Art moms AND non art moms- is this realistic?

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My dd seems to be getting more and more into art.  She has always been into being creative as she is an ENFP.  But if she decides to pursue art as a career, she will need a portfolio.  In high school she can take a Portfolio Prep class, but between now and then (3 years) she will need to just have some formal art training.  She takes a Clay Sculpting Class which is the highlight of her entire week, and is not willing to give it up.

 

Now, the Art schools/studios here cost about 150.00 per month for a 1.5 hour class on oil painting.  I just don't know if I can afford that this year, or even the next two years.  And I worry that she will not like it.

 

I thought about doing an at-home drawing and painting program, like Artistic pursuits or maybe something that comes with a video....

 

Is this realistic or should I just bite the bullet and get my dd some good classes at the studio?

[shinyhappypeople]

My dd seems to be getting more and more into art.  She has always been into being creative as she is an ENFP.  But if she decides to pursue art as a career, she will need a portfolio.  In high school she can take a Portfolio Prep class, but between now and then (3 years) she will need to just have some formal art training.  She takes a Clay Sculpting Class which is the highlight of her entire week, and is not willing to give it up.

 

Now, the Art schools/studios here cost about 150.00 per month for a 1.5 hour class on oil painting.  I just don't know if I can afford that this year, or even the next two years.  And I worry that she will not like it.

 

I thought about doing an at-home drawing and painting program, like Artistic pursuits or maybe something that comes with a video....

 

Is this realistic or should I just bite the bullet and get my dd some good classes at the studio?

 

If you can't afford it, you can't afford it.  That might turn out to be a blessing in disguise, especially at her age.  Just find a good at-home program and - most important - invest in a huge stash of good quality supplies, including nice paper.  Cheap supplies are a pain to work with.

 

I'm still holding out on good brushes because DD isn't consistent in caring for them properly, but other than that we get the best we can afford.  

 

I don't think Artistic Pursuits would be good for what you're wanting it for.  And, unfortunately, I have nothing better to recommend, because I haven't gone searching for art instruction videos.  DD mostly just does her own thing and occasionally gets tips from my mom, who is an incredible artist.   I almost forgot DD's favorite source of art instruction: youtube.  There's some seriously great stuff on there for aspiring artists.  You just have to dig a bit.  

[...................]

I know Atelier comes with a video...

[HomeAgain]

I had a non-artistic child. Stick figures, scribbles, it was bad.  We went through Artistic Pursuits anyway for 2 years, and he found he actually enjoyed AND was good at art!  The foundation it gave him had him pursuing extra art classes in high school as well as digital art.  I do not regret doing an at home program with him instead of going to a studio each week.  AP let him try his hand at various art styles and covered the basics thoroughly, so when he was more mature he was able to apply what he knew already in longer classes.

 

Your dd already sounds like she has the basics and would benefit from something else, perhaps?  You may want to look at alternative options - an art museum sometimes holds classes, or you can hire a college student as an art tutor, or you can look for a camp over the summer to see what she would enjoy doing.

[SkateLeft]

My oldest is a computer science and studio art double major, and one of her paintings recently received a scholarship award at the juried art show at her university.

 

I have no artistic ability at all. Personally, I don't think expensive art classes are a necessity. My dd never took a lot of art classes outside the home when she was younger, mainly because I just didn't have the time to make the long drive those classes would entail. She took a few classes, but mainly I just let her explore. The best class she took was actually an adult continuing ed class offered by the extension office of the local college of art and design. The teen classes were a waste of time and money for the most part. She was constantly drawing, and still always has a sketchbook with her. She went through reams of paper, along with stacks and stacks of sketch books. (Those are really fun to look through now!) One year, we bought her a drawing tablet and she spent long hours doing digital painting. Now her primary interest is in visualization engineering, which is sort of a marriage of art and computer science.

 

I think working through an at-home art program is just fine. Provide supplies and resources, and let her develop her skills at her own pace. If DE is an option in high school, that might be a good way to get more formal instruction.

[wapiti]

Sometime in the last few months, there was a thread about a newer awesome online art program and I. can't. find. it!

[SanDiegoMom]

Sometime in the last few months, there was a thread about a newer awesome online art program and I. can't. find. it!

