Well, I grew up a little from the time I had taken out the red lipstick and applied it to momma’s white purse. I started school, had plenty of time for crayons and pencils, and entered into the third or fourth grade. Momma encouraged me to enter the contest I had found in the TV Guide. It was a picture of a pirate or sometimes I would find it with a picture or a fawn or a turtle. The idea was to draw it as best as you could and send it to the address given in the ad. I was so excited I worked hours on my pirate. I didn’t get it good enough I thought, so I would try again another time.
The next Draw Me ad I saw would have a fawn or turtle so I would attempt to draw them and many times I would spend at least half the day drawing and re-drawing these characters. I never thought they were good enough to send in. Too much erasing, or the lines didn’t look exactly the same as the example we were to copy. I must have worked these characters for years. Finally, I did it. I liked the drawing that I had created enough to send in. So I did, I mailed it.
Art Instruction Schools better known to many as Art Instruction, Inc., has been alive and well since 1914. It offered a home study correspondence course much like todays distance learning with exception to the computer, graphics, and everything else we use. They used books, (the ones with pages made out of paper) and the U.S.Post Office to mail drawings and papers back and forth. I would imagin, it might have been easier to go to the actual school building. However, the Federal School of Applied Cartooning located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and their “Draw Me” ads inspired many a artist.
One that we all know was Charles M. Schulz creater of Charlie Brown and friends. Then there is me of course, a 55 year old college student who still has an interest in the arts and perhaps always will. I have the memories of the pirate and turtle and all of the hours I spent drawing them. I am very thankful to my mom and dad that they encouraged me to keep drawing and never let on it was an advertisement and not a contest which I thought I would WIN.
Until next time……..be creative..
The Art of Art 