Drawing curricula

Yes, we are very slowly moving through Artistic Pursuits. We are currently using Grades K-3 Book 1 and my friend has Grades K-3 Book 2 (so her kids and my kids are doing the lessons together).

Book 1 is very basic in the beginning (I skipped a couple of lessons I just didn’t feel like doing!). It starts with what an artist does (compose, use line, use color, etc.) Each lesson focuses on one thing, then the kids have an opportunity to do an art lesson focusing on that same thing. Sometimes there are works of art to look at which depict that particular focus.

Book 2 looks at specific artists – Giotto in the gothic period for instance, as well as their specific styles. Then we are supposed to duplicate it. For example, we learned what a fresco was and how Giotto did it, then we had to put spackle (the kind used on walls) on cardboard and paint a scene to make our own fresco. There seem to be two lessons for each artist. The books are a combination of hands-on art lessons as well as art appreciation.

The nice thing is that it pushes me to do art projects I wouldn’t normally do (sculpture with clay for instance). It also gives a nice overview of different art styles (Book 2). It is not an in-depth artist study, at least not in these two books.

The books are kind of pricey, but you can look at examples on the artistic pursuits website. If I had to choose, I personally would have only bought book 2 and skipped book 1.

I hope this helps!

-Tanya

No, I’m sorry – I don’t know anything about those. 🙁