Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.
My oldest daughter loves art. So, when I had the chance to review a high school art curriculum from Artistic Pursuits Inc. I knew she’d love it. She’s been working through ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book Two, Color and Composition for the past several weeks.
We needed to purchase some art supplies to go along with the book. To complete the lessons, students need:
- A watercolor set
- #10 round watercolor brush
- 1/2 inch flat watercolor brush
- Mop brush
- Artist tape
- Watercolor paper
- Tracing paper pad
- Jar of liquid masking fluid
Some other common supplies (drawing pencils, cups for water, etc.) are also needed.
Since we were receiving this book right at the start of the Covid shutdowns, Amazon had delays on everything art related. Thus, I decided to order the art kit for this high school book directly from Artistic Pursuits Inc. That was a good decision.
I didn’t have to try to track down everything and then wait for shipping. It was all packaged together, with exactly the needed colors in the kit and everything. And it arrived within just a few days. I really appreciated the time saving convenience.
This picture shows everything except the brushes. Those came in a nice little container that reminded me of a travel toothbrush container – the brushes fit inside and it closed.
Everything came in a cute bag, and my daughter was able to store the lesson book in there as well. It helped keep everything contained so when she was ready to do a lesson, she just had to grab the bag and find a jar of water.
What Is This Product?
ARTistic Pursuits, High School 9-12 Book Two, Color and Composition is a spiral bound book. It’s easy to open it to the lesson you want and have it be flat so the pages don’t try to flip. There’s a “Getting Started” section at the beginning that provide essential information for both parents and students about what to expect.
Each lesson is appropriate for high schoolers to do on their own. I didn’t provide any oversight for my daughter, except for having her show me what she worked on. We also had a few conversations about the things she was learning about colors and lines.
This is a full year worth of art, if done at a pace of about twice a week. There are 16 units, with four lessons in each unit. Here’s a quick peek at how they are arranged:
- First Lesson: Building a Visual Vocabulary (which included making connections to real-world experiences)
- Second Lesson: Art Appreciation and Art History (observing art played a key role in these lessons)
- Third Lesson: Techniques (Learning how to use materials and tools to create art)
- Fourth Lesson: Application (A final project for the unit)
For each lesson, the assignment is printed in green. That made it really easy to find and follow.
Here’s a look at a page from Unit Three, on transferring a drawing.
There’s a lesson for the student to read. Then, they can do the part in green. There’s a visual example on the side to help answer questions and provide more details.
How Did We Use This Product?
I had my oldest work through this book independently, at a pace of two lessons most weeks. She read the material, gathered her supplies, completed the assignment, and cleaned up.
Here are some of the projects she has completed over the past few weeks:
What Did We Think of the Product?
I really appreciated the layout of this book. The lessons followed a predictable pattern, so students could easily learn what to do for each lesson type. There was a good balance between teaching and letting students do.
My daughter has enjoyed working through the lessons. She typically draws instead of paints, so this has been a fun change of pace. She’s learning a lot about how to hold the brush different ways to make different types of lines.
All in all, we really like this book. And the art supply kit that went with it. I’ve always piecemealed the supplies together before from Amazon or other places, and ordering the kit this time was so much more convenient!
If you have a high schooler who needs to earn an art credit, I highly recommend checking out the materials available from Artistic Pursuits, Inc.


