Online Homeschool Art School: Drawing 101 For Older Kids And Teens
Do you have an aspiring artist on your hands? You’ll love this online homeschool art school drawing 101 courses for your older kid and teens.
One of my favorite perks of homeschooling my kids is watching them discover their interests.
Coming home from a long day at work, I love seeing what my children have created in their homeschool.
Homeschooling means having the freedom to let them go wild on their hobbies. Especially when that hobby is something I have no interest in or clue how to teach them.
Disclosure: I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
How To Teach Drawing When You Don’t Know How To Draw
Raising an artist who loves to draw when I can hardly handle stick people has been an adventure and a challenge!
However, the one thing about homeschooling that I’ve learned is this: Your kids can truly learn anything; they just need the right tools. And that, dear working mom, is your job.
Find the tools that work with your kid’s learning style, and you are golden. *fist pump!*
3 Tips To Find The Right Drawing “Tool”
When my daughter first expressed interest in art, I will admit I panicked because I can not draw, nor do I have the desire to learn. What I did have were awesome friends who helped support me.
They reminded me that my job was to support my kids, to help them learn how to learn and that it was okay if I didn’t know the answer.
Like any mom, I wondered how long the newest obsession would last. After all, I didn’t have the funds to dump into the latest whim if it wasn’t going to last.
1. Use What You Have
Using free programs or resources you already have is a great way to gauge your child’s interest without breaking the bank.
We started with Easy Peasy’s free online drawing classes. (Free!) Then we moved on to the SchoolhouseTeachers.com Drawing classes.
2. Join In The Fun
As
Learning with your child is a wonderful way to connect with your kids, teach them about failure, and have wonderful memories. Plus, she had a ball watching me be really horrible at something and not give up.
As a full-time working mom, I love using our homeschool as a way to spend time with my kids.
3. Keep Your Child’s Needs In Mind
While the above strategies worked for a while, I found she lacked the benefits of 1:1 instruction.
This year she wanted something different—a challenge. And I wanted a program that would teach for me.
I sat down with her, and we chatted about what she really wanted to focus on in her art. We talked about what she wanted to learn and didn’t want to learn.
Keeping your child in mind when choosing any homeschool program or course is vital!
Online Homeschool Art Requirements:
I have a set of rules that a program needs to reach in order to suit my kids and our crazy family schedule.
Before you set out to find your own program, I recommend using a list to help you narrow down the choices and limit the overwhelm. Trust me, there are a TON of resources out there. This will help.
My personal list is used to make sure the program will fit with my working mom schedule and still be homeschool friendly.
The art program needed to be:
- Easy to use
- Include a list of supplies that were affordable
- Include videos to teach
- Step by step
- Simple and fun
- Self-paced
- Accessible on a tablet and computer
- Requires no preparation or grading on my part
Honestly, I didn’t expect to find a program that did all this AND was affordable.
I knew a homeschool mom who recently launched her online art program called Masterpiece Society. She was looking for people to test it and if they liked it, share it with others.
She has the Masterpiece Society Studio Membership shown above AND the Masterpiece Society Art Courses.
However, most of what I saw in her shop was painting, and my daughter wanted to draw, not paint.
After becoming frustrated trying to find an online art program for her, I reached out to Alisha of Masterpiece Society, explaining exactly what I wanted, and asked if she happened to have anything that fit the bill.
Online Homeschool Art School For Older Kids
Alisha, the course creator, told me that she had an Art School Collection designed for older kids aged 13+.
One of the courses focused on drawing, and Alisha pointed out that it might be just perfect for her.
She asked me if I wanted to check it out with my daughter and see what she thought. If we both really liked it, she asked that I share it with you in exchange for the course.
She gave us access to Art School 1: Drawing 101. This is one of the courses designed for older kids and teens.
There is 4 total in the Art School series, the other 3 are:
- Art School: Watercolors 101
- Art School: Acrylics (& Oils) 101
- Art School: Pastels 101
What I love is that you can pick up the course individually, like I did but your better bet is to invest in the Masterpiece Society Membership where you get access to all her courses for all ages. Perfect if you have children of all ages that love art.
I don’t. I have one teen who wanted to draw. She was very specific in her interests. Do what is best for your family.
