Guest Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 No books by that title? SIGH! OK. I have looked at Artistic pursuits, the Evan Moor books, and all the other ideas you resourceful ladies suggested in another art post. 1) What level should one start AP if no art has been done? Would the first K-3 book work? My kids do not like to draw. From what I read, it seems the older books deal mostly with drawing. Is this true? 2)If you use AP, would you also consider purchasing Harmony Fine Arts at Home: http://www.harmonyfinearts.com/index.php ? What would be the advantage of doing so? 3) How simple is AP to implement? Would you but their art supply packs or hit the local Micheal's Craft Store? Thank you for replying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 It's a dvd series, they show the teacher demonstrating the project, giving the background, showing examples... Then they show the kids in the class working on their projects and it shows their finished projects. My kids have been very inspired by the program and come up with some wonderful projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 This is an excellent cd program that gives you some art history, discusses the artists style and techniques , then comes up with projects that turn out so well you will want to frame them:D. As I recall, it is a little pricey, but really the way to go if you are not artsy yet want to encourage your dc in this area. Fwiw, I know AP is recommended often, but we did not care for Bk. 1 at all which is why we did not try bk.2. I do have the jr. high book, which my dc seem to like, but we have not been consistent in using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Well my first thought was GIVE UP! lol Seriously, I'd consider myself non-artistic. I don't even try to match colors for myself! My dd adores art though, gets it from her father, and here are some no-brainer things that even *I* can make happen: -buy a box of Sculpey (use your 40% off coupon at Michaels or Joanns) and make something with it. You said your kids don't like to draw, so don't draw. Sculpt, buy beeswax crayons or watercolor pencils. Try fiber arts stuff (quilting) or papercrafting. There's much more to the world than drawing. Take them to the store and buy a new medium and a book that explains how to use it. Just try something! -look at the art books VP sells. They have a series of books listed for some of the upper grades that would work fine for any grade. You read the book about the artist (easy, I can read a book) and then apply one of the techniques to a project. Some of the books even come with supplies. And we're talking EASY stuff here, like papercutting that Picasso did with scissors. -buy a book from Visual Manna that coordinates to something you're studying. We have the Narnia art book and it makes a fabulous complement to the Narnia lit guide we've been doing. I have their american history art book to use for next year along with our american history studies. It's real art, but the instructions are clear enough that I can hand it to my dd and get out of the way. -sign up for classes. We have classes galore around here. I did projects from Discovering Great Artists with my dd, and while we did fine and made nice stuff, I have to say the teacher of the class dd is now taking makes a LOT more effort and brings a LOT more to it than I ever did. A good class does more than just teach the art, it inspires your student with the person and fever of the teacher. It makes them curious to try new things because they see the way the teacher thinks of things. It's not to say you'll do a bad job, just that it's worth it to get a teacher if you can. Another thing that I always mean to do and don't get around to is picture study. That's art too and is easy to accomplish. VP also sells art books to coordinate with each year of the history. Again, reading a book is something I can get done, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIN Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I'm art challenged, so I can answer you. :) I am currently using Artistic Pursuits, K-3 book 1 and really like it. It took me 1-1/2 years to figure out that I do like it, but I do. :) I'm planning to continue in book 2 next fall. I also purchased Harmony Fine Arts at Home for next year. I see the 2 as doing very different things: Harmony is art & music appreciation all laid out and organized, I don't have to search to figure out what paintings or artist to study - it's all there for me, AP is an art curriculum - teaching how to, about form, different types of art, etc. If you want to add more music and art appreciation try Harmony Fine Arts. If you want more actual art projects, add AP too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Thank you for your ideas and insight. I looked up Meet the Masters but the site says they aren't selling the at home version or supplies right now. For those who didn't like AP, what did you not like? I looked at Atlier but it is too expensive for us. Thank you though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 so they may have a problem with these chapters: Artists See Shape Artists See Form Artists See Line Artists See Color Artists See Edges My son did not enjoy these because he said "all they want to talk about are lines". Now this was awhile ago, so I don't remember exactly what they were doing. The odd thing is that he loves to draw! He's actually very good. But he was impatient with the instruction in the first AP book. He also did not like the discussion questions: Q: Do you think the artist had fond memories of the place he lived? A: How should I know? Sigh. What can I say? He likes art, but he doesn't want to talk about lines and the artist's feelings. He did find the chapters on art in different cultures interesting, but we had already covered it in history, so it got old quickly. My girls were actually o.k. with it, but they're people pleasers, so that doesn't mean much. They all loved MtM, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada_Mom Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Have you looked at Usborne books? They have some good titles that cover all genres of art, not just drawing. I have a few of their books. I try to use one different idea each week for art classes. It's pretty painless as it talks you through the materials you need and how to do the project as well as what it should look like after. Perhaps a bit too informal, but at least I feel good that we're making an attempt at art! I also use the Evan Moor "How to Teach Art to Children." But I don't know how old your dc are. I too, require a book titled "Art for the Talentless..." :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal Sandra Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 My dss take art lessons at one of the Mission:Renaissance studios. The studio's philosophy is that anyone can learn to draw and paint and that with the exception of the gifted few, "talent" is for the most part a myth. By that it means that what most people call a lack of talent is merely a lack of instruction and training. I have not viewed the DVDs myself, but am very impressed with the instruction my dss receive and the results they are getting. At first the Mission: Renaissance website seemed a bit self-laudatory for my taste, but I cannot argue with the results I am seeing in dss. If the DVD course is as good as the studio instruction, it might be a viable option for you. HTH. http://www.thegluckmethod.com/missionrenaissance.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Country Girl Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Okay, my family and I are totally talentless when it comes to art and we've never used this so feel free to completely ignore my post :D However, I thought I throw it out there as another idea for you in case it might work. I always like people to give me options I hadn't thought of so I figured I let you know about this. http://www.timberdoodle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1851 HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Okay, my family and I are totally talentless when it comes to art and we've never used this so feel free to completely ignore my post :D However, I thought I throw it out there as another idea for you in case it might work. I always like people to give me options I hadn't thought of so I figured I let you know about this. http://www.timberdoodle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1851 HTH! We use this (when I remember) and it's awesome. The kids love it and it's very interesting. My kids are 5 and 6 - and I highly recommend it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lorna Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I know it isn't probably the serious curriculum you might be looking for but I love 'Drawing For the Artistically Undiscovered' by Quentin Blake (Klutz Books). It is a real confidence booster, fun and you could use that and then start a curriculum. You'll need a copy each because you draw in the book. The pens and pencils come with the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LG Gone Wild Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I'm challenged to even draw a smiley face. I tried an art kit for my kds but it was just a waste of money. Art is one of the few things I just cannot and do not do. I put my ds in a Monart (the book is mentioned in WTM) school. He loved it and was able to do some not so bad work. My ds has no gift for art either. Sure it costs money but so did the art kit and art books I bought that neither I nor my ds got anything out of.:o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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