Location

Fantasy Art Workshop’s Illustration Intensive takes place at:

The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

June 10-14, 2024

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
273 E Erie St
Milwaukee, WI 53202

There is FREE Wi-Fi on the college campus.
You will receive the log-in info during check-in.

Getting Here

Traveling by Airplane

Milwaukee’s main airport is Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE).

It is the responsibility of all attendees to find transportation from the airport to The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. It’s an approximately 15-minute drive.

You can find information about ground transportation at the airport here:
https://www.mitchellairport.com/parking-transportation/ground-transportation

Traveling with Paints

See these helpful tips from our past sponsor Gamblin about traveling with oil paints.

https://gamblincolors.com/tips-for-traveling-with-artists-materials/

Parking

MIAD suggests parking at this structure:

Historic Third Ward Parking
225 E. Chicago St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202

There are also other nearby parking lots, as well as street parking.

Here is the location of MIAD on Google Maps:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Q28phbojhQ2fD3DX9

Warning: Please lock your vehicle. Do not keep valuables in your vehicle during the workshop. Neither MIAD nor Fantasy Art Workshop is responsible for your vehicle or any items left within it.

Connect with Other Attendees

We encourage you to join the Fantasy Art Workshop Facebook Group. It’s a great place for workshop attendees to ask questions and coordinate with other attendees on travel plans (shared Uber/Lyft/taxi rides).

Keep in mind that all members of the Fantasy Art Workshop Facebook group can see this thread, including those members not attending the workshop.

Social Gathering

On Sunday, June 9, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, we will have a casual get together in the Cafeteria on the first floor. This is optional, but we encourage all attendees to come and get to know each other. Drinks and light snacks are provided.

Attendees that come to the Sunday social gathering can get their welcome bag and badge ahead of Day One (Monday).

Note: Attendees will not be able to set up in the art rooms on Sunday. Art Room setup takes place on Monday starting at 8am.

Check In

Monday, June 10th, 8am – 9am

Check in just inside MIAD’s main entrance at 273 E Erie St, Milwaukee. We’ll have a table beside the security desk where you can get your welcome bag (if you didn’t already get it at Sunday’s social). You’ll then be escorted or directed upstairs to the art rooms. Please wear your Fantasy Art Workshop badge at all times throughout the event as it serves as your building/security access and also helps us all get to know each other.

IMPORTANT

Only paying attendees may attend the workshop. That means any friends or family who have come with you to Milwaukee are not able to enter MIAD or attend any lectures, demos, etc.

However, your friends and family are welcome to join us for the Milwaukee Public Market and art museum trip on Saturday, June 15th. Everyone must pay their own food and museum admission costs.

Art Room Setup

MIAD Art Room

Art rooms also have a good amount of natural light as seen above.

You will be able to set up your workspace in one of three art rooms starting at 8am on Monday, June 10th. There are no assigned spaces. It is first-come, first-served. Art rooms will be clearly marked as Art Room 390 (oil painting room), Art Room 399 (mixed media room), Art Room 395 (mixed media room).

Attendees working in oil paints

All oil painters will be setting up in Art Room 390 (oil painting room). This room has a special ventilation system to deal with oil paint fumes.

Attendees working in a medium other than oil paint

You are free to set up your workspace in any room you wish, including the oil painting room IF there is room for you there. Priority in the oil painting room is given to artists working in oil paints.

Digital artists

If you bring a desktop computer to set up, it can be left in the art room each night. If you work on a laptop, iPad, or other small device, we suggest you take it with you to your hotel room or back home (if you’re not staying at a hotel) each night for safekeeping.

Fantasy Art Workshop will have power strips and extension cords for digital artists to plug in their devices. However, you must bring all other necessary cables for your device.

Art Room Security

The art rooms will be locked every evening by either Jeff or Silvia. That means your art, art supplies, computers/Cintiqs will be secure overnight. Each morning either Jeff or Silvia will be the ones to unlock the rooms as well. MIAD also has on-site security guards.

Check Out

Friday, June 14th, end of day

Let’s leave MIAD with a good impression of Fantasy Art Workshop. Please take all your belongings and only your belongings, taking care to not accidentally pack MIAD’s supplies in with your own. Feel free to keep your Fantasy Art Workshop badge as a souvenir.

Need to get to the airport or train station?

Try to coordinate with other attendees who may be heading to the airport or train station to see if you can share an Uber/Lyft ride.

If you need items shipped, please see Shipping Info in the Program Booklet.

Going to the optional Saturday activities?

Those without a vehicle who plan to visit the Milwaukee Art Museum and/or the Milwaukee Public Museum, please see Silvia to arrange for storage of your belongings.

