courses – Art of Schmidt

Why Artists Should Make Drawing a Daily Practice

About a century ago (well I exaggerate a little); I was a college student studying art at McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. I had a brilliant and successful art teacher named Steve, who demonstrated how the practice of art making and the hatching of new ideas could be brought to life. He taught me many useful things, such as how to keep an art sketchbook pasted with photos of art work by artists I admired, and how to write about my art in a way that expressed my unique artistic voice. Above all, his most important advice was that I should draw every day. At the time, that task seemed quite difficult. I was always an inpatient artist as a student and I often rushed through the drawing stage to hurry up and get to the painting. Now that many years have passed since my graduation from McDaniel, I can truly see the wisdom of his advice.

With hindsight, I realize that he was so right about drawing every day. I no longer rush art work and I have learned to love drawing, whether it becomes a painting or not. In fact, I have embraced his advice of a daily drawing habit and I have worked on several art challenges for both human portraiture and pet portraits on my Instagram account. One of these challenges is called 100 faces in 100 days, in which I drew a pre-selected photo of a celebrity using only pencil and paper. I did not add in a lot of detail or shading and I limited myself to 45 minutes a day.

At present, I am struggling to carve out time for drawing. Sandwiched in between working, and other responsibilities, I am striving to make time at least 1x a week to draw. This time, I am focusing on making simple graphite sketches in my sketchbook, mostly portraits or figures.

The most important take away I can say about drawing and getting good at it, is that it really helps your art practice to flourish. For instance, once you have the drawing and composition mastered, you can enjoy the next step more fully, whether its collage, painting or some other art form such as graphic design or sculpture. With an accurate drawing, you won’t have to worry about continuing to fix it and can fully embrace your next steps.

If you want to put this idea of drawing as a practice into effect, you are in luck! I will be teaching two drawing classes at Delaplaine Art Center this Fall. The first class, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, is tailored on those who have never taken an art class, and need the basics such as shading, measuring, and drawing techniques such as contour and blind contour drawing.

And the second class is for more seasoned artists who want to learn how to draw a portrait. This is a great class for those who have always wanted to draw portraits but don’t know where to start. I will teach you construction techniques such as using shapes to construct, the Loomis Method and anatomy to give you a solid foundation to build upon. Check out this links to learn more: https://delaplaine.org/class/?id=25-2-DR06 (Drawing for the Absolute Beginner) and (Advanced Drawing: How to Build a Portrait): https://delaplaine.org/class/?id=25-2-DR07.

Fall Art Courses at the Delaplaine

Hello Friends, Family, Former Students and Fans,

I wanted to share my latest art course news. This fall I will be teaching two art courses at the Delaplaine Art Center in Frederick, MD. Do you think you can’t draw? Take my beginner drawing course, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, and challenge your assumptions! Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, will focus on basic drawing skills, inspired by the teachings of art teacher, Betty Edwards, and incorporate various drawing media, such as: pencil, charcoal, and ink. Class starts on 10/15/24 at the Delapaline Art Center, Frederick, MD.

Did you know that drawing is a learned skill, and that you can improve your skills with guided instruction and practice? Based on my experience as an artist and art teacher, I have learned that it really isn’t about talent, and there are specific skills which you can learn such as: drawing from photos, drawing from life, sighting, smooth shading and incorporating drawing templates like the Loomis method, to help you achieve more realistic results. Both of my courses, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, and Advanced Drawing will explore these fundamental skills, and provide you with plenty of open studio time to practice what you learn. Step by step instruction will be provided, and constructive critiques are available upon request to help develop your skills.

Have you always wanted to draw portraits, but didn’t know where to begin? The other course, Advanced Drawing, is tailored for artists who want to advance their drawing skills, and will focus on techniques for drawing the portrait. Techniques including: the Loomis and Reilly method, will give you a frame work for constructing a portrait in a realistic style. I will provide you with the skills you need to draw in beginner level or advanced level, so there is a place for everyone!

Whichever course you choose, making art work in my class can bring peace, calm and creativity to your life. Make time for self care, meet other artists, and re-engage with your creativity! In one of my courses, a former student reports that: “Now I have many tools to use for practicing art!”

Tap the link below to learn more about my Beginner and Advanced Art Courses: http://www.delaplaine.org. Don’t wait, sign up today before classes fill up. Fall is one of the busiest seasons for art courses at the Delaplaine! If you wait, you might not be able to get a spot, and I only teach these courses two times a year.

Classes I am Teaching this Spring/Summer at Frederick Community College

Hello friends, fans and, family.

I am excited to announce that I will be teaching a variety of art courses. These courses cover every art medium from acrylic painting to mixed media and even soft pastels!

