We enjoy many different aspects of art in our home. We do some art appreciation which Charlotte Mason recommended....mostly picture study. We may take 3-6 prints of an artist and just enjoy looking at them, finding unusual things in them and at times, study the artist too. We are not very formal about this. My main goal is to expose them to the art and I leave the rest mostly up to them. I don't believe art can be "pushed" upon a child for him to appreciate. Another way we do "art appreciation" is to play the game of "Masterpiece" which is a board game where the players are buying/selling valuable paitings of the masters at "auction". We have varied the game by using postcard size paintings of other artists which weren't included with the game. So now we may have a "Monet Auction" or a "Remington Auction" by using only those cards. I found a variety of inexpensive postcard paintings from Dover Publications by mail only: Dover Publications, 31 East 2nd St., Mineola, NY 11501 We also like to practice drawing and painting with watercolors. Ruth Beechick reminds me that it is better to learn one art medium well and have plenty of time to practice it. Just as we would not try out the voilin one week and piano another, we should give children plenty of time to enjoy and explore and experiment with one type of art medium. The Extention Program from National Gallery of Art is a free-of-charge educational service. You may request it only by mail at: Department of Education Resources, National Gallery of Art, 4th and Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20565. The only cost is the return postage of the items borrowed. It's well worth the time going through their catalog and ordering the programs. Some of our favorite programs were: Slide presentations: Impressionism; The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Painting of the Seventeenth Century; Degas: The Dancers Videos: The Christmas Story in Art; The Easter Story in Art; Leonardo: To Know How to See; Of Time Tombs and Treasure: The Treasures of Tutankhumaun; John James Audubon: The Birds of America Prints: We've also purchased some of our art prints from National Gallery of Art's Collection for about $1.75 each. I like the size of these 11 x 14" prints for ease of studying. But there is a postcard size for less money. A true bargain...for study or for framing! When shopping for prints, I do a search for the artist on the Collection link above so I can see it first. Then if you wish to purchase it, you can click on "purchase". If there is no purchase link, there is no print for sale. Usually the prints with images online are the ones you may purchase. The National Gallery of Art Book is also available for an entire year from The National Gallery of Art. This includes every painting or sculpture that is in the Gallery of Art at the time of it's printing. A new site that we've discovered is called WebMuseum. It is loaded with all the great masters of art and with pictures and histories. I have also found Art Magick to be a wonderful site for finding particular artists and their work. We often will print off a picture for our personal study and for ideas to create our own "masterpieces". Doing Art Much of the art that we "do" has been drawing or painting. So far, we've enjoyed Bruce McIntyre's little book called Drawing Textbook. It's a neat book on drawing in perspective...easy lessons, step by step, each lessson building upon the previous. We also draw in our nature journals "just by looking" and by trying to really see how the plants, flowers and bugs really appear. Jim Arnosky's Drawing from Nature has been helpful for this also. I plan to use the book Drawing With Children by Mona Brooks this coming year with my younger children. This past year we borrowed much from our library on painting with watercolors. It's been really fun and we've learned so much...mostly that there is much that goes into a very simple picture! We've learned to mix colors, use different textures to paint with and on, and learned different techniques. We found that videos are very helpful with this. We usedArt Lessons for Children with Donna Hugh (4 videos). These would be great for elementary children, but we older students enjoyed them very much too! A local watercolor artist recommended Tom Lynch's videos Fun With Watercolor III for unique techniques and experimenting with watercolors. One thing we learned about watercolor is that it is a medium of experimentation. Often a mistake becomes what we call "a happy accident" which turns into a bird, a flower or an added touch to our paintings. We used the book Discovering Great Artists-Hands On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters by MaryAnnF. Kohl and Kim Solga. Each page introduces an artist and gives directions for creating a piece of art in the style of the particular master. A nice learning resource for Mom as well as child. This year we are enjoying a simple book called Watercolor for the Artistically Undiscovered (a Klutz book). It has the watercolors, paper and lessons all in one book. Since there are six of us who do the lessons, we bought a large tablet of watercolor paper, paints and brushes and do them outside of the book. What fun! Some have asked me what types of watercolors we use. The least expensive paints are the Prang brand. These are excellent paints which can be easily mixed and you may find them at any discount store. We have also enjoyed using Grumbacher Transparent Watercolors in a 12 color set. These are a little more expensive, but you get more paint. One fun catalog for "anything art" is Dick Blick Art Materials. They have nearly everything you could ever want for art projects, however, I still like to shop at home if possible. Sometimes prices on watercolor paints and supplies are just as competative, without the shipping, but you may get very inspired by the amount of products out there. Tasha Tudor...is one of our favorite watercolor artists. Her pictures of plants, animals, children and adults all working together are an inspiration both spiritually and artistically. I love how she borders her work with flowers, sticks, vines and other creative things. Tasha is an illustrator for many children's books and for her own books. Some of our favorites include: A Time To Keep-The Tasha Tudor Book of Holidays A Childs Garden of Verses 1is One There are many, many Tasha Tudor books and most are for children. Many are out of print, so keep your eyes open in thrift stores and antique stores for her marvelous books. Tasha Tudor would also be a good artist to do an appreciation art study on! Leaf and Flower Pressing...has become an art form to us also. During the spring, summer and fall, we collect different leaves and flowers. We use the pressings for special cards and for our nature journals. This summer we are experimenting by creating pictures with the pressed flowers we collect. I believe art does not always have to be a painting or a craft, but rather an expression of one's self in whatever it may be...If in a beautiful cursive penmanship with many flourishes, a flower arrangement for the table, a clean, neat paint job on a bird house, a patchwork quilt made of scraps, a hand-made card with a simple border and appropriate verse written inside, or just appreciating the beauty of a sunset that you wish you could paint. To me, are all evidence of the creative ability in each of us. If we are made in the image of the Creator... Dare to be creative! Jody
Hompage - Home School - A Charlotte Mason Education in Our Home - Kindergarten CM Style - High School - Language Arts - History Rent educational DVD's - Art - Music in the Home - Classical Music Curriculum - Little Bush Backers Election Study - Nature. - Nature With Grace - The Library- Making Books and Booklets with Children Organizational Tips - Archived Recipes - Back to Basics. - Chickens - Garden - St. Francis on Lawn Care - Homework - Quilt Links - Fall Ideas - Christmas Home - Courtney Herefords. - Books and Boots. - What Does Pro-Life Really Mean
|
rt in our 
ome
