Creating A Masterpiece ~ REVIEW

 
Have you ever had a vision of what you would like to create, but unsure of the materials needed or the correct technique?  What about wanting to teach your kiddos Art, but feel your not qualified?  I love all things involving Art.  The color, materials, the rhythm and flow of creating, but that doesn't mean what's swirling on in my head can be conveyed correctly to my kiddos.  Usually they look at me like you want me to do what with what???  Never fear.....I have discovered the Monthly Plan from Creating A Masterpiece and I'm going to share my Review with you today.

Woodburning

There are many Art programs, books and ideas floating around.  I can find an endless supply of crafts to mark any occasion or fill a rainy day online.  But, we are talking about true masterpieces here.  I was really impressed with what we could turn a blank canvas into with the simple steps presented and taught by Sharon Hofer.  There are 15 different Art mediums to pick from that is then divided into projects in order of difficulty.  The step by step Video Instruction is the key I feel to achieving such great results.  Not only do you see the finished project, but the whole process.  And it was nice to be able to pause or rewind when we needed to.  Even your youngest kiddos can watch and dive into a project right along side you or your older kiddos.  But, for us Kaden, who has Autism was not able to participate.  He was overwhelmed because of his own expectations of what it "should" look like.  But, creating and Art is difficult for him anyway even if it's a simple project.  So, this one was for Mahala and I to enjoy.  And since we have been using the program Kaden has said that he would maybe like to try it again.  I'll keep you posted on that! 

New Brushes for the Class!

Mahala and I enjoyed it so much and we have at least 10 other projects we are planning to complete in the next few months.  Once we logged in and looked at all the projects available we decided to warm up with some watercolor and sketching.  The Mediums offered cover everything from wood burning and carving to watercolor and pastels.  Truly there is something for everyone, but I do think it will be more appreciated by the middle school and older crowd.  I also think this would be a fun group project to do.  Mahala and I have wanted to go to this painting place in town where you both paint the same thing and compare.  Now we can do it in the comfort of our own home and include as many people as we want to.  I tried to get a group of us together before this Review, but it didn't work out.  Next weekend though we are going to gather 6 of us around the bar and kitchen table to work on a Masterpiece.  Mahala's planned snacks and parting gifts for all. :) 

 















After you choose your piece the supplies are conveniently available and can even directly order from the site too.  Each piece consists of at least 2 short videos.  And a High Quality Resolution Photo of the finished product is available along with reference photos of some of Sharon's past students.  I took a ton of pictures and I decided to focus on 2 of the projects we did.
  
 
Mahala did a Beautiful picture of an Iguana in Ink and Watercolor Pencils.  I did take a ton more pictures of her doing this pic then any of the other projects mainly because it was a longer process with sketch, pen and watercolor.  She stuck with it and did an Amazing job!!!!!  One thing she said she really liked about the instructional videos is that the camera view shows Sharon working and talking, but zooms in very close to the project too.  This makes learning so much easier and the technique be learned is easier to comprehend and mimic.  Mahala also thought all the extra tips and reminders throughout the lesson was helpful and appreciated.  She said she felt like she was taking a true one on one class with Sharon.  I felt that way too. :) Mahala said the photos of Sharon's Art in the Lesson Highlights section for each lesson was real helpful to see her lines and curves compared to Sharon's piece.  I can see where this would be real useful when working on facial features or anything to scale.

I did the African Sunset in Watercolor because I have been exploring African nature for a few weeks now.  This particular painting offered a new technique to paint trees and it's with a straw.  By placing a dot of watercolor on your landscape you then blow through a straw and the paint effortlessly glides upward towards your painted sky.  Such a cool new thing that I can't wait to try again and again. :)  I did have all of the supplies on hand so it was easy to get started.  I enjoyed the videos, Sharon is a pleasant lady that makes you feel super comfortable with her right off the bat.  I love how she offers friendly reminders to watch out for this or to avoid that.  She is knowledgeable and they way she teaches you can grasp what she's telling you to do even if your not familiar with it.
  

So, I'm sure you don't have to ask if we liked the Creating A Masterpiece program or not.....we love it and plan to complete everything!!!  Yep, that's our goal and we look forward to seeing our progress along the way.  I recommend this to any Homeschooling Family with one or a whole house full of Kiddos.  Not only will you be investing in their education of the Arts, but also building their confidence and giving them an outlet for their emotions and creativity.  Art is so important in a Kiddo's development...we work every single week trying to incorporate Art in someway to Kaden's agenda.  He struggles, but when he is able to focus and not be overwhelmed the benefits are tremendous.

Make sure you head over to Facebook and see what Creating A Masterpiece has going on this week.