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“Me? Teach art? I don’t even know how to draw!!” Many of us started there. We felt a total lack of confidence in teaching art. We wanted to give our children all the benefits of art in their education but didn’t know how. Some of us did a few colorful hands-on projects with our children, but we could see they weren’t really learning the basics of art. We had never learned the basics of art ourselves. But then, after a few years of teaching art with the classical model of education, we realized that teaching art can be as simple as teaching any other subject and we can learn it alongside our children! Now we’ve condensed our knowledge here for you. Instead of a how-to-draw book, Anyone Can Teach Art presents the scope and sequence of a classical Christian art curriculum for K-12 students. In this book, we break it all down for you. By the end of this book you’ll know: Why art should be included in everyone’s education What are the basics of art creation and art appreciation How to use the ancient, amazingly effective, classical model of education to teach art Which simple drills and exercises to include in art projects to help students advance their skills How to proceed in art education once your students have mastered the basics Learn the basics and follow the plan in this book and you’ll realize how easy it really is to teach art. Enjoy a sample of this new book!

Art Events’ is the umbrella term I’ve given to in-person events where we create art. This includes painting parties, art camps, and art classes.  We’ve talked about art events on the podcast before when we heard from Emily Magone in episode #48, where she explained HOW to conduct painting parties. Now we want to explore the topic again, but look broadly at the pros and cons of all kinds of art events! Full Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/all-about-art-events-podcast-66/. 

The birth and incarnation of Christ are often featured in great works of art- but what is the significance of the incarnation for Christians?  In this Season 3 Finale and Special Christmas Episode, Julie and Deanna study John 1:1-18 and discuss how to understand this beautiful but sometimes confusing passage and what it says about the Incarnation, or Jesus being born as a human being.  Merry Christmas to all our listeners! Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/incarnation-christ-podcast-65/

Whether you're buying yourself art supplies, picking out supplies for your classroom, or purchasing a gift for a fellow artist, here are some tips on how to pick which art supplies to purchase.

Deanna and I are chatting about our favorite art projects that make nice handmade gifts. We hope you'll try one or more of these! Full Show Notes with all the links: https://ridgelightranch.com/art-project-gifts/  

Vincent van Gogh is one of the best-known artists of all time. He's known for his unique style and strangely beautiful works and art, but also for his short, tragic life. Today we're talking about van Gogh and what we love about his art. -- Show Notes with links and photos: https://ridgelightranch.com/why-study-vincent-van-gogh-podcast-62/ — Visit RidgeLightRanch.com for Easy, No-Prep Art Lesson Plans. — Join our Facebook Group called Anyone Can Teach Art: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnyoneCanTeachArt/ — Find out more about Julie’s Book: Anyone Can Teach Art; How to Confidently Teach Art in your Classical Homeschool https://ridgelightranch.com/book/ — Buy Julie’s works of art on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RidgeLightRanch

Images and Full Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/why-study-berthe-morisot-podcast-61/ — Visit RidgeLightRanch.com for Easy, No-Prep Art Lesson Plans. — Join our Facebook Group called Anyone Can Teach Art: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnyoneCanTeachArt/ — Find out more about Julie’s Book: Anyone Can Teach Art; How to Confidently Teach Art in your Classical Homeschool https://ridgelightranch.com/book/ — Buy Julie’s works of art on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/RidgeLightRanch

Monet is probably the most famous Impressionist and he's known for his beautiful depictions nature, particularly waterlilies. Full Show Notes with photos: https://ridgelightranch.com/why-study-monet-podcast-60/

This unusual Impressionist didn't enjoy plein-air painting (painting outside) or the airy natural light. Instead, he sketched and then returned to his studio to paint. He's most famous for his paintings of ballet dancers, but he also painted everyday people in the city and action scenes from polo games! In fact, he was incredibly skilled at painting people in the midst of their activity, often from unique angles. Join us as we chat about this... irritable artist- his life and his art. Full Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/why-study-degas-podcast-59/

Thomas Gainsborough ( 1727-1788) was a life-long painter who loved creating magnificent landscapes but found they didn't sell well. Instead, he paid the bills with portraits until he started combining the two into unique portraits with idealistic landscapes in the background. This made him England's most famous portrait painter and the King and Queen's favorite artist. Full Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/why-study-gainsborough-podcast-58/ 

Join us as we chat about who Rembrandt was, what his life looked like, and how his the culture around him influenced his life.   

We love telling out all about our own personal renaissance activities each episode (the things we're learning and creating)- But how can we foster this mindset of a lifelong love of learning in ourselves and in our children? We've thought up a few keys and wanted to share them with you! Full Show Notes:

We love telling out all about our own personal renaissance activities each episode (the things we're learning and creating)- But how can we foster this mindset of a lifelong love of learning in ourselves and in our children? We've thought up a few keys and wanted to share them with you! Full Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/personal-renaissance-mindset-part-1-podcast-55/ 

Texture is one of the 7 Elements of Art and learning how to create it can really increase the sophistication level of your artwork! Join us as we discuss how to create texture and how this integrates with the science of tree identification! Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/drawing-texture-and-tree-bark/

Aerial perspective (or atmospheric perspective) is one of the methods of adding depth to your drawing. Join us as we discuss the science of this and how to use it in art! Full Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/aerial-perspective-science-light-podcast-53/ 

Who was Fibonacci? Why should we learn about him? How does his number sequence relate to art? Join us as we talk about this man, his famous number sequence, and how to use it in art. Show Notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/fibonacci-abstract-art-podcast-52/

Show Notes: 

This week I'm talking about balance, symmetry and how they're related to leaves! Deanna's unavailable, so it's a solo episode this week! Full show notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/balance-symmetry-leaves-podcast-50/   

This is the 1st of a new 6-part series on integrating art with science! Show notes: https://ridgelightranch.com/the-basic-shapes-of-trees-podcast-49/  

Now that the school year is about over and we're starting to think about summer, consider hosting painting parties for adults (and kids) this summer to earn some extra income!  Emily Magone has done this for years and now she's sharing all her secrets with you in her new package: "Start Your Own In-Home Painting Party Business." Episode 48 full show notes with all the links: