In class we are building our stamina and skill as artists. On Friday afternoons for the next several weeks we will be learning how to draw and working our way through a DVD series I was able to purchase through generous donations by a few of our parents. Drawing is a great lifelong skill. Drawing helps improve a person’s visual perception, visual-spatial organization, and visual attention to detail. All of these directly relate to important skills readers, writers, mathematicians, and scientists use all the time.

As a child I have fond memories of learning how to draw by watching Mark Kistler’s Secret City on PBS. Here is a clip from Secret City below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I recently discovered that Mark Kistler has a host of drawing videos online. Some of these videos and resources are free and some are for a fee. For $99 you can purchase a 3-year dual subscription to Mark Kistler’s Online Video Art Academy, Mini-Marshmallow Academy and School of Imagination. This will give you access to over 200 video art lessons and over 50 animated art lessons. If you are interested in practicing drawing at home, this might be a very affordable way to continue taking drawing lessons.

Follow the links below to find some of the free resources and videos.

• http://www.draw3d.com/
• http://www.draw3d.com/OnlineVideo.html
• http://mkisdraw3d.com/public/p_mksoi/
• http://www.mkisdraw3d.com/Promo/Series_Pilot.html (free pilot episode for new TV program)

Here are some of Mark’s sample video’s from Mark Kistler’s YouTube Channel:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here is a quick tutorial I made for the students to learn how to draw three-dimensional (3-D) shapes. Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.