Art Instruction Schools, better known to many as Art Instruction, Inc., was a home study correspondence course providing training in cartooning and illustration.Art Instruction Schools: "Our History"
/ref> The company was located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

History

The school was founded as the Federal School of Applied Cartooning in 1914 as a branch of the Bureau of Engraving, Inc., to train illustrators for both the growing printing industry and the Bureau itself. Artists who received this training through these home study courses entered the fields of newspapers, printing and advertising. Joseph Almars (1884–1948), who was born in Minneapolis, was both the vice president of the Bureau of Engraving and the president of Art Instruction, Inc. In 2016, the school announced it would not be enrolling new students. The school closed at the end of 2018.

Draw Me!

Art Instruction, Inc. was known to many aspiring artists as the Draw Me! School, because of the familiar "Talent Test" advertising campaigns seen in magazine ads, matchbook covers with Spunky the Donkey, TV commercials and online promotions with the "Draw Me!" ad copy. As the company grew in popularity, it added instruction in cartooning, color, comics, composition, perspective and graphic design. The ''Fundamentals of Art'' course expanded to include all popular art techniques and contributions from

Jay Norwood Darling Jay Norwood Darling (October 21, 1876 – February 12, 1962), better known as Ding Darling, was an American cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes. He was an important figure in the 20th century conservation movement and founded the National Wi ...

Charles M. Russell Charles Marion Russell (March 19, 1864 – October 24, 1926), also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an American artist of the American Old West. He created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, an ...

Gaar Williams Gaar Campbell Williams (December 12, 1880 - June 15, 1935) was a prominent American cartoonist who worked for the ''Indianapolis News'' and the ''Chicago Tribune''. His scenes of horse-and-buggy days in small towns of the Victorian era included s ...

, wildlife artist Walter J. Wilwerding and cartoonist Frank Wing. The 12 textbooks also included contributions from

J. C. Leyendecker Joseph Christian Leyendecker (March 23, 1874 – July 25, 1951) was a German-American illustrator, considered one of the preeminent American illustrators of the early 20th century. He is best known for his poster, book and advertising illustrati ...

Charles Dana Gibson Charles Dana Gibson (September 14, 1867 – December 23, 1944) was an American illustrator. He was best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent Euro-American woman at the turn of the ...

Neysa McMein Neysa Moran McMein (born Marjorie Frances McMein; January 24, 1888 – May 12, 1949) was an American illustrator and portrait painter who studied at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and Art Students League of New York. She began her ca ...

, Daniel Smith,

A. B. Frost Arthur Burdett Frost (January 17, 1851 – June 22, 1928), usually cited as A. B. Frost, was an American illustrator, graphic artist, painter and comics writer. He is best known for his illustrations of Brer Rabbit and other characters i ...

John T. McCutcheon John Tinney McCutcheon (May 6, 1870 – June 10, 1949) was an American newspaper political cartoonist, war correspondent, combat artist, and author who won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1931 editorial cartoon, "A Wise Economist Asks a Question," an ...

, Charles H. Sykes and

Clare Briggs Clare A. Briggs (August 5, 1875 – January 3, 1930) was an early American comic strip artist who rose to fame in 1904 with his strip '' A. Piker Clerk''. Briggs was best known for his later comic strips ''When a Feller Needs a Friend'', ''Ain't ...

, plus illustrations by

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His career spann ...

Russell Patterson Russell Patterson (December 26, 1893 – March 17, 1977) was an American cartoonist, illustrator and scenic designer. Patterson's art deco magazine illustrations helped develop and promote the idea of the 1920s and 1930s fashion style known as t ...

Franklin Booth Franklin Booth (July 8, 1874 – August 25, 1948) was an American artist known for his detailed pen-and-ink illustrations. He had a unique illustration style based upon his early recreation of wood engraving illustrations with pen and ink. His skil ...

, John La Gatta, Harry Townsend and

Fontaine Fox Fontaine Talbot Fox, Jr. (June 4, 1884 – August 9, 1964) was an American cartoonist and illustrator best known for writing and illustrating his ''Toonerville Folks'' comic panel, which ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North ...

. Almars and Federal School dean

Charles Lewis Bartholomew Charles Lewis Bartholomew (February 10, 1869 – February 15, 1949) was an American editorial cartoonist, more commonly known as "Bart". He is most well known for his daily cartoons published by the ''Minneapolis Journal''. Early life and caree ...

were the editors of the course. Born in Charlton, Iowa, Bartholomew studied under Burt Harwood and

Douglas Volk Stephen Arnold Douglas Volk (February 23, 1856 – February 7, 1935) was an American portrait and figure painter, muralist, and educator. He taught at the Cooper Union, the Art Students League of New York, and was one of the founders of the Minn ...

. "Bart" was best known for his editorial cartoons in the ''

Minneapolis Journal The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consoli ...

