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.
I was excited to receive Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course PLUS 3 Bonus Courses from Beyond the Stick Figure Art School because I believe art offers numerous benefits for all ages and stages. Art is one of those subjects that often gets put on the back burner – whether it’s because moms are just too busy, or because art can be messy, or as kids get older, art class takes a backseat to other academic subjects. Art is something where there really are no wrong answers, art provides an outlet to be creative, and usually lends a sense of accomplishment. This is especially important for teens.
What is Beyond the Stick Figure Art School?
Beyond the Stick Figure Art School is an online step-by-step video art course that will take you from drawing stick figures to producing masterpieces in an easy to use format, right on your computer. Just click play, and begin learning to be an artist. There are no lesson plans to prepare or teaching required from you. Sally, the designer and teacher of the program, is a trained artist and a homeschool mom herself. In her series of video courses, students will learn several techniques in drawing, watercolor, acrylics and more.
Beyond the Stick Figure Art School consists of over 180 lessons, and can be used by the entire family. The courses include:
- Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course
- Watercolor and Pen & Ink Course
- Introduction to Acrylic Painting Course
- Introduction to 3D Design Course
How we used Beyond the Stick Figure Art School
I usually participate alongside my kids when doing art, simply because I enjoy it myself. This time however, I encouraged my teens to try a couple of lessons each day, three times a week on their own. The dashboard is very user-friendly, and after a short intro and an explanation of the materials needed for the course, you are ready to begin. Beyond the Stick Figure Art School begins with the basics – shapes. Sally likened these basic foundations to learning to read. Most of the videos are three to six minutes in length, so they were able to go through the first drawing section of shapes rather quickly.
The next drawing section is slightly more tedious than the first. There are several lessons teaching various shapes. After several of these, you will find there is a method to the madness! (I’ll not give away the secret). Just be patient!
For the purpose of this review, I jumped ahead to see the other courses. We all dabbled in pen and ink, watercolor, and acrylics. Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could check out the 3D design course. In all of the courses, Sally shared techniques in using the different mediums in a simple, step-by-step manner. Beginning with materials needed for each section, the courses continued to be taught in short increments.
What did we think of the courses?
Beyond the Stick Figure Art School is a great option for families, in that a wide range of ages can use it. It is non-intimidating, as it starts out very simple. The attention to detail and how to use the materials is valuable, and you do really feel like an artist! Plus, you can enjoy a “real” art class right from home.
There are only a couple of minor negatives that need mentioning. One is the volume. I absolutely love Sally’s British accent! It is very calming but slightly too quiet in the videos. I strained to hear her with the volume at max level. The other issue is with the progression of the videos. It is necessary to view the individual videos in the group. However, it would be nice to be able to do the courses in 3D before the watercolor if you wanted to without having to click through the individual videos. Last, a few more advanced or bonus projects would be a nice addition for older kids who may move through at a faster pace.
Overall, Beyond the Stick Figure Art School is a high quality art course, that will teach several techniques, and is good fit for the beginning artist.
This is from the final acrylic course.
Several other families got creative with Beyond the Stick Figure Art School. Check out their reviews by clicking on the banner below!
Thank you for the review. We love to make our students happy, so here are some tweaks we have made based on recent reviews:
1. All course videos are open and do not require sequential completion–although we still recommend it.
2. We contacted Vimeo and they have improved the video experience by installing volume control and full screen options on all videos.
3. We added more options to drawing part 2 to help it move along more quickly for younger students.
Beyond the Stick Figure Online Art School
That’s fantastic! Thank you so much for producing a quality art class!