ARTistic Pursuits, Inc.
Middle School Book One {Review}

Art is a favorite subject of mine. My background and degree is in art – specifically drawing and graphic design. I love to incorporate art into our homeschool, and I just finished teaching a Middle School Drawing class in our homeschool co-op. My son has been asking to do art as part of our homeschool and has thoroughly enjoyed Middle School Book One from ARTistic Pursuits, Inc.

What is ARTistic Pursuits, Inc. Middle School Book One?

This is an art curriculum made up of 16 units intended for use with children in grades 6-8.
Some of the elements which are covered in the units are:

Space
Line
Texture
Shape
Form
Value
Balance
Symmetry
Asymmetry
DepthPerspective
and Proportion

There is a very clear list of art supplies which will be used for each semester. It is a simple list, we had much of it already in our art drawer. For the first semester, they list a drawing pencil set (ranging from 2H to 4B or higher), a vinyl eraser, a metal pencil sharpener, a sandpaper block, and a drawing pad. The second semester you will need drawing pad for ink, waterproof drawing ink, a #8 round brush, two pen nibs (#101 Imperial or similar) and one pen holder.

There is also a suggested schedule in the front of the book. They suggest this class can be done twice a week for about one hour.

Each unit is divided up into 3-4 lessons, which is helpful as you plan how much to do each day. The lessons are divided up by theme. Each unit includes a lesson and creative exercise regarding certain art vocabulary words the kids will need to learn. There is an art appreciation section which features a famous piece of art which showcases the element of art which the students are studying.

The lessons feature exercises to help the student get more familiar with what is being taught – including new artistic techniques and then also includes a final project which describes the project in detail, gives an example of other students drawing. They clearly list the materials needed, ideas for the project, as well as helpful advice on getting started and checking over your work.

My thoughts:

Like I said earlier, I just got done teaching a drawing class to middle schoolers at our co-op. I wish I had this book when we started – because it is beautifully laid out and goes over every design element we worked through. I would suggest that each student should have their own copy of this book. This could be a very helpful even if they are taking a group class (like in a co-op or community center). In fact, I even think this is perfect if your child is interested in art lessons and you don’t have access to them locally. This book will walk you through everything your child needs to know, step by step, even if you don’t have a background in art or drawing.I also really love that art history is included in each unit. This art history ties directly into the element of art which the students are learning and it helps to reinforce the ideas and the technique. This is such a full, rich art curriculum. It is not simply – learn to draw this object step-by-step. No, it is truly an art course that will open up the student to how to think and see like an artist. This curriculum equips them with knowledge of the past, learning from the Masters and other artists while helping them grow into a wonderful artist themselves.