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
However, we encourage you to share with us your arrival date, time, airline, and cell phone number. We can alert you if a fellow attendee is on your flight so that you have a travel buddy. Please email your information to jeff@fantasyartworkshop.com as soon as you know it.
See these helpful tips from our past sponsor Gamblin about traveling with oil paints.
https://gamblincolors.com/tips-for-traveling-with-artists-materials/
MIAD suggests parking at this structure:
Historic Third Ward Parking
225 E. Chicago St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
https://historicthirdward.org/parking/parking/
We are working with MIAD toward getting a special discount rate for attendees at the Historic Third Ward parking structure. As soon as we know anything, we will post it here.
There are also other nearby parking lots, as well as street parking.
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.
We encourage you to join the Fantasy Art Workshop Facebook Group. We have created a thread that is pinned to the top of the discussion feed 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.
All Illustration Intensive co-founders, faculty, guest artists, and guests of honor are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and some have received vaccine boosters. Further, all attendees have either provided proof of their vaccination status or notice that they will provide a negative COVID-19 test to attend.
As of mid-May, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) was no longer requiring visitors to wear masks. MIAD makes its rules and recommendations based on guidance from the Milwaukee Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control. However, as community levels are fluid and mask advisories may change with short notice, we ask that you bring multiples of your personal, well-fitting masks. We will also provide a limited number of N95 and disposable masks for those who’d like them. If masks remain optional on campus, you may still choose to wear one and/or social distance with assurance that we will respect that choice.
Beyond the increased cleaning regimens implemented by the venue itself, we at Fantasy Art Workshop will close access to our space from 9pm to 8am to allow time for extra cleaning and sanitizing. We will also provide hand-sanitizing stations throughout our space.
Keep up to date on MIAD’s COVID-19 protocols here: https://www.miad.edu/coronavirus.
You can find our COVID-19 protocols here: https://www.fantasyartworkshop.com/workshop/policies/
Monday, June 13th, 8am
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.
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 13. 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.
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.
Friday, June 17th, 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.
Fantasy Art Workshop’s Illustration Intensive “Schedule at a Glance” is also in the program booklet, which you will receive during check-in.
Below is a PDF version of the Fantasy Art Workshop Illustration Intensive program booklet. Every attendee will receive a physical copy of the program booklet during check-in.
Please do not post this program booklet online. This program booklet is intended for attendee eyes only. Thank you.
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. But all attendees should read through the 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.
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.
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.
We will be providing some community supplies that every attendee is free to use. Various items for painters have been graciously provided by our sponsor M.Graham & Co. Also, Sculpey has generously provided a limited amount product as well. Fantasy Art Workshop will provide additional community supplies (see list below). However, these provided supplies are for sampling. There will not be enough for your entire project, so please bring your own.
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.
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.
See these helpful tips from our past sponsor Gamblin about traveling with paints.
https://gamblincolors.com/tips-for-traveling-with-artists-materials/
On June 18th, 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 split to go to either the Milwaukee Art Museum or the Milwaukee Public Museum. Attendees may choose which they’d like to go see. 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.
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.
Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N Art Museum Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202
or
Milwaukee Public Museum
800 W Wells Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
In 2019, everyone went to the Milwaukee Art Museum. However, this year we are giving attendees the option to go to the Milwaukee Public Museum if they wish to do so. Some faculty and guest artists will be headed to the art museum, while others will head to the public museum. Choose which group you’d like to go with and meet at that particular museum. If you have time, you could even go to both museums.
The Milwaukee Art Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum
In 2019, 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.
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/
Social Gathering
Above photo is from our social gathering at past venue.
On Sunday, June 12, 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.