Drawing ClassesDrawing Classes

Requirements for California Homeschooling

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:51:44 +0000

Become educated on the home schooling requirements for a child to attend a home school that is recognized by the state of California to obtain a degree.

When it comes to education, it can be quite difficult to determine the best course of action for children given the options on the landscape. The public schools in the state of California vary from providing a quality education in some areas, to providing a less than satisfactory education in others. With the schools overpopulated and under funded it can leave parents with a very difficult choice.
The Cost of Private School
The cost of private school can now be equal to the cost of the collegiate experiences. When families are looking at incurring that additional expense, per child, per year, the cost of private school becomes prohibitive to the family unit. This leaves the alternative of home schooling which provides a quality education at a relatively cheap cost because schooling can be provided around the parental work schedule.
Requirements for California Home Schooling Registration
According to the Home Schooling Legal Defense Association, there are several ways in which a child may legally attend home school within the state of California.
The first is that the individual home school must file a “annual private school affidavit” between October 1 and October 15 of that teaching year. The affidavit also requires that the home school follow some basic rules.
· The instructors must be capable of teaching.
· The instruction that the child receives must be in English.
· The instruction must be in the fields of study that the public schools require.
· Attendance must be kept in a register or log.
By following these guidelines and obtaining passing grades, a child of between 6 a 18 years of age may legally obtain an elementary and secondary education recognized by the state of California. These schools need to be in session a minimum of 175 days.

Read more at Suite101: Requirements for California Homeschooling: Learn About How to Register for Home Schooling in Californiahttp://homeschooling.suite101.com/article.cfm/requirements_for_california_homeschooling#ixzz0dBDZGWEt

http://homeschooling.suite101.com/article.cfm/requirements_for_california_homeschooling

A Heart for Youth and Art
Reflections Art of JeffCo Schools in Colorado Keeps Art Alive
Jan 19, 2010 Veronica Franklin
The importance of art is being challenged by fund cuts to schools but Reflections PTA art program for Jefferson County runs on volunteer power and love for art and youth.

“All those smiling faces, that’s what makes it all worth it for me!” says Denise Bearden who has been organizing the Reflections art contest for Colorado’s Jefferson County schools for the past six years.
With government funding for schools being cut evermore aggressively, the arts programs are the first to suffer. When the arts are cut from school programs, what does that say to these artistically minded students? Thankfully, people like Denise exist to maintain the importance of the arts in our lives, especially for youth.
Something to See
Right now, over 1000 pieces of literature, photography, paintings and drawings on view at Red Rocks Community College from Jan. 10 – 23. Music, video/film and dance were also included, some students excelling in multiple categories. Judges were selected with professional arts experience in the category they juried. Each piece was judged based on artistic merit, creativity and interpretation of the theme. For each age group of each category, four Excellence awards and one Merit award were given. Those artist’s pieces will continue on to a state level of judging. “Beauty is…” is the theme of this year’s Reflections contest. Standing amongst the many pieces, one senses the individual creative minds striving to express something valid. While there are plenty of rainbows, flowers and butterflies, there are also some cases of beauty that surprise you and many that evoke smiles and chuckles. These innocent and charming works of beauty may remind viewers of themselves as budding personalities. As in the words of poet Kenneth Koch, “You aren’t just the age you are. You are all the ages you ever have been!”
Heart for Art
Some of these students, such as Indre Sabalianskatie, hail from families where Arts are the household career. Indre was a recipient of an Award of Excellence for her piece, Bunny, a colored pencil drawing of her pet rabbit. To stand up in front of your peers and be applauded for your skills and talents in any field is incredibly encouraging, but especially in the arts which unfortunately, in our country, are incorrectly labeled as not being lucrative and not impacting society. More importantly, the parents of these students have shown support through facilitating their child’s involvement and validating their personal interests in art. To meet artists like Denise Bearden, who also serves as Chair for the Reflections of Jefferson County, and all the volunteers, is to understand that art is evidence of the noble soul.

http://artsociety.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_heart_for_youth_and_art

