ARTistic Pursuits Review~Middle School

I must admit, my favorite thing in school (besides reading) was art. I will also admit that many math classes were spent doodling in the margins of my paper instead of listening to instructions. This isn't a pastime that I have taken the time to do a whole lot of since becoming a parent. BUT, my daughter who also loves art has definitely been an encouragement to start it back up. I love how art, like books, can be such an escape and for me it is very relaxing. I get in my "zone". hahah! So you can imagine my enthusiasm when I was able to do a review for ARTistic Pursuits. Z~girl is 11, so she is in the middle school range, and we were sent Middle School 6-8 Book 1 . This particular book is recommended for grades 6-8/ages 11 and up.

 

I like that the book tells you right away what supplies are needed while using the book. We bought the supplies at Michaels as we do not have a local art store and with some of the items I was not able to get the same brands, but I did eventually end up finding what we would need. (yes I said WE...I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity to use my creativity with my daughter) It has a getting started guide that tells you all you need to know before starting the instruction with your child. 

Not only do the lessons provide instruction but they also have art history and culture included in the information.  They have art illustrations in the book by famous artists such as Claude Monet, Katsushika Hokusai, and Leonado da Vinci. They used the creations of these masters to illustrate various drawing techniques. For the last few years we have been playing an art card Go Fish game so it helped that Z~girl was familiar with the various artists. 

There are 16 units in the book with each one broken down into 4 lessons. 

 Building a Visual Vocabulary

Art Appreciation and Art History

Techniques

Application

With this book your child will learn about:

• Space
• Line
• Texture 
• Shape
• Form 
• Visual Paths in the Line
• Balance, Symmetry
•  your child will learn the difference between a quick sketch and a finished drawing

In the first lesson "Portrait of the Elephant Dal, Badal, Chasing his Attendant", Z~girl soon discovered that while her mom can draw a very good elephant...her people look like smurfs. Z~girl did a much better sketch of the attendant being chased. In this exercise it taught about positioning and space.

The price of the book we were able to try out is 47.95. Initially that price could seem high as it is not a hard cover book but that type of book would be really difficult to use for an art instruction book. Instead, it has a ring binder that allows you to open the book up flat which which I really liked! Also, it is much more than an art instruction book because of the fact it includes history and culture in the process. I plan on buying book two for next year. 

This company makes art books for all ages too so check out what other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have to say about the various books!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this product 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.