Disclaimer: I received a FREE subscription of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
With two budding artists in the family, I had good reason to review Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses from Beyond the Stick Figure Art School. I am not an artist by any means and the funny thing is is that I would say I can do stick figures and no more. I received a free lifetime online subscription to this homeschool art curriculum course.
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| Putting it all together with color |
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You can navigate to different areas from your dashboard
and see how you are progressing through the lessons |
This program was created by Sally Stansfield, a trained, degreed artist from England. She has 8 children and also homeschools. My 10th-grade son used it the most and my 1st-grade daughter dabbled in it a little bit. She's still at the point where she wants to do things "her" way. We have lifetime access to this program so you can go at your own pace. The lessons are labeled simply as daily lessons (Day 1, Day 2, etc). The products I received were as follows:
- Complete Drawing Course
- Includes 52 lessons broken down into 3 parts
- 3 Bonus Programs
- Pen and Ink Techniques and Complete Watercolor courses
- Introduction to Acrylic Course
- Introduction to 3D Design Course (polymer clay)
- Paint Your Own Family Portraits (I also currently have access to this)
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| Learning to draw faces (family portrait lessons) |
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| Learning about primary and secondary colors |
Some lessons include workbook pages to print out and work through. One thing we found tricky is that you must complete each lesson in the order that is on your dashboard before you can continue. No skipping ahead or looking to see what is ahead. Each lesson must be marked as "complete" before you can proceed.
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| Sample workbook pages |
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| Fairly easy to navigate between completed lessons within a topic |
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| You must mark lessons as complete before proceeding to the next lesson |
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What happens when you try to move forward without
completing the previous lesson |
There is a materials list tab so you can assemble what you need and plan accordingly. There are also introductory and materials needed videos within a few of the topics.
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| Materials list tab |
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| Video explaining some of the needed materials |
This program is geared for the whole family for ages 5-95. The basic steps Sally takes you through allows you to build on your skills. You are able to see how simple lines and curves can morph into beautiful, created artwork. My 1st grader would do better if I sat down with her to work through the lessons, this is just her personality. My 10th grader, of course, worked independently and seemed to enjoy it. When asked what he thought he simply replied it was "ok." I watched him draw and I think he can expand his current talents by going through this course. It also looked like he was enjoying it. I like the way Sally takes you step by step and teaches you to build on your previous skills. For those who are less than artists, this is perfect! You can see how easy it is to create art. I intend to go through it more thoroughly with my 1st grader and allow the 10th grader to continue with it as a fun summer course.
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| Practicing lines |
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| Working through the lessons |
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Completed lessons (he did several on one page
instead of separate pieces of paper |
I was slow to like this one. With the frustrations of the menu navigation and the different teaching technique, I was not sure this was a go for us. In the end, I say yes, thumbs up to Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses because I like the idea of taking a "stick figure" and making something beautiful from it. I think the techniques taught in this homeschool art curriculum will go far in our artist skills. I look forward to us working on this over the next year. I know my son will especially like the 3D Design because he loves working with clay. I am looking forward to digging into the watercolor lessons. It's something we can do together, as a family, and that's always a win in my book.
You can connect with Beyond the Stick Figure Art School on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST, and YOUTUBE. Please also take the time to check out the reviews from my fellow Crew members to see what they had to say about this homeschool art program by clicking on the graphic link below.
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