Sharon Jeffus

Welcome to Studio Art for Teens!

The Four Lessons for May: Balance, Positive/Negative Space, Contrast/Chiarascuro, and Harmony

Welcome to Studio Art for Teens. My goal is to have lessons that teach the elements and principles of art step by step, look at master works of art that show technique in media, and present projects that reinforce how to do the different techniques and styles of the masters.

We will study the different time periods in art by looking at different artists that painted in that period.  A sample would be in the first element of art, which is line—we have master artists Gustave Dore and Vincent Van Gogh. We then do projects that reinforce the power of line in art.

In April and May, I have new lessons for you, building on the lessons from February and March. The April lessons are on Center of Interest and Variety in Art.

Our first lesson in May deals with balance in art—both formal balance and informal balance in an artist’s work.

If you haven’t yet, you’ll want to review my February and March material, which can be accessed below. We learned about space, form, value and value in color, Expressionism, visual rhythm, and overlapping. We will continue building on the elements and principles of art and techniques and learn from the masters.

In my course, we will showcase student artists twice a month and incorporate student art into some of the lessons. For the first three weeks of May, we’re featuring seventeen-year-old Rachel Fetting’s work. Rachel says that she didn’t start taking art seriously until about two years ago! You have to see the amazing faces she draws. … And, a new student artist is coming later this month!

Go to the Student Art Gallery to see Rachel’s work, as well as the previously posted work of Alyssa Engel, Hannah Marsh, Juliet Dunteman, and Shannon Fultz.

See more student work in the Student Art Gallery.

We think you’ll enjoy seeing the works of these talented young people Visual Manna Media mentors young artists to use their art in practical and uplifting ways. We teach students to do murals, graphic art, and fine art. I teach and mentor students online and have camps and internships available.

Here are some summer art camps I will be teaching: at the Landry Academy the first week of June; July 15-19 at Montauk State Park in Salem, Mo.; and at Camp Penuel in Ironton, Mo. August 4-8.  Just go to visualmanna.com for more information.

Other ways to reach me: go to vmmclasses.com or email me at visualmanna@gmail.com.

Sharon Jeffus

Go to the May lessons.

Go to the Studio Art Lesson Archives.

Go to the Student Art Gallery.

Sharon Jeffus has a B.S.S.E. in Art Education from John Brown University. She studied painting at Metropolitan in Denver and sculpting at Southern Illinois University. She has written more than twenty books and has the internationally known company Visual Manna. Sharon wrote her first book in 1992 and developed the Visual Manna teaching method, where art is integrated with art appreciation, techniques, vocabulary, and core subjects. She also  has written an Indian Arts and Crafts program that was rated Outstanding by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Sharon taught Intensive English as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Missouri-Rolla and has given presentations on teaching art to college classes, including Azusa Pacific University and Columbia College and the Audubon Society. Sharon developed and presented workshops on art and science in coordination with the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Bass Pro. Sharon homeschooled her two sons, Jonathan and Joshua, and is a proud homeschool mom and a grandma want-to-be.