TOS Review: See the Light

I was very excited to learn that the boys and I would be given the chance to check out art DVD lessons from See the Light. For the past year I have been doing a mini-co-op with my sister that has focused on art and music. In our art studies we have been learning about art history and the basics of drawing. It's been a lot of fun, but we are reaching the end of our current program. I was wondering what we would do to continue on next year. See the Light entered at the perfect time.

Master Artist, Pat Knepley, is thoroughly engaging and does a fantastic job of breaking down the elements of art in to understandable lessons. Throughout the lessons she also weaves art history and Biblical truths. 

I feel that art history and application are important parts to a well-rounded education. Unfortunately, I am not well-versed in either. This is the biggest reason I have looked for a DVD based program to help teach art. See the Light fits this niche very well. I am even more thrilled that it comes from a Biblical perspective. 

The Art Class - 1 Year Set is a series of 36 lessons contained on nine DVDs for $99.99. Each DVD contains  four lessons while the first three DVDs also contain a bonus lesson. They also offer a monthly subscription for $10. Each month four lessons are unlocked while you still have access to all previous lessons.

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew I received "Volume 1: The Basics" for review.  This volume includes the following lessons:

1. Tools of the Trade: Learn the basics of what makes a drawing. Pat shows you what to include in a basic "toolkit."
2. It All Starts with a Line: the basics of all drawings are lines. Learn about different line qualities and the most essential drawing skill - contour drawing.
3. Contours & Composition: Train you eyes and hands to work together to draw to what you see not what you know.
4. Draw What You See: Put all you've learned to work by creating a contour drawing of a shoe.
5. Bonus Lesson: Chalk Artist Gloria Kohlmann teaches how to draw “Cross Hill,” the art shown on The Crossmaker

CIE JesusLovesYou TL2 Mike from Kip Perry on Vimeo.

Are you interested in checking out Volume 1? You can request a copy of this DVD for free by simply clicking HERE and filling in the form shown. If you'd rather not wait for a DVD to arrive, you can check out the first three lessons simply by going HERE as well as some of the bonus lessons HERE. 

You can also check out what all the lessons contain on all the DVDs but clicking HERE. 

Pat is planning Year 2 of the Art Class, where the skills and techniques taught in year 1 will be used to draw a masterpiece each month/DVD.

See the Light also has created Bible Story DVDs, each containing a Bible story told through art, and three art lessons — a creative lettering lesson, a chalk pastel lesson, and a mixed media lesson.  These include:

1. The Christmas story (The Gift of Love)
2. An Easter story (The Crossmaker) (You can see my review of this DVD here.)
3. Moses (God’s Special Surprise — available soon)
4. Paul (Shipwrecked — available soon)
5. Jonah (God’s Runaway — available soon)

What I thought:

The art lessons contained here were easy to follow. Pat did a fantastic job of breaking everything down in to manageable pieces so it wasn't overwhelming to anyone (parents or children). I also really liked how the program uses simple everyday items. Most lessons only require a plain piece of paper and a #2 pencil. While a few fun lessons include chalk and some fluorescent crayons and pencils as well as the use of a black light (materials can be purchased at the See the Light store), they are optional for the most part. 

Overall I thought this was an excellent art program and I am looking in to buying the set for the fall. 

Be sure to head over to the TOS Homeschoool Crew Blog to see what other Crew members had to say about See the Light.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review.  All opinions shared are my own. TOS Crew Members are given the product free of charge in exchange for our unbiased opinion of the product