Tag: art of schmidt

Mixed media: A Fun new class I am offering

Are you in a creative slump or want to try out other forms of art media? Then, my course, Drawing, and Painting: A Mixed Media survey is the perfect fit for you! To learn more about this wonderful course, visit https://www.frederick.edu/. Go to the schedules link and select, ILR Fall Schedule 2022 to view a detailed description about this course.

In this course, I will provide you with detailed art demonstrations, with different art media provided each week. We will draw and paint our way through different art styles such as Impressionism, and even abstraction. The wide variety of art media and styles will stimulate your creativity, and provide a space for you to create in a judgment-free learning environment. Beginners and seasoned artists are welcome, no experience is necessary, although some experience with drawing or painting can be helpful. This is an in-person, noncredit course at Frederick Community College.

Upcomming Art Show at Sky Stage in Frederick, MD

Hello Family Friends and Fans,

I wanted to share some exciting news! After several months of the art show circuit, I am back on track and will be exhibiting my oil paintings, acrylics and some watercolors at a 1-daywhite water lily, mini, flatCanada Goose trio,flatclose up of pink water lilliy, flatpink water lillies, flat

Koi group, flat

pop-up event, hosted by Leslie Ruby. I will be selling my artwork and be demonstrating how to draw portraits in pastel. This event will be part of a group of artisans and makers who will be displaying their creations at Sky Stage in Frederick, MD, hosted by the wonderful Leslie Ruby. Here is a link to the website for Sky Stage in case you aren’t familiar with the location: http://www.skystagefrederick.com/. Hope to see you there!

New Art for Sale!

Hello Family, Friends, and Followers,

I have been adding some of my new miniature oil paintings to my Etsy Shop at https://www.redbubble.com/people/jsjschmidt2017, and the reproductions are available at my Red Bubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/people/jsjschmidt2017. The original oil paintings include some of my favorite subjects, Canada Geese, and water lily gardens and most of them, measure about 4 x 4 inches. They are priced starting at $25.00 each and make a wonderful addition to your bookshelf, desk, bedside table, or cubicle. All of my paintings come with a small easel for easy display. The first photo here gives you an idea of the scale of some of my paintings. Thanks for stopping by! Canada trio, styled, flatCanada Goose trio,flatpink water lillies, flatclose up of pink water lilliy, flatwhite water lily, mini, flat

Art of Schmidt Newsletter: May 2018

Hello Family, Friends, and Fans,

I have decided to start posting my newsletter on my blog, since becoming a homeowner, rather than sending out individual emails to my mailing list. Anything that helps me to scale back is something I am embracing these days. This month’s newsletterArt of Schmidt Newsletter, May, finalArt of Schmidt, May 2018, page 2, finalArt of Schmidt, May 2018, page 3, project life_edited-2Art of Schmidt, May 2018, page 4, make time, final features some pages from my sketchbook entitled, Draw Every Day, Draw Every Way, by Julia Orkin Lewis and my featured topic is making time for art.

Art of Schmidt Newsletter

Hello Friends, Followers and Fans,

It has been a super busy season for me, managing the daily tasks of life, plus buying a new home, and various other things, so I haven’t posted as often as I would like. Meanwhile, I am researching articles that I think would inspire future blog posts that would be of interest both to artists and nonartists. While I am working on that, enjoy a peek behind the scenes into my latest pet portrait custom art order, which is inspired by a portrait of Elizabeth 1. Bandit, full portrait, color sketch 2800px-Elizabeth_I_in_coronation_robes (1)Art of Schmidt Newsletter, March 2018, page 1, final, final, flatArt of Schmidt, 2 March 2018, final, final_edited-3Art of Schmidt, 2 March 2018, page 3, final, final_edited-2Art of Schmidt, 2 March 2018, page 4, final, final, complete

Art of Schmidt Newsletter: The readable version

Hello Friends, After posting the blog post, Administrative Aspects of Being an Artist: Writing a Newsletter, I realized that I had posted the images of my newsletter as a slide show. I realized that it would be nearly impossible to read the newsletter in this format, so I am re-posting the newsletter as a jpeg Art of Schmidt Newsletter, November 2017, editedArt of Schmidt November 2017, Page 2, finalArt of Schmidt November 2017, Page 3, finalArt of Schmidt November 2017, Page 4, final, finalArt of Schmidt November 2017, Page 5, final, finalso you can read the newsletter if you wish. My apologies.

