images. Explore various possibilities, such as how to choose and create customized surfaces or gelatin
transfers and how to print on fabric.
—Reviewed by Rebecca Martin, director
of education at the Sid Richardson Collection in Fort Worth, Texas.
Creative Colored Pencil Workshop.
Carlynne Hershberger and Kelli
Money Huff. Cincinnati, OH: North
Light Books, 2007. Illus., hardcover,
144 pp., $29.99.
This book is about combining
colored pencil with various other
media and will inspire one to
experiment. The reader will enjoy
Carlynne Hershberger and Kelli
Money Huff’s artwork, which illustrates many close-ups of nature,
while observing how they have
worked from reference photos. Both
authors are members of the Colored
Pencil Society of America, and both
have won awards for their outstanding artwork. There are exercises
for combining colored pencil with
watercolor, acrylic, ink, graphite,
oil pastel, and metal leaf. The properties of each medium, and tips
for working with the medium are
listed. Materials and step-by-step
instructions are provided for each
exercise, along with beautifully
illustrated examples. The exercises
will provide excellent practice for
helping the artist get used to mixing materials. Some exercises, such
as the instructions for watercolor
washes, could be taught to elementary students. Others would be a
more appropriate beginning point
for middle school and high school
students. The authors encourage
artists to make up their own combinations.
—Reviewed by Berniece Patterson, supervisor of student teachers in the art department at the University of North Texas in
Denton, Texas.
Video Reviews
Pam Stephens
The Cave Painter of Lascaux. Glenview, IL: Crystal Productions, DVD
and VHS, 8 minutes, $29.95.
When Anna is separated from her
classmates while on a school trip
to the Lascaux Caves, she meets
two interesting characters. The first
character is a tour guide dressed as
a caveman. The second character
is a real caveman. The tour guide
introduces Anna to the artwork on
the walls of the cave. He explains
that some designs are drawn on the
wall, some are painted, and others
are carved into the stone. The real
caveman tells Anna what it was
like to live in the Stone Age 17,000
years ago. Factual information presented in the video reflects current
theory about the intent of cave art
and why cave art was created.
This is a charming video that is
written and illustrated to appeal to
students in kindergarten through
about grade three. At less than eight
minutes in duration, the video will
be a welcome resource for those
teachers who work with children in
lower elementary grades. The Cave
Painter of Lascaux, a companion
picture book for emergent readers, is also available. Reading the
book prior to seeing the video will
enhance viewing.
Exploring Color: Creating Color
Wheels and Using Color Schemes.
Glenview, IL: Crystal Productions.
DVD and VHS, 21 minutes, $29.95.
This video features Peggy Flores, an
artist and educator, who explains
how to create simple and complex
color wheels. Teachers will find
this fifteen-minute video to be an
effective tool for teaching upper
elementary, middle school, or high
school art students about color
theory. With its easy-to-follow dialog and demonstration, students
will be encouraged to create their
own color wheels and to apply their
understanding of color schemes.
Exploring Color: Creating Color
Wheels and Using Color Schemes
is another in the series of “how to”
videos that Crystal Productions
has made with Flores. Like the
other videos in the series, this one
can be used in a variety of ways: to
introduce a lesson, to close a lesson, or to assist students who need
additional instruction. This product
will be a appreciated addition to art
classrooms or school libraries.
—Dr. Pamela Geiger Stephens is a member of the SchoolArts advisory board. She
teaches and coordinates the art education
program at Northern Arizona University,
Flagstaff.