 

 

Thevirtualinstructor.com.  We haven't used it yet though.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I think it's my thread wapiti referenced. TheVirtualInstructor.com has been a huge hit here, to say the least. And since posting this thread, I've seen enormous improvements in my boys' skills as well. DS13 in particular is getting incredibly good with pen and ink.

 

ETA: I posted prematurely, and it seems I have a DD much like yours, so I'll add more in another post.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Alte Veste Academy

[Alte Veste Academy]

 

 

My dd seems to be getting more and more into art.  She has always been into being creative as she is an ENFP.  But if she decides to pursue art as a career, she will need a portfolio.  In high school she can take a Portfolio Prep class, but between now and then (3 years) she will need to just have some formal art training.  She takes a Clay Sculpting Class which is the highlight of her entire week, and is not willing to give it up.

 

Now, the Art schools/studios here cost about 150.00 per month for a 1.5 hour class on oil painting.  I just don't know if I can afford that this year, or even the next two years.  And I worry that she will not like it.

 

I thought about doing an at-home drawing and painting program, like Artistic pursuits or maybe something that comes with a video....

 

Is this realistic or should I just bite the bullet and get my dd some good classes at the studio?

 

Your DD sounds a lot like my DD11. She has always been extremely creative and very into art. We did Artistic Pursuits when she was younger but it wasn't a good fit. I would not recommend it for where you are now. 

 

About the $$$ oil painting class, I have mixed feelings based on what you shared. If the clay class is the highlight of her week now, it sounds like she would love it (I assume it is a weekly class at that rate?). The issue I have with my DD is that she is all over the place. She loves it all. Pastels (oil and chalk), clay, charcoals, pen & ink, mixed media, acrylic, oil...LOL. Right now her favorite is watercolors, but that could change in a heartbeat, so I would personally hesitate to sign up for a single medium class. Sounds like your DD isn't as flighty though, so I would probably try to make it work in your shoes.

 

TheVirtualInstructor.com has a good mix, so DD can pick and choose to her heart's content. It was $99 for the whole year and she can do what she wants when she wants. I think I said in the thread though that she always wants to do her own thing, her own twist (artist personality 101, LOL), so the deal we made is that she will do each lesson as presented, then put her own spin on it afterward. This has worked out very well. 

 

Did you see my out-of-the-box planning thread for next year? I discuss plans for each of my kids, and here is what DD and I planned for her. I see this basic schedule and afternoon art plan lasting for grades 6-8. The morning core work will change yearly, of course.

 

Morning Core Work (9-12):

Language: (with DS13, this is an advanced area) IEW Elegant Essay and Windows to the World followed by Oak Meadow The Hero's Journey (with some Excellence in Literature: Intro thrown in), IEW Speech Boot Camp, AG reinforcement

 

Math: continue (tortoise-style, LOL) with Jacobs Algebra/Foerster's supplement and Mathematics: A Human Endeavor

Logic(ish): Lauren Ipsum 

Science: RS4K Exploring the Building Blocks of Science 6

History: second half of American history with Hakim

Foreign Language: Rosetta Stone Spanish

 

Afternoon Project (1-4): An enormous study in creativity! She wants to study color as a starting point. The Secret Language of Color (INCREDIBLE book!) and The Brilliant History of Color in Art have been the major inspiration for this. She wants to expand the study of color to art and design—visual arts, computer graphic design, animation, fashion/pattern design and sewing, interior design, etc. This is it for her. I can easily see this study spanning grades 6-8 for her. I have so many books wish listed for her it isn't even funny.

 

For visual art, she wants to increase her skills in acrylic painting, watercolors, pastels, and mixed media in particular. She also wants to study the art of illustrating children's books and try her hand at writing some. I've got some resources on illustrators for her. I'm going to have her create a gallery at the Google Art Project site and try to sneak in just a smidge of art history (she is sadly not a fan).

 

She is going to start a blog and later a web site for art. She will continue with The Virtual Instructor and Adobe Creative Cloud (she is learning these apps inside and out). She already has some of Adobe's Classroom in a Book series and will also be using Lynda.com.