Develop an Art Class for Tweens and Teens

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:19:12 +0000

For preteens and teens that enjoy art, a studio class gives them the opportunity to explore new media, develop their skills, and engage their social skills.
Parents can encourage the artistic expression of older children and teenagers in an open studio environment created at home. One parent can host each gathering or the meetings can move to different homes. One advantage to assembling a small group of homeschoolers for an art class is that the cost of materials can be spread to several families. Another benefit is the opportunity for teens to share an interest with similar-minded individuals and perhaps develop new friendships.
Structuring an Informal Art Series
If one individual is starting the class, he or she can determine how many weeks she’d like the class to continue, whether or not he’ll purchase all supplies beforehand, where and when the class will meet, and what the classes will focus on (just drawing, painting, or photography). Some of these factors will limit the number of students who can come into the class. Also consider if students must commit to a set number of classes or if a drop-in format will work.
If a couple of parents start the class with the intention of welcoming in other homeschoolers, they should still consider the advantages of presenting some degree of structure to others as the more people involved in the planning process the more difficult it can be to create a class.
Look for students through a local homeschool group, several fliers hung up in local libraries, Yahoo! Groups or other online social networking sites, or other types of classes the students already participates.
Creating a Skill-Development Art Class
If the interest is on developing skills in drawing, painting, photography, parents should look for someone in the homeschool community who possesses these skills. Also try contacting the local schools for a recently retired art teacher who may be interested in teaching a couple of hours a week. Look to the teachers of community education classes who may be interested or able to teach a class during the day.

http://homeschooling.suite101.com/article.cfm/develop_an_art_class_for_tweens_and_teens

Teaching Art to Kids, for Fun and for Profit

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:57:00 +0000

by Charlotte B. DeMolay
The title of this post, “Teaching Art to Kids, for Fun and for Profit” probably isn’t the kind of headline you’ve come expect in our current era of under-funded school systems and overloaded teachers.
Fortunately, I am not going to be talking about teaching in a public school system where—well—it’s under-funded and the teachers are overloaded.
Instead, I’m talking about using your own knowledge and skills to fund your art business, gain inspiration, or even earn enough supplement income to stay at home with your kids. I’ve been able to do all three of those things and, yes, I’ve had fun and profit along the way!
So is teaching kids an option for you? Let’s find out.
What it takes to teach art to kids:
First, make sure you know enough about art to teach it.
I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art and have been a practicing artist for over 14 years. If you don’t have an art degree, but you’ve been a practicing artist for several years you may still be able to teach.
Before sitting down with the kids, get some basic art books from a university bookstore or a well-stocked library. Read about the elements of art and the principles of design. Get comfortable with the vocabulary of art and always be exploring art history. All of this will be important for you as a teacher.
Second, make sure you like be around and teach children. Not everyone is cut out to teach kids, after all.
I first started teaching kids at a non-profit art organization, and then later at my oldest child’s private school. I already knew I liked being around kids, and teaching them actually inspired me to get serious about my own art again.
Third, have a good, professional space to teach. The kitchen table will not cut it if you hope to create a following.
In my own house, I am fortunate enough to have an adjoining formal living room and dining room. I turned the space into a library/studio/classroom.
It took some trial and error with the table arrangements to get just the right set-up for both teaching and creating my own art. I also had to get used to the idea that all my work was on display for some very honest critics.
Now, if you do set up in your home, you don’t want those kids out of your sight, ever! Make sure the front door and the bathroom are within eyesight of the classroom.
If you can’t set up in your home, ask around the community for spaces to rent. Once I had a dance instructor ask if I wanted to share a space with her. There may be an art-related business in your area that would love new instructors and have not only the space, but the clientele!
If it sounds good, but you’re not sure -
You don’t have to jump in all at once. Start by teaching a free class for your city, or a non-profit. Or help someone else with their own kid-oriented art business.
If you have kids in school, volunteer to help their art teacher and see how the classroom is managed and instructed. Help a local PTA teach some after-school enrichment classes or throw an art party for one of your kids!
Teaching art to kids can be a very rewarding experience, but it will take a commitment of time and resources before it grows into a real business.
Examine your abilities, resources and motives and decide if it’s a good fit for you. If the answer is “yes,” then make sure you’re subscribed to the free EE newsletter and watch for my second article, on getting started!

