ARTistic Pursuits: Art of the Ancients, a Homeschool Art Option

We’ve been experiencing more homeschool art in our house this spring. This was made possible a copy of Art of the Ancients, K-3 Vol. 2 from the K-3rd Grade Level, Volumes 1-8 series from ARTistic Pursuits Inc. for review as part of the Homeschool Review Crew.

Art is one of those things that often gets pushed aside when life is busy. Yet, I find it to bring not only joy but an increased love of learning when it is included. As we are studying ancient history, my 3rd-grade son put the second volume (Art of the Ancients) as his top pick for which one we would love to review.

About ARTistic Pursuits for Homeschool Art

This is not the first time we’ve used a book from ARTistic Pursuits. We’ve reviewed earlier editions and purchased additional volumes from the series. Last year, we reviewed Art for Children, Building a Visual Vocabulary, K-3 Vol. 1. That volume sets the foundation for subsequent ones and it is highly recommended you complete it before digging into the others.

The 8 volume series is meant to be done over the span of 4 years. Within each title are lessons that cover art history and techniques. The suggested pace is to do one lesson per week.

After the first volume, the other volumes work through history in the following order:

Vol. 2 Art of the Ancients
Vol. 3 Art of the Middle Ages
Vol. 4 Artists that Shaped the Italian Renaissance
Vol. 5 Art of the Northern Countries, Renaissance to Realism
Vol. 6 Art of the Impressionists
Vol. 7 Art of the Modern Age
Vol. 8 Art in America

Each volume has not only a focus on the time period of history but also different mediums for art.

Supplies are available to purchase directly from the company or you can take the list to your local art supply store.

Details about ARTistic Pursuits: Art of the Ancients

This volume starts with truly ancient art… the drawings found in caves. Then you meander through ancient history visiting with the Egyptians and Greeks before landing in Ancient Rome.

The use of pastels and clay are the primary mediums for the art studied and made during your walk through the book.

Some of the projects pull on supplies needed in Volume 1, or what they call the starter pack. If you have lost or run out of something, then you may need to replace it.

Of the 18 lessons, 6 of them are delivered via video format. Below is one which uses clay:

Our Thoughts on ARTistic Pursuits for Homeschool Art

As my boys mature, they start to fall out of love with art. This makes me a bit sad. My counter is to encourage it more and be active in the process when I am able.

While you can piece together the supplies from your local stores or by ordering online, there is something wonderful about the sets ARTistic Pursuits sells to the families. A downside for living in Alaska is that you might not find what you want on the shelf when you need it. That’s a big reason why this review period focused upon the projects requiring pastels (which I already owned) as I’ve deferred our study of the clay-based projects until we return to Colorado.

I continue to love the inclusion of video lessons in the program. There are times when reading about a technique only gets you so far. Seeing it in action helps not only me as the homeschool teacher but my son as he can observe first hand what to do.

Hairspray is something recommended for the pastel work. Spraying with it helps to seal in the pastels. I had to ask where to find the hairspray at our local ‘superstore’ as they now group by brand and it no longer stands out. While you could proceed without it, I wanted his work to last more than the day it was made.

One thing that my son was initially hung up on was the smudging of the pastels with his finger. You’d think boys would not worry about getting dirty. But, this guy was concerned about being able to wash it off his hands. Once he saw that it wouldn’t permanently stain his hands like markers, he was more than willing to have his fingers be an instrument of his art.

I do recommend buying one set of pastels per person if you are going to do this in a group. He asked me to join him on one lesson and it would have been done quicker if we weren’t waiting on each other to finish with a particular color.

Overall, it has been another excellent art experience for us thanks to ARTistic Pursuits. Even though my son will be in 4th grade next year, I am tempted to grab Volume 8 for when we study American History.

Past Reviews for ARTistic Pursuits

Do you and your family enjoy art studies?
Would this particular series be appealing to someone in your family?

Don’t just take my word for how we found this to be. Visit the ARTistic Pursuits review post on the Homeschool Review Crew website to see what other homeschooling parents thought about this book.