Sparketh

Sparketh is an online art course library for children and teenagers aged 6 to 18. A subscription gives "unlimited access to 1000+ art video lessons," taught by what the site calls talented mentors, and the lessons are short, project-based videos a child can follow at home with ordinary art supplies. The site addresses parents, and homeschooling families in particular: its page title describes it as online art courses for kids and teens, virtual painting classes for homeschoolers and drawing lessons for middle school students. Every course, the home page says, "is designed from the ground up with young learners 6-18 years old in mind." The copyright line names 3rdWave, LLC.

How the lessons work

Each course is built around one art project, and the lessons are bite-sized videos: a child picks a project, watches the instructor make it, and creates their own version. The site counts "Hundreds of Courses" and "1000+ video lessons and counting," and says the videos can be watched "anytime, anywhere, on any device." All courses are described as family friendly and "easy to complete with the basic art materials you have laying around," so the barrier to starting is low: pencils, paper, paint and, for a few projects, something like a roll of tape or a palette knife. The site also links to a supply list.

The library is sorted into nine areas: Abstract, Animals, Drawing, Food, Manga, Nature, Painting, Portraits and Techniques. The site menu also lists Tracks, a resources section, a blog and a student gallery.

What the courses cover

The course descriptions on the home page give a fair sample of the range and the tone, which is playful and aimed squarely at children.

Abstract and pattern work. Fluid Painting explores movement and flow in an abstract painting so unique that it is hard to make the same piece twice. Gradient Pattern paints a colorful pattern, Dolphin Pattern builds a dolphin out of patterns, Popping Vase combines colors while drawing a vase, and Tape Art shows how tape and paint can be used together. Tree In Hand combines a tree with an object the student chooses.

Animals. Watercolor Blue Jay applies watercolor techniques to a bird, Elephant Silhouette fits a large animal onto one canvas, Dreamcatcher Owl paints an owl, Cartoon Panda draws a panda, and Cat at Night paints a cat that has climbed a tree after dark. Another course has students color a fish in their own style.

Drawing. Drawing Bubbles covers bubbles in the air, underwater or in a glass of soda. Drawing a Cat applies advanced techniques to draw a realistic cat. Draw A Rose turns a rose into a design "that looks like an awesome tattoo," Draw A Tree Frog draws one of those small tree-dwelling frogs, and Candlelight uses black paper to draw "a bright candlelight in a dark room." Morphing Paper teaches lines and tones to create 3D illusions.

Food. Simple Burger, Color An Apple, Broken Egg, Cartoon Banana, Draw A Strawberry and Cartoon Ice Cream make everyday food into drawing practice, with Broken Egg pitched as a harder exercise in drawing something delicate.

Manga. These courses suit children drawn to comics. Manga Character uses ink, watercolor and pencil to create an original female character, Manga Eyes covers the basic elements of manga eyes for beginners, Manga Man Character uses human proportions as a reference, and Manga Beards and Manga Headphones add details that give a character personality. Hair Textures shows how to draw different types of hair.

Nature and landscapes. Bonsai Tree blends rainbow colors, Painting A Fall Tree and Island Sunset are seasonal and scenic pieces, Eye Catching Emphasis teaches the concept of emphasis through a landscape, Birch Trees with Tape uses tape as a resist so the paint is kept off parts of the paper, and Palette Knife Flower moves paint with a palette knife instead of a brush.

Painting. Watercolor Lighthouse, Mug Painting Still Life, Paint a Penguin, Dog on a Lake, Watercolor Globe and Japanese Dragon fill this group. Mug Painting Still Life teaches the concepts of painting from life using a coffee mug, and in Japanese Dragon an instructor named Amy paints a dragon from scratch.

Portraits and art history. Here the courses introduce art movements through portrait projects: Fauvism Portrait, Realism Portrait, Pop Art Portrait, Cubism Portrait and Minimalism Portrait each explain what defines the style, and Harlem Renaissance creates an expressive portrait that captures the energy of that period's culture. For a child, this is an informal first look at art history.

Techniques. These courses build skills that carry over to every project. Watercolor Techniques combines dry and wet methods for effects and textures. Facial Proportions starts from the question "Having trouble sketching a face?" and teaches how to line up the facial features. Mixing with Oil Paint covers the basics of oil paints and mixing bright colors. Three Point Perspective teaches the technique for drawing objects in 3D at the right angle. Mixing Colored Pencils shows how to mix colors better and more realistically, and Drawing Textures explains how to match a texture to its surface.

The instructors

Sparketh describes its teachers as "passionate, experienced, and engaging," and as "talented creatives eager to share their experience, wisdom, and skills in a fun way." The voice of the course descriptions is personal, with instructors writing in the first person about their favorite bird or their friends' hair, which fits the site's aim of making art feel friendly rather than formal. The footer also has a Teach on Sparketh link for artists interested in teaching.

What parents and students say

The home page quotes two parents and two students. Tracy, Lauren's mom, writes that Sparketh "provides my daughter with high quality, online art lessons, access to talented mentors who encourage and inspire her," and lets her offer "an outstanding art curriculum that is both convenient and affordable." Alana, Brandon's mom, calls it "a great supplement to my son's education" and says it "allows me to focus on academics while he learns art." Lauren likes how "the instructors make everything fun, simple, and easy to understand," and Brandon says, "My drawings are getting so much better since I started using Sparketh!"

Access, price and support

Access is by subscription with unlimited viewing of the whole library; families start from a "Get Started Today" button and log in to watch. The home page shows no prices, and plans are on a separate pricing page. Families with questions can use the contact page or call the phone number given in the footer.

Who it suits

Sparketh suits homeschooling parents who want a ready-made art curriculum they can hand to a child, and families looking for an after-school creative outlet that costs little in materials. The range from simple food drawings to oil painting, perspective and art movement portraits gives a 6-year-old and a teenager both something to work on, and the manga courses give comic-loving teens a reason to keep drawing. It is a video library rather than live teaching, so it works best for children who are happy to learn by watching and then making.