http://emptyeasel.com/2009/07/17/teaching-art-to-kids-for-fun-and-for-profit/

How to Encourage Children’s Art Appreciation

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:56:00 +0000

By eHow Contributing Writer
Encouraging children’s appreciation of art isn’t as daunting as it sounds. Like many other things, teaching children how to appreciate art needs to begin when they are young. Encourage children to appreciate art so that they may grow into cultured adults.
Instructions
1. Step1
Start them young. Children’s appreciation of art does not develop overnight. Instill their appreciation for art by actively encouraging them to think about art. Find a children’s art museum and take them to it.
2. Step2
Become an expert. Learn as much as you can about art so you can be ready to answer their questions. Visit museum websites and read articles about art. Include your children in your research.
3. Step3
Make learning about art fun and interactive. Try to make learning about art mimic play. Physical and computer games devoted to teaching children about art may help encourage art appreciation.
4. Step4
Buy accessible reproductions of famous artwork. Get magazines, post cards, posters and other prints to introduce children to art.
5. Step5
Enroll children in art classes for kids. Art classes for kids help build upon existing art appreciation and talents. Allow children to compete in art contests and win awards.
6. Step6
Teach children that having opinions about art is important. Lead by example. Look at a piece of art and tell the children what you like or don’t like about it. Get children talking about the same piece.
7. Step7
Help children see art in everyday life. Children are more likely to appreciate art if they can identify artistic elements in many of the things they encounter.
8. Step8
Reward children for learning about art. If you visit a museum and the children recognize a piece of art, congratulate them. Children will be excited to learn more about art if you are appreciative of their efforts.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2154535_encourage-childrens-art-appreciation.html

Why Children’s Art Lessons Are an Indispensable Part of Their Development

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:53:46 +0000

By Chris A. Harmen
Psychologists, anthropologists, and social scientists have long suspected that the development of a child’s creativity carries ancillary effects. While a painting or drawing that an adolescent creates may never make it further than the door of the family refrigerator, its value is often underestimated. Indeed, the process by which it was created plays a key role in many other areas in a young person’s life. Children’s art lessons can guide kids in the process they use to express their creativity.
In this article, we’ll discuss how the recent economy has affected the availability of children’s art lessons in public school. We’ll also explore the reasons why a kids art program is an essential part of their development.
The Budget Crunch Takes A Toll
Nearly every state has begun to struggle financially as the economy continues to shudder. Their growing need for additional funds has outstripped their limited coffers. As states wait for aid from the federal government, they’ve been forced to deploy aggressive cost-cutting measures in order to survive. The public school system has become a target. While math, history, reading, and the sciences are normally spared, classes that focus on music, painting, and other forms of artistic expression are the first on the chopping block.
This is an unfortunate circumstance of an economic reality. Sadly, even as an increasing number of schools are cutting such programs, experts are discovering new advantages that kids gain from them.
Unlocking A Child’s Potential
Long ago, a child’s ability to absorb new concepts and apply them was thought to be directly related to intelligence. Today, of course, we understand much more about the brain and how it develops. We know that young people begin learning new ideas earlier than was once thought. We also understand that creative expression plays an important role in the absorption and practical application of these ideas.
For example, parents have reported that their kids’ performance in “hard” subjects (i.e. math, science, etc.) has improved markedly after enrolling them in children’s art lessons. Given what experts have discovered about the brain’s development, this is not an unexpected result.
The Value Of Perseverance And Dedication
One of the most important benefits of children’s art lessons is the role they play in developing a young person’s perseverance. When an adolescent begins an art project, they tend to take personal ownership of it. When obstacles present themselves, a child will persist in finding a solution. Completing the task becomes a lesson in dedication.
Helping a young person develop a strong sense of perseverance and dedication in everything they do is critical for their lifelong success. Whether in their future business endeavors, personal relationships, or the pursuit of individual goals, these traits are essential ingredients to personal achievement. As Calvin Coolidge once said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.”
Looking Outside The School System
As public schools continue to look for areas in which they can reduce their costs, “soft” subjects are increasingly vulnerable. Parents who want to give their kids an early advantage by enrolling them in children’s art lessons may soon be forced to look outside the public system.
This may be a blessing in disguise. Often, elementary school teachers who are responsible for educating their classes on a variety of subjects are ill-prepared to provide artistic direction. Kids need an encouraging environment. They need step-by-step instruction with the flexibility to explore their own creative process. Professional children’s art lessons are designed not only to ignite a child’s passion for artistic expression, but to engage them in a way that boosts their performance in other areas. Sometimes, it’s the key they require to unlock their own potential.
Christine O’Kelly is a writer for Young Rembrandts, an innovative provider of children’s art lessons. They encourage creativity and active participation by offering a kids art program that focuses on developing their artistic passion with a step-by-step approach.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_A._Harmen