Art School: Drawing 101 Supplies
The first thing I did was to check the art supply list to see what I needed Because this could add considerably to the cost of an art class!
However, because my daughter has been drawing for a while we had most of the supplies already.
Two quick tips for saving money on art supplies:
- When hunting for art supplies we check Michael’s locally.
Be sure to sign up for their email list to get coupons in your inbox for both online and in-store. Of course, you should check any art store local to you for great deals. - Use a list on Amazon.
This is my best way of saving money because Amazon will email you and let you know when something goes on sale. You can see the list I had her make in my store here. - Bonus: If you are signed up for Ebates, you can get cashback at both Michael’s and Amazon.
What I really appreciate was how easy the supplies were to find and how affordable. Art classes locally can really add up and they don’t include the supplies.
Drawing 101 Overview
“If you can learn to write, you can learn to draw. Drawing isn’t a talent you’re born with, it’s a skill you can learn and develop.
Drawing is about learning to see…” – Drawing 101
As you can see, drawing 101 encourages your child to discover their own unique drawing style.
In this course, your child will study both wet and dry drawing media with graphite, charcoal, and pen & ink.
They will experiment with the over 14 classical and modern techniques including:
- Hatching
- Cross-Hatching
- Double Cross-Hatching
- Scribble Drawing
- and Continuous Line Drawing, just to name a few.
They will also learn about and copy master artists drawings.
This course covers:
- Henri Matisse
- Vincent van Gogh
- John Singer Sargent
- Claude Monet
- Pablo Picasso
The purpose of the course is to launch your child into the world of art with over 35 step by step lessons.
How Drawing 101 Lessons Build Self-Confidence
I love Alisha’s laid back approach. My daughter say’s her accent is fun!
She is calm, clear and makes learning fun.
This is important because my daughter gets very frustrated with herself if she doesn’t do it perfectly the first time. If she makes a mistake, game over! I’ve seen her give up with other programs she’s used.
Not with Drawing 101.
Normally, she watches and rushes to complete the drawing. In this program, I see her taking the step by step approach. Learning, practicing and not losing her patience.
This is very important to me because my teen struggles with self-confidence. I needed a program that would lead in a gentle way.
These lessons are more advanced than her other art courses in that they encourage the student to draw upon his or her own inner resources. No templates are provided.
My daughter told me she loves the video approach combined with the written text. She said whenever she feels overwhelmed by a concept she reads the text and it really helps.
She can take it at her own pace and if she needs to re-watch a video she isn’t holding up other people. The course is progressive and builds on what was taught earlier.
The photos, pictures, and printouts of artist work are provided, there is no need to hunt them down, which saves time. As a working mom, I love this part.
Drawing 101 FAQ:
Q. How long is this course?
A. The course has over 35 lessons. Your child can go at their own pace.
Q. How long do you have access to the course?
A. Lifetime! Use it again for your other children.
Q. Are these courses only for homeschooling families?
A. Alisha is a homeschool mom but this course would be great for any child who is interested in learning to draw.
Q. What art supplies will you use for this course?
A. She has two lists of supplies but the ones for this course were included in my package. However, I created a quick list you can see here on Amazon.
Warning: Art Is Personal
One problem I had in writing this review is that art is personal. It is a personal expression of feelings. Because of that, we’ve always had the rule that nothing had to be shared unless the artist agreed.
When you are dealing kids you need to respect their personal feelings about sharing their art. I’ve found asking her to draw or create a card for someone was a bad move for my kiddo. She hated feeling pushed.
Your child may not mind, so do what is best for your kiddo.
I wanted to respect her in this “personal” aspect and because of this, I have very few photos of her work to share with you. The ones shown are with her permission.
But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love it.
She talks about it with her friends. Tells them what she is learning and how she loves the course.
She even made fun of me when I thought chalk pastels was a color of chalk…Oops!
Seeing her laugh, joke, and share her art has been a highlight of homeschooling a teen.
After all, what more can you hope for than to watch your child working hard to follow their dreams?
If you have an aspiring artist on your hands, I highly recommend checking out this online homeschool art school drawing 101 course for your older kid and teens.
Take care,
Jen
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Hi, I’m Jen. I help working moms juggle their career and homeschool their kids by providing support, systems and tools. You are warmly invited to Join the Online Community Here!
