TOS REVIEW: See the Light Art Class

Cost: $99.99 (9 volume DVD set, 36 lessons), $10.00 per month for Online subscription (4 lessons per month)

Age range: 6 and up. 

Via the TOS Homeschool Crew I was able to receive Volume 1: Art Lessons 1-4 from See The Light for review. See here for a more detailed description of each lesson in this volume (and then check out the others in the set by clicking the next, previous, back buttons on that screen).

As mentioned above, the age range is 6 and up for these lessons. My kids are 11 & 14. Lessons 1-4 are basic concepts of drawing. They do not require more than a #2 pencil, paper, eraser and maybe crayons and/or markers for effect (and chalk for the Bonus lesson). Oh! also fruit and a shoe ;)

Included in Volume 1:

• Lesson 1: Tools of the Trade
• Lesson 2: It All Starts With A Line
• Lesson 3: Contours & Composition
• Lesson 4: Draw What You See
• Bonus! Chalk-It-Easy Chalk Art Lesson

Pat Knepley is the See The Light Master Artist in each of the 4 Lessons in this Volume. She is very vibrant and energetic about drawing. I really enjoyed the attitude she brings to these lessons- drawing/art is awesome. But even more- God is Awesome! She reads verses occasionally from the Bible to help point to God as the Creator of all and we can use the talents He gave us. 

Here are two screenshots from Lesson 4: Draw What You See

I just love her hair... ;)

Gloria Kohlmann is the artist in the Bonus lesson (Chalk-It-Easy) and she does an absolutely wonderful job! We didn't have chalk to do the lesson but the way that Kohlmann teaches would incline me to say that we would be able to follow along with this lesson without much problem.

Although both of my kids already have had the background presented in these Lessons, the warmth and enthusiasm presented by Pat Knepley still make these a treat to watch. She talks at a pace that isn't too fast, nor too slow. A lot of the time, when watching programs designed for instruction, I find I need to speed up the talking...but not with this one. Perhaps it is her voice or her inflection but there wasn't a need to speed it up. It is a perfect pace. 

I think this would be really good for the younger ages, or those who are uncomfortable with drawing (feel inadequate or unsure) because Pat is very comforting and encouraging. She describes and instructs in a way that any one can follow, I think.

Each lesson is short and engaging. The first two are fairly short (9:31 and 9:43), with the third and fourth averaging just under 13 minutes. I don't think any of the 36 lessons are more than 15 minutes, making this an easy subject/curriculum to integrate into the day. The Chalk-It-Easy lesson is over 21 minutes...but still not too long.

Here are some links to see more about See The Light:

Watch three free art lessons online. Request a free sample DVD from See the Light. They also offer other DVDs such as The Crossmaker & The Gift of Love (watch a preview of both by clicking on the link).

See the art curriculum pdf.

Check out the Fun Stuff page for a few more videos, some music and downloads. Meet the team at See The Light. Also follow along with the See The Light blog.

Bottomline:
Very well done art instruction videos. This would work great in a co-op setting! Unfortunately, I feel that this should probably have a recommended minimum and a max age range of 6-13. I placed the max age a little farther than originally planned due to the fact that there are probably some teenagers or tweens who've not been exposed to art before. Of course, those would be just recommended ages. I think these are done well enough that anyone, any age would benefit if they've had no art experience. 

See The Light says that "Art History is another feature of ART CLASS. Your children will become acquainted with the famous masterpieces of many artists," which I didn't get to see that very much in the first 4 lessons (Lesson 2 brings in Picasso....), but think this would be a great part of teaching art/drawing.

However, I do not like not having the option to buy the discs singly. The price of $99 for the entire set, although when broken down is only $11.11, is a little deterring. The online subscription at $10 a month is only $90 total, though. It definitely makes it more accessible money-wise. 

Very good program.

If you would like to see more reviews of this product, check the TOS Homeschool Crew blog :)

**Disclaimer: I received this product in exchange for an honest review from See The Light through participation in the TOS Homeschool Crew. I was not compensated in any way and I was not required to post a positive review. All opinions stated are my own. See more Disclosure/Policies.**