Once in a great while you will come across an art program that is so easy-to-use, open-ended, and brimming with all sorts of exciting possibilities that you just want to use it yourself. This was certainly the case with ARTistic Pursuits when I first reviewed it. The basic philosophy of ARTistic Pursuits is to combine what it defines as the four essential areas, or categories, of art into a short, easily manageable and flexible lesson. The first category is Elements of Art, or “what art is made of” which include what we would think of as the basics of the actual drawing (line, shape, color, etc.). The next is Composition, or “how art is arranged” (balance, proportion, space), third is Media (variation), and finally, History (becoming familiar with different artists, styles, and periods). This seems like a lot to cover in one program, but Artistic Pursuits does it surprisingly well and very naturally. The early elementary (K-3) level covers these same four areas in each lesson, but in a less in-depth and more informal manner. All books are spiral-bound for ease of use, and all titles were revised in or before 2008.

Upper elementary, junior high and high school levels of ARTistic Pursuits are divided into two books each. The first book focuses on drawing including line, texture, form, shape, value, etc., while the second book focuses on color (tinting, shading, mixing, etc.). As an example, let's look at the Senior High program. In the drawing portion of the program, the book begins with a lesson on observation and imagination, challenging art students to “see creatively”. This starts them off on the right foot for drawing scenes and objects which they will be doing extensively. From there it moves into line, texture, shape, form, value, and contrast, covering each of the basic “Elements of Art”. The other half is devoted to the elements of composition, including balance, rhythm, depth, and proportion (learning much of this in the context of the human face, figure, and clothing). The materials needed for the drawing portion are relatively few; pencils, charcoal, erasers, and drawing paper. Book 2 dips into color, tinting, shading, complementing, and mixing and also implements composition, in the context of emphasizing size, value, color, etc., and adds watercolors to the mediums to be used.

The K-3 level is made up of three books, which together provide students a chronological overview of art history along with art lessons. Book One teaches young students what artists do, what they see, and how to interpret these in light of ancient to medieval art, including cave paintings, palaces, pyramids and cathedrals. Book Two guides young artists through the Gothic, Renaissance and Romantic Periods. Book Three continues the journey, covering Impressionism and Modernism (both European and American) through painting and sculpture. As the following volumes are a continuation of the first volume, I would recommend that users begin with the first volume, particularly as it explains a lot of basic art concepts that are not revisited in much detail once you hit the appreciation lessons.

The lessons are structured similarly throughout the program, although progression through concepts is slower and more bite-sized at lower levels. The first portion introduces the concept, gives a short discussion on its importance, and offers an introductory activity for the student to start thinking about it. The next section is based on a reproduction of a masterpiece that demonstrates the concept being learned. This gives students the chance to simultaneously learn the concept and see how the great artists used the same elements in their work. The other half of the unit is where the “how-to” is brought in. For example, in the Senior High unit on form, the how-to part of the lesson concentrates on using a light source to produce the desired effect in a three-dimensional drawing, using a simple snowman to illustrate the effects under various light sources. The student is challenged to find a simple object to study (and draw) under different lighting situations. Finally, we reach the last part of the unit, culminating in a project. Brief but clear instructions are given, along with a list of needed materials, and a few hints; and then you’re on your own. Pick up that pencil and cut loose! This open-ended approach offers nearly unlimited room for creativity on the part of the student, as far as what to draw and how. He or she is reminded not only to concentrate on the concept learned, but also to continue to use all the concepts previously learned (this is exemplified by the many examples of student work displayed in these lessons). Projects at the lower levels are more likely to include simpler activities like drawing a picture from a photograph, and also use less complicated (and messy, incidentally) supplies, such as watercolor pencils rather than the pan watercolors used in the Senior High level.

From a teaching standpoint, the lessons are very easy to use. You can read the lessons together, or teach from the textual lesson given. The discussion questions are all included in the book, but you are by no means limited to those if you both really get into an artwork or style. Because the art reproductions are included right in the books, you don't have to search the library or internet for examples to use. The projects are well-thought out with a lot of potential for creativity, and require mostly common arts and crafts supplies. However, because the lessons in each book expose students to a variety of different mediums, you will need to have a variety of art materials on hand, and specifically recommended ones are listed after each level.

