Rock Island State Park

Summer is here? Well, at least the summer weekend getaway part has officially started. This Memorial Day weekend we spent three days camping on Rock Island, off the tip of Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin. It's interesting how two islands so close to each other can be quite different when it comes to weather... Washington Island was green and booming with signs of Spring, yet on the 15 minute boat ride to Rock Island we felt the temperature drop immediately and green leaves had not quite started budding on the trees. We were very lucky to have three gorgeous days camping on the island, despite the cold and windy mornings and evenings, the days were sunny and calm as we went about exploring the island.

The sketch above is of the iconic boathouse that greats you as you dock on the island. Much of the Islands history and structures owe their existence to a wealthy Icelandic inventor/settler who lived in Wisconsin and used this island as a retreat. With the exception of the roof, the boathouse is made from materials derived from the island itself. Quite impressive given the small scale of the island.  

In support of Wet Paint's summer travel sketch postcard initiative, the above sketch was sent to them for a window display. 

Waking up in the morning is always my favorite. With few people up, it's almost like having the island to yourself, if only for a few moments.  Our campsite was right next to a white rock beach where I drank my coffee, enjoyed the sound of the waves lapping ashore, and sketched a bit of our surroundings.

"Alternative" Screen Printing Methods

About a weekend ago I had the chance to take a class on "Alternative Screen Printing methods at Highpoint Center for Printmaking taught by the talented Drew Peterson.  I have to admit that I immediately signed up for this class as it brought back memories of those fun days in thesis hanging out in the print studios and playing around with different print media and my screen. And in one short weekend I learned a lot...

New materials! Including graphite (used directly on the screen), Carbon Black (acrylic painted on acetate and then burned to screen), and Screen Drawing Fluid/Screen Filler.

Normally I tend to be a bit more pre-meditated and composed with my images, but most of what we experimented with was completely free-form - so a free form weekend it was!

Below are a few of the images I created using 2, or a combination of all of the options above.

From left to right... 1. graphite, black acrylic from acetate transfer, and water color via screen drawing fluid 2. Same as the first, but with the first pass of graphite 3. Black acrylic from acetate transfer, and water color via screen drawing fluid 4. Graphite and watercolor (from burned black acrylic acetate transfer.) and 5. Watercolor on watercolor.

The interesting thing about working with the graphite was that it got lighter with more passes on new paper (obviously), but some parts didn't transfer at first, and by the last piece, they transferred quite dark while everything else transferred light.

Free form graphite passes on the drying rack. Notice the difference from right to left as far as what pushed through the screen and what was already been used up.

For a closer look at using watercolor directly on a screen, on the first day I did some free form drawing directly on the screen.  My understanding is that you can use anything that is water-soluble including watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons, and traditional watercolor.  You never know ahead of time exactly how it will turn out, so it's always a surprise:)

This first one is a more traditional "old school" architectural illustration with both watercolor and graphite drawn on the screen (separate screens), and the second is completely random - just getting back into the swing of things!

Mill City Museum with MetroSketchers

Finally... a gorgeous day to sketch outside! Today's sketch-outing was at the Mill City Museum - a must see for any visitor to the city (and this native sadly admits that she has not actually been inside...).  Case and point - sidetracked by the beautiful weather outside and the old mill foundations along the river make for finding a quiet peaceful place. The other motive for sketching outside was that inside we could only use pencils. So we (Claire and myself) found a few nice stones down by the river to sit down and sketch on.

A few months ago (about six I think) I purchased a small sketch pad of hot press water color paper as a test because as much as I love the "tooth" on my Moleskines, I wanted to try something smoother. And per usual, it sat on the shelf unused because I was too accustomed to other materials. I'm not sure if something in me snapped as I walked out the door this morning, but curiosity got the better of me and I grabbed the unused hot press pad. Needless to say, I do believe I am quite happy with the results... nice blending with the watercolors, and a smooth paper that does not distract from the image.

Right before the watercolor is added.

 

Everybody's sketchbooks all lined up:) Great inspiration!