Workshop Assignments

These workshop assignments are only suggestions. Some artists like the have assignments, others don’t. You are free to work on whatever you like during the workshop. However, your work may be photographed/videotaped and shared, so please do not work on projects in which a client expects non-disclosure. All attendees should read through the Workshop Assignments document because it has important information about how to be prepared for the critique sessions on Day One.

What you need to do:

Download and read through the assignments.

  • Choose one (1) assignment only. There are 12 assignments to choose from.
  • Create 1 to 3 rough sketches of your illustration (8.5”x11” or A4 max size for each sketch).
  • Bring printouts of your rough sketch/s with you to the workshop (as well as the original drawings). Also print out and bring any thumbnail drawing/s you might have done before you did your rough sketch.
  • Write your full name on the front of your rough sketch printout/s.

Note for digital artists: Even though you are creating digital art, we still need to pin your rough sketches to the wall at the workshop, so please bring printouts.

IMPORTANT

YOU SHOULD ONLY BE CREATING A ROUGH SKETCH OR SKETCHES BEFORE THE WORKSHOP. DON’T BOTHER SHOWING UP WITH A FINAL, DETAILED SKETCH BECAUSE CHANCES ARE WE’RE GOING TO HAVE YOU MAKE CHANGES TO IT ANYWAY. YOU’LL HAVE A CHANCE TO CREATE YOUR FINAL SKETCH IN CLASS.

Supplies

You must bring your own art supplies. That includes the painting surface you plan to paint on. So if you’re painting on gessoed panel, canvas, watercolor paper, etc., you need to bring that with you. However, if you are unable to travel with your painting surface/supplies, know that there is a Blick Art Materials store directly across the street from MIAD where you can purchase a painting surface or any other supplies you need.

Fantasy Art Workshop will be providing some community supplies that every attendee is free to use (see list below).

Digital artists need to bring their own equipment, including all power cables. We will have power strips available. MIAD does have projectors in the art rooms as well, so we should be able to provide cables for hooking up to a projector if needed. But if you have your own cables, please bring them.

Community Supplies provided by Fantasy Art Workshop

  • Gesso (used to prepare painting surfaces)
  • Matte Medium (multiple uses, such as creating transparency in acrylic paints or for mounting drawings to board)
  • Liquin (a drying medium for oil painters)
  • Linseed Oil (for thinning oil paints)
  • Odorless mineral spirits (for cleaning oil paint brushes)
  • Paper Towels and Paint Rags
  • Printer and Printer Paper (for artists to print out sketches)
  • Tracing Paper (mostly used by instructors during sketch critique sessions, but can be used by attendees as well)

Supplies provided by MIAD

The art rooms have plenty of tables, standing easels, and drawing horses. If you are driving to the Intensive and you have a favorite standing easel, tabletop easel, or some other setup you like to use, feel free to bring it.

Traveling with Art Supplies

See these helpful tips from our past sponsor Gamblin about traveling with paints.

https://gamblincolors.com/tips-for-traveling-with-artists-materials/

MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MARKET

AND

MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

On June 15th, the Saturday after the Illustration Intensive, Jeff, as well as some other faculty and guests, will be heading to the Milwaukee Public Market in Downtown Milwaukee for breakfast. Afterward, faculty will head to the Milwaukee Art Museum. All are welcome to join us for this informal, fun trip.

This after-event excursion is not mandatory. Everyone is responsible for purchasing their own food at the Milwaukee Public Market and paying their own museum admission fee.

Saturday, June 15th Schedule:

10am

Milwaukee Public Market
400 N Water Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202

If you park in the Milwaukee Public Market parking lot (under the freeway), keep your parking ticket with you. The first 30 minutes of parking is free. After that you will have to pay a fee to park.

11am

Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N Art Museum Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Some faculty and guest artists will be headed to the Milwaukee Art Museum after breakfast at the Milwaukee Public Market. Bonus: The Lakefront Festival of Art will be happening at the Milwaukee Art Museum from 10am to 7pm, so this will be a very festive, fun atmosphere filled with music, food, and over 100 artists exhibiting a wide variety of art. If you purchase a ticket at the gate for the Lakefront Festival of Art, museum admission is included.

Learn more about the Lakefront Festival of Art here

The Milwaukee Art Museum

? – Bradford Beach (maybe)

In the past, a small group decided they’d seen enough at the art museum after a few hours, jumped in a car, and drove a few minutes down the road to Bradford Beach. We may or may not do this again. If you don’t want to miss out on this, then stay close to the group or make sure the group leader (to be determined) has your cell phone number so they can text you when they plan to head to the beach.

Policies

By attending Fantasy Art Workshop‘s Illustration Intensive, you agree to our Code of Conduct, Anti-Harassment, and COVID-19 Policies. Please view and download these policies and read them carefully. Thank you.

Our policies can be found at http://www.fantasyartworkshop.com/workshop/policies/