by Jim & Laurel Pence

Tuesday's video tip was about how to draw a sunset in black light chalk. For this week's resource blog, Laurel has pulled together some "sun-related" art projects for children of all ages...

by Jim and Laurel Pence

This month in the video blogs, we're focusing on how to draw and paint clouds, skies, sunsets, and so on. So, on the Thursday resource page we're going to provide links to Web pages that are in keeping with that theme.

I love drawing clouds and skies, and I hope that this month you'll gain some insight in to how to translate what you see in the sky into a drawing or painting.

YELLOW DAISY
© Kiankhoon | Dreamstime.com

Spring is still in the air! Last week, that meant bunnies. This week it's flowers...

[Image Credit: RABBIT ON GRASS © Jinyoung Lee | Dreamstime.com]

by Jim & Laurel Pence

Spring is in the air and at the Pence ranch in North Texas, that means bunnies a plenty. Last week, our Thursday resource focused on how to draw horses. This week, it's bunnies (or rabbits if you want to be technically accurate).

by Jim and Laurel Pence

Laurel and I live in Texas and, although we don't have any horses, they are all around us. As a matter of fact, we occasionally feed our next door neighbors' horses when they are away, and it's always an amazing experience.

Our neighbors have a long driveway that crosses the horses' main pasture. When we walk over there, they know it's "goodie time". As we walk up that driveway, these two huge animals come up and walk right alongside us. It's an awe-inspiring experience. I'm 6'1" and they're both taller than I am!

This week's Thursday resource post is about how to draw horses.

[Photo Credit: Duncan1890 / istockphoto.com]

by Jim & Laurel Pence

Back in 1984, Laurel and I went to the World's Fair in New Orleans. One of the headline exhibits was titled, "Treasures of the Vatican." We toured the exhibit and, to be sure, there were plenty of treasures there. But none have remained in my memory other than the amazing paintings of Michelangelo that were on display. It's difficult to describe these huge works of art other than to say that they were absolutely stunning. Someday I'd love to go to Italy and see some more his work in person. But, alas, that will have to wait. For now, however, we have the Internet. Thus, the artist of the month for February is Michelangelo Buonarotti or, as he is more commonly known, Michelangelo.

Laurel has pulled together several sites that have some excellent lesson plans. She's also found some good bio and resource sites. Take a little time to explore the information and enjoy one of the greatest artists who has ever lived.

On Tuesday's blog, Jim did a simple pen and ink sketch of "Cross Hill" and is going to finish it out with watercolor. Pen and ink is a great way to sketch, and (as you can see in the picture on the left) it's possible to do amazingly complex drawings with it. This week's Thursday Resource is going to focus on pen and ink. How do you do it, what materials do you need, and how to get started.

[Image Credit: © Shane Kennedy | Dreamstime.com]

by Jim & Laurel Pence

Since we've been working with watercolor on Tuesdays for the past few weeks, I thought it might be helpful to give you some online watercolor resources. So, this week Laurel has scouted out some awesome Web sites that provide helpful resources for those who want to go a little deeper into watercolors.

Photo Credit: © Elen/Dreamstime.com

by Jim & Laurel Pence

Valentine's Day is less than a week away, so this week our Thursday resource focuses on Valentine's crafts and art Web pages. Again, kudos to my lovely wife and research assistant, Laurel, for finding these awesome sites...

by James H. Pence

When we talk about "value" in art, many people might think that we're discussing how much a painting is worth. Although that can be true, more often than not the word value is referring to how light or dark a particular color or shade is...

By James H. Pence

Art appreciation is a key part of any well-rounded art curriculum. With that in mind, the last Thursday of each month we will feature a different "artist of the month."

by James H. Pence

Next Tuesday, I'm going to show you how to make your own color wheel. In anticipation of that, I've listed some web sites that focus on color theory. The sites I've listed offer something for all ages... 

by James H. Pence

As parents, we all enjoy displaying our children's artwork around the house. Often, the gallery of choice is the refrigerator. And, as galleries go, that's a pretty good location. It's certainly a place that's visited many times during the day by all the members of the family. What could be better?

While it's true that the kitchen refrigerator is a great gallery for young artists, why stop there? 

by James H. Pence

On the See the Light blog this year, our goal is to provide useful and practical tips and resources for your homeschool art class. Today's focus is on Web sites that will help you teach your children about one of the seven key elements of art: line...

by James H. Pence

Have you ever heard of the seven elements of art?  

Actually, there's a difference of opinion on the number of elements. Some people suggest only five, others six, but most lists include seven. If I were to give you a pop quiz right now, could you list them?