Art Lessons For Children, Vol. 1: Easy Watercolor Techniques; Art Lessons For Children, Vol. 2: Easy Art Projects

Art teacher Donna Hugh presents this pair of art instruction videos for children, which emphasize the "fun" of creative expression. Easy Water color Techniques opens with a brief explanation by Hugh of the watercolor paints ("hot" vs. "cold" colors, etc.), and simple supplies needed, before launching into four step-by-step watercolor projects. The four lessons are: "Watercolor Flowers," "Watercolor Discovery" (an abstract painting), "Desert Scene," and "Opaque Watercolors" (in which children paint a detailed fish). Each lesson is separate, although the skills are presented sequentially (from broad splashes of color in the opening paintings to the more careful particulars of the desert and fish paintings). Easy Art Projects contains three lessons in other mediums: "Working With Oil Pastels," "Foil Art," and "Printmaking." Each of the projects require common supplies (the most unusual being a "brayer," or small hand roller, for the printmaking project), and the instructions are easy and fun to follow. Although the program is pretty straightforward and not kid-glitzy, interested children will undoubtedly learn how to produce some very nice looking art, under Hugh's excellent guidance. Both volumes are recommended. (Available from: Coyote Creek Productions, 2419 E. Mission Rd., Fallbrook, CA 92028.)