Greetings!
As those of you who are familiar with the ARTistic Pursuits program know, we are all about engaging your child in creative processes. This involves choices about what subjects they draw and the approaches they will take when drawing. Rather than teaching one approach, we choose to show many ways a drawing might take shape. With that in mind, I've focused on demonstrating techniques in quite a few new ways. You'll find new technique pages within each of our new 3rd editions. You can see some of those pages on our site. I've also joined the team of teachers at SchoolhouseTeachers.com with an Art Technique class. Perhaps that is something you'd like to check out. In this month's newsletter take a look at the new Elementary grade books. Next month we'll feature a different age level. Also take a look at the FREE ART SUPPLIES OFFER for this weekend only at the bottom of this newsletter. Have a great month! - Brenda Ellis, author of ARTistic Pursuits
|
What the Elementary Student Wants (grades 4-5)
|
 The fourth or fifth grader is an enthusiastic learner and wants to gain the kind of knowledge that allows him or her to show off the results in a tangible object. The child wants to know more because he/she is seeing more in the world and asks, "How do I get that on paper?" Students this age are able to apply the basic fundamentals of seeing in terms used by artists. As students are made aware of what to look for in the objects they want to draw or color, they are eager to apply that knowledge to a work of their own. It is time to: - Introduce the elements of art in an ordered fashion that builds in the same way that a single drawing is built: Space, Line, Texture, Shape, Form, Value, and Color. Expect students to use these elements in ways that show real observation, but that are not consistent with what we expect adult drawings to look like.
- Introduce some compositional ideas. (Balance, Rhythm, Depth, Point of View, Emphasis)
- Introduce and develop skill in handling new drawing or painting media.
- Continue to look at works of art, especially in connection with specific periods of history.
 The ARTistic Pursuits program does all this for you. One of the questions we get most often is "Which book do I use for my nine or ten year old." There is a big developmental jump around this age and the best way to tell if your child is ready for Elementary 4-5 books is to ask if they seem ready to focus on one medium like drawing and desire to make those drawings look more realistic. Some children suddenly get very dissatisfied with their work. This can be a sign that they are ready for a deeper kind of study that these books provide.
|
