ARTistic Pursuits Inc.a TOS Crew Review

My kids love doing art. We are long time users of ARTistic Pursuits Inc. The whole family was excited to get started. For the purpose of this review they generously sent me a physical copy Sculpture Technique Construct.

Sculpture Technique Construct is intended for ages 11-18. The cost is $47.95. All of their books are comb-bound. Which is my favorite with certain subjects as the books lay flat when opened and you don't have to worry about them closing on you when your in the middle of something. All the illustrations are full color and printed on a high quality paper. Thisis a non-consumable book that can be used over and over with your kids.

This was a step up for my kid’s artistic ability and they have been learning some new types of art techniques that get into three-dimension with their masterpieces.

The lessons are broken down in 4 units. At the beginning of every unit you have a supply list. Each lesson is clearly defined with step by step instructions. The lessons are also flexible enough that you can customize them to your fit your child’s specific needs. For me this is a plus having a daughter with Autism.

You don’t need to be and art teacher to teach this course of have any prior experience. For me that is truly the beauty of ARTistic Pursuits Inc. is that you don’t need to know nothing about art to teach your children.

Unit 1 – Creating Form in Papermaking: You learn how to make handmade paper and learn techniques to cut, mold, and create one of a kind paper sculptures. It takes you step by step in making paper and the projects.

Unit 2 – Creating Planes in Cardboard: How to create sculptures using cardboard and corrugated papers. You learn the various techniques of creating 3-D sculptures.

Unit 3 – Creating Motion with Papier-mâché: This unit will show you how to make to make papier-mâché projects to create sculptures.

Unit 4 – Creating Volume with Wire: You will learn how to bend and twist wire to create various objects.

Sculpture Technique Construct has 83 pages. Included is a suggested 36 week lesson planner. Also there are several pages of pattern templates to create some of the projects in the book. 

If you want to grade the projects you also have evaluation answer sheet on each unit broken down nicely.

You can find all the supplies for the projects easily at your local hobby store or some of your favorite homeschool sites and art supply stores online.

How did I use ARTistic Pursuits Inc. in our homeschool? 

I have been using this with my 10 year old son and 13 yr old daughter.

The kids and I looked over each of the units trying to decide what we wanted to do first. The kids decided that they wanted to start with Unit 1: Creating Form in Papermaking. This was something we have never done or imagined doing with art. The whole process of being able to create your own paper and then make something out of it amazed my kids.

Following the step by step instructions we proceeded with making paper. Let me tell you we made a lot of paper. My kids wanted to make several colors. Bug wanted to try making paper first with flowers. She was so delighted at the results. She decided to make a lily pad with pink flowers. She made green and pink paper. Little Man wanted to make a fall birch tree. So he wanted orange, red, and yellow.

 We made a lot of paper!

It was a long process of drying the paper and tried several methods of getting them to dry faster. We finally put them in the sun and they dried quickly.

We quickly went to work using varies patterns and tracing them on the paper and cutting the patterns out. The kids really liked how you could mold the homemade paper and make them look more realistic.

 Little Man really got into making a tree. He wanted all kinds of details in his tree. I love the trash bag with the leaves falling out of the bag. He was so happy with his results that he plans on using this for his 4-H Arts & Crafts at the fair this year.

Bug has been making a lily pad with flowers for her project. She has had to put it on hold as she has been having severe arthritis flair up. She was disappointed not being able to complete her project before the review. Hopefully, in the next week or so she will feel better to complete her project.

Our next project was doing Unit 4: Creating Volume with Wire. My son wanted to make a rake for his tree craft. He wasn't thrilled with the results. He also made a few other things that he begged me not to post. I will respect him with it.

This was a bit more difficult for him to do. He wants to do this later as a project when he feels more comfortable with it. I think he was more interested in adding more detail to his tree project. 

 I was really impressed with the details and how much work he put into his project.

We have started making a Papier-mâché project and we just haven't had time to complete it.

I love ARTistic Pursuits Inc. and would recommend this art curriculum 100%. It's a favorite in our homeschool for arts and crafts. 

Many of my fellow Crew members have done different books so stop by and see what they are saying about ARTistic Pursuits Inc.