I am art challenged. Because I am art challenged I need all the help I can get to provide a quality art education to my children!  I have found that finding and using homeschool art lessons is a great way to take some of the pressure off me! Doing this affords me a solid art tutorial for my children and I to follow, instead of me bubbling around trying to figure it out.

My youngest daughter has always enjoyed art and always asks for more art projects. This year I made it my mission to provide more art projects for her participate in. Through my research for her I have compiled a massive list of Art Project Resources for Homeschoolers.

Homeschool Art Lessons with Sparketh

Among the resources I have found is a website that provides homeschool art lessons (or really art lessons for anyone), via online, video based, art tutorials. Sparketh has a video library of 400+ bite-sized video lesson taught by talented menotrs. The courses are geared with 8-18 year olds in mind so there is something for every level of artist. (While she didn’t want her efforts photographed here, my teen even got in on the art action with the portrait drawing tutorials!) Plus, they add to their library weekly so there is always something new to do!

{I received access to Sparketh as part of this review and I was compensated for my time in writing it. All views are my own and I was not required to write a positive review. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for more details.}

Sparketh is easy to navigate because it is broken down in two different ways:

• By Skill Level – Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
• By Type of Activity – Technical, Activity, Project, Creative, Challenge

There are videos on technique such as mixing with colored pencils, shading techniques and mixing oil paint. As well as drawing tutorials such as drawing a rose, drawing 3D objects, and drawing a strawberry. You will have the chance to work with drawing pencils, colored pencils, water colors, oil paints, and more!

Sparketh also has worksheets, printouts, and course files available for download at no extra cost.

What I Love About Sparketh

• because there are multiple levels of tutorials it can work for many ages and art skill levels
• each tutorial is done in quality video format and broken down into easy to do parts
• because Sparketh offers not only projects, but technique videos, you can learn a technique and then apply it to a project of your choosing
• the site is easy to navigate with the level and activity breakdowns, as well as a search bar
• they are always adding to their video library so you always have new options to choose from

Homeschool Art Lessons ~ Fall Leaves Art Project

Every other week, to help hold me accountable, I have my youngest and 4 of her friends over to our house for what we have begun calling “Art Club”.  Using the plethora of art project resources I have collected I lead them through an art project. Now like I said before, art is not my strong suit. Thus having video tutorials like the ones that Sparketh offers are a lifesaver when it comes to me teaching homeschool art lessons!

With the fall season in full swing I wanted to do some sort of fall leaf art project, and I wanted it to be more art than craft. With a quick search on Sparketh I found a Painting A Fall Tree in the Activity Section. It was just what I needed!

Then I had another idea, “What about a fall leaves poem?”.  After a quick search of the Internet I found the photo below.

Using the poem and basic concept, I combined the Painting A Fall Tree tutorial from Sparketh with the fall leaves poem to create an awesome fall art project! (Every now and then something comes together that is just so wonderful, and makes all the hard work worth it!)

Fall Leaves Poetry Art Project

Supplies:

• 11 x 14 canvas
• acrylic paint in fall colors (red, yellow, orange, brown, white, black)
• paint brushes
• poem printed on aged paper
• candle to burn the edges
• Mod Podge to secure poem to canvas

While the Sparketh tutorial calls for an 8 x10 canvas, I chose an 11 x 14 to be used horizontally to accommodate the poem on one side and the painting on the other.

To do ahead: You will need to print the poem on a standard sheet of printer paper using a laser-jet printer so the ink will not run. Then you will need to tea stain the paper to make it looked aged.

Directions:

1. Cut the left and right edges of the poetry paper to properly fit the space on your canvas.
2. Use a candle to burn the edges of the poem. (Be sure to supervise younger ones.)
3. Use Mod Podge painted onto the canvas to attach the poem. Then use Mod Podge over the top to seal down all the edges.
4. Paint a fall tree following the Sparketh Painting a Fall Tree tutorial

I love how Sparketh can be the brains of my art projects! Having an all access pass to so many art techniques and projects is a big win in our house!

Giveaway

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