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Childrens-Art-Lessons-Are-an-Indispensable-Part-of-Their-Development&id=2022683

Art Courses: All About Adult Education Art Classes

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:51:53 +0000

Always wanted to learn more about art, or perhaps learn how to create your own paintings, drawings, or sculptures? It’s never too late – you can sign up today for an art class at a community college or other adult education center near you.
It is never too late for art – many people, after many years of working in another career, finally find the time to discover or pursue their real passion for art in retirement. Others enjoy it during night or weekend hours. Classes are available in all types of art, from lessons for beginners up through studio sessions attended by professional artists who enjoy the camaraderie of working together.
Classes in Art Appreciation
Classes where you learn about different types of art or make an in-depth study of a particular artist or period are often offered through museums. Some of these classes even involve travel to other countries to view the beautiful works of art on exhibit at the museums there – so if you’ve always wanted to go to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, perhaps you could do so with a whole class of fellow art lovers!
Drawing Classes
One of the first types of classes a beginning artist takes is a drawing class to learn the fundamentals of composition. Often the class will begin with a still life study, but may then advance to the more complex life drawing which involves a real, live (and yes, often nude) model.
Painting Classes
After you’ve learned to draw, perhaps you might want to learn to express yourself in paint. Classes are available in watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting, and in more advanced classes you may even learn to mix your own paints and prepare your own canvases.
Sculpture Classes
Perhaps you’ve always wanted to create in three dimensions. Sculpture classes are available which will teach you to mold clay, weld metal, or create using a wide variety of other materials.
Photography Classes
Sure, you’ve been snapping away for most of your life, first with that point-n-shoot, now with a cool new digital camera. But if you’d really like to see what an artist sees through the lens and learn how to capture that perfectly composed shot, a class in art photography may be for you.

http://education-portal.com/articles/Art_Courses:_All_About_Adult_Education_Art_Classes.html

Taking up a New Hobby with Adult Art Classes

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:50:44 +0000

This New Year instead of setting a resolution that feels like work and is destined to fail, try improving skills in an enjoyable way and take arts and crafts classes.