'', but also drew newspaper strips: ''Cousin Bill'' (1909), ''George and his Conscience'' (1907), ''Bud Smith, the Boy Who Does Stunts'' (1908–12), ''Alexander the Cat'' (1910) and ''Mama's Girl-Daddy's Boy''. While serving as dean, Bartholomew gave illustrated lectures known as

chalk talk A chalk talk is an illustrated performance in which the speaker draws pictures to emphasize lecture points and create a memorable and entertaining experience for listeners. Chalk talks differ from other types of illustrated talks in their use of r ...

s. Two of the school's instructors were cartoonist

Mort Walker Addison Morton Walker (September 3, 1923 – January 27, 2018) was an American comic strip writer, best known for creating the newspaper comic strips ''Beetle Bailey'' in 1950 and '' Hi and Lois'' in 1954. He signed Addison to some of his strip ...

and Minneapolis native

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wid ...

(later of ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...

'' fame). When Schulz was in high school, his mother saw an ad for the Art Instruction, Inc. talent test that asked, “Do you like to draw?” Schulz took the $170 course, a huge sum during the Depression, while his father labored to make the payments. After World War II, Schulz worked on Catholic comic magazines and then signed on as an instructor with Art Instruction, Inc. He was still employed there when he began sketching the characters that later were developed into ''Peanuts''. Several of the ''Peanuts'' characters, including

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a " lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great America ...

Linus Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who d ...

, Frieda and "the little red-haired girl" were based on Schulz' co-workers and friends at Art Instruction. Other instructors who were friends of Schulz included Louise Cassidy and Jim Sasseville. Louise Cassidy was the basis for the character of Aunty Climax in a short-lived comic strip by Jim Sasseville. In a 1994 address, Schulz said, "Art Instruction Inc., it was a wonderful place to get started because the atmosphere was not unlike that of a newspaper office. All the instructors were very bright people; they were all ambitious, each of them had his or her desire whether it was to be a fashion artist, or a cartoonist, or a painter." Other famed alumni include the illustrator

John Clymer John Ford Clymer (January 29, 1907 – November 2, 1989) was an American painter and illustrator known for his nature works featuring the American West. Early life and education Born in Ellensburg, Washington, Clymer first studied art throu ...

, comic strip artist

Morrie Turner Morris Nolton Turner (December 11, 1923 – January 25, 2014) was an American cartoonist, creator of the strip '' Wee Pals'', the first American syndicated strip with an integrated cast of characters. Biography Turner was raised in Oakland, C ...

(''

Wee Pals ''Wee Pals'' is an American syndicated comic strip about a diverse group of children, created and produced by Morrie Turner. It was the first comic strip syndicated in the United States to have a cast of diverse ethnicity, dubbed the "Rainbow Ga ...

'') and Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Steve Benson. The school later capitalized on Clymer's fame with a textbook titled ''The Technique of J. Clymer''. Textbooks used in the 1940s and 1950s were edited by the cartoonist-illustrator

Coulton Waugh Frederick Coulton Waugh (; 10 March 1896 – 23 May 1973) was a cartoonist, painter, teacher and author, best known for his illustration work on the comic strip ''Dickie Dare'' and his book ''The Comics'' (1947), the first major study of the f ...

, who drew the ''

Dickie Dare ''Dickie Dare'' was a comic strip syndicated by AP Newsfeatures. Launched July 31, 1933, it was the first comic strip created by Milton Caniff before he began ''Terry and the Pirates''. The strip ended on October 12, 1957. Publication history ...

'' comic strip. In addition to its softcover textbooks (one for each subject in the art field), Art Instruction, Inc. also had its own magazine, ''The Illustrator'', published quarterly to showcase outstanding student work. By 1950, the fee for the course had increased to $300. When the company received "Draw me" submissions, these were turned over to salesmen who drove from one town to another, often arriving at a home unannounced and launching into a sales pitch. In 1957–60, students received these 26 books by Wilwerding and others: ''Practical Lettering'', ''Animal Drawing'', ''Children and Animal Portraiture'', ''Advertising Layout'', ''Landscape & Seascape in Oil'', ''Still life Techniques'', ''Composition'', ''Outline Drawing'', ''Perspective'', ''Wash and Beginning Color'', ''Color Harmony'', ''Portrait painting in Oil'', ''Still Life in Oil'', ''Painting Techniques'', ''Commercial Art Techniques'', ''Decorative Design'', ''Advertising Illustration'', ''Basic Figure Drawing'', ''Fashion Illustration'', ''Magazine Illustrating'', ''Reproduction Processes'', ''General Illustrating'', ''Ink Drawing'', ''Proportions and Shading'', ''The Human Figure'' and ''The Technique of J. Clymer''.

Methods

Despite advances in digital art, Art Instruction Schools continued to follow the teaching traditions it established over a century ago.Chin, Richard. "Drawn In," ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'', December 10, 2000.
/ref> Circa 1990, its commercial offering "beauty; adventure; drama" was frequently aired on basic cable. In 2008, Art Instruction Schools used television commercials to reach prospective students.

References

{{Authority control Art schools in Minnesota Distance Education Accreditation Commission Education companies established in 1914 Educational institutions established in 1914 Educational institutions disestablished in 2018 1914 establishments in Minnesota 2018 disestablishments in Minnesota Companies based in Minneapolis Education in Minneapolis Culture of Minneapolis

History

Draw Me!

Methods

See also

References