I have been looking for an art curriculum for my 5th and 7th grader. At that age you want to find something that beyond making a puppet out of a paper bag but not as advanced as painting a replica of the Mona Lisa. I had long considered signing them up for a drawing class at our local art museum since I thought drawing would be of interest to both kids and help them explore the world of art on their own terms. But what do I know; I can barely draw a straight line with a ruler. I needed an art program that did not rely on me to teach it. Is that possible? Simply Draw with Bob Parsons was recommended to me as one such art curriculum. However could Simply Draw with Bob Parsons replace art lessons or sufficiently teach children art in a home where the mom still draws stick figures?
When my package arrived I tore into it like a child on Christmas morning. The pages were nice and thick and already came 3 hold punched to easily put in a binder. In fact, you are even provided a cover page and side bar page for your binder…it’s the little things people…the little things. I immediately put the book in a binder and looked through every page. I loved the playful attitude of the book. I was very impressed with how the book taught you to use short parallel lines to create texture, shading and shadows. I always wondered how they did that. Oh and did you catch that I said the book “taught”. This book requires no knowledge from the parent! Now that’s the kind of curriculum I’m talking about!
The book goes on to explain the wonders of drawing in a step by step and progressive way. You are shown an example and explanation on one page and then given space on the next to practice yourself! The DVD provided will show you lessons from Bob Parsons and give you added PDF files to print off practice sheets. It’s like having an art teacher in your own home. In fact, you can put your laptop in another room and have your kids “switch classes” to the bedroom for art. Hey, sometimes humoring myself is how I get through the day. At any rate, this drawing program is great for a family class as anyone can participate. It is recommended for ages 8-adult. However, I allowed my 5 year old to also participate. She has a huge ego so even if her drawing looked nothing like what was shown it was still the best…in her eyes…and mine. If you have a perfectionist 10 year old that uses 100 pieces of paper to get it just right then you have bigger problems than finding the right art program. I should know, my 10 year old boy gives up at 50 pieces of paper. Yet, Simply Draw with Bob Parsons was so easy to follow and made even my stick figures look good, that it can slightly tame the perfectionist 10 year old boy. Proud to say that no pencil throwing or behavior mimicking a two year old took place during this program.
This is an art program everyone in your family will have fun with from page one. I was surprised how much the kids and I learned.