This course, How To Draw, broke my  heart. A phenomenal instructor with excellent technique and compelling style, he truly helped my children (aged 4, 6 and 8 at time of viewing) to understand a considerable amount of drawing technique and appreciation for materials and tools. My kids are not particularly artistic and so their “art” has always been the totally unimpressive kind.

Professor Brody absolutely taught my children how to see a landscape and how to arrange their sketches. There is no question that my kids have evolved as sketchers because of this course.

Sadly, however, I failed to preview enough of the lectures. As the course progresses, the art becomes more adult. And by adult I mean pencil sketches of full frontal nudity in erotic positions.

I hoped that it was just one lecture so that I could skip over it, but we found more and more references to that sketch and those kinds of things scattered throughout.

I do not blame The Great Courses Company nor Professor Brody. I do understand that this is an accepted approach to art. It, however, is not anywhere inside of my value system and it was a shame that I did not do a better job of previewing.

I called The Great Courses Company and expressed my concerns. They were friendly, helpful, returned my course and refunded my money without any glitch or comment.

This is a classic example of why homeschool families *must* preview these courses before turning our kids loose on them. They are not made for children and we are not their target audience.

I did, however, express to TGCC in my call, in a survey and in another place that I would love it if they would come out with a high school line of similar art courses that are more family friendly. As they launch more and more high school courses, it is always a possibility.

 

***WARNING – WARNING – WARNING: The image below may be considered graphic.***