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How can I get a good education in art as a home schooled student?

How can I get a good education in art as a home schooled student?
I am homeschooler with a huge love for art. I am interested in pursuing it as a career even. I’ve only ever taken one professional art class in my life (a life drawing class) and I am kind of at a loss as to how I can get a good education in art while being home schooled.

I’m a graphic artist, I think I can help you.

You are in a GREAT position to get an education in art! First, you have all the time in the world…yay! You’re not tied down by schedules, which is perfect.

1. Learn. Learn everything. From everyone! Take a pottery class with the local Artist’s Guild, make fusion glass at the chain store that lets you paint ceramics, try everything you can get your hands on. Go to the art museum and just go soak it in. Maybe you’ll spend all day in the modern art section and maybe you’ll prefer to sit and stare at the medieval armor. Maybe you’ll spend most of your time looking at the Greek pots and sculpture, or maybe the ancient Mayan gods catch your eye. Read about it…look for book on the pieces you especially enjoy, and ask the person down in the gift shop or at the information desk if they have any classes / tours you can join, or if they have an audio tour you can rent for the day, or if they sell books on pieces A B and C. Ask if they have a list of local artist associations who are open to new members, or new students.

2. Look for teachers. The woods are crawling with them! You’ll be your biggest teacher, of course. But maybe there’s someone on PBS you like a lot, and even if it’s kitschy…oh hell, go for it, imbibe for awhile! Check out your local community center, there are often artists hoping to make a few bucks by teaching a class. Take another drawing class, or watercolors, or acrylics. Maybe they do pottery, too, or weaving. Try it!

3. Look for schools. Sometimes a class here are there at the community college can boost your education into new places. Call the Fine Arts department ahead of time and see if you can make an appointment with someone to talk to you about art classes and how you can attend. Can you audit them? (No credit, no admissions hassles.) But don’t just wander up there, they’ll be mad if you expect them to have time whenever you just drop in. A friendly email may do the trick, too. Look for how-to books at the library; freaky stuff like “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” is always good.

4. The web is full of stuff! I liked this one:

http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/draw.html

Links are at the bottom of the article and you can contact the author, too!

5. Practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more.

6. Look for art shows. Sometimes you can speak to the artist, but more often you simply become a fixture and you start making connections within the local art scene. One day you’ll go to the Stone and Metal art show and casually mention an interest in painting with guaches, and suddenly someone will say, “Oh, Carol does that, wait right here,” and pretty soon you’re talking to Carol, comparing notes, and she’s sharing resources with you. Good stuff.

7. Hold an art show. Often the little, independent coffee shops in town will let you display and sell some of your pieces over the course of a month or two.

8. Don’t forget to be inspired by kids’s stuff. Make a tie-dyed shirt, carve a pumpkin this Halloween, draw with crayons, read books like The Dot.

And check for artsy places in town, a lot of design houses will have events in them where you can meet local artists. Try Meetup.com, too, there’s often something going on there as well.

HTH!

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