 

She is also going to use Craftsy.com for some specific art and sewing classes. I am considering giving her a wardrobe budget instead of doing our typical shopping runs and see what kind of wardrobe she can turn out for herself by designing/creating clothes for herself. For Christmas, she got a serger to go with her sewing machine and an adjustable dress form, so she's ready to go.

 

As a PP mentioned, DD also does digital art and animation. She uses a Wacom tablet for this. She has a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (homeschool subscription costs $21.34/month with tax). She also flits around there. The digital/tablet art had a learning curve, but once she got past the original hump, she was in love. 

 

So anyway, her art education is now made up of a Frankensteined combination of The Virtual Instructor, Adobe Creative Cloud, Lynda.com, Craftsy.com, YouTube.com, artist blogs, her own instincts and self-teaching, and loads and loads and loads of books.

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by Alte Veste Academy

[Alte Veste Academy]

And I just signed her up for CreativeLive. LOL

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Thank you for taking the time Alta Vista! It's wonderful of you to share all  your info.  I will look into both links.  My dd is always into different media, and doesn't have the desire to use a book to learn anything.  She always likes in person classes the best.

[The Girls' Mom]

My advice?  Giver her the time and materials to explore art in ways she finds enjoyable.  Encourage her to play with different mediums.  Don't worry about formal instruction just yet.  IF she wants to learn more about a certain craft, by all means let her learn if you can afford it.  But otherwise don't make it a subject.  When she gets into high school, then she can work on a portfolio.  

 

Also, get her some books/videos on form, perspective, and color theory.  Those are basics that she can hone on her own through drawing, painting, and even sculpture.  Expose her to lots of different types of art, either through museums or books and video.  

 

 

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

I don't know where you live, but don't overlook the community center.  You can often find very affordable art classes for teens and adults at the community center that would be a great creative outlet.  Then she can dabble in a different medium every couple of months too.

 

I have younger kids, and we have done outside art and dabbled in Artistic Pursuits at home.  We had an outside class that was great, and one that was so-so in my opinion.  I have found that the connection with the instructor is an important part of it.  Good skills can be learned with at home products, but a good outsider instructor can give feedback and tips that go beyond the basics.  

 

Perhaps ask some in your area who the best instructors are, or ask her current teacher for some advice.  The best instructors usually have a good reputation.

[mumto2]

Just wanted to second the Community Center idea. Dd goes to Art classes weekly and has had a great time. She also attends local patchwork club with me. The members have made sure she has had opportunities to learn a huge range of fabric art skills.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Art classes are nice and you can get feedback as you are going along, but I do think you can learn the same techniques through books and videos.  And the money might be better spent on quality art supplies even if that means doing it on your own.  There are tons of things on-line.  Tons of books.  Etc.

 

I have one who is very interested in art.  He has taken a lot of classes, but right now he is not taking anything (his choice).  He doesn't mind just working on it at home. 

 

There was one aspect of classes that he did not like that would not happen at home.  Some of his teachers were a bit rigid.  They insisted he do certain things or copy the masters of certain techniques.  I do understand that, but he wanted to come up with his own ideas or add in his own touch so he resented that sometimes.  I didn't really agree with the instructors when they did that. 

[MomatHWTK]

It had not occurred to me that dd would need a professional portfolio before college. That being said, she does use Mark Kistler and TheVirtualInstructor.com and certainly has sufficient work to show for her efforts. She has sold paintings at craft fairs. We have invested in purchasing her name as a domain (HerNameArt.com) because DH found that most artists use that format for marketing. 

I had the children both take an art class when oldest Ds was very young and DD was just the "tag along" student. The class was very structured toward demonstrating artists' techniques and "do what I say" rather than a studio-type situation where the child creates and the instructor offers suggestion and improvement. My DD did not fit well into that structure. If I were to pay for an art instruction class now, it would have to be with an instructor who I was certain could advance her craft in real ways. 

 

We live near two very active art communities and vacation in another. My plan is that once she is old enough to drive, I will connect her with various artisans in the area to apprentice under. Also, by that point, she may be able to enroll in classes at our local university. I would also be willing to accompany her to attend workshops at artist retreats until she is old enough to go on her own. 

 

 

 

ETA: Reading through the other posts..

