See the Light Art Class Review

See The Light is an art program for children in grades 1-6th,   emphasizing drawing skills.  I have always enjoyed drawing, so I was very interested to see what this DVD series had to offer.  We received the first DVD in the Art Class series, which is a 9 DVD set, perfect for one year’s worth of lessons.  The whole set can be purchased for $99..99, or there is an online option which is $10 a month.  You can get a free sample DVD for yourself on the See The Light website.  These drawing lessons are taught by master artist Pat Knepley. 

Bop was very excited to start the lessons, so I settled her in with a pencil and some paper.  Pat started the first lesson with some introductory information about materials, and then they moved right in to practicing basic pencil holds and strokes.  Bop listened intently, and today she told me that “a #2 pencil is just your regular, everyday pencil”.  She practiced drawing lines and stroked with Pat, and she wanted to go right on to the next lesson.  She really enjoyed the lessons and I think that she would get a lot out of using the whole series.  CJ and Baby Girl listened in while they played, and while they didn’t really follow along, they seemed interested.  Bop has done all of the lessons twice, and she wants more.

So what did the resident artist think?  I enjoyed listening to these DVDs.  Pat has a wonderful voice, and she is an excellent teacher.  She explains things very simply, but she never talks down to the children.  As an artist I initially thought that the first lesson was painfully elementary, and that the concepts were easily understood and didn’t need explanation.  However, as we moved on past the basics and then watched more lessons I could see how well she was building on the foundation of the first lesson.  I also came to appreciate the way Pat introduced the basic concepts (how to hold your pencil, etc.) in such a matter-of-fact way, and then moved on. 

I was afraid that I would not find anything in this set that I couldn’t do myself, but I was wrong.  This is a well-thought out curriculum that teaches drawing in a very complete way.  I only wish that I could have previewed the whole set to get the whole picture of this program.  However, from what I have seem I would not hesitate to buy this series for my children, even though I thought that I could do it all myself.  There are just so many things taught that I would not have thought of, and they build upon each other very well. 

Throughout the lessons Pat gives meaning to the work of artists and depth to the practice the children are doing, by adding in Bible stories and Christian concepts.  This is not done in a contrived manner, but as a beautiful expression of her own faith.  It really feels like she is sitting in the room with you, sharing about her life.  She obviously loves what she does, loves her Lord, and shares that love with the children she is teaching.  I absolutely consider her natural talent for teaching and sharing her love for God and art to be the shining points of this curriculum.  You can get art instruction from a number of places, but this is the only one I have seen that also feels like you have a sister and friend in your living room. 

See the Light also produces a Christmas video called The Gift of Love, and an Easter video, The Cross Maker.  These videos combine stories from the Bible with art lessons and beautiful chalk drawings. 

 

 

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