ARTistic Pursuits Painting with Acrylics, Intermediate Level, Art Core 4

SKU
030436
ISBN
9781939394330
Grade 7-8
Teaching Method
Traditional
Teacher-centered curriculum commonly used in classrooms that may include a text, teacher manual, tests, etc.
Charlotte Mason
A methodology based on the work of a 19th century educator who maintained that children learn best from literature (Living Books), not textbooks.
Classical
A methodology based on the Latin Trivium (three stages of learning), including the grammar stage (memorization and facts), logic stage (critical thinking), and rhetoric stage (developing/defending ideas).
Unit Study
A thematic or topical approach centered around one topic that integrates multiple subject areas.
Montessori (Discovery)
A methodology based on the work of a 20th century educator that emphasizes student and sensory-driven discovery learning and real-life applications.
Other
Other methodologies
Religious Content
Secular
Contains content contrary to common Christian beliefs (i.e. evolution).
Neutral
Avoids religious or theoretical topics or presents multiple viewpoints without preference.
Christian/Religious
Faith-based or including instructional religious content.
Learning Modality
Auditory
Learns through listening, talking out loud or reading out loud.
Visual
Learns through seeing, prefers written instructions and visual materials.
Kinesthetic/Tactile (Hands-On)
Learns through moving, doing and touching.
Multi-Sensory
Curriculum that employ a variety of activities/components.
Presentation
Sequential
Curriculum progresses through well-defined learning objectives. Emphasizes mastery before moving to the next topic.
Spiral
Topics and concepts are repeated from level to level, adding more depth at each pass and connecting with review.
Conceptual/Topical
Focus is on the “why,” often with a unifying concept as well as specific skills; coverage may be broader.
Teacher Involvement
Low Teacher Involvement
Student-led materials; parent acts as a facilitator.
Medium Teacher Involvement
A mix of teacher-led time and independent student work.
High Teacher Involvement
Teacher-led lessons; may utilize discussions, hands-on activities and working together.
Additional Materials Required
No other materials needed
Everything you need is included.
Other Materials Required
There are additional required resources that are a separate purchase.
Other Materials Optional
There are additional resources mentioned or recommended but are not absolutely necessary.
Consumable
Consumable
Designed to be written in; not reusable.
Non-Consumable
Not designed to be written in; reusable.
Our Price
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Description

Videos with the author/artist Brenda Ellis brings art instruction into your homeschool! As she demonstrates, she is narrating in a pleasant voice. You will grow your art vocabulary and creative skills. While each core class has a focus, you recall skills from other levels and lessons. With 36 projects, you could stretch this over a school year (1 per week) or complete it in one semester (2 per week). Lessons include art elements such as color (all aspects), tonal value with glazing, light on form, etc. You also have art appreciation woven through the lessons and will come across familiar and unfamiliar artists including Tanner, Sharp, Millet, Cezanne, and more. In the new hardcover books, when you are introduced to a new concept or skill, color photos in the book show what you need to see in a logical fashion. A follow up in art history shows the work of a famous artist. She points out the concepts you just learned in the famous paintings. There are basic lessons such as color mixing, but the author takes these opportunities to remind you of important art concepts as you move forward. If you work on 2 one-hour classes per week, you will finish one core class (9 units, 4 lessons per unit) in one semester. This includes both instruction time and painting time. You could stretch this to a full year course doing one hour per week as there are 36 projects. A simple evaluation guide in the back help you assign a letter grade/point value to a student’s projects. The spiral-version of the courses are still available for a wider range of art lessons in one year, but I quite love the feel of these hardcover, full-color books with DVDs (blu-ray). I could sit and read them over and over! If DVDs are not your thing, there is an online option available from the publisher. Art supplies are listed in the front of the book. ~Sara

Publisher's Description of ARTistic Pursuits Painting with Acrylics, Intermediate Level, Art Core 4
Students can take their interest in color theory to the next level, with an in-depth look at working in acrylics. This Intermediate Level course equips your child in practicing color principles necessary to grow as an artist. The focus of this course is to help your child see and use the values of colors to render form convincingly. Understanding the color wheel and mixing colors successfully are key components as your child works with various applications that include impasto, glazing, textured surfaces, and more.
Category Description for Artistic Pursuits

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. Each volume features 36 lessons and the Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School and old edition of Elementary volumes are comb-bound to lay flat.

Upper elementary, middle school 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 high school 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 list of supplies.

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 high school 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 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 high school level, the emphasis is on European artists, including: Da Vinci, Raphael, Toulouse-Latrec, Monet, Renior, Picasso, Vermeer, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Constable. The middle school level focuses on World Art, while the Grades 4-5 level examines American Art. Grades K-3 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 middle school level than the Grades 4-5 Level. Regardless of the level you choose, you will want to start with the first book to lay the foundation of art basics before you jump into more advanced concepts.

All in all, this is a flexible, user-friendly program which seamlessly blends art history, art technique and exposure to different media. 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 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.

Details
More Information
Product Format:Hardcover
Brand:Artistic Pursuits
Grades:7-8
ISBN:9781939394330
Length in Inches:11.25
Width in Inches:8.625
Height in Inches:0.375
Weight in Pounds:1.15
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