I just purchase a graphic tablet for DD! We also have a huge pile of fabric, trim and thread. I am inept at setting up our sewing machine so it doesn't get any use. But DD hand-sews stuffed creations and doll clothes. Since DD was three, she has turned anything she can find into an art medium.  

Edited April 24, 2016 by MomatHWTK

[Laurel-in-CA]

Our oldest took art class once/week, 90 min. in high school and then took a portfolio prep class there the summer before senior year. Her oil painting experience, though, was through a local class for seniors (free). We just called up & asked if she could enroll. The instructor was enthusiastic and the seniors there loved her.

 

The portfolio included pencil sketches and a finished product, colored pencil sketches and a finished selfportrait, charcoal warmup exercises, for life drawing she had a couple of animal drawings. She also had an acrylic painting and photos of a 3-D project she'd done, a pastel piece, and a couple of multi-media pieces of various kinds. The class helped her sort thru her work for the best examples, create a body of work that showcased different skills and techniques, how to create an artist's statement and table of contents, arrange them in a couple different size portfolios (we ended up using the 9x11 one as it was easiest to carry) and (most important) a digital portfolio that could be submitted for scholarships.

 

We could have done those things at home, but I wasn't clear at all on what was needed and how to arrange it. She took the portfolio hardcopy with her to national portfolio day and also to several college tours. And she used the digital portfolio for scholarship applications and got a good scholarship.

[dragonflyer]

I got to dig through some of the material from Sparketh at a convention.  It sounds like what you are looking for: https://sparketh.com/

[Kalmia]

We talked to some of the professors at the art school my son is interested in. The one who impressed me most, a children's book author and the designer of the Kwanzaa stamp, said very directly that the most important thing to do to prepare for art school was to draw from life all the time. That if you think there is nothing to draw, pick up a stick and draw that. Your pencil and your sketchbook carried everywhere, used every day. Some art schools look at student sketchbooks in the admissions process to get an idea of how the student approaches subjects and how they think. Sketchbooks can become works of art on their own, don't just center one image on each page.

 

Something like this will probably be inspiration enough. An Illustrated Life: Drawing Inspiration from the Private Sketchbooks of Artists, Illustrators, and Designers.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Illustrated-Life-Inspiration-Sketchbooks-Illustrators/dp/1600610862/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1461551132&sr=8-8&keywords=artist%27s+sketchbooks

 

 

[Laurel-in-CA]

I agree life drawing is important, as is developing a mind set of sketching daily. Assignments in dd's art college life drawing class would be to practice 60-plus poses a week; for some schools it's 100-plus/week.

 

But for us, a $300 portfolio class (drawing on all her previous work for examples) yielded $22,000 in scholarship money over 4 years, so it was way worth it.

[Peaceful Isle]

Art class is the best thing I did for my 14 year old dd. She loves it and it is well worth it.

 

See if maybe a local art studio will let your dd have a free first class. Mine did and my dd was hooked!

 

She had an art show about a month ago and was able to show off her work with the other students.

 

Yes, it's expensive but so worth it.

 

Also, kindle unlimited has some how to draw books. My dd loves manga and anime so I found her some of those.

Also, it's amazing what a few good art supplies will do for the imagination. My dds favorite brand is prismacolor.

Edited April 26, 2016 by Peacefulisle

[...................]

Ok, after reading all these great ideas I still felt desperately inadequate, and then I found that one of hte local art schools is sort of subsidized by a huge company nearby, and their lessons are about 40% less expensive which makes all the difference.  So she is signed up for Drawing into Painting which she can take several times until she feels she has mastered it.  Then she can take Intermediate Middle School art, and she can start Oil Painting at any time.  

 

These lessons are closer to 85.00 per month which I can do.  I talked to the director and she helped me choose the classes that are right for my dd and she will try stepping in 1/3 way throguh. If she feels she missed too much they will credit me for the next session and she'll start from the beginning then.  :o)  Also these classes include art supplies.  THe 150/month classes did NOT include supplies! I thought that was weird.  I never even heard of that before.

[MomatHWTK]

That sounds like a much better plan and price. Glad you found it!

[Peaceful Isle]

That sounds like a great price ! So glad you found something that will work :)