We had the opportunity to review the digital Entire Level II from ArtAchieve.
Art. I love art. I love seeing it displayed, studying it and every once in a while, being creative and doing some art. You would think because of that there would be more art in our school. Well, it has not happened. It may be because I do not enjoy teaching art. If that sounds like you, ArtAchieve may be what you need to add to your school this year.
John Hofland, creator of ArtAchieve, is a homeschool father and former middle school art and language arts teacher. He adapted the lessons he offers on ArtAchieve from a one-semester university drawing course he created for beginning theatrical stage design students. Hofland brings to the program years of experience in scenery and lighting design for puppet theaters in Ukraine. Many of the art lessons in all levels of ArtAchieve classes include images from the more than 30 different countries he visited while living abroad with his family.
ArtAchieve has five levels of art instruction, which are geared towards people, first grade to adult. We reviewed Entire Level II, which includes 14 art lessons. Ooh, the pictures and the possibilities of what your children, and you if you are feeling creative, are able to create are fun and unique. You may choose to complete the lessons in any order. Hofland encourages users to begin with Lesson 1-1 Simple Lines, which introduces students to how to use the program. It is also a good lesson for novices to start on, which is why we started on that one.
Each lesson includes a warm-up, providing practice for the selected piece the student will draw. Hofland suggests playing some quiet music while your children are drawing, which is actually nice. Also, use a permanent marker (we used Sharpies) for drawing bold lines. It also helps the artist commit to their work. You can erase pencil, but not Sharpie, so the artists has to put some thought into what they are going to draw before putting it on paper, because it can’t be erased.
We started with The Hiding Butterflies lesson (lesson 10). Hofland includes background about the key piece or history as well as the country it was found. Although your student is doing art, Hofland wants them to see the connect between that and other subjects like literature, science, social studies and others. Some fun facts we learned about butterflies are:
• There are over 28,000 butterflies in the world.
• The head, thorax and abdomen are the three main parts of a butterfly.
• Butterflies suck up flower nectar, water and other liquids with their proboscis (their mouth).
The lessons are available in two formats, video or Power Point. We chose the video. Hofland really loves art and he loves to teach it. That enthusiasm comes through in his videos and is great for your child, especially if art is not your thing. Hofland makes drawing look easy and provides all of the necessary instructions and tips for your student to complete the work. There is even a list provided of the necessary art supplies you will need for each lesson. You, as teacher, may step back from the lesson and allow your child to work independently.
Hofland also offers students some helpful tips like using planning dots to help you draw the lines of your image. Think dot-to-dot. I am right-handed and it was really hard trying to draw the mirror image of the butterfly for its left side. He also offers some helpful tips for teachers that include “Dos” and “Don’t’s”. He suggests you not ask your child what they have drawn or criticize their choices (ex: color, design, etc.). Hofland also suggests there be no talking while drawing. Hmm. That is a big task in itself when children are involved. Children should be focused on their work and not on conversation with each other. We managed to remain quiet during the majority of the lesson.
Okay, I really like ArtAchieve. The lessons are creative. The instructions are thorough. Hofland can bring out the artist in anyone. I knew I wanted to include art in our school this year, but was not sure how I was going to do that, because I was not looking forward to teaching it. We are going to continue through the ArtAchieve Entire Level II lessons. Once finished with those, I may even be apt to trying to teach some art classes to my children.
ArtAchieve Entire Level II bundled lessons may be purchased for $53. You may also purchase the individual lessons for $5.
You may read more reviews of this item by fellow crew members.
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