Art Instructions in the Home

On this particular summer day, dark, heavy clouds loomed in the humid atmosphere outside and a percussion of rain drops plinked against the windows. I sat the boys down to watch Dallas’ lesson on brush drawing. We had already gone through brush care and moved into the first three lessons.

Splashes and delicate lines filled up their papers when a familiar sound of a tea kettle interrupted the rhythmic sound of the rain.

The boys meticulously washed their paint brushes under cool, running water, and rested them over the sink to dry, just as Dallas instructed. They returned to the counter for a delightful poetry and tea time.

We began brush drawing lessons from Bestowing the Brush last spring. Since the course I purchased never expired, we continue to revisit the lessons as we please. I particularly appreciate the way the brush techniques build on those from the previous lessons, and I do not need to get fancy with the materials needed. Dallas offers an extensive list of resource recommendations, which I took, but we also used paint pallets and paper from Wall Mart, and even the Dollar Tree. I personally prefer high quality paints and “things”, and I was able to access them through her list of recommendations.

I tend to begin our day’s lessons with the subject that the mother teacher dreads the most. This helps me to get it done and be a good cheer for the rest of the day’s lessons. Tea time and poetry is one of my transitional anchors of the day. We end the lessons with beautiful poems over tea, along with a good small talk about the rest of the day. Placing the brush drawing lessons right before tea time gives me a moment to set the tea and ready to the baked goods. As the children clean up their lesson table and clean the brushes, I set up the tea cups and get the cream. It is an easy transition and I get a clean dining table out of it. You can have it all!

Shifting Into the New Year

This year, the children and I shall venture into Lilly and Thistle’s world of watercolor lessons. While both course creators are admirable and skilled in delivering the lesson plans, I would describe Lilly and Thistle as “project based”, compared to Bestowing the Brush, which hinted a technique-centeredness. Its open-ended nature of the former gave my children the “artist’s rights” in their first lessons. This freedom was a deciding factor in our choice of art curriculum for the 2024-25 year.

The brush drawing lessons were not purchased in vain. I shall incorporate the plans into my Mother Culture hours on Sunday afternoons. Dallas’ technical demonstrations is just the challenge I need to improve my current painting skills and even move on into charcoal drawing lessons which are included in the purchased course.

What art resources are you hoping to utilize in your home this year?