Review: Artistic Pursuits Inc.

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.

Issac and I have been working our way through ARTistic Pursuits Art of the Ancients these past few weeks. Finishing up our school year with some art fun is always a great way to end.  We previously were introduced to Artistic Pursuits Inc. a few years ago when we reviewed Volume 1.  This time around even though my son is older than the suggested grade level of K-3 I decided to follow up with Volume 2 rather than jumping up ahead.  This is a hardback book with 18 lessons in this volume and  6 of those being video lessons. The dvd's are located in the front of the book in a nice pocket protector.   This volume was centered on Art of the Ancients and we got to learn some neat historical facts while working through some art.  We focused on cultures along the water sources of the Mediterranean Sea.     At the beginning of the book is the list of supplies needed for the entire volume, so that you can be prepared for every lesson ahead of time.  We had most everything on hand except for the black construction paper. When I saw construction paper listed in the material list I didn't think there might be a specific color needed. We were able to make do with brown, but I do think it would have worked better with the black. That's just a great reminder to scan the lessons as well to double check my materials.

One thing I was surprised about as we moved through this program was that my son gravitated towards the clay activities.  He didn't seem to want to do the others as he found the clay more exciting. I found this promising because in the past he didn't want to have anything to do with clay projects.  There were quite a few clay projects for him to work through as well as the fact that we worked with soft pastels, made pillars, did portraits and one of my favorites the mosaic.  One thing I've learned about my son is that once he does a clay project he doesn't like to color or paint them. He likes the natural look.  He also learned a valuable lesson that when they teach you to score your clay to join parts there is a reason and they really don't stay together if you don't follow the plan.  We learned about cave drawings, Minoan & Egyptian Palace art, art on the temples, pots and much more.  We were easily guided through the projects with the short lessons and occasional videos.

    Artistic Pursuits Inc. offers books for preschool, elementary, middle and high school.  My son is 13, but I stayed in the elementary area for a few reasons. One is that he's not quite confident with his art and I felt that he might feel a little more free and not worry about mistakes in the younger level. He also has fine motor skills which can often hamper activities that he does. The elementary books are centered on areas of history which he loves and I felt that might help him to enjoy the art more .There are 8 books in the elementary series, so you can easily add them to your history studies or just enjoy the art.   It's also recommended to start from the beginning and work your way through the books to help your student build up their skills.  As always it's totally up to the parent to chose where you think your child will do the best or learn the most. Overall I was very happy with the lessons in this book.    Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary
Art of the Ancients
Art of the Middle Ages
Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance
Art of the Northern Countries, Renaissance to Realism
Art of the Impressionists
Art of the Modern Age
Art in America



Artistic Pursuits Inc. has a The Artist's First Steps which is new for this summer with wonderful art lessons on drawing from observation.    We have really enjoyed our time working through ARTistic Pursuits Art of the Ancients.  To keep up to date with what's new check them out on    Facebook, Twitter and Instagram We also had  64 reviewers this time using all different grade levels, so check out which programs they used and liked for their families.