Anyone use Draw*Write*Now?

[new2homeschoolmom]

Has anyone used Draw*Write*Now and liked it? I am looking for simple drawing program for dd(10) she has some experience in drawing and loves it. At this time she just wants to learn how to draw better. I have looked at a few other programs but they include color, painting and more.

 

Thanks for any help.

Kris in Oregon

[mcconnellboys]

I used it a little last year to encourage my son in his writing skills. I think it's a decent little program for copywork. There are even some writing prompts for original things....

[kls126s]

My dd6 enjoys those kind of "draw this step-by-step" books, but I don't use them for art instruction. We use them as a fun add-on for history or science. We have books 6,7,8 (I think those are the correct numbers) and I am planning to use them for when we study those animals. I don't usually have her do the copywork - we just draw the picture at the top of a piece of paper and then I write her narration at the bottom and add it to our notebook.

[Tina in WA]

I don't really consider it a how to draw program. It is great for the younger year to learn simple drawing techniques and copy work.

 

Check with your local library to see if they have the book(s) before you purchase them. That way you can get a better understand of what the books are like. :)

 

~Tina

[new2homeschoolmom]

If this isn't a basic drawing program, does anyone have any suggestions for one?

 

Thanks,

Kris in Oregon

 

dd (10) MUS, R&S math, EG 4, DG 4, R&S spelling, SOTW, R&S Health, R&S Bible/Reading 4

 

dd (1) learning to walk and talk

[Stacia]

Has anyone used Draw*Write*Now and liked it? I am looking for simple drawing program for dd(10) she has some experience in drawing and loves it.

 

We have a few of the books & use them once in awhile for creating a drawing related to our history studies. My dc enjoyed them & made some lovely drawings.

 

You can see a sample lesson of how they show drawing here. This is pretty indicative of the level & style of the whole program, imo.

 

I would guess that at age 10, esp if you dd has some drawing experience, this would be too elementary (and the writing portion of it would be too). It would be more of a fun, on-the-side kind of activity -- that's just my opinion based on what you've mentioned. And, often you can find similar style step-by-step drawing books at the library.

 

So, I guess to sum up my opinion, a couple of these books might be a fun activity/drawing book to have on hand (or just get similar type books from the library), but I'd look for a different drawing program if she's really looking to increase her (already-existent) drawing skills.

 

Have you looked at Drawing with Children? I have this, but we haven't started using it yet. It's more teacher intensive than the Draw Write Now books, but there are free lesson plans (from Paula's Archives).

[homeschool2boys]

We used Draw Write Now this year and I dont recommend it. Its way too basic, and not even that good. My son did not even like the program, it takes the fun out of art with the writing, overall it is not something I would ever use again. I finally stopped using it and started teaching my son how to draw myself. Art was my favorite subject in school so teaching basic drawing is not too hard for me. Next year I am going to use something else.

[clwcain]

We use it, but not as part of a structured program. IMHO it is too basic for a reasonably competent child of your daughter's age.

 

It is excellent for helping the pre-K through early grammar school aged set develop the fine motor and observational skills necessary to produce excellent writing and recognizable drawings.

 

I am sorry that I cannot offer a good drawing curriculum. But I'm certain I've seen this set of questions before. Try searching the forum if you don't get a useful response in the next day or so.

 

HTH

[ABQmom]

If you want a good how to draw program, I would suggest Mark Kistler's Draw Squad. My dd's finished this up this last school year. They were skeptical at first, but after the first lesson, they were amazed by what they learned to draw. It was fun for them, and they could do it by themselves--a plus for me.

 

I also own all of the Draw, Write, Now books. We love them. They provide inspiration for the kids when they need a little help with something they want to draw. I also used a couple of the books with our US history studies one year. They were a hit.

[TundraAcademy]

We like Draw, Write Now but more for the copywork than the drawings. We have a book that my boys like called "1-2-3 Draw" by Freddie Levin. You can buy individual books like "1-2-3 Draw Pets and Farm Animals" or "1-2-3 Draw Dinosaurs," etc. Ours is a collection of 5 books in one. The ISBN is 093921783X.

 

We also have Mark Kistler's Draw Squad which would be pretty fun if you have a motivated artist. Its funny and educational. It's a bit more difficult than the 1-2-3 Draw series.

 

You might check Rainbow Resource for more drawing curriculums.

 

HTH!

[Mom to Aly]

I think it is for basic drawing, and more for writing, copywork. There are a ton of other drawing books, how to draw horses, etc, much more detailed and complicated, that she could move on to, as well as other art programs that have plenty of drawing if she likes that. And if she tried other mediums (ie: watercolor pencils, where she would draw, then use a watercolor brush to turn it into a watercolor painting) she might realize she likes those too.

 

Kiran

[JaneGrey]

First, a review of DWC

Pros:

*Great exercises on volume drawing (1 page)

*Great exercises on "eye testing" (1 page)

 

Cons:

*Navigating is a nightmare. Even with the help from Paula's Archives (LOVE that place), there's still stuff to wade through. That's ok because you could probably just hand it over to your daughter. So I wouldn't necessarily call this book teacher intensive. The book could definitely have been organized much better, though. For example, provide an intro for just those who are intimidated by art. Then, have a separate "tips" section organized by topic.

*The author is so verbose. She keeps telling you to start with your relaxation exercises. There's quite a bit of cheerleading. She could have just given more exercises!! That would have been fun. You can, though, come up with your own exercises along the same lines.

*Missing some things. I think she should have provided more exercises on eye training like those discussed here: http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/westv.html.

I love the work they do with the viewfinder. I also like how they draw without looking at their paper. These are exercises I had to do as a young'un in art class at the public elementary school. (No complaints about my public school education academically.) I also think she should have provided more work with grids for proportion. Finally, I really like how Goshen pulls in art history. (This is not a program you can purchase, though.)

Here's what you really want from me! http://www.redshift.com/~bonajo/art_drawing.htm. Paula's Archives nicely lists several available drawing programs with user comments. Check it out. (There is so much to love about that website!) I agree that Kistler's book was too "cartoon-y." I didn't like Art Adventures at Home because it was so project-oriented and had a spiral approach. How to Teach Art to Children is just about the elements of art; you won't be drawing much.

 

I'd try Hooked on Drawing ($23.60) or Visual Manna's Master Drawing or DWC, which is $10.85 at amazon (it really isn't bad; it just wasn't as good as expected). Compare Tables of Contents to determine what you'd like to see covered.

 

I also recommend that you check out Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I read this a long time ago and remember feeling my creative juices flowing. It seems that there were some exercises in there, though I don't recall doing any. It's for adults. At least you can file that under "later."

 

Check your library for DWC, Hooked on Drawing, and Drawing on the Right Side... (revised as The New Drawing...).

[prairiegirl]

We love Draw Write Now but we don't use it as a program. My kids haul them out for something to do during our read alouds.

 

We also have Draw Squad but we haven't used it yet so I don't know if it is any good or not.

[Harriet Vane]

My two normally do A Reason for Handwriting. However, once a week when their cousins come over we do Draw Write Now for fun--they really enjoy making their sketches look authentic. I think it would not be as much fun if we did it every day--it would take too much time. JMHO

[new2homeschoolmom]

Thank you for all the comments.

 

I still haven't decided what to use but I have received alot of good ideas. I guess first I need to decided if we draw for fun only or if I want an actual program. At this point I am leaning towards just have fun, we will be starting our second year of hsing in Aug. The first year she said we had nothing fun, so maybe if I added something she wants with out the thought of it being part of her schooling she will get the other stuff done so she can move on to what she wants to learn.

 

Thanks again,

Kris in Oregon