While the format is similar throughout the program, the emphasis on specific artists and periods varies. In the Senior High level, the emphasis is on European artists, and a few that are featured include: Da Vinci, Raphael, Toulouse-Latrec, Monet, Renior, Picasso, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Constable. The Junior High level focuses on World Art, while the upper elementary level examines American Art. As mentioned previously, the early elementary levels cover art history from ancient to modern. I would suggest using the levels in the titles below as a general guideline. Young students (upper elementary) who are very artistic and already fairly skilled will likely get more out of the Junior High level than the Grades 4-6 Level. You will definitely want to start with the first book at whichever level you choose though, to learn the basics of art before you jump into more advanced concepts.

All in all, this is a flexible, user-friendly program which implements many different aspects of the subject of art as a whole, and blends them together effortlessly. At the same time, it keeps the subject understandable for beginning artists and more experienced ones alike. Though the format is fairly simple, it will undoubtedly spark excitement and creativity through each lesson, especially as the student progresses and surprises even herself with her new skills. I'm confident that any student interested in art at all will enjoy the variety, the use of different mediums, and the practical art appreciation, and the open-ended projects. Materials used in each level are listed below each title. We have tried to follow the author's recommended brands, but in some cases, have had to substitute similar materials. Substitutions will be marked with a '*'. Materials that we do not carry are listed without an item number. See individual item descriptions in our Art Supplies section. - Jess

Customer Reviews

 
christy o. from marquette,mi wrote the following on 05/01/2007:
We LOVE this program!!! This program is adaptable to older and younger kids! There is little teacher prep and is VERY easy to use. The projects are "real" art. This program really teaches art to the students and I would highly recommend it to any busy homeschool mom to be used with all the children she is homeschooling rather than several different age appropriate programs. I would highly recommend buying the art materials from Rainbow as they are cheapest here. You won't need a set of everything for all the students, but charcoal pencils will be needed for each child. I love teaching this art course and it's fun for my kids!

 
Amy G. from TN wrote the following on 05/27/2008:
The Artistic Pursuits program has been one of the highlights of our school year! We used Book 1 (K-3) for our 4-, 6-, and 9-year-old children, and all three of them enjoyed it and learned a lot. Doing our art class was always something they looked forward to with much enthusiasm! This book is a splendid way to introduce children (and adults) to the world of art. Not only does Artistic Pursuits teach art methods, it also teaches art history and appreciation in one handy book. The first book for K-3 is “An Introduction to the Visual Arts.” There are three basic units titled “What Artists Do,” “What Artists See,” and “Where We Find Art.” Within these three units, there are 32 lessons covering various topics such as landscapes, portraits, still-lifes, photos, sculpture, stained glass, mosaics, cave art, tapestries, illumination, nature, and pottery. The front of the book contains a list of materials and a brief introduction to acquaint the teacher with the program. Book 1 for this level includes 17 fine art reproductions with art ranging from ancient times to the middle ages. These are great for teaching the history of art in a simple and engaging manner—the book even includes discussion questions for each picture to help the students and teachers look for detail and experience the art to a greater extent. This was great for us because although we have always loved to look at art, we have sometimes missed out on the deeper meaning and the details which can be so interesting. For example, when studying a reproduction of “I and the Village” by Mark Chagall, the book includes questions like “Do you think the artist had fond memories of the place where he lived?” and “Does the painting tell you what things were important to the artist?” Sometimes the questions ask the students to look for something in particular in the painting, and our children always enjoyed that challenge—it was like playing “I Spy,” only with great art reproductions. In addition to the fine art reproductions, Artistic Pursuits also includes samples of children’s art. I thought this was a great idea to boost the students’ confidence and encourage them to be willing to try new things—instead of seeing art done only by professionals, they see and appreciate art done by children their age and they think, “Hey! I could do that!” The lesson itself can be read from the book by the parents or independently by a third-grade or older student. The text is appealing and well organized. The text explains all the steps of used in creating art such as observing, imagining, communicating, remembering images, and using shape, line, color. The only teacher prep required is gathering materials for the art projects. These projects are presented in a step-by-step format with colorful images to help explain the techniques to visual learners. This program works great in multi-age classes—the lessons and directions are so clearly laid out that older students could even teach the lessons to their younger siblings. The only criticism I have about this book is that the paper is not very durable for a book that has to be handled over and over. In spite of that small complaint, we all love using Artistic Pursuits and will use it again. The price is reasonable, considering that this book is all you need to provide one year of art history, appreciation, and methods for your students. This is a great program for helping your children to become happy, confident young artists!