High School Art REVIEW

Disclaimer: 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.

Both of my children love art.  They love to draw and they both have a talent for it.  I have reviewed for Artistic Pursuits Inc. before so I was more than happy to get a chance to review ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition by Brenda Ellis.  It is "a comprehensive art program designed to involve the student in the creative process while developing observational skills." (from the front cover of the book)  I received a physical copy of this 92-page non-consumable (can be used again) spiral-bound softcover book.  It features European Art throughout the book.

Sample of European Art

Student Getting Started page

It is written so that your high school student can work independently on the lessons.  It is a full-year curriculum that includes 68 lessons.  There are a total of 16 units and 4 projects (The Elements Combined) that include Lines and Textures, Lines and Planes, Space and Values, and Value and Texture.  It is recommended that you complete approximately two lessons per week at 1 hour each (give or take).  My highschooler chose to work for a few hours once per week.  He also used the book in his free time.

One of his projects that combined several lessons

The table of contents lists supplies needed for 1st and 2nd semester.  This course is very economical in that not many art supplies are needed and they are easily obtained and fairly inexpensive to acquire.  We already had all the necessary supplies in our arsenal.  For example, the 1st semester only requires a drawing pencil set (range from 2H to 4B), vinyl eraser, metal handheld sharpener, and drawing pad.  Topics covered include Space, Line, Texture, Shape, Form, Value, Composition, Balance, and Rhythm to name a few.

The lessons are broken into topics that include:

• Building a Visual Vocabulary
• Art Appreciation and Art History
• Techniques
• Application

The "assignments" are in red type so they are easy to see within the lesson.  It did help to make it more clear what was to be done.  I personally found it difficult to actually figure out what the "lesson" was.  The text seems to all run together into one large lesson but if you use the table of contents and notice the assignments in red, it became much clearer to me what the lesson really consisted of.

Sample lesson page with assignment in red

If you are like me, not artistic at all, then you may be wondering how on earth you are going to grade your child's work.  Have no fear!  There is an Evaluation Sheet rubric at the end of the book that helps you score your child's work.  It is VERY helpful and exactly what I needed!

I really like Artistic Pursuits, Inc. and we have used several of their wonderful art books.  I just love the way they present the subject to my kids and really inspire a true love for art while also infusing artistic and historical knowledge into the student.  The samples of European Art throughout this book helps to broaden their familiarity with artwork and history.  Throughout the entire book there are tips and helps on drawing and inquisitive questions posed that cause your student to think more about what they are learning. The other part that I really enjoyed was the Student Gallery where actual pictures from students are displayed throughout the book.

When asked what he thought, my high school boy said, "pretty neat, I like it."  Never one for many words.  We give ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book One, The Elements of Art and Composition two thumbs up.  You can connect with Artistic Pursuits Inc. on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and INSTAGRAM.  You can also see my previous reviews of Art of the Ancients and Art for Children.  Be sure to check out the reviews of my fellow Crew members by clicking on the graphic link below.  There are about 60 of us reviewing several of their books.