Artist Study with Degas

Along with our 6 week Music study of Tchaikovsky, we are also studying The paintings, Sketches and sculptures of Edgar Degas. This is a perfect Artist to be studying with Tchaikovsky, because they are both directly related to Classical Ballet.

In viewing works by Degas while listening to the music of Tchaikovsky, you can almost see Degas' ballerinas come to life.

Some Of Tchaikovsky's more famous Ballets are:

• The Nutcracker Suite
• Swan Lake
• Sleeping Beauty
• And Romeo an Juliet

  All Make for beautiful selections of music in which to begin your studies.

  Some of our Past Degas Selections have been:

• the Dance Class 1875-76
• The Star
• Ballet dancers

  Our Chosen Picture for this particular study was:

Singer in Green 1884-85 Pastel on paper.

In this study we chose to focus on recreating the look of pastels.

I have a few younger little ones, so instead of working with the pastel medium, I chose to recreate the look with a medium that the kids are extremely familiar with....crayons.

This method is called the "crayon-resist".

All you will need is:

• Crayola crayons (vibrant colors)
• watercolors
• paintbrushes
• watercolor paper
• a cup of water
• painting smock

Have your child first sketch their work on the paper. A soft outline sketch is all that is needed. Any detail will be added in with the crayons. It is important to note that the sketch need not be perfect. As with any "interpretation" of an artist's work, It will ultimately take on a life of its own... and it will be a life created by the unique hands of your child.

The most important goal of this activity is for your child to commit the Artist's picture to memory, so that it can always be on display in the Gallery of the "mind's eye". It is in capturing the essence of a painting, that we establish a deep and meaningful relationship with it.

After your child's Sketch is complete, have them go over their sketch outline in crayon. From here on out, it is important that your child color in detail with a Heavy hand. In order for the crayon to "resist," the paper most be covered in wax. Have the child color in their Sketch with colors and direction similar to that of the artists. Have them Examine the pattern of the pastel colors, and imitate it to the best of their ability (with a heavy hand).

Once all coloring has been completed, you child is ready to paint with watercolors. You will notice in Degas' Pastel works, that often times his pastels were layered . Have your child choose the paints that best match the layered effect of the pastel. Paint over the crayon with nice heavy strokes. The Crayon will resist the watercolors where the wax is heavy, and seep into the paper where the wax was lacking. This will ultimately create the layered effect and Chalkiness of the pastel work.

Here are a few samples of our work:

Mom

"Belle"- age 10yrs

"Little Sparty"- Age 6 yrs

(He opted to Draw a Bus)

Hope you enjoy this activity as much as we did!

Fairy Sketching and Watercolor Pencil Review

I have been working on a few fairy sketches. They are reproductions of the famous sketches by Cecile Mary Barker. I have always loved her drawings, so I was excited to start this new project, knowing full well that I could never really do her artwork any Justice.

But, I love a challenge!

Just recently, my daughter has decided on a fairy themed birthday party. We have been brainstorming on how we would like to capture the fairy-like atmosphere (coming from a theatrical background, "set building" is the first thing that we always think about).

Our first task was to start on the invitations. I always enjoy hand making our invites... so we decided to sketch our favorite fairies, and mount them onto a pastoral background. I am only part way through sketching and hand painting, but hope to finish the whole project by this weekend so I can mail them out.

To capture the soft, dainty look of Miss Barker's fairies, I knew that I would have to use watercolors. I decided that this was as good a time as any to start playing with watercolor pencils. I have been hesitant at the prospect of using them, because I am a bit backwards, and enjoy using paints and a palette . Give me an easel and artist's chapeau and I am all set.

Being in a playful and very experimental mood. I purchased the Generals Kimberly set of watercolor pencils. It is not the most expensive set, but it is a higher quality brand. Being reluctant to spend the full amount on something that I was unsure about, I purchased a smaller set.

