Home School Art Curriculum

If Barry Stebbing brings his three-day home school art curriculum seminar to your area, don’t miss it!

A little over two years ago Sean, Scott, and Sarah attended in our area. Actually, I even registered and enrolled in the class--Sarah was 7 and I thought she might need some help. The home school art curriculum classes are rather quick-paced, but Sarah kept up and even helped me at times. The boys loved it, too.

Our art ability and confidence grew by leaps and bounds during those three days.



For example, Sarah learned how to draw a cowboy.

Barry has students complete a homework assignment in order to evaluate which of his books would be the appropriate home school art curriculum level for them to use. He asks students to illustrate a favorite Bible verse or story.

Below are the pictures that Sean and Scott drew.

Published in "The Old Schoolhouse" Magazine (Spring '03)

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"If you study the great masters like Michelangelo, Monet, and Frederick Remington, you will find that during the peak of their success, they became extremely frusterated with what they were doing."
- Barry Stebbing

Why Teach Art?

Many parents state that they are too busy with the regular academics and therefore would like to know why they should teach a home school art curriculum to their children. First of all, I believe that all children love art, that God has given a joy for creating as a gift to each of us, but it has to be encouraged and nurtured. Secondly, there has been much research which reveals that students who receive a home school art curriculum education also do better with the academics. Finally, we all desire our students to be well rounded and enriched, capable in a variety of areas. Leonardo Da Vinci, the first "Renaissance man," was able to do many things in an excellent manner.

Can I Teach Art?

One of the major concerns with homeschooling parents is that they have absolutely no confidence in teaching their children art. I would say that 99.9% of parents feel this way. So, take comfort in that. First, depend on the home school art curriculum you select to teach your children. Remember that an art book is nothing more than an instruction manual of "how to's:" how to draw, how to paint, etc. Therefore, look for a program that has simple, easy to follow instructions. Also, seeing that most of you are so vulnerable when it comes to purchasing a home school art curriculum program, ask if it has a satisfaction guaranteed policy. Likewise, make sure you look for an art program that is suitable for your needs: do you want to learn crafts, three-dimensional art, how to draw? It is also imperative that you select a curriculum appropriate for the right age level of your students. For many, a godly art program is imperative, one that instructs with godly values and purpose. Finally, don't just hand the home school art curriculum program over to your children like a coloring book. You need to be there to direct, encourage, and evaluate to make certain each lesson is done correctly.

Learning to Draw:

After teaching over 45,000 homeschoolers in three-day art classes throughout North America, my wife and I firmly believe that drawing and painting are learned disciplines. Most students have this misconception that someone is either born with talent or not. This is not true. Remember, God is an artist and we have all been created in His likeness with that ability to create. At How Great Thou Art Publications we believe that drawing should be instructed first by learning the fundamentals. Fundamentals are the building blocks: how to draw a circle, an ellipse, a straight line, learning about light source, shading with line, one and two point perspective, etc . . . It is just like learning how to play the piano, all you need to do is practice as much as possible. What I look for in my home school art curriculum students is not a great wealth of ability, but a good attitude, a student with discipline and a willingness to learn. You learn how to draw!

Learning to Paint:

The major concern with teaching painting in the home is the mess. There are basically two schools, or philosophies, when it comes to teaching young students painting. One is to simply give them a large sheet of paper, tubes of paint, and let them do their own thing. The other school is more structured, more educational, and far less messy, being more of the traditional approach in which the student learns the "academics" of painting. We have had a great deal of success teaching painting with structure, discipline, and the academics. One of the reasons for this is that we teach painting and drawing separately. Most students will falter immediately in simply trying to draw their composition before beginning to paint it. They may have problems with the composition, making the drawing too small, putting in too much detail, or simply in drawing the picture the way it should be.

Therefore, we have illustrated what is to be painted for them on "paint cards," a paper which is thicker than ordinary paper, holds the paints well, and will not bubble up. Paint cards will allow them to concentrate on the basics of beginning painting and the academics of color theory without having to worry about their drawing skills. Secondly, we have found that painting can be a great encouragement to those students who do not have confidence in drawing. Over and over again, the frustrated student (who may have a sibling who is good with drawing) has become inspired and confident in what can be accomplished in painting. This should invite some students back into art. Finally, knowing how much home school art curriculum students enjoy the learning process, all seem to enjoy the "academics" of painting, such as: learning how to mix all the colors, studying the color wheel, how to keep a palette and hold a brush, along with the other nuances of color theory and painting.

