My children usually have little to do about what I decide to write.  This article is an exception.  Both Jake and Kyla wanted me to talk about the Summer Art for Homeschool Art Show.  They are proud of their art work, and honestly so am I.

I discussed in the article, “Inspire Your Children,” my experience with trying to inspire my children to do art.  It is something that they both love doing, but sometimes need encouragement to do.  For some reason, a hint of perfectionism runs in my children’s veins.  They must get it from my husband.

No, on second thought, I have no idea where that quality comes from.  If you have seen my house, you would know that neither Lane nor I possess it.  Case in point, I just ended the first sentence in this paragraph with a preposition, and I find myself now off on a tangent.

Anyway, the “Inspire, Not Require” principle worked.  My children love to compete in these home school art shows.  Not only is there a possibility of winning prizes, but it is also inspiring to see the work of other home school students.   The judge constructively critiques each entry so you also learn how to improve.  Art for Homeschool is a great website.  It also provides a unique opportunity for home school students to showcase their talent and ability.

Here are Jake’s two entries.  The first is a sketch of his favorite thing: a horse.  The second is a watercolor of a deer in a field of flowers.  He really learned some great techniques for doing texture while attempting to recreate the look of fur on the deer.

Horse Eating Apple

Deer

Kyla only managed to do one piece for the art show.  She has been working on making her drawings look three-dimensional.  I think she did a great job in her colored pencil painting.

Perspective Practice

The following are my entries.  The first is a colored pencil painting from a photograph that I took while in Hawaii years ago.  The second is a watercolor done by a photograph that I took while in New York City.

Plumeria

Lady Liberty

I hope that you enjoyed viewing our art entries for the Summer Art for Homeschool show.  To see the other entries click here.  We love having the opportunity to share our new-found passion for art.

Tags: art, Art for Homeschool, inspire, not require

This entry was posted on Friday, August 6th, 2010 at 6:05 am and is filed under Homeschooling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.