Here is a picture of one of the rough sketches that I have started out with. When using watercolors, I try not to sketch a tremendous amount of detail or shading. This is something better left for your colors to do. I have not defined or hardened any lines on these particular sketches. Miss Barker's sketches are so wistful and airy, that any "heaviness" would result in complete change in style. I have tried to remain true to the texture, look and feel of the original artist's look.

This is a picture of the final work. This picture, in particular is of the lilac fairy. I was very impresses with the Kimberly brand watercolor pencils. They were easy to work with and blend very well. I was reluctant to use full pressure when shading with these pencils. Again, when trying to recreate the lightness of Miss Barker's pictures... Less is more.

I fully recommend these watercolor pencils for beginners. A quality product is so important. I know that often times, we hesitate in buying the most expensive art products for our children.

My kids have a habit of being a little "loose and free" with their art supplies, and I am so against the wasting of art materials. Still, it is important to note that better quality art supplies make for higher quality art work. My children are so excited about working with "special" materials, that their excitement is reflected in their artwork. Their talent and love for the fine arts never ceases to amaze me.

Stay tuned their Oil pastel hummingbirds!!

The Marriage of Art to Music

Da Vinci Art study and Gregorian Chant

We have been very fortunate in our artist study to have such a wonderful support group. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to study along side other homeschoolers from time to time. It a real treat for the kids and for the parents to witness such an atmosphere of fellowship. Once a month we meet at the local park and take time to study famous artwork and listen to good music. This makes for a great introduction to our at home studies, which we then build upon in our own special way.

** Note the enthusiasm in my 5 yr. old's face**

I have been working on creating a curriculum which builds upon our love of the fine arts through merging the study of art with classical music. These two forms of expression are uniquely suited for each other in study. Being a musician myself, the correlation between music, art and dance has always seemed very evident to me. There is no doubt that all three of these mediums have direct influence on one another. We can see the evidence of this through out the course of history. All 3 of these art forms can incite such passion and emotion, they help us to recollect memories, inspire creativity, and as mentioned in " The Mozart Effect;" They have the power to stimulate brain activity. A recent re-read of the book "Better Music, Brighter children" reminded me of the depth of influence these mediums have, as well as the responsibility that we have as parents to insure that our children receive the proper Fine Art influences. *** my daughter focuses on the subject during this drawing exercise***

This month, we have been studying Leonardo Da Vinci. There is such a challenge in studying the magnitude of this man. He was a genius in his own right, and I know that we will be returning to our studies of him for years to come. I have opted to pair our studies of Da Vinci with Gregorian chant and the music of Josquin Desprez. Thus far, we have been paying particular attention to Da Vinci's sketches, and using the opportunity to advance ourselves in the skill of observation and contour drawing. ***notebooking page courtesy of www.notebookingpages.com ***

His completed oil works, particularly ones such as; "The Annunciation," "The Virgin of the Rocks," "The Last Supper," and "the Mona Lisa" are paintings that we have been viewing while listening to Josquin Desprez. All of his music is both classical and reverent, as are most of Da Vinci's paintings. Still, You can hear the underlying influence of the notable Renaissance sound that we are all so familiar with.

*** My daughter's (9) free hand sketch of the Mona Lisa ***

Charlotte Mason is a great advocate of atmosphere. A joyful environment, indeed, makes for a joyful learning experience. In this instance, it was important for me to provide an atmosphere in which my children could hear the musical influence in art through the subject of time period. There are occasions in which I have Chosen to match a particular song with a certain artwork. Not only does this particular method engage the totality of ones senses, but it makes music and art more tangible. It gives a child the ability to internalize. It enables the child to understand that Music, Art, and Dance speak to us; they all have a story to tell. The following pictures are examples of blind contour drawing. It is important in building observational skills. It will no doubt aid in the study of famous artwork. As your child becomes more aware of the details, he/she will become more able to distinguish one artist's style vs. another.

***Subject 1 of Blind Contour Drawing***

*** 5 yr. old contour drawing***

***9 yr. old contour drawing***

*** subject 2 of contour drawing***

***contour drawing by 9 yr. old with added detail afterward***