Administrative Aspects of Being an Artist: Writing a Newsletter

Hello Friends, I apologize for my lack of blog posts lately. This past year I had several art shows such as the Frederick Coffee Company in Frederick, MD, as well as my Studio Sale at my home. These events were great opportunities to share my art with others and connect with faces both new and well known. However, I really got behind on some of the administrative aspects of my art business such as cataloging, adding new items to my commerce shops, and keeping up with my profit and loss sheet. I also created lots of new portraits in my 100 Faces in 100 days challenge which took up a lot of time. This past month, I  also had some new tasks to take on while my mom has been recovering from shoulder replacement surgery.

So now I am trying to catch up on these neglected tasks. as a result, my posts might be less frequent and you may see some blog posts from my archives. I hope to be more caught up in these administrative tasks by next January so I can post more often. Today I am featuring a blog post which showcases my latest email newsletter for Art of Schmidt. This issue has a short segment about my latest painting series, Voices,

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and Visions, in which I illustrate poetry, quotes and song lyrics in mixed media and acrylic. Thank you for stopping by! If you would like to subscribe to my email newsletter for Art of Schmidt, just send an email request to jsjschmidt2@gmail.com.

Art of Schmidt: October 2017 Newsletter

Hello Friends, Family, and Fans, I am posting my new and improved newsletter for Art of Schmidt. Several years ago, I took a graphic design class at Frederick Community College, which taught me some basic skills in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Indesign. Although I did not finish the graphic design program at Frederick Community College and decided to focus more on fine art instead, the skills I learned as a student in the graphic design class proved helpful in reminding me of how to do a double page spread layout for this newsletter. I also looked up some free newsletter templates online to get ideas about color and composition. Hope you enjoy this issue! Happy Halloween! If you would like to receive this newsletter by email subscription, please send an email to jsjschmidt2@gmail.com, and I will add you to my email list!

Howling at the Moon Event with Trend Setter Treats, October 14, from 2-6pm

Hello Facebook Friends, Family, and Friends,  I will be participating in an art show called Howling at the Moon, sponsored and coordinated by Sherry Purkey, Owner of Trend Setter Treats. I will have a display table with fine art, art prints, and postcards for sale. In addition, I will be demonstrating how I make pastel dog portraits. Many other makers and artists will be exhibiting alongside me. Come on down!

Howling at the Moon, Flyer, Courtesy of Sherry Purkey, Owner of Trend Setter Treats.
German Shepherd, Pastel on Paper, Jodie Schmidt, 2017.
Jack Russell Terrier, Pastel on Paper, Jodie Schmidt, 2017.

Art of Schmidt: My Process

This evening I was reflecting on a price quote from a friend that I received on Facebook today,  and I decided that I would share my custom art process to take some of the mystery out of it. I’m hoping that writing this post will help me to do a better job of explaining my process to prospective collectors, should the opportunity arise so I won’t feel at a loss for words. Here is a copy of my Art of Schmidt custom art brochure with my three step process. I start by meeting with a free consultation with a prospective client to discuss their vision for their pet portrait and to review the photos that they bring depicting their pet. I usually ask the client to bring 2-4 photos of their pet for my review. If we decide to work together after discussing terms, such as the medium was chosen, size of the work, deadlines, and signing a contract which requires a 50% deposit of the total custom art price, I get to work on a three value sketch to determine the composition of the piece and the lights and darks with pencil and sketching paper

This is the front of the brochure for my custom art brochure.
Here are some photos of my three step process in creating custom pet portraits.

Mindy finalJasmine large file

I usually make 2-3 sketches for the client to review, either in person or via email, depending on their preference.

Once the sketch has been approved, I move on to the second step, which I call the color sketch. In this step, I play with color choices to continue to design the painting. Although I use photos as a starting point, I am not a slave to the photo, especially if the colors represented in it do not work together harmoniously. One technique I like to use in designing color schemes is to go to Lowes and look at paint chip samples in the paint department. These are free and work well for me as I can limit the colors to just a few choices. I create the color sketch in colored pencil or acrylic paint, making 2-3 versions and ask for the clients’ review. Throughout this process, I maintain contact with the client to build trust and work collaboratively, so that they feel that the work is made especially for them. The final product is executed in oil paint or acrylic paint, or even pastel, depending on what medium the client likes best.Thanks for looking!