits Art Instruction Books with DVD and Blu-Ray series.  These are newly released hardback books, written by Brenda Ellis,  that are written for grades K-3. Each of  64 page books in the six book series (a seventh book is currently in the works) features 18 lessons, 12 of which are written in text format in the book and 6 of which are found the accompanying DVD/Blu-Ray disks (both disks are found in the front of the book, giving you the option of which format you want to use). 

Video lessons are hosted by Ariel Holcomb.  Holecomb introduced the lesson topics to build interest in the lesson while Brenda Ellis teaches the student how to handle art media as well as introduce techniques that work well for young children. 

How We Used It

For our review, we chose to start with Book 2 of the new series, which focuses on the artwork of the cultures that developed along the Mediterranean sea and it's surrounding areas.  From European Cave Drawings to the Grecian Pillars to learning about artwork in tombs with the Etruscan Wall Paintings, the 18 lessons provide a wide variety of both art history as well as an introduction to various art mediums for students to learn about.    A Table of Contents as well as a Materials list is provided in the front of the book to make planning easier. 

While this particular series is aimed for students grades K-3 and Ashleigh is technically 4th grade, the lessons were still very useful for Ashleigh.  The lessons are very short - less than 10 minutes each for the video lessons and 1 to 3 pages for the book lessons. 

For our review, we decided to start with Lesson 1, which was a video lesson that demonstrated using soft pastels.  We worked on one art lesson per week, although, had Ashleigh been left to her own, she would have completed the book within a day or two.

Ashleigh watching Lesson 1 

For this lesson, students are asked to use pastels to create a picture of an object with wheels, whether from a picture of a toy.  Ashleigh decided to attempt a picture of her RC toy Challenger. 

With Lesson 2, Ashleigh learned about Art in Caves and the Lascaux Cave in France. 

After reading the lesson and doing a bit of our own research on the caves via YouTube, Ashleigh then worked on her own version of cave drawings using soft pastels.  

For Lessons 3 and 4, Ashleigh began working with self hardening clay.  Lesson 3 was another video lesson covering how to make figures from clay slabs while Lesson 4 taught about the human statues found by archaeologists while excavating Jericho.

 She was then asked to create her own clay figure.  She claims this was her statue of me LOL

For our last lesson for this review period, we revisited the Minoan Fresco paintings.  We had previously learned about the Minoan palace of Knossos and the frescos that are still visible there.  She was really thrilled when the lesson featured the fresco of Bull Jumping that had been found in Knossos.

Since the lesson focused on the Bull Jumping fresco, the lesson's assignment was for Ashleigh to draw a realistic animal using soft pastels.   Are you seeing a theme with her choice in subject?  She loves her rats.

We have really enjoyed working with the lessons in this book each week and it has quickly become one of Ashleigh's favorite subjects each week.  We will continue to work through the book and I can't wait to see how her techniques change as she completes each of Brenda Ellis's video lessons.

For more information on ARTistic Pursuits Inc. and the wide range of Art curriculum available for all grades and skill levels, be sure to visit their website.  You can also find them on the following social media sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtisticPursuitsInc 
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ARTisticPursui1

And be sure to click the banner below to read reviews by other crew members on the first four books from this series.