What About Art History?

A major concern with many homeschooling families is how to go about studying art history. Some of the problems with studying art history are: many art history books can be extremely wordy; the terminology can be too technical or advanced; and most are written with a godless philosophy. One thing I recommend is to go to the children's section of the library to find an art history book. Art history books in this section are informative, easy to read, and enjoyable. However, as mentioned, most teach art history with a secular, or godless, point of view (nudity, humanism, etc.). Secondly, if you are a Christian family, you may want to go to the table of contents and concentrate on periods like: the Reformation, Byzantine, Gothic, Early Renaissance, and even the art of the European monks of the 9th and 10th centuries ("illuminated manuscripts").

Frustration in Art:

"What do you do with a student who has become frustrated with their artwork?" I remind my home school art curriculum students that frustration is a part of the learning process – we all become frustrated. If you study the great masters like Michelangelo, Monet, and Frederick Remington, you will find that during the peak of their success, they became extremely frustrated with what they were doing. Again, we all become frustrated. I also remind students that many of them are perfectionists, believing that their hands and pencil are going to do exactly what they want them to do. Well, they are not. It takes patience, practice, and discipline to learn to draw and paint.

Summary:

Art is to be a joy! However, there should also be a learning process involved, learning the fundamentals and the academics. So, try to establish a home school art curriculum program that is both enjoyable and educational. In planning, we recommend that you start with one art lesson a week. For more ambitious students, give two or three lessons a week. Play classical music to inspire them and have high expectations. You will be amazed what a little enthusiasm and encouragement can accomplish with your children. And, remember, keep you pencils sharp, your brushes clean, and pray for success!

Phillipians 4:13 say's, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Here is a list of Barry’s most popular art curriculum home school books:

You can get the I Can Do All Things Set of 4 Videos plus Text (my personal favorite although the text only format is also available).

How Great Thou Art is geared to students aged 12 – adult. What I love about these books is how Barry weaves scripture and inspirational quotes in with the text. This also comes in text or video format. I chose the video lessons for my boys art curriculum home school program. They’re wonderful!

Barry offers a number of other great art curriculum home school titles:

Little Annies Art Book of Etiquette & Good Manners is lots of fun for the 4 to 7-year-old.

The Wonderful Art of Drawing Horses is for those horse lovers aged 8 and up.

God and the History of Art is a terrific five-year home school art curriculum for those aged 10 and up.

The Student’s Guide to Keeping an Art Journal is probably my favorite Barry Stebbing book. I bought this when I attended his seminar. I also bought a sketchbook for each of the children and myself. The book teaches you how to develop a habit of journaling and gives ways to incorporate your art journal into every subject area. We have used our journals often. When studying birds and plants in Science, for example, we go outside and try to find some to draw. It’s neat to look at the journal through the years and see the growth in ability.

Do you know of an art curriculum for home school that you don't see listed here?

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Other Art Curriculum Home School Suggestions

The Notgrass Company

I love it when subjects are integrated because learning expands exponentially that way! Draw to Learn by The Notgrass Company weaves Bible study with art curriculum. Using the Read, Think, Draw approach the student reads a passage of scripture, thinks about the meaning, and then draws a picture related to the passage. The Draw to Learn Series includes: Draw to Learn the Book of Acts, Draw to Learn the Book of Proverbs, Draw to Learn the Book of Psalms, and Draw to Learn the Life of Jesus.

This is a self-paced home school art curriculum program that teaches students to see their subjects first and then draw them. The home school art curriculum comes with a 56-page instruction book, curriculum guide, 75-minute video, toll-free help line, and all necessary art supplies for the student aged 10 to adult. Can’t beat that!

Another great way to get your children excited about art is to study artists your family loves. If you happen to really like the art of Thomas Kinkade why not use this curriculum. Designed for students aged 8 – 12, this introductory set features the Painter of Light himself teaching the basics of realistic drawing in your home school.

An online Photography class

Teacher Kitty Stellby is a Christian and served ten years as a navy photographer. Go to http://home.earthlink.net/~kastellby/ to obtain information about course overview and requirements as well as contact information.

We haven’t personally taken this course yet. But, it is on the to do list for this year or next!

Visual Manna offers free drawing lessons and an online high school art class

Atelier – The Video-Based Art Curriculum for the Homeschooler

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