I've been on a mini tour of the Midwest the last week. I rode along on Mike's business trip. We went through Illinois,spent four nights in Wisconsin, and an had utterly marvelous day in Chicago on the way home. I took my printmaking gear to get commission work done, but I've also done a little urban sketching along the way.

These black and white ones are pen and wash sketches done with a Lamy fountain pen and a water brush as the car was zipping along through Illinois. (Mike was driving.)

Here's a factory in Illinois I sketched while Mike had a meeting. I need to work on my skies in watercolor. I love doing them in oils, but watercolor has been an ongoing challenge with clouds.

One day after work we headed to Long Grove to revisit a historic town Mike used to go to some years ago. I loved the covered bridge especially.

This last was the loosest and most successful of the Long Grove sketches.

And here's the only one from Chicago I did, since we spent most of the day touring the Art Institute instead of making art.