Each year, millions of people will set goals for themselves at the New Year. These New Year’s resolutions will frequently involve better themselves in some way, and in many cases will feel like sacrifice or work. These last factors account for why so many people fail to meet their New Year’s goals, and instead set the same goals for themselves year after year.
This year, instead of setting a goal that feels like work to reach, try setting a goal that is enjoyable and reap the benefits instead. Taking up a new hobby by enrolling in one of many adult art classes can be an easily accomplished goal that can bring the satisfaction of a job well done, along with new skills to last a life time.
Why Take Art Classes?
Finding a hobby that is enjoyable can help to engage the creative side while broadening experiences. Art classes for adults are aimed at all skill levels, and can include practical classes, such as felting – to create hats, mittens and shawls – or classes taken just for fun, such as watercolor or oil painting.
Taking an art class exposes the student to not only a new hobby or skill set, but to other people and experiences. Many New Year’s resolutions are about bettering one’s self; what better way to better one’s self than trying new experiences, meeting new people and gaining new skills.
Types of Arts and Crafts Classes Available
Every area will have a different mix and offering of classes, but between adult education centers, community colleges and artist run workshops, many different styles and types of adult art classes are available. Beyond the most obvious classes such as painting and pottery, look for classes such as jewelry making, this can involve metal work, bead work and even glass work, exposing the student to many different skills and experiences.
If fabrics are an inspiration, try classes in felting, weaving, dying and embroidering. Many classes will offer materials or kits as part of the tuition, or for a discounted additional fee so that beginners can get started right away without wondering what materials they should be purchasing.
If photography has always been an interest, then try getting the most use of a digital camera by signing up for a digital camera workshop. Many photo and camera shops will offer classes designed to help camera owners get better acquainted with their device, thereby getting more enjoyment from its use.
Finding Art Classes
One of the toughest things about a New Year’s resolution is getting started. In this case, locating the art classes in question. The first step is determining what type of class is desired. Fine arts classes may be offered by museums, as well as community colleges. Textiles classes can be found through the same avenues, as well as through stores that sell fabrics and yarns.
If there are pottery studios in the area, these studios will often offer beginner’s classes taught by some of the artists who use the studio at a discounted rate. Or try asking in an art supply shop for a list of studios nearby to call.
If getting out of the house to take a class is too difficult to fit into a schedule, or there are no classes offered nearby, consider taking an art class online. Online art classes may not offer the kind of immediate feedback, or the full array of classes, such as metals of wheel throwing, but they can offer useful tips and feedback to beginners.
An online art class can usually be found through online colleges, and art supplies and kits are part of the tuition. The student logs in when it is convenient, photographs their work and uploads it for critiquing. In some cases, the finished work will be shipped to the instructor for grading. Online art classes can be a great way for art students to get a taste of what is out there, and to see if a art technique is desirable, before enrolling in a traditional class full of other people.
Creating art can help the artist relax, build self confidence and think creatively about a problem. Making a New Year’s resolution to stretch skill sets and abilities by taking an art class and beginning a new hobby can lead to years of enjoyment and satisfaction

http://hobbies.suite101.com/article.cfm/taking_up_a_new_hobby_with_adult_art_classes

First Drawing Lessons for Children

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:47:09 +0000

Part of the attraction of art, for many kids, is the freedom from restraint that it offers, so be sure that any formal lesson is well balanced by plenty of free time. Often ‘art lessons’ can be incidental to everyday activities, observing the shapes found in nature, tracing with fingers on foggy windows, or observing textures and colors of fabrics. Try these introductory drawing lessons for children:
Seeing Shapes: From around 5 years
What You’ll Need: a cylindrical object (a mug or can), a rectangular object (a box).
The purpose of this lesson is to discover that what we know about an object is different to what our eyes see at one time. Begin with a discussion. It should go something like this: Sitting beside junior, at their eye level, I hold up the cup, and ask what shape the top is. ‘A circle!’. ‘Good! Now, look closely at the circle.’ I tilt the mug slowly until it looks like a fairly thin ellipse. ‘Now what shape is it?’ ‘Hmmm.. a circle?’ ‘Is it? Really? Have another look. It is a circle, but see how it LOOKS thin and squashed.’ I draw the ellipse on the chalkboard. Do the same exercise with the box, observing how the rectangle becomes a rhombus when tilted.
Seeing Colors: From around 5 years
What You’ll Need: Simple, solid-colored objects and a directional light source (so that the object will have highlights and shadows).
Like the lesson above, this is essentially a discussion to investigate the difference between the known and the seen. Show the object to your child, and ask about its color. Is it the same color all over? The surface is (painted) the same all over, but it looks different depending on the light. Where does it look lighter and darker? Sketch the object and show how you can use shading to show the light and dark areas. (Keep it simple).
Observing Perspective: All Ages
When travelling in the car, or walking, look out for an area where you can observe a clear foreground, middle ground and background. Take the opportunity to point out:
· how much smaller distant objects look than closer ones
· how colors change from close to distant
· how distant objects look blurry (atmospheric perspective)
· how much detail you can observe in closer objects

See if you can find a reproduction of a painting of a similar scene, and see how the artist has handled these elements.

