Review: Artistic Pursuits

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I am not an artist.  I’ve always said I LOVE kiddie art with Esmé because it is so forgiving.  Tempera paint and stick figures all the way for me!

Enter Artistic Pursuits.  Esmé is learning what quality art looks like.  Esmé is learning the importance of using quality art materials.  And I’m learning that art isn’t so very complicated.

Artistic Pursuits has a variety of books to choose from.  The book we reviewed is Grades K-3 Book One:  An Introduction to the Visual Arts.

Synopsis:

The ARTistic Pursuits approach to teaching art is a welcome departure from typical art instruction books. This award winning homeschool art program meets the specific needs of homeschoolers at home. A variety of fun art lessons teach both the expressive and technical aspects of art while allowing children to make choices about what and how they will draw, paint, and sculpt.
 

Books at the K-3 level introduce children to the visual arts and view art through history. Colorful illustrations, art appreciation, and projects designed for young hands and minds delight students and appeal to their interests. Non-consumable. One set serves your entire family!

• Written to the student - NO teacher preparation is needed
• Complete art history - Examining works of the Great Masters
• 32 projects in each book include drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and more!
• Easy organized system for handling materials
• Sharp color images printed on bright heavy-weight paper, soft bound

Recommended Age:  Books available for Preschool to High School
Price:  $42.95 for Grades K-3 Book One
For More Info/To Purchase:  http://www.artisticpursuits.com/
For More Reviews: TOS Crew

What Mom Liked:

• The reading. Each lesson starts with a reading section that introduces the child to another aspect of art.  Our book was broken out into three sections:  What Artists Do, What Artists See, and Where We Find Art. 
• The examples.  The lessons include photos of a “professional” work of art and a student example.  This combo exposes the child to real art and motivates excellence, while also providing a work the young student can relate to.
• The projects.  The assigned projects are conceptual rather than specific instructions.  They get the student thinking like an artist, identifying subject matter, seeing shapes and colors and edges.  They give exposure to different art materials.  I love the freedom the child has to create, and so does Esmé!
• Ease of use.  Once you’ve acquired the list of materials, the curriculum is super easy to use.  No prep time; just read and go.
• Material recommendations.  If you’re a tempera paint kinda gal, the price on some of these might be a little shocking, but I quickly learned they are so worth it.  I tried to do the oil pastel work with some kiddie pastels I had on hand, and it was pathetic.  Having the right brush, pencils, paper, etc. makes all the difference.  Watercolor crayons were a big hit for us.
• Student enjoyment.  While Esmé is fixated on the first chapter about different types of arts (she is a “ballerina artist,” thank you very much), she does enjoy visual art as well.  This curriculum has given her great practice in perseverance - FINISHING her artwork…

Overall, we LOVE this product and highly recommend it if you are looking for an art curriculum.

This review wouldn’t be complete without a few examples of Esmé’s first projects, would it?

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Thanks to Artistic Pursuits for providing a book for review, and to TOS Crew for coordinating the review.  We are not being paid for this review, and all opinions are our own.