New! Second Edition Read all about it.
NEW! The Way They SEE It, A Book for EVERY PARENT About the Art Children Make
"Artistic Pursuits does an excellent job of combining art appreciation with art instruction and interesting projects. I cannot emphasize enough how much I appreciate the user-friendly format of these books!" -D.V., MO
2008 Conferences:
Cincinnati Homeschool Convention, OH
CHAP, Harrisburg, PA
NCHE, Winston-Salem, NC
CHEC, Denver, CO
Oil Painting Classes in Arvada, CO. w/ Dan Ellis
SENIOR HIGH JUNIOR HIGH GRADES 4-6 GRADES K-3
Philosophy-
At Artistic Pursuits Inc., we believe every student can understand the concepts of art and enjoy the process of putting ideas and visual images on paper. We're committed to the goal of helping students become more visually aware of the wonderful, amazing world we live in and working in creative ways within this world. We are here to help parents and teachers give students a quality art education that will prepare them to meet creative challenges in their future endeavors.
How We Teach Art
The Artistic Pursuits program presents both the expressive and the technical aspects of art in an age-appropriate manner. Children are curious and expressive from the start, so we work with the interests that they have in their world to teach them to observe more closely, and to express what they see on paper in the way they choose to do it. Many ideas are presented in each book, so children are learning, and at the same time, each child has freedom to choose those ideas which captured his interest and best suits his needs. As children are able to handle more difficult approaches to seeing and techniques for using materials, these things are demonstrated. We expect a child to be a child and we value what they produce from their own hands. So you will not find projects that try to force young children to draw like adults, requiring patience and discipline to complete, which often leads to frustration. Children don't need patience when their own interests and motivation are guiding them.
At the K-3 level students want to learn what it is to be an artist. In book one they do the same things as artists do, so the lessons build instant confidence. We start an exciting look at art history using the idea that art is more than just a picture on a wall. It is made in many cultures and found in many types of places, broadening their ideas of what art is. Students are encouraged to use the information within the book and their observations of the world as a starting place for their own ideas. In this way young students understand and use the concept of personal expression. We begin the more formal study of the elements of art and composition when students become perceptually aware, usually around fourth grade.
Artistic Pursuits for grades 4-12 is designed for all students as a complete overview and easy to understand introduction to the subject of art. This includes understanding the elements of art and composition as well as the ability to use the creative process and to create work deriving from personal experience. Creativity and experimentation are encouraged as students arrive at their own visual solutions. Once understood, the creative process can be used in any vocation the student chooses. It is really an approach to all learning: gathering information, analyzing it, and then expressing it in one's own way.
What you WILL NOT find in Artistic Pursuits:
 | NO Exercises that have no relationship to anything in the real world, such as drawing a page of straight lines, circles, cones, and cubes. The development of eye/hand coordination happens just as easily when children are drawing objects that they like and enjoy drawing. |
| NO Step-by-step copy exercises typical of How-to-Draw books. This teaches students to copy shapes on a flat page, but does nothing to help them draw real objects which they find in their own world- a practice used by all artists and one they will need to develop in order to mature as an artist. |
| NO Tiny boxes in which students are asked to sketch into. Artists don't work in 2" x 2" squares and we won't ask your students to do so, but will have them work on a normal size sketch book so that they practice the type of whole hand and whole arm motion needed to make art. (Handwriting requires the use of the small muscles of the fingers. Art most often requires the use of the larger muscles of the hand, moving at the wrist, and arm, moving at the shoulder, and uses small muscle groups less often, therefore large sheets of paper are needed, 9"x12" or 11" x 14".) |
| NO Kids sitting in front of the TV or computer screen. One mom writes, "My son took his Artistic Pursuits book and art tools out to the pasture. He's been sitting there with his dog for quite a long time, drawing something in the distance. I couldn't be happier!" The stillness of a natural setting revives our spirits. To be in nature helps us to become keen observers of our surroundings and active in our participation. Whether in a busy park, a hotel balcony, or in a field, children benefit from their time spent observing, and learn to "focus in" and "ponder" rather than "tuning out" to harsh sounds and fast paced visuals that TV and computer programs present them with. |
What you WILL find in Artistic Pursuits:
 |
Techniques: We've got it!
We show you how to use the materials on the fourth page of each unit in
all 4-12 grade books! Yes, we will show them how to draw, paint, and see
like an artist sees!
Organization: We've got it! The diagram at the left shows the big picture of what the study of art should include. Each unit of Artistic Pursuits (4-12 grade levels) is based on teaching one of the elements of art or a compositional arrangement listed on the top two shelves. Books 1 cover the first six elements and composition group, related to drawing. Books 2 cover color and the second composition group, related to painting. Students gain an overview of the subject and confidence in the subject grows. Levels K-3 enjoy a sequential study of art through history from ancient to modern. Material Handling: We've got it! Media, displayed on the third shelf, are the materials an artist uses to make marks. Each book (4-12 grade level) introduces one or two new mediums, giving students experience with a wide variety of media by the time they have completed all levels. Levels K-3 use a larger variety of media. Famous Artists Works: We'll show them! Beginning with the 2008 editions, this course offers an excellent study of art history. It teaches students how to see the elements and compositional arrangements within works of fine art so they understand those things people look for when studying art. It gives students the language they need to do well in art history and introduces students to many artists in biographies. |
This approach to teaching art works! Here's why:
Skills develop as the student observes nature and enjoys the process of creating. Artistic Pursuits students carry art tools to locations which both inspire and are chosen by the students. While learning the skills of drawing or painting they work with composition, choosing their own scenes and subject matter. Creating truly personal work gives students a sense of accomplishment that cannot be attained by copying from a book or watching an adult do it for them. Students learn because direct observation is the best teacher when accompanied by the foundational elements of art and composition found within every unit. You'll find this approach works because it is based on using a variety of applications to expand students' awareness of the visual world around them. Within each unit of 4-12th grade books are four lessons with assignments. Each assignment covers the various applications as described below:
LESSON ONE - part 1, CONCEPTUAL APPLICATION (Building a Visual Arts Vocabulary) Page one begins with an introduction to one of the elements of art or a compositional arrangement , which are concepts foundational to an art education. Each element is what artists focus on as they draw. Your student will learn to visually sift the element out of the other information he or she is seeing.
part 2, EXPRESSIVE APPLICATION (Observation and Creative Exploration) Assignments encourage observation of the world, both natural and man-made. Introduced to a variety of approaches to exploring their world, students use creative thought, arriving at personal visual solutions within their art.
LESSON TWO - part 1 PRACTICAL APPLICATION (Looking at Art) This activity broadens understanding of how each element of art or compositional arrangement is used by observing it in a work of art by the masters.
part 2, ART HISTORY (Learning about artists, art, cultures, or the times) The art history addition helps students to gain a broader view when looking at art and to understand that the ideas of people affect how the art looks. The assignment deals with the topic shown in the artwork of the masters discussed in part 1.
LESSON THREE - TECHNICAL APPLICATION (Techniques and Materials) Developing varied and essential skills for seeing and for applying materials, students consider both traditional methods and experimentation. Learning techniques used with a particular medium is an important part of art education.
LESSON FOUR - PRACTICED APPLICATION (Original Work) A final project allows students to bring together the main idea of each unit (explained in a definition on the first page of each unit), its expanded use as seen in the master work of art (second page), as well as new techniques for using materials (third page) to create an original work of art.
View the book pages now and see how this really works on a level your children can enjoy and thrive on. Click one of the grade levels below.