songsparrow Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I am hoping that some artists and parents of artists on the boards can help me out! My dd (next year she will be in 6th grade/age 11) is a strong visual artist. She wants to do a lot more art next year, so I have worked a daily block of time for art into our schedule. I'd love to be able to have her take art classes with local teachers, but they are very expensive. So we'll be doing a lot of art ourselves at home. And that's where I'm hoping for some advice! My questions: 1. Recommendations for books on drawing? We are currently working through You Can Draw in 30 Days by Mark Kistler, and the accompanying videos on his website. She has been frustrated with it, finding it is not challenging enough. She has liked some online videos by Mark Crilley, such as his "How to Draw a Realistic Eye", although she gets frustrated when he jumps ahead through time lapse. For next year, I was thinking of using Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain, possibly followed by The Natural Way to Draw. Any recommendations for or against these books? Is one version of Right Side better than the others? Any other recommendations? 2. Recommendations for books on color theory? I'd like to do a session on color theory in the fall, but I haven't found any books that seem to be strongly recommended on this topic. 3. Recommendations for watercolor resources? After we finish color theory, she'd like to learn to paint with watercolor. Any recommendations? 4. I could possibly pay for occasional lessons, either with a student from a local college, or with a local teacher that she has taken lessons with before and adores. Do you think a private lesson once or twice a month for 30 minutes would be useful, perhaps to review what she's been working on and offer critique and advice for moving forward? I am also open to and appreciative of any other suggestions you may have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 When you said serious art, I thought you meant regular art classes where they blend projects and art history. My dd has done classes with a former art teacher homeschooler who uses projects from Dick Blick and matches them to art history and artist discussion for inspiration. And once you hit a certain level she started having them do the same technique 3 ways, just so they could see the growth and expand their creativity. As far as sketching and drawing, have you tried the library? Even watercolor books will be there. Hobby Lobby has a HUGE collection of inspiring books, and then you can see them in person and use your 50% off coupon. Ours has all sorts of books on drawing topics, so your dd is sure to find something she likes. When I talked with the art teacher, she pretty much said to focus on doing. So they talk about color theory, but they talk about it while they're preparing to do a project (mosaics or this or that). The Dick Blick site makes that easy because it gives you the project. There's a form of chinese watercolor I find fascinating and wanted to try even though I'm not exceptionally artistic, lol. You sketch and then use a limited palette (available in kits at Hobby Lobby, etc.) to create peaceful looking pictures. The results are typically small and something you could frame. Might be a nice place to start. Prismacolor sells watercolor pencils. The prismacolor website might have project ideas as well. Or google watercolor lessons and see what you get. My dd has recently started drawing manga. It's not really a style I would have encouraged her toward, but it's interesting, current, and may have books for it available in the teen section of your library. It's realistic, if a bit stylized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenMama Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I'm an artist but have very little advice in terms of specific technique books... For my own kids, I order a big range of supplies from Dick Blick and let them dabble. They've got great prices. If you call and ask for their teacher's catalog, she'll be able to flip through all the student level materials and see if anything catches her interest. I'd grab a range of books from the library, too. Museum exposure always made the biggest difference for me as a kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Don't forget Dick Blick has an AMAZING lesson plans section. They list out the projects and all the supplies and have videos showing how to do them. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songsparrow Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 "Serious" was probably the wrong term, but I couldn't come up with a better description at the time. Did not know about Dick Blick's lesson plans - am hopping over there to check them out now. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) I would love to get this dvd figure drawing series http://www.alienthink.com/ for my daughter in the next year or so (as she becomes more interested in specific technique---drawing is her passion rather than other aspects of art). The first 19 lessons are free online to see if you like it. It takes the human figure from the inside out, so you draw based on anatomy. Very affordable compared to in person art classes (at least around here) of a similar level. He also has something on color theory. My daughter's current favorite activity is copying figures from her manga, if your child has an interest in cartooning. You could also simply go to the library with her and check out any art instruction books in which she shows an interest and let her sample them to see what sparks for her. She may be drawn to some more than others. Edited June 12, 2012 by KarenNC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I would love to get this dvd figure drawing series http://www.alienthink.com/ for my daughter in the next year or so (as she becomes more interested in specific technique---drawing is her passion rather than other aspects of art). The first 19 lessons are free online to see if you like it. It takes the human figure from the inside out, so you draw based on anatomy. Very affordable compared to in person art classes (at least around here) of a similar level. He also has something on color theory. :iagree: My DS is doing this program online and LOVES it. His drawing has improved so much! Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 As an artist and art teacher to students in k-11th grade at a private school, I've discovered there is a lot of information available online that is really good and some is even free. I find things all the time just by googling. And there are a number of instruction books for watercolor that would be helpful, and they can be found at art supply stores as well as the local library. But you may want to find a local art teacher for her to teach techniques in person, at least enough to get her started and confident enough to explore and experiment on her own. As for curriculum, I highly recommend a secular series called Artistic Pursuits that comes in lesson books for specific age levels. If I didn't already use my own lessons and curriculum I would be buying and using it myself for my own child and other students that I teach. I've looked through AP several times and it looks wonderful. If you are a Christian family, then another really good series is How Great Thou Art. It's also very thorough, and comes with DVD instruction that includes watercolor lessons. Hope that helps! Blessing, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharilynn29 Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 How about Drawing with Children or Drawing with Older Children and Teenagers? My artist friend recommended these for my children. You have to be invested in your own artistic abilities as well as your child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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