Artistic Pursuits

The Elements of Art & Composition

“See the World Clearer-Express Yourself Better-

Through the Visual Arts”

Review by Jolene Underwood

     Each time I do an in-depth product review I search for information that will better acquaint me with the material I am covering.   In addition, I read reviews written by others on the internet to help provide various perspectives that I may not have thought of.  In searching for reviews on Artistic Pursuits I was surprised to find very little information currently posted.  After spending some time pouring over the various volumes of the curricula myself, I am impressed with the quality and value of the products produced as well as the comprehensive nature of the studies.  Hopefully, this review will aid others, looking for information as I did, to gain a better understanding of what Artistic Pursuits (AP) is all about.

     When I first looked at one of the volumes for Artistic Pursuits, I thumbed through it (rather quickly) and thought, “Hmm, there doesn’t seem to be much instruction here.” Well, I was quite wrong!  It isn’t that Artistic Pursuits lacks instruction, rather, it approaches art instruction in a way that is different than what I have become accustomed to seeing.  Typically, when I think of an “Art” curriculum, I think of things like “perspective”, shown through the use of  various drawings, then step by step instructions on how to use perspective in  a specific drawing (as dictated by the curriculum), or something to that effect.  You will not find that here, or at least, not in the way I had previously perceived it.  The approach Brenda Ellis, author of Artistic Pursuits, uses is different in that it leaves the actual composition completely to the discretion of the student.  Skill instruction is provided, then the student is tasked with a general goal and set free to observe and create.  While the students are perhaps given a few suggestions, such as where to look for inspiration, the object of the product is up to the individual.  The Artistic Pursuits series is not a traditional textbook approach to teaching art. Rather, it is summed up well by the Ellis family on the cover of each book, “A comprehensive Art Program designed to involve the student in the creative process while developing observational skills.”

General

     There are four levels of books in this series.  Each level (K-3, 4-6, Jr. High, Sr. High) is made up of two books.  Each book could be used for one semester or over one year, depending on the pace you wish to go with.  Therefore, you have 8 books that could be used over the course of home schooling.  This leaves plenty of time and flexibility for late starters, for deeper study of various artists and for further practice in any area covered in the books.

     Artistic Pursuits integrates a study of four primary components: “Elements of Art”, Composition, Media and Art History.   To help us better visualize these various components to studying art, Mrs. Ellis has depicted (in each Artistic Pursuits book) an illustration of a bookshelf where each primary component is seen as a shelf.  Each shelf contains the sub-components studied in the various grade level books.  For example, the shelf “Elements of Art” includes the “books” space, line, texture, shape, form etc.   Composition, or “How Art is Arranged”, includes subtopics such as balance, unity, rhythm, depth and view point. 

     The primary mediums covered throughout all the books are those used for drawings (charcoals, colored pencils, markers, watercolor pencils, inks etc.).   There is minimal to no coverage of oil based paintings, sculptures, photography or others of the many forms of “art”, which seems to generally be the case for most “Art” curricula (with the exception of the K-3 books).  Book 1 of each level focuses primarily upon sketches and drawings whereas book 2 focuses on the use of color through various media such as watercolor pencils, color inks and more (again with the exception of the K-3 books as described below). 

Format

     Each Artistic Pursuits book is comb bound with transparent covers front and back.  As mentioned above, there are two books for each grade range.   Generally, book One focuses on the “Elements of Art & Composition” and Book Two focuses on “Color & Composition”.  Lessons are arranged by Unit with four pages (and assignments) per unit.  Note that there are wonderful art prints included in a packet at the front of each book.  These will need to be removed and glued to the appropriate lessons throughout.

Layout by Unit (for book 4-6 and above)

     Instruction is done in a conversational style that facilitates independent study, a blessing for many busy home schooling parents!  The student will follow a general pattern as they study a theme, such as “space” or “value’, through the use of five applications: Conceptual (including visual vocabulary), Expressive, Practical (Looking at art), Technical and Practiced (original work depicting the main idea and applications studied).

     Page one explores two applications: conceptual and expressive.  This page will introduce the student to the element studied as well as encourage personal “Observation and Creative Exploration”.   For example, Unit 8 of Grade 4-6: Book Two focuses on “balance”.  Page One briefly discuses balance, requiring equal visual perception.  Mrs. Ellis then promotes creativity on behalf of the student as she instructs them to take a walk and discover new things in the natural world and then draw their observations. The unit objective is highlighted at the bottom of the page which can serve as a tool for parents seeking a quick understanding of what their child should be getting out of the activity.

     Page two of the same unit brings in a study of art by the masters, which in this case is a picture of Colonel Guy Johnson by an American artist, Benjamin West.  This picture depicts balance through use of the color red in a way that allows the viewing eye to move around the picture rather than remained focused on one point only. The student is then asked to apply the use of balance through the arrangement of small figures or dolls and to draw a picture showing balance.

    Moving on to page three, the student will learn the technical application of “mark making”.  Examples are displayed of how the pressure of marks can change the look.  Mrs. Ellis also describes how an artist has used various marking types to create various effects on a horse drawn in color pencil.  The student’s assignment is to practice making different marks with their pencils and draw a simple object with the types of marks they come up with.

     Wrapping up the unit, your student will incorporate the use of balance and the technique of various pencil marks on a new, original project that should include an observation of more than one object.  At the bottom of the page Mrs.  Ellis provides reminders to the student (and useful for the supervising parent) as they review the work they have done.  For this unit she asks questions such as: “Did you use more than one object in the drawing?  How did you balance those objects?” and more.

