Homeschool Da VinciESA & Funding
8-week course

Ars Technica

The art of making.

Eight weeks of sketchbooks, short films, and one Saturday assignment per week.

Ages 9–148 weeks$49 — one-time
View curriculum packet (ESA-ready)
What's included

One purchase. Lifetime access.

Everything below is included.

  • Weekly sketchbook prompts and assignments
  • 8 curated short films with guided viewing questions
  • Printable supply list and resource guide
  • Completion certificate (ESA-formatted receipt — Texas approval pending)
  • Lifetime access — revisit any lesson anytime
Week by week

Eight weeks of making.

Every week builds on the last. Saturday is the deadline — not a suggestion.

I

How to see

Observation as the foundation of all making. Your child draws the same object three times — once fast, once slow, once from memory.

II

Line and weight

The difference between a mark and a line. Single-stroke drawing exercises. Film: a short on Charles and Ray Eames.

III

Negative space

Drawing what isn't there. Exercises in figure/ground. Saturday assignment: draw the shadows in one room of your home.

IV

Composition

Why some images hold and others fall apart. Rule of thirds, visual weight, leading lines. Film: a Miyazaki short.

V

Color and light

Warm and cool. Natural vs. artificial. Watercolor wash exercises. Saturday assignment: one watercolor of the same scene at two different times of day.

VI

Telling a story in one frame

What makes a photograph say something. Your child shoots ten photos, selects one, and writes three sentences explaining the choice.

VII

The made thing

Moving from exercise to finished work. Your child begins their capstone piece — a sketchbook page, a photograph, or a short written piece with illustration.

VIII

Presentation and reflection

Finishing, framing, and showing. Your child presents their capstone work to the family. A parent leads a ten-minute conversation about what was hard and what was learned.

What you'll need

Supplies

  • Sketchbook (any size, 50+ pages)
  • Set of pencils (2H, HB, 2B, 4B)
  • Black fine-liner pen
  • Basic watercolor set
  • Ruler
  • Smartphone or camera for Week 6

Total supply cost is typically $25–40. A full printable list is included with purchase.

Module series

More courses in this track.

Each course is a standalone 8-week purchase at $49. Complete them in order or start where you are.

Module IAvailable

The Art of Making

Observation, sketchbooks, short films, and one finished piece per week.

$49 · 8 weeks · Ages 9–14

Module IIComing soon

The Made World

Architecture, industrial design, and the question of beauty in the built environment.

Coming 2026

Ready to start?
$49

One-time purchase · Lifetime access · No subscription required

ESA-formatted receipt included — Texas vendor approval pending, other states coming.