Disclaimer: I received FREE access to Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course by Beyond the Stick Figure Art School 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.
Teaching art to my children is not something I have ever felt qualified to do. We’ve done art crafts since the oldest children were just babies, but actual art instruction has been lacking in our homeschool. Thankfully, Beyond the Stick Figure Art School has created Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course Plus 3 Bonus Courses which takes the weight of art instruction off my shoulders.
About Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course
The Beyond the Stick Figure Complete Drawing Course is just what it sounds like- a step by step course that takes you from drawing stick figures to creating your own beautiful drawings.
The Complete Drawing Course is broken down into three parts:
- Drawing Part 1 consists of 15 lessons- it starts with a message to moms, then a materials list, and then the lessons begin. The lessons vary in length, but most are between 2 and 5 minutes.
- Drawing Part 2 covers 33 days of lessons- some days have more than one video, but most are around 5 minutes total.
- Drawing Part 3 includes 5 days of lessons and culminates with the drawing of a flower as pictured below:
The Following Bonus Courses are included in this bundle-
The Watercolor and Pen & Ink Bonus Courses includes:
- Pen & Ink Part 1 contains 3 days of lessons
- Pen & Ink Part 2 contains 11 days of lessons
- Watercolor Part 1 contains 10 days of lessons
- Watercolor Part 2 contains 18 days of lessons
- Watercolor Part 3 contains 22 days of lessons
The Acrylic Bonus Course includes:
- Acrylic Part 1 contains 4 days of lessons
- Acrylic Part 2 contains 12 days of lessons
- Acrylic Part 3 contains 6 days of lessons
The 3D Design Bonus Course includes:
- 3D Design Part 1 contains 5 days of lessons
- 3D Design Part 2 contains 14 days of lessons
- 3D Design Part 3 contains 9 days of lessons
Grading/Assessment
One thing that I loved about this course is that there is no official grading or assessment needed from the teaching parent. After each section, there is a rubric that the student fills out for themself to assess how they feel about the effort they put into their work and the end result of that effort.
I love that this self assessment takes the pressure of grades off the student and allows them to freely move through the course, enjoying their learning time. I also think the self assessment creates a desire in the student to do their best work, knowing that they will be evaluating themselves at the completion of their project.
This allows the parent to be the encourager all the way through the course. There is no need for critique or concern as long as the student is putting in the effort. This is a great way to approach art instruction for children.
The Full Bundle is an Incredible Deal at just $370 or 10 payments of $37.
About the Teacher
Sally Stansfield is a homeschooling mom of 8 and a trained artist. She is passionate about sharing her skills with the next generation of up and coming artists, which is why she created Beyond the Stick Figure Art School.
Her easy-going manner makes it easy for children to feel accomplished by whatever kind of art they create. She understands that the process is more important than the product when developing a love for art.
As a graduate of Loughborough College of Art and Design in England, you can be sure that the process and techniques taught by Sally are founded in education and experience.
Our Experience with Beyond the Stick Figure Art School
Sally starts off her Drawing Course with a video for moms (or dads) where she explains how important it is for parents to allow their children to freely explore art in their own way without critique or criticism. It is so easy to squelch a young child’s love for art by judging their budding skills harshly.
I loved the way this course was presented in small, bite-sized video lessons. Each one builds on itself in a succinct way that is easy to follow, even for the smallest artist.
My high schooler has shown some talent in art, so he was the one to try out this drawing course for us. He is interested in possibly pursuing art beyond high school, so I thought this would give him a good foundation.
He whizzed through the first few sections of the drawing course and although he enjoyed them, I am not sure that he gained a large amount of knowledge. This is not due to the course lacking in any way, this is simply due to the skill level that he had prior to taking the course.
He really delved into the watercolor section, however, and I was pleasantly surprised by both his interest and his final product. I love that the lessons take it step by step and break down the techniques to an easy to understand level.
On the picture he created, he used a really cool salt technique that I have never heard of before. It allowed for some dimension in his flower that really set it off.
In fact, the watercolor bug has bitten him and since completing the lessons, he has created several other beautiful pieces as well.
Overall, I would say this course is a gentle, yet thorough introduction to art. I am looking forward to spending some time going through the lessons with my busy little boys as soon as we break for summer.
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bsfsally says
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