ARTistic Pursuits… Art of the Impressionists {A Review}
For someone like me who literally has ZERO artistic or musical talent, I completely rely on outside programs to teach my children these important skills. ARTistic Pursuits is my favorite homeschool art program! I was so excited to receive another volume of K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8.
This go around I was able to choose Volume 6 Art of the Impressionist. Like I said, I know practically zero about art, but I have always felt that the Impressionists were rather romantic, and I’m a sucker for romance.
If you are just getting started with ARTistic Pursuits, you are going to want to start with volume 1, Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary. This is where we began last year. It’s the foundation of the program and I highly recommend not skipping. We learned so much about watercolor methods, controlling our paintbrush and blending colors. Along with basics like paper cutting and folding.
One of the things I appreciate about ARTistic Pursuits is that they provide 2 DVD’s with each book, a blue-ray disk and a regular one. This is so helpful if you are switching between your computer and the T.V.
The Program:
Each book is laid out with the list of Materials to get you started. We received the starter pack materials with our box and I highly recommend going ahead and getting that. It is so much easier than trying to piece it all together yourself. {Check out my Facebook unboxing post}
Each video lesson introduces each new art medium. The videos explain the materials, how to use them and then goes step by step on how to create the project.
Subsequent lessons are set up with Prep Notes for each lesson. This gives parents a little background and tips for what they are going to be teaching. This is followed by an artist’s introduction, a picture study with questions for discussion and then an art project.
There are several lessons between videos so that your child becomes familiar with using that particular art medium.
What I loved about Volume 6: Art of the Impressionists
The videos are what make this curriculum. They are so helpful. They are slow enough to follow along {although we still rewind or pause between parts} They are detailed enough to help us understand the process. – I never knew, before ARTistic Pursuits, which brushes to use for specific results and how to use them.
And… They videos are bright and lively enough to keep the attention of my very busy first grader.
The stories about each artist are interesting and engaging. Although at times the information was more than my seven-year-old could take in and she sometimes tuned out before I could get to the end of the page. She did really enjoy the picture studies though, and the discussion that we had about them. I like that each picture study comes with questions to discuss.
If you haven’t been using an art curriculum but are feeling like you don’t want to be overwhelmed by all the information, I really believe this one is the easiest and well-rounded art program for younger students. When browsing through their website, I also noticed that they have an art program for highschoolers that offer a full credit for completion. I’m excited to look into that.
Find ARTistic Pursuit online in these spots:
Facebook:
Twitter: @ARTisticPursui1
Instagram: @artisticpursuitsinc
Angela is the Homeschool Encourager for the Overwhelmed & Under-Caffeinated and the Chaos-to-Confidence Specialist behind Schooling with Grace. With a no-fluff approach, a dash of humor, and a whole lot of heart, she helps homeschool moms cut through the chaos, ditch unrealistic expectations, and teach with confidence.