Review: A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels
My sweet friend, Tricia, and her mother have been treating us to pastel tutorials over at Hodgepodge for quite some time. I’ve enjoyed those posts so much! Chalks are very forgiving, making it easy for children to find success quickly. There are many other benefits to using pastels, too:
- Preparation for the projects is quick and simple.
- Projects only require a few tools.
- Chalks can be used by all ages at once.
- There is relatively little mess to worry about.
Now, much to my excitement, Tricia and Lucia have put together an entire e-book of pastel tutorials for us! A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels contains 45 lessons – more than a year’s worth if you use one lesson per week!
The lessons are conveniently divided into the themes of landscapes, weather, trees, birds, flowers and butterflies, food and seasonal topics. Since I often tie art together with nature study, the nature topics have been especially useful to me!
I am NO artist. Really. My children and I have achieved beautiful finished products every single time we’ve followed Tricia and Lucia’s tutorials. It’s so wonderful to feel like an artist when looking at the end result! (The conifers below were completed by children 4-14 years old.)
Each e-book tutorial begins with a photo of the finished project, followed by a short list of supplies and some quick tips for success. Step-by-step directions and photographs take you through each project from start to finish. Directions are clear, concise and friendly. It’s almost like Tricia or Lucia is standing right over your shoulder encouraging you the whole way through!
For those of you new to using pastels, a thorough introduction to their use is included. This covers everything from where to find pastel chalks and how to organize them to dealing with the chalky hands and storing your art projects. You’ll even find links to two bonus video tutorials!
At the end of the book, Tricia and Lucia have provided wonderful, rich links for practical use of pastels in your homeschool. There’s even a section teaching you about special considerations when doing art with little ones.
This book is a gem! Learn more about A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels by visiting Hodgepodge.
Comments
54 Responses to “Review: A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels”Leave a comment, and if you'd like your own picture to show up next to your comments, go get a gravatar!
This looks great! Thanks for offering this giveaway!
Pastels would be an easy way to consistently do art, and I think I have some way back in a closet. Thanks for the inspiration. The books looks wonderful, and I would love to win it!
I would love to win this – I really need some help incorporating art into our homeschool.
What a great giveaway. I have been looking this for a while.
THanks
I would love to win!!
I would love this e-book…I’ve been thinking about this for next year!!
Would love to win this for my sweet little artist
That sounds really wonderful, it would be great to win
i love this!! so pretty!! would be a great addition to our art. thanks for the review.
We love working with pastels. Would love to win!
I have admired their art lessons and have done one. Great opportunity to win this. Thank you for review.
This would be a great addition to our school. We need all the help we can get in the art department!
We’ve been loving Hodgepodge’s tutorials for the last couple of years! Even I can produce recognizable objects with these (a minor miracle since I can barely draw stick people normally!)
I want this so bad! I’m definitely getting it even if I don’t win.
we love Nana’s lessons!!
This sounds like such a neat book!
Great giveaway, thanks!
I’ve been wanting to learn how to use chalk pastels, but I think my little ones would enjoy learning, too.
waiting with great anticipation for an email:)
My kids love to use chalk pastels,think of the fun we can have!!
This would be so great for our school room!!
how exciting!!! JUST READING HER POSTS INSPIRED ME TO BUY SOME PASTELS AND TRY THE TUTORIALS!
I would love this!
Tricia’s art posts have inspired me so much! I would LOVE to win this!
I would love to learn pastels.
My kids would love this. They enjoy all things related to art.
great giveaway!
I would love to win these for my daughter. We are just starting out with homeschooling, so we do not have very many resources.
The artwork looks amazing. I think I could actually do this with my daughter! She is always begging me to do art.
Love using chalk!
What a great giveaway!
Wow, this looks very exciting and fun!
Great giveaway! I have always enjoyed drawing with pastels and purchased some for my kids back when school supplies were on sale.
We would love to try this!
Love to add this to our Harmony Arts studies!
this is a great resource, thanks!
Thanks for the give away! I want to do more art with my kids and something they can feel successful at – I think chalks will be it!
Thanks for the chance!
This is a great give away! And a coupon if someone else is lucky enough to win! So, either way, the book will be on our digital bookshelf before the end of the month.
I bought my daughter chalk pastels for Christmas. I’m grateful to know of this resource.
I would love to win a copy for my artist sister to use with her little girl!
I give in, I have to admit that I want to try this and have fun with it.
Looks lovely – would love to introduce pastels to my homeschooled 4.5 yo. What a great resource!
We would love to learn more about chalk pastels! Lovely post about it too!
Fun! I love the tutorials Tricia posts on her site. Would love them together in her book.
I would love to win! Love these tutorials!
I love your posts! My daughter has done the snowman and chickadee. Friends were shocked she did it herself.
I *heart* you Tricia!! I would love to do this with the kiddos!
I would really, really, really love to win this book!
I want to win one SO bad!
I am not an artist either!!
What a fabulous tool for bringing art into your home!
I would love to win this.
Fingers crossed,
Melissa B.
mbabecka@gmail.com