A few years ago, when I was teaching engineering at Iowa State University, I asked for that little test that can get you into Art Instruction Schools. I passed the exam, but never heard from the School again, which was just up I-35 north of me.
A couple of years ago, I took the test again. I passed again. Nothing happened. I searched the internet and called the school. The school sent me information but did not give me a way to enroll in the course. Then one day I got a call from a gentleman who lives in Tooele, Utah. He said that he would come to see me and that he would start drawing to see what I could do. A week later he turned up in his beat up old car, he told me that he had driven through most of the western states and asked if he could afford the course.
Getting those formalities out of the way, he looked at my drawings. I asked him: “Do you think I can learn to draw?”
He looked at my landscape paintings on the walls of my house. Finally she said, “Yes, you can learn to draw.”
I wrote him a check for the three-year course even though he advised me to pay by the month, gave me some pointers on drawing, and went off to interview a teenager who I suspected couldn’t afford the course. the race.
I have now completed the course except for the final exam which I have not received yet. Here are my impressions:
1. The cost is very reasonable for what you get, but it cost almost $3,000.00. However, you can pay by the month if that is a factor.
2. Each lesson comes in a separate book. You get one book at a time except the first time when you get the first two lessons. I found that occasionally I had to wait for a lesson to be returned a little longer than I wanted to wait. However, almost all the lessons have been returned within 30 days. There were some longer delays due to the artist being on maternity leave, including one of my mail instructors. The staff had a huge baby boom this spring. I asked for the lessons to be sent to me in advance so that I could finish the course in 18 months instead of three years. I received my final lessons in a large group. This is not a good idea, it is better to see your rating and review of the previous lesson before starting a new lesson, but I am an old man with a pig aortic valve and time is precious to me.
3. Each lesson is very complete. You will see examples from great artists, from other students, and from instructors at Art Instruction Schools. Each technique is explained clearly and expertly. There are exercises in each lesson that must be completed. Finally, you do your homework and submit it for grading.
4. What surprised me was that each lesson you completed by submitting the final drawing(s) was not only graded but also drawn by the grading instructor. This is very important because they don’t criticize you but rather show you how things should be done. The instructor draws your drawing and places an overlay on top of your drawing with helpful feedback on the overlay to help you master the topic at hand. In every case, my job looked like crap compared to the instructors’.
5. I did not call to speak with an instructor until well into the course, although I was advised to do so for each lesson. That was a missed opportunity. When I called, I realized the wealth of knowledge that instructors at Art Instruction Schools have. I have never been ignored by a busy instructor. They always gave me all the time I needed and then some. The instructors are talented artists and great teachers.
6. I met only one student while taking the course. He is an American Indian who lives not far from me on the Blackfoot Indian reservation. He is a very talented artist and I couldn’t see why he was taking the course. He told me that the only thing he had learned from the course (he is behind me) was patience. I have to agree on that. Art takes time and you have to give your brain a break to do it well. The school always says don’t rush your work. For me, that’s hard. I bought an ink drawing of the young man. He wanted $20.00 and I offered him $10.00. He took it because he had a date that night. I guess he had just come from a garage sale and was still in barter mode. I have decided that I owe you that $10.00 because I really enjoy drawing. I’ll get it to you next time I’m there.
7. My drawing does not compare to that of the instructors, but I have been able to maintain a “B” average throughout the course. Because of that, I received a special certificate for each segment of the lesson noting that I had done an above average job. I received only a couple of “C” and “A” grades.
8. The most interesting lessons for me were the use of color. Now I only mix the three primary colors for my landscapes, rarely looking for a particular color in a tube. Learning how to use ink washes and colors was interesting to me. However, the emphasis in the course was drawing. If you can master drawing, you will be a much better painter, not only because of the precision of the drawings, but also because of the visualization of tones, lights and shadows, and textures.
9. I learned as I went along that I had not mastered the previous lessons as well as I should have. She continually went back to see what she had done versus what the instructor had done versus what the lessons said. As always, he was in too much of a hurry. I am goal driven. I pick up a lesson book and say, “I’ve got to get this baby in there.” That is the wrong approach. Take all three years.
10. Some of the many skills taught in the course are composition, layout, lettering, etc. The company was started in 1914 to train artists for the United States Mint. When I was asked to design a stamp and received the instructors’ version of my stamp, I could see that the history of the school is still evident. I was proud of my label and my wife liked it too, also my artist daughter-in-law (who is very educated). But the stamp of the instructors using my design was great.
The school has about 5,000 students, I’m told. They are selective in who they enroll as students, and the ability to pay for the course is a primary factor, but if you don’t have the ability to learn how to draw in the mind of the gentleman in the old car, you won’t be accepted.
Did I get what I wanted from the course? What I wanted was to improve my landscapes. However, I have only done a few landscapes since I signed up for the course. But I know that my landscapes will be much better after the course. There are no other courses available. If they offered a specific course on landscape painting, I would take it.
There are famous graduates of the School. Charles Schultz of Snoopy fame is a graduate and was also an instructor at the School. Well yes, there was a lesson on cartoons and I loved it. You could see one of my cartoons, but I can’t tell you how to find it on the internet. That would be self-aggrandizement.
The basic art course at the Art Instruction Schools is wonderful!
Fly old glory!