http://drawsketch.about.com/cs/perspective/a/kidsdrawing.htm

Teaching Children to Draw

admin — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:46:10 +0000

Wary of inhibiting their creativity, I we tend to avoid teaching drawing to children. But they are receiving input from all around them, and want to learn to draw. Why let them flounder when we can provide positive models? So how do we approach teaching of drawing to children? It depends on what stage of development they are at, and of course, every child is different.
A First Visual Language
From picture-books toddlers learn that shapes have names and represent objects. They begin to label familiar shapes found in their scribbles, then begin to use simple shapes to construct simple objects, especially faces.
The Visual System Expands
As children get older, they add detail and complexity to their drawings. Faces attach to bodies, and ways are found to represent more objects. At around age 5, depending on the child, a sense of pattern emerges, with houses, trees and families telling familiar stories, and the symbol-library does its job well.
Discovering Limitations
Problems begin at about age 10, when reality and appearances become important. The rocket taking off or the beautiful dress or the horse don’t look right – the symbolic language no longer works. Some children become obsessed with drawing fine details at this stage, some will do a great deal of drawing in an attempt to get it right, and most will give up in disgust.
Handle with Care
Drawings represent the child’s experience of the world. We must be careful not to invalidate this by the way we respond. Inappropriate responses may include imposing our narratives – our stories or ideas – on the drawing, for example “Oh, that’s a nice dog. Oh, it’s a horse? Well it looks like a dog…”; criticism of lack of realism, and unrealistic expectations – have you noticed how we always expect children to draw from memory even things which they may be quite unfamiliar with? – and importantly for older children, criticism of realism, when we label their awkward attempts at realistic detail as ‘tightness’ and lament the loss of childish naivite.
Of course we fear that we might inhibit a child’s natural creativity, but it is important to remember that if children are not taught to draw, their creativity will die a natural death. Art skills – drawing, painting, sculpting what you see – can and should be taught to children. You have to know the rules before you can break them: no-one would suggest that you can play great music without years of music lessons, but somehow they don’t apply the same logic to art.

http://drawsketch.about.com/cs/kidsdrawing/a/teachkids.htm

CREATIVE KIDS MAKE INTELLIGENT ADULTS

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:02:04 +0000

A Must in the Business World
by Alberta Johnson
Over and over, research shows that kids who receive art lessons while they are young become more imaginative and creative adults. As you may know, creativity is an essential part of intelligence, and is often used as a gauge for measuring IQ.
With increasing demands being placed upon schools, teachers, and youth groups to educate our kids in the three R’s, education in the arts has begun to suffer in many areas of the country in favor of the “more important” or “more practical” subjects.
What people need to understand is that art education in schools IS important, and in fact essential to form well-rounded adults. In the business world, for example, people who are creative are much more likely to find success. Creativity allows for innovation, a vital characteristic in today’s business executive. To stay ahead of the game, for example, a business must be able to initiate and adapt to change. Both of these things are impossible without creativity, which is best learned at an early age.
Any successful business starts with an idea, and a good idea is innovative, different, and creative. It speaks to a certain audience and makes people stand up and take notice. If you lack the creativity to come up with such an idea, you’re not likely to do very well.
Now, consider some of the most memorable marketing campaigns in recent history. What do they all have in common? Creativity; creativity that must be instilled at an early age, and is most effectively taught in school.
Art lessons are very time consuming to prepare, and many teachers feel that they lack the artistic ability or creativity to teach art. The reality is however, that they really don’t need to be creative geniuses themselves to teach art in their classrooms.
Educators who feel that help is needed can turn to plenty of outside sources for aid. By doing just a little bit of homework themselves, teachers and parents can find people, groups, and even companies who are ready and willing to come to the rescue. Taking advantage of this help can save hours of time and energy, and provide a much-needed educational benefit.

Alberta Johnson is the Editor/Publisher of “K-6 Art Lesson Plans”, a web site that offers weekly art lessons geared towards Kindergarten through 6th grade children. These lesson plans have goals, objectives, assessments, and color photos. Children have great fun with them, and parents, teachers, scout/club leaders love them, too. Consultations are also available. For more information visit K6ArtLessonPlans.com