There is truly something for everyone. I offer individual instruction in drawing and painting and even facilitate constructive critiques so that you can take your art to the next level. To learn more, visit: https://www.frederick.edu/class-schedules/downloads/ilr_spring_2023_schedule.aspx. It’s easy to sign up on the Frederick community college website!

The courses I am teaching include ACR187 Continuing Pastels with Landscapes, and ACR181 Drawing and Painting: A Mixed Media Survey. Below are some samples of the projects from these courses, so you can get a sneak preview!

New Art Courses I am Teaching this Spring/Summer

Hello Friends,

I am teaching a cornucopia of art courses at Frederick Community College in the Institute for Learning in Retirement department. These classes are short, and art is not graded like traditional credit courses. However, I teach the basic elements of art and offer group critiques, which are a vital part of credit art courses, so you get all the benefits of a credit course, without the grade.

They are perfect for those who want a short-term art course without a long time commitment. As a student, you will receive the benefit of my extensive art expertise as a student and art teacher, and receive constructive critiques, education in the basics of art, such as value, shape, color, etc., as well as individual art instruction. My courses will empower you to self-critique your own work and that of others, so that you can have the confidence to improve the quality of your artwork on your own. I offer a variety of mediums to choose from such as soft pastels, pencils, and mixed media!

To learn more, click on the following link: https://www.frederick.edu/class-schedules/downloads/ilr_spring_2023_schedule.aspx. The courses I am teaching are ACR187 Continuing Pastels with Landscapes, 5 sessions, 15 hours,5/5 – 6/2.

ACR434 Advanced Drawing: How to Build a
Portrait Using Face Mapping, 6 sessions, 18 hours, 4/18 – 5/23.

ACR181 Drawing and Painting: A Mixed Media, Survey Course. 5 sessions, 10 hours, 6/15 – 7/13.

The Ultimate Drawing Class for Beginners!

Are you a beginner artist? Do you want to learn how to draw but feel overwhelmed about which method to try? Contour drawing, blind contour drawing, drawing upside down, constructing with shapes, etc. Then my class, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner is perfect for you! I will offer you guided instruction focusing on specific drawing methods every week, such as Contour drawing, blind contour drawing, drawing upside down, etc. Trying a variety of drawing methods can help you find the one that suits you best! This course is inspired by Betty Edwards’s book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. To learn more, visit https://delaplaine.org/instruction/.

And if this class is full, try your hand at another course I am offering, Classic Drawing, and also at the Delaplaine. This course is also a great fit for beginners, or artists who are rusty in their drawing skills and want a brush-up. This course has a slightly different focus. We will be focusing here on specific elements of art, such as line, shape, form, and texture. I will alternate the class projects with step-by-step handouts and drawing from observation. The focus here will be on applying each element of art every week to your exercises and projects to build more aesthetically pleasing artwork. Whichever class you take, learning the skill of drawing, or improving your drawing skills is a fundamental tool in your artistic toolbox and will greatly improve your artwork, whatever medium you choose, whether it’s: collage, painting, sculpture, pastel, etc! I’ve been drawing and painting for many years (since about age 2) and find that drawing weekly keeps me to tackle any painting with confidence!

Day 1, an upside-down drawing from my course Drawing for the Absolute Beginner.

Contour Drawing and Constructing with Shapes, an exercise from my course, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner.

A project from my course, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner, Uses a toned ground and a picture plane viewfinder.

A Negative Space exercise, from my Classic Drawing course.

Project from my course, Drawing for the Absolute Beginner.

A contour drawing exercise from my course, Classic Drawing.

The final project for my course, Classic Drawing.

Update: Summer Courses I am Teaching at the Delaplaine

Hello friends, fans, and family,

This summer I am teaching two great art courses at the Delaplaine Art Center in Frederick, MD! The first course begins on June 22nd, and it’s called, Drawing into Calm: A mixed media survey course. In this course, you will learn how to work in a variety of media from watercolor and pen to acrylic and pastel. We will explore which media are compatible, such as watercolor and ink pen, and gain inspiration from a variety of famous artists, such as Monet, Paul Klee, and Odilon Redon, among others! It’s a course that is perfect for beginner artists and will explore both drawing demonstrations and painting demonstrations, as well as collages. If you want to try new media or love art history, this might be the perfect course for you! Visit the Delaplaine website at: https://delaplaine.org/, to register or learn more.

The other course I am teaching is called, Continuing Landscapes in Pastel, and it’s perfect for experienced pastel artists who would like to learn more about color and value in the context of the four seasons. This course is geared toward more experienced artists who have some drawing experience. The four seasons, summer, autumn, winter, and spring will provide a context for exploring the elements of art, value, and color, such as using cool colors like blue or violet to depict snow, and warmer color palettes to illustrate fall foliage. Both courses are designed for adults. To learn more, visit https://delaplaine.org/instruction/classes-workshops/.

*Harmonizing on a Line,* Mixed media collage, Jodie Schmidt, 2022.