K-3 Level Books

     Both K-3 books follow a different format in most aspects from the higher level books.  Students are brought into the world of art through: discussions of what artists do and see, observing works of art (especially in Ancient times), and applying various methods.  Artistic works at this level include cave art, Etruscan wall paintings, Roman sculptures and even works by Degas, Chagall and more.  Students will be encouraged to practice drawing and sketching, to paint with watercolor crayons, to use sculpting clay and even to do paper art such as cutting and designing pictures out of construction paper and using crunched up brown paper as a cave wall for painting.

Other Notes

     Throughout the volumes your student will see several drawings done by students like them.  This is a nice addition to the program that also separates it from others I have seen.  Your student can be encouraged to see a variety of styles and talents portrayed by other students at their approximate grade level. 

     In addition, numerous works by various artists are included through the use of art prints   This provides a rich array of art appreciation as students are introduced to a realm of artists and various styles of art.  While history or “art appreciation” is not taught in-depth, I find the amount covered to be a good introduction for many students.  Those that are interested in covering any topic in further depth, or another form of art, could easily do so.  For example, if you wish to study more about Winslow Homer when you cover the painting “Breezing Up”, your student could read additional books or do research on the internet to locate and study more of Homer’s paintings and understand his work in greater depth. 

Evaluating

     Evaluating and grading art may seem to be a difficult task since art work is quite subjective.  However, Mrs. Ellis assists parents in accomplishing this fairly easily through the use of an evaluation sheet (found at the end of each book). This can be used as your guideline for judging student work objectively as you review whether or not your child/student incorporated unit objectives in their art work.

Scheduling

     Lessons do not include a daily assignment or weekly checklist.  They are not listed in way that says to do such and such on Day One.  However, in the beginning of each book, Mrs. Ellis provides a suggested schedule for completing one book in a semester, or through a full school year.  For example, to complete a book in 1 full year, she recommends spending 1 to 1 ½ hours twice a week on reading the book and applying the art concepts.

Costs

     Due to the fact that there are no student “work” type books, and due to the amount of art study covered in each book, this curriculum can be quite cost effective for many families and especially families that will use the book for more than one child.  Each book is both the teacher’s guide and the student text and can be used for art study over one semester or stretched out over 1 year.

    As with any other art program that requires the students to practice art with various mediums (such as colored pencils, watercolors, markers, charcoal etc.) the largest cost really comes in the form of the supplies.  There is an informative article listed on the Artistic Pursuits website called, Buying Art Supplies that Work that describes what to look for when buying supplies.  Here we are also told where costs can be saved without sacrificing quality and where less expensive products may reduce the quality of the output. 

     Artistic Pursuits also has Art Kits available.  These kits include higher range products on some items (where considered of greater importance) and items that are not necessarily top of the line (where appropriate) to provide a well balanced kit of all the items your student will need to work effectively on their art projects.  This can be a great time saver and help parents assure that they have the supplies on hand that each child will need. In addition, the student will receive an Artistic Pursuits tote and a drawing board.  What a great way to set the student up for their lessons by having their supplies ready for them when the inspiration hits!

Where Might This Be A Good Fit…or not

     Parents looking for an art curriculum that their student can use independently will be thrilled to find Artistic Pursuits.  Mrs. Ellis talks directly to the student throughout each book as she teaches and describes terms and applications.  Assignments are directed to the student and are based on individual creativity rather than following a specific formula or requiring additional instruction by the parent/teacher.  In addition, preparation only requires the initial gathering of supplies making it easy to pick and up and use.  Please note, however, that again the K-3 level books will be different as they will require the parent to spend time reading to the child and getting them started in their projects.  However, none of the projects are overly complicated or time consuming from what I can tell, therefore providing a variety of hands on work that even – well, even I in my limited time could get to!

    A couple of other benefits to this program include the cost effectiveness (as described above) and the fact that art history is woven into the units.  Each book emphasizes a general time period or location of art history.  Areas of study include Ancient History, Renaissance, Latin Gothic, American Art, Art Around the World and more. 

    Overall this program is quite versatile and will work great for families willing to let their child learn an aspect of art and then apply it with their own flair.  If you can put on the “gags and hand-cuffs’ (as Jessica Hulcy is known to say), then get ready to see the individual artistic expressions of your child(ren).  However, if you are looking for something that provides in-depth art history or proof of what a completed work should look like, then this may not be the program for you.  There are no teaching or instructional videos available nor are they necessary to the program, yet, if this is something you prefer, then you may wish to look elsewhere.

Personal Notes

     When I first opened up the volumes of Artistic Pursuits I was expecting to see what I’d seen in other books, step by step pictures of a work of art in progress.  You will not find this in any of these books, and it is not a bad thing!  After spending more time to understand the author’s intent and the methods used I understood how students could come away with wonderful works of art using their own creative minds.  Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly instruction provided, students are told what and how things are done, but the actual “look” of what they will come up with will be completely up to them.  (I should have read the “How We Teach Art” article posted on their website first!)  It became apparent to me that Mrs. Ellis seeks to not only teach the basic building blocks of “Art”, but she seeks to encourage each student to be creative and to find their own technique.  It is refreshing to find a program that offers the basics of art instruction and art history in a self-guided manner while encouraging individual artistic expression.