The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

recommend allowing them to experiment with different media. This gives them the opportunity to discover what they enjoy doing artistically and which media they like to work with best. However, rather than a scattershot approach, where you are trying something different each week, I suggest choosing a specific medium and focusing on that for a time. For example, you might decide to work with watercolor in the fall semester and colored pencils in the spring. This approach will enable you to control your costs.

Another advantage of the single medium approach is that it will enable your children to develop the specific skills required by that medium. Each medium requires techniques unique to that medium. Thus, what works with one may not work with another. For example, with oils and pastels you layer color from dark to light; with watercolor, it is the opposite: light to dark. By focusing on one medium, your children will be able to master that medium more quickly than if they were trying to learn several at the same time.

4. Purchase Your Art Supplies Online If you are on a tight budget but want to use quality art supplies, consider buying them online. Many online art supply houses such as Dick Blick, Jerry’s Artarama, and Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff sell painting and drawing materials at deep discounts. Some also sell supplies in bulk, which can be helpful if you have a large family or are teaching art at a co-op. You might also want to look for used art supplies on EBay or Craigslist.

5. Buy Student Grade Pigments

If you look at the prices on some items, such as oils and watercolors, you might get a case of sticker shock. The first time you see a 5ml tube of watercolor going for twenty to thirty dollars, you might wonder if the paint is made of gold. Actually, the difference in price is between professional and student grade pigments. Professional grade pigments give better results; however, student grade pigments will keep your budget intact. How do you know the difference? Professional grade pigments are sometimes identified as such. In any case, there are occasions when it’s worth paying a bit more.

When You Shouldn’t Skimp Although I normally recommend keeping your art supply costs as low as possible, sometimes it is better to get the best you can afford. Different artists will have different opinions on this, but I can think of at least two situations where I recommend spending extra money for quality.

1. Watercolor Paper

If your children are learning how to paint with watercolor, invest in good watercolor paper. I do a lot of work with watercolor, and my experience has been that cheap paper leads to poor results and frustration. I use 100% cotton rag paper that comes in 22”x30” sheets. Depending on where you buy it, it can cost between five and ten dollars for a single sheet, but it is worth every penny. In addition, you can cut the paper into quite a few smaller sheets. I can get sixteen 5. 5” x 7. 5” painting surfaces from one sheet of watercolor paper.

2. Brushes

Good brushes are expensive; no question about it. However, if you take care of them, they will last for years. I have brushes in my collection that I’ve been using for over thirty years. They serve me just as well now as they did then. Synthetic brushes have come a long way, but I still prefer natural hair. It is tempting to cut corners when buying paintbrushes; however, if you have a serious artist in your family, and she has learned how to clean and care for her brushes properly, I recommend spending the extra money. These tools can last a long time.

Adding art to your homeschool program does not need to be confusing or expensive. By keeping your program simple and focused, you can open up the joy of artistic expression without breaking your budget.

James H. (Jim) Pence is a man of many talents. He is a former homeschooling dad, a published author, an accomplished singer and speaker, a performance chalk artist, and in his spare time he teaches karate, writing, and art to homeschooled children. You can learn more about Jim at his website: jamespence.com. James also represents and blogs for See the Light (www . seethelightshine.com).

www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com The Artistic Homeschooler • Winter 2015 107
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