ARTistic pursuits (A REVIEW)

My kids and I were very excited to try a new art program from ARTistic Pursuits, Inc. For this review we received the Sculpture Technique Construct book. We have used other levels before, and they've always been a very great resource. This book was just as great and really a complete art curriculum for sculpture.

We had fun trying a few new mediums for art. Since this book is all about constructing, it is all about creating 2D and 3D sculptures. The book we received is broken up into 4 units. The units are:

1. Unit 1: Creating Form in Papermaking
2. Unit 2: Creating Planes in Cardboard
3. Unit 3: Creating Motion with Papier-mache
4. Unit 4: Creating Volume with Wire

We had to buy some different and new art supplies, so that is something to keep in mind with this book. It requires quite a bit of things you might not normally have on hand. We chose to try out the papermaking unit and the wire unit. Both were equally fun and interesting for us.

Each unit is broken up into step-by-step projects, including little lessons on technique, science, and history (basically the why, and what of the project). So, for the first project in Unit 1, we started with making the paper that we'd use to create a paper sculpture. For this we had to purchase a paper making mold, but it was well worth it. I look forward to making more paper in the future with scrap pieces of construction paper, or whatever paper we have lying around.

The first step in papermaking was to blend up the scraps of paper. We used an ordinary blender, and scraps of construction paper for this.

The book is very easy to follow, and even though this book is geared toward the 11-18 age range, my 9 year-old son was able to understand a good portion of it with my help. It could be used for a complete high school art course, or just for some fun projects for younger kids with help from an adult. My boy was very excited about making paper because he has wanted to do it for a long time.

We created the pulp that is needed to start dipping.

I loved this book because it took some very intimidating projects, like papermaking, and made it something we could easily do for a morning art session. I always pictured papermaking as a very long, and messy process. And, while it was a little messy, it didn't take long at all. The only thing that took long was waiting for the paper to dry. The same for the wire projects, we were able to complete those in just a few short art sessions. As I look through the projects in this book, they are all broken up into manageable sections. That makes for more actual art being accomplished because it's easy to push art aside when it seems to messy or complicated.

Dipping the paper is really quite fun, and not as hard as it seems. It takes a few tries and you've got it.

At the end of each unit there is an evaluation to reflect on what you accomplished. It includes questions, review of the concepts, and things to think about from the experience. We didn't get to any of these reviews, but looking over them I think they have some great things to think about to really help bring it all together.

And, that's it! Now all that is need is sponging some of the excess water, and making it flat.

I love making art with my children. The memories and creativity are so long lasting. I think these projects from this book were no different. Even though there are step-by-step instructions, they are still able and even encouraged to create things in their own way. They put themselves into each project, and that's the best part about art. We made some great memories, and had just as much fun with the process as we did with the result

We only had to sponge a few times, and it was ready to sit and dry.

There was a great sense of accomplishment with each project we did from this book.

This is the wet paper!

This is the dry paper! It looks and feels so neat!

A few pictures from our wire projects. I was finding little wire creations all over the place. The boys just loved playing with the wire.

Overall, I think this is a great art curriculum. Even my 9 year-old says "give this one a 5 star review!" He loved it, and I can see him really using this book over the next few years.

Many other levels were reviewed, so you can see what others had to say about their experience with ARTistic Pursuits by clicking on the banner below. If you want to learn more go check them out!