Artistic Pursuits

There are some things that are easy to teach. Math, for instance, though arguably not easy to learn, is easy enough to teach. There is counting, followed by addition, followed by subtraction, multiplication, division and so on. Everyone knows the set of things that ought to be taught–how to go about that may be another matter–but we have all learned math, and we all know, to some degree of proficiency or other, how to pass that on.

Other things come less easily. Art, for me, is one of those things.

While I’ve always appreciated art, and always had an artistic bent, I’ve never had much formal education in art, and generally have felt like one on the outside looking in when it comes to things artistic. It’s one of those subject areas that, we’re often given the impression, can’t be taught.

That’s why A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels is so brilliant. Gently and persuasively, Tricia Hodges (of HodgePodge.me blog) and Lucia Hames (Nana) lead the reader into a series of tutorials that anyone can do. As evidence of this notion, sprinkled among the tutorials are pictures of the messy fingers and completed masterpieces of Hodges’ five children–from preschoolers to high schoolers.

The tutorials in the book were born one day when “Nana,” snowed in at the Hodges, pulled out her chalk pastels and began a lesson. We’re so very glad she did. Hodges has published those lessons on her blog, and now compiled them into the handy format of an ebook. It’s so nice to have these tutorials in a format that can be printed out and easily viewed by everyone working on the art together, and also for planning purposes.

Our family has gotten to know “Nana” (and that is what we call her) through her art tutorials, and we have made it a regular part of our art afternoons. These lessons have made art seem so much more “doable.” Though my kids sometimes struggle with perfectionistic tendencies (I can’t imagine where that comes from!), they have learned that chalk pastels are a forgiving medium, and they can make mistakes, get messy and come up with their own individual expression of an art piece. Just take a look at what our children have been able to produce with the simple instructions from these tutorials, and you’ll understand my enthusiasm:

sproutart1 — Sailboat at Sunset by Sprout, age 6

It’s nice to see “Nana’s” art, but it’s equally wonderful to see the same piece attempted by a child, and Hodges and Hames’ book is filled with pictures of Hodges’ kids’ art.

The book itself contains:

an introduction to Hodges and Nana
Nana’s impressive artistic qualifications
suggested supplies for doing the art
some tips for getting started
how to let go of the notion that it’s “too messy.”

Then the tutorials begin, with an impressive list of almost 50 tutorials, as well as bonus tutorials only available to those who purchase the book. Finally, there is a list of resources for going further with art–not just chalk pastels, but other media as well.

These tutorials have been a real answer to our family for art time. While we’ve found other instructional resources we use as well, this one just gets us down and dirty DOING art. I always join in, and I’m always pleased with my own results.

Bird's Nest by Carey Jane Clark, age ??? — Bird’s Nest by Carey Jane Clark, age ???

If you are hesitating about whether or not to buy this book, or whether to begin your artistic career with chalk pastels, I encourage you to take the plunge. And to make that even easier, Tricia Hodges is giving away TWO copies of this fabulous ebook. If you can’t wait, Tricia has also generously offered this discount code for readers of my blog: Receive $5 off through 2-28-13 using discount code CJC.

Enter below to win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{And don’t forget to check out Tricia Hodges’ blog today for a beautiful
new art lesson from Nana especially for Valentine’s Day!}

We have busy hands in our house these days. As with many things in our lives, this little change came about because of a book.

For a while now, we’ve been cultivating a habit of reading together in the evenings. I often read aloud. At the moment (and for some time now) we’ve been reading The Swiss Family Robinson. (I think I’ve mentioned before that it’s pretty long.)

But while we’re reading, it’s often the case that the girls, especially, want to do something with their hands. They like to draw, but this means pulling out pencils and papers and crayons and all kinds of things and bringing them into the living room–something we prefer not to do. Since we have the dedicated homeschool space, we prefer to leave that sort of thing there, where it gets put away at the end of the day.

While we were back in Canada, I picked up a love for knitting. It was meant to be something I could teach Sweetpea, and I figured if I was going to teach it, I’d better learn myself. Sweetpea is still working on her sample 20 x 20 stitch piece. I have knitted hats, scarves, doll clothes and have now graduated to my first project for myself: a sweater–with cables! (ACK!)

Then recently, I was reminded of this passage from The Story of the Trapp Family Singers–the true story behind the famous movie, The Sound of Music. I read this book as a child, but in the last few weeks, I heard this passage read:

Everyone was anxious to have all his homework done before supper, because then came the most beautiful time of the day, the evenings spent together. A fire was lit in the fireplace. The older girls brought their knitting, the younger ones, their dolls or dwarfies, the boys and their father usually worked on wood, carving or whittling, and I, settling in a most comfortable chair, started to read aloud. It is most amazing how much literature you can cover during the long winter evenings. We read fairy tales and legends, historical novels and biographies, and the works of the great masters of prose and poetry.

After having read a couple of hours, I would say, “That’s enough for today…”

Okay, admittedly, I’m harboring seriously romantic notions here, but I really like this picture of family togetherness, and the idea that there could be something busy hands could do while the ears were working got me thinking.

My sister told me about a book once, but it didn’t appeal to me. However, the author has come out with a new book, and it seemed like it would work better for us. I showed it to Sweetpea, and she seemed excited about it. When it arrived in the mail, she devoured it. And so today, we began working through it. Everyone was excited to get started, and everyone stayed quite dedicated to their work all afternoon.

The book has bazillions of the cutest little designs you ever saw: seasonal pictures, pictures of animals, baby things, a space theme, fairy tale folk. And it seems to be just the thing to capture our kids’ interest. The most dedicated embroiderer, however is Pumpkin! He loves working with the different stitches to see what kinds of effects he can make. (The sampler lying on the book above is his.) And even Sprout had quite a bit of success.

So the Van Trapp family, we may not be, but we are spending pleasant winter evenings reading and learning new things.