Drawing Basics with Thomas Kinkade

by Debora
(San Diego, CA)

We used Drawing Basics with Thomas Kinkade for art for 4th-8th grade from 2005-2006.

This curriculum was great for my daughter who has a natural art ability. She always looked forward to the DVD at the beginning of each lesson, and I liked that the workbooks already had everything she needed to practice her art.

There are 5 workbooks in the set, and since we chose to only do art once or twice/week with a friend, we only got through three of the workbooks the first year.

The course was engaging, interesting, and fun for the kids, and her art abilities improved from taking it. I do not have a natural art ability, and some of the suggestions used in the course helped me to draw better. The workbooks were very reasonably priced, so I bought a set for my son to use as well. He lost interest after the first book, so I didn't make him continue.

The tests were not my favorite thing about this curriculum, but it is something that can be omitted easily. It was helpful to know if the child was understanding the material, but some of it was hard to grade because it was either subjective or unclear.

User Friendly!

Levels Used: 3rd - 5th (can be used up to 8th)
Dates Used: 2006-2007

Likes: Very easy and user friendly. Simple work without a lot of supplies to buy. DVD supplement is nice. Parents may even want to take the course with their child.

Dislikes:none

Drawing Basics Review

by Sue T.
(Alabama)

I used Drawing Basics with Thomas Kinkade to teach an art elective to 6th, 8th, and 10th graders.

Likes: Very organized. I also like that the curriculum is set up in very manageable increments. Other resources either keep you studying palates and colors for 3 months or completely skip the beginner steps. Drawing Basics moves at a very workable pace and makes art relatively enjoyable even through the technical phases.

It's kid friendly as well as challenging for older students. Kids can revel in the idea of coloring with crayons and sand paper one week and study finite art thematics the next. It's a big hit for all ages.

Dislikes: Kinda' pricey considering you don't get any supplies. Tends to stay along major themes, so a student isn't going to get a broad, global art study from Drawing Basics.

Enjoyed the DVD

by Andrea
(USA)

Levels Used: 4th-9th grade
Dates Used: 2009-2010

We really enjoyed the DVD aspect of the curriculum. We would put on the DVD lesson and the children would sketch in their pads. We did not use the workbooks, although we may revisit them next year. We used this in tandem with their art class. They really enjoyed it and learned a lot of techniques.