Art Related Websites to Check Out!

The variety of art information available on the internet that can be used for educational purposes is astounding. Sorting through it all can be time consuming. Here are some sites homeschoolers and homeschool parents might be interested in checking out. Some are just for fun and some could be used for gathering information about a particular artist, art technique, or artistic process. Enjoy trying them and let me know if there are any in particular that you end up using.

• http://jacksonpollock.org/ – FOR FUN!  Create Jackson Pollock type art work using your computer and mouse. The video link will take you to a You Tube video that shows you how it works.
• http://thisissand.com/ – FOR FUN! Create artwork on your computer with colored sand. You can change the color of the sand by pressing C on your keyboard. Go to http://thisissand.com/gallery/ to see other artwork created at this website. You can even submit yours there also.
• Slide Share – http://www.slideshare.net/ -This website is not specifically art related.  With this website you can find thousands of slide presentations that people have shared on any number of subjects. All you have to do is search the subject you are looking for and preview. The presentations are in many different languages, so you will need to sift through the slide shows to find the one that meet your needs. This site would be great for homeschool parents wanting to show works of a particular artist without having to spend the time on the internet searching for the artists work.  I am using several of the presentations here in my art classes on various artists. You do not have to join their site to see the presentations.
• You Tube – http://www.youtube.com/ – You Tube is such a bonus to teachers. There are so many great educational videos on You Tube that are art related. If you have a You Tube account, you can create a playlist of the videos for a particular artist or subject. Just recently I have created a playlist of videos teaching how to create tessellations. That playlist remains and I can use it for my classes each time I need it. So when I find a video that I feel is worthwhile, I add it to a Playlist for that subject. For example, I have a playlist for drawing eyes, drawing noses, tessellations, Rene Magritte, balance, and weaving.
• Mr. Picasso Head – http://www.picassohead.com/ – Create art work in the style of Pablo Picasso.
• The Art Zone – From the National Gallery of Art in Washington – http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/zone.htm – This site is full of activities art related. You need Adobe Shockwave to do the activities here. I found that I needed to use Internet Explorer to do the activities here. There was some sort of compatibility problem with Google Chrome. Examples of activities: Brushster – paint abstract works of art, Collage Machine and Still Life.

I hope you enjoy trying out these websites.