*Mixed Media Cow Collage,* Mixed Media: torn papers, metallic wrapper, painted papers, watercolor, crayon, ink, and colored pencils, Jodie Schmidt, 2022.

*Odilon Redon Knock off,* Pastel on paper, Jodie Schmidt, 2022.

*Pizza Painting,* Acrylic Paint on canvas board, Jodie Schmidt, 2022.

*Mosaic Magazine Collage: Grand Canyon,* Magazine papers, and pastel on paper, 2022, Jodie Schmidt.

*Child at the Beach,* Pastel on paper, Jodie Schmidt after Rebecca Le Mendonca, 2022.

*Creating Depth,* Jodie Schmidt after Marla Bagetta, Pastel on paper, Jodie Schmidt, 2022.

*Rocky Tor,* Jodie Schmidt after Rebecca Le Mendonca, Pastel on paper, 2020.

*The Birches,* Jodie Schmidt after Rebecca Le Mendonca, Pastel on paper, 2022.

Spring Courses Update: Delaplaine Art Center, Frederick, MD

This spring I will be teaching three courses at the Delaplaine Art Center, in Frederick, MD. Here are samplings from my Classic Drawing Course, Drawing Calm: A Mixed Media Survey, and Landscapes in Pastel. Click here to learn more: https://delaplaine.org/instruction/classes-workshops/drawing/.

The Importance of Color in Art: Choosing a Color Palette

Today I am blogging about an introduction to the color wheel and how artists can use it to choose an effective color combination. Since last week, I have been consulting a reference book entitled, Color is Everything, by Dan Bartges. I wanted to try out some various color schemes for my Biographical Portrait of Sting, which I posted about in last week’s Sketchbook blog post. After consulting the book about possible color schemes, I tried out two versions of a tetrad color scheme; one is described on pg. 35, and consists of oranges, reds, and greens, while the other color combination includes blue-greens, red-oranges, yellow-oranges, and blue-violets and is described on page 36. But before I get into the definition of tetrad color schemes, I would like to give a short overview of the color wheel and how it can improve an artist’s artwork.

According to the article, “Color Psychology: The Emotional Effects of Colors”, retrieved from www. art therapy blog.com, the color wheel displays the three primary colors and its secondaries, and the twelve colors which are included on the color wheel are yellow, yellow-orange, orange, red-orange, red, red-violet, violet, blue-violet, blue, blue-green, green, and yellow-green. The most important colors displayed on the color wheel are red, yellow, and blue, from which you can mix almost any color. (ibid) However, this concept should be considered in a theoretical context, because paints do not necessarily contain only one color. (ibid) In fact, paints often contain traces of other colors which can affect the final outcome of color mixtures, towards a warmer or color tone of a specific color. (ibid) Some colors that you can mix from the two primaries include: yellow + red= orange and red + blue= violet.

According to the author, Bartges, a triadic color scheme utilizes three colors which are equidistant from each other on the color wheel, and these colors create “a strong, triangular relationship.” For example, a commonly used triadic scheme for landscapes includes: green, orange and violet. And the “most visually powerful triad is red, yellow and blue, which are called the primary colors. In my upcoming courses, I will be instigating color in a variety of media such as pastel, collage, watercolor, etc. Starting in April, I will be teaching several art courses where I will be exploring the concept of color in a variety of courses, such as: Landscapes in Pastel, The Four Seasons, and Drawing into Calm: A Mixed Media Survey Course, at the Delaplaine Art Center. To learn more, visit: https://delaplaine.org/. You can register for the classes on their website by going to the instruction link, and then going to the classes and workshops link. Thanks for stopping by!

Art Courses Update, Winter and Spring 2022

This Winter I will be teaching art classes at two different locations! I am honored to join the staff at the Adams County Arts Council in Gettysburg, PA, and will be teaching two art courses there. Beginning in February, I will be offering a beginner’s pastel course that will guide you through the basics of value, shape, and color and teach you to paint in the style of the Impressionists. To learn more about this course, visit https://www.adamsarts.org/classes/.

And in January I will be teaching a beginner’s course in drawing called, Classic Drawing at the Adams County Arts Council. If you have ever wanted to learn how to draw this is the course for you! Or, if you need a refresher in drawing fundamentals such as shading and building objects from simple shapes, this course will help you get back into the groove! Visit this link for more details: https://www.adamsarts.org/classes/.

I will also be teaching the beginner’s pastel course in February at the Delaplaine Art Center in Frederick, MD. To register or learn more about this course, visit this link: https://delaplaine.org/instruction/classes-workshops/.

Stay tuned for details about more art courses I will be offering at the Delaplaine Art Center this Spring! These courses include Pastels in Landscapes, and a mixed media course called Drawing Calm. Visit the Delaplaine Art Center website for updates!