Illustrator and author of Cara zia Agatha (Orecchio Acerbo, 2019), Beatriz Martín Vidal, will lead a workshop at the International School of Illustration in Sarmede focused on the invisible heart of artistic work: the creative process.
The course invites participants to explore creativity as a space of freedom, a territory where images, words, and intuitions can meet, transform, and generate stories. Through unexpected associations, the interplay between text and image, and the encounter of the everyday with the fantastic, participants will be guided in discovering narrative and developing their own visual language.
The course begins with the observation and analysis of graphic works, providing an opportunity to reflect on what it means to illustrate and tell stories. From this, a personal exploration unfolds: freeing oneself from expectations and self-censorship to allow ideas, images, and unexpected connections to emerge. Short exercises in free association will stimulate imagination and generate small visual narratives.
Special attention will be given to the dialogue between text and image: by modifying, juxtaposing, and transforming materials, participants will discover how new meanings can emerge precisely in the space that connects them.
Narrative will also be explored through image sequences and small self-produced books, capable of containing a story in a few pages while remaining open to future developments.
Each participant can work with the techniques and materials that best suit their sensitivity, sharing their process and creative approach with the group.
The workshop will also address the invisible obstacles to creativity: blocks, fears, and the weight of expectations. Through exercises and working strategies, participants will be encouraged to lighten these tensions and develop a personal expressive voice.
Illustration by Beatriz Martín Vidal, Cara Zia Agatha, Orecchio Acerbo, 2019.