Art is one of those subjects that many homeschooling moms are reluctant to teach. It can be intimidating to teach art if you don't feel that you have any artistic ability. Add in the multitude of art supplies and the chaos and mess it can create, and many moms run away as fast as they can go.
 

Once you reach high school, these complications sort of compound, making it seem even harder to teach art as the skills to teach become even more complex.

However, teaching high school art in your homeschool is not impossible. There are so many resources available to homeschooling families now that it is completely doable for the non-art mom to let her high schoolers take art at home.
 

{This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing through these links does not change your price at all. However, I do earn a small commision when you purchase through my links, so thank you for helping my family and this site stay afloat.}

Art Classes or Private Tutoring

If you have the resources to pay an art teacher, there are many options available. It is increasingly easier to find art classes at community art centers, art supply stores, or hobby stores. If these options are not available in your area, looking for an art teacher or artist who is willing to give private lessons (or family lessons) is a wonderful option.
 

Our homeschool co-op hired a retired high school art teacher to come and teach an art class for us. It was an incredible experience! Mrs. Smith taught classes for us for two years, and my children still ask about her coming back. She taught them a wide variety of skills and could give them feedback on their projects, suggestions to make the project more like they envisioned, and teach them the skills they needed along the way to accomplish it. Our class time with her was well worth the money that we paid her. In fact, it felt like we didn't pay her enough!

Video-Driven Art Curriculum

If you can't get an art teacher in real life, the next best thing is to bring an art teacher into your home via video. This is my favorite type of art curriculum for teaching at home, but there are also fewer companies that offer video- driven art curriculum. 
 

I didn't have to search very far before a found a video- driven art curriculum that is a perfect fit for our family – See The Light. Their mission is to bring art lessons into people's homes while glorifying God at the same time. Isn't that wonderful?!
 

They have a wide range of lesson types that appeal to a broad range age. Each lesson has good art as well as Bible. Art Class is a full year of weekly art lessons. We are working through Art Class right now with my high school and middle school students. First grade Teeny sits in on the lessons, but some of it is still a little too difficult for her. She, however, says that she is an amazing artist and each piece that she creates with each lesson is "perfect." {grin} Art Projects are stand alone art lessons. Each Art Projects DVD is based on one well-known artist. You learn about the artist and the style of art he is known for. Throughout the 4  lessons, your student learns some art history, a specific skill, and also creates a project modeled after the featured artist's style. They're fun!

Lastly, See The Light also has Bible Stories. Bible Stories takes one story from the Bible, tells that story using stills of art work based on that particular story, and then has a few different art lessons based on that story. These are great for all ages! We have and LOVE The Crossmaker! (Which happens be be the Monthly Special for March! Through the end of March, 2014, you can get the awesome Crossmaker Gift Set for just $25 and free shipping for US residents when you use the code STL. You'll LOVE this set!) 

If you're curious, check out the projects we did with our Crossmaker Gift Set:

The Crossmaker~ The Gospel and Art Lessons

The Crossmaker~ Illuminated Lettering Lesson

The Crossmaker~ Watercolor Project

Print Art Curriculum

If you want an art curriculum with the flexibility of being able to work on it wherever you happen to be – in the car, between outside classes or appointments, tucked away in the corner of a bedroom – then a print art curriculum may be just what you are looking for. The good news is that there are tons of this type of curriculum to choose from!
 

Some really popular and well-loved ones are How Great Thou Art and Artistic Pursuits. Both have multiple levels of art study. Personally, if I hadn't found See The Light when I did, I was prepared to buy Artistic Pursuits for my art-loving children.
 

Hodge Podge also has several eCurricula to teach art for all levels. And she has a way of making art fun and relaxed! (She also has some free lessons on the blog!)

Free Art Resources

If you are super frugal (like me!), you may be looking for free resources to teach high school art. We all love free, don't we?!
 

My favorite go-to free resource is the See The Light Artist Blog. Jim Pence posts all sorts of amazing FREE video art lessons! Jim is a wonderful teacher, and my children enjoy watching and learning from his lessons. There is often a new lesson every week! And See The Light does this for free! They could easily charge for these awesome lessons! Jim also posts free art tutorials from around the web. I subscribed to the Artist Blog so I could get these resources straight to my inbox twice a week. I didn't want to miss any of them!
 

Honestly, there are so may awesome free resources for teaching high school art around the web that I would never have time to tell you all about them! My suggestion is to follow my Pinterest Homeschool~ Art board and to follow See The Light on Pinterest, too. They pin all sorts of amazing stuff!

Do you have a favorite resource for teaching high school art? Please share it in the comments! My art lovers never get enough art! 

HomeSchool High is sponsored by Apologia.

I hope you'll tell them a big "thank you"!

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Now it's your turn. What have you been doing this week with your high school teens?

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HomeSchool High…

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Ideas, Resources, and Friends…
so It's not so scary.

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