Thursday, June 4, 2020

Review~ Artistic Pursuits: The Elements of Art and Composition Book 1 for High School

Disclosure~I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

Mountain of Grace Homeschooling Review



Art is a subject I have always made a point of including in our homeschool lessons. Whether it was arts and crafts when the kids were little or a real art class as they got older, I always wanted to include art since it was a fun class to do. Recently the kids were given the opportunity to give ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12, Book 1, The Elements of Art and Composition from Artistic Pursuits, Inc. 




ARTistic Pursuits, Inc is a wonderful company that provides a variety of art programs for homeschool families and co-ops. Their goal is to make teaching art to students simple and fun. Their techniques are easy to follow, but very thorough.  They strive to combine all aspects of art in order to teach children how to create. I love how the book combines art history, art techniques, art appreciation, vocabulary, and observation in their program. This program is perfect for children to learn about art but more important to appreciate art!



For this review, we received a physical copy of the ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12, Book 1, The Elements of Art and Compositions. This is the first book in the two-book series for high school students. Book 2 covers color and composition.The books cost $47.95. Of course prices are subject to change, so please check the website for the most up-to-date price.  The book is a spiral-bound paperback. This allows for easy accessibility. A stiff hardback book would be a little harder to handle when completing art projects. The book is 68 pages and contains 168 illustrations. Illustrations are in black and white and in color.



ARTistic Pursuits Book 1~ The Element of Art and Composition is geared for high school students, ages 14 and up. If your child is advanced in art, I'm sure a student in middle school could easily work through the book as well. Each book in the high school set is worth 1 credit of art for a high school transcript. If a student works though both books, they'll have 2 full credits of fine art for their high school transcript. The website contains all the information a parent would need to add this fantastic art course to their student's transcripts.

The book contains 16 Units that will introduce students to the world of art.

Unit 1~ Space
Unit 2~ Line
Unit 3~ Texture
Unit 4~ Shape
Unit 5~ Form
Unit 6~ Value
Unit 7~ Contrast and Unity
Unit 8~ Balance
Unit 9~ Rhythm 
Unit 10~ Depth by Overlapping
Unit 11~ Depth by Position and Size
Unit 12~ One and Two Point Perspective
Unit 13~ Atmospheric Perspective
Unit 14~ Proportion, the Face
Unit 15~ Proportion, the Figure
Unit 16~ Clothing the Figure


Within the 16 units, students will find 68 lessons to work through. Each unit will focus on one art element while exploring the topic in four very, unique ways. Students will be introduced to a variety of art media: drawing pencils, vine charcoal, and compressed charcoal. 

Art classes should be held two times a week for about one hour. For a 36 week school year, each unit should be covered for two weeks.

The first few pages of the book contains the table of contents, the supply list of materials needed for the first and second semesters, three getting started pages- one for the parents, one for the students. and finally a page about the elements of art. 

So How Are the Units Set Up?

Each units is divided into 5 sections: Vocabulary and Creative Exercise, Art Appreciation, Art History, Techniques, and Application. 

Vocabulary and Creative Exercise~ This section introduces the student to the art element being taught for that unit.The element is explained, examples are given, and a creative challenge pertaining to the element is given to the student to execute. A wonderful quote and an objective for the lesson is also included in this section.



Art Appreciation~ This section takes a famous work of art and goes into detail discussing how the art element being taught is presented in the artwork. I love how this section introduces students to various artists and styles of artwork. 


Art History~ This section is extremely important when studying art. On this page, there are three boxes. Students are will be exposed to various artists, ideas from different time periods, and various artistic styles. The students will also be given an assignment to work on and complete.



Techniques~ This section goes into great detail on various techniques used in art. Students will then  complete the task give to them under the to do section.



Application~ This is the final project the students will work on and complete for the unit.



To get the unit completed in a two week span, art appreciation and art history should be combined into one lesson.

What Did We Think of The Elements of Art and Composition?

The course and book are fantastic. I love how the unit contains art terms, vocabulary, art history, art appreciation, technique instruction, and a final project to complete. The entire course is well done. It's extremely thorough and planned out well. Students get art history and art class all in one.

I personally love the information provided on the website for the student's transcripts. It states everything I need to know to help me complete Therese's transcripts for high school. Simple and easy is what I like.

Therese found the lesson interesting and challenging. She liked that each unit has a couple of assignments to complete and then a bigger project to work on. It helped her see what she had learned. The technique instruction was very helpful and she liked out they would often break down the steps.


The illustrations were very helpful she said. She liked the course because she could read the lesson and get to work. She says she's not a huge fan of online art lessons.

Therese didn't have a lot of time to get deep into the book. A few unexpected things came up and limited her time working on the lessons. She did say two lessons a week was extremely doable as an elective. Of course, she said spending time on the others working on the project would be a good idea. She plans on finishing the book next year during the school year. She also suggested a field trip to an art museum to round out the course.

Sadly, we have no finished projects to show for this review, at least not yet. Therese had them on the school table for safe keeping. I was in the craft/school room working on a few craft projects. I left a cup of coffee on the table and one of our mischievous cats dumped the cup and ruined the papers. Four cats can get a little rambunctious. She's currently working on a new unit and I'll get the pictures up as soon as she is done. She tends to be a perfectionist.


This is our third review for Artistic Pursuits Inc. You can read about ARTistic Pursuits Elementary Book 4-5 and Sculpture Technique Construct.


Artistic Pursuits Inc is offering a free 16 week summer course for students wanting to learn the basics of drawing. They also have a online courses for the K-3 level books.


~Discover more about Artistic Pursuits, Inc~



Be sure to read about all the other great books the review crew were able to review.
Just click below!




Till Next Time,
Monique


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