In this 3-part lecture series, grow and develop your creativity while learning to draw whimsical monsters.
Course Description
Sketching creatures born from the imagination can be a generative creative practice—not to mention one that’s monstrously fun. Join us for a hands-on monster-drawing series with Vacation With An Artist (VAWAA) and Oakland-based Spanish artist Xavier Gallego (also known as @eyesores), who has been dreaming up compassionate monsters as a way to develop his creativity and throw messages of love and optimism into the world for as long as he can remember. Together, we’ll use imaginary creature creation to explore different ways of thinking, tap into new or dormant creative reservoirs, and have a great time.
Over the course of three sessions, we’ll cover the basic techniques of drawing monsters with a sharpie before adding colors, making a collage composition, and experimenting with unexpected media. Regardless of your professional background or drawing experience, you’ll leave this course with a deepened creative practice as well as a few new illustrated, mythical friends.
Syllabus at a Glance
There are three total sessions included in this purchase, each lasting for 1.25 hours on three consecutive Mondays beginning May 3.
Session 1 (5/3, 7–8:15 PM ET): Finding Your Monster: Techniques for drawing and creativity
Session 2 (5/10, 7–8:15 PM ET): Growing Your Monster: Adding color and media
Session 3 (5/17, 7–8:15 PM ET): Learning From Monsters: Amplifying creativity
Between Sessions
Students will be encouraged to work on their monsters outside of class (around one hour each week).
Course Materials
- Black sharpie
- Paper (white and a variety of colors)
- Old magazines
- Old white dish, mug, or glass
Pricing Options
We currently offer tiered ticket pricing in an effort to increase accessibility for all students, regardless of economic situation. Our lecture series are available at three ticket prices, with a limited number of no-pay spots available for students who could not otherwise participate. This model is intended to support a wider range of students as well as our instructors. To learn more about our tiered sliding scale pricing model, please visit our FAQ page.
Atlas Obscura Online Courses
Our online courses offer opportunities for participants to emerge with new skills, knowledge, connections, and perspectives through multi-session classes designed and taught by expert instructors. Courses can take one of two forms: Seminars are intimate, interactive classes—capped at nine to 25 students—exploring topics and crafts through discussion, workshops, assignments, and in-class activities. We also offer lecture series that can be attended live, or viewed via a recording that will be shared within 72 hours after each session airs. Class recordings for lecture series will be available with a temporary password for up to two weeks following the final session of the course.
To learn more about our current course offerings, please visit www.atlasobscura.com/online-courses.
For answers to commonly asked questions, check out our FAQ page here.
Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite that will provide access to each class meeting. Please save the confirmation email as you’ll use it to access your course via Zoom on each scheduled date and time.
Vacation With An Artist (VAWAA) is a platform to book mini-apprenticeships with remarkable artists and makers around the world—from drawing in Japan and tattoo making in Brazil to ceramics in Slovenia.
Oakland-based, Spanish artist Xavier Gallego, also known as @eyesores, is obsessed with monsters. These monsters are not horrible and menacing; on the contrary they’re cuddly and lovely. Through this very personal iconography, his positive, cheerful, and carefree outlook on life takes shape. He spreads romantic love messages and rules for happiness masterfully, using humor and a fun graphic line. His art has been shown in solo art exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, and Istanbul, and brands like Airbnb, Spotify, and Mahou have commissioned him to paint murals, illustrate campaigns or even create the identity of a new beer.
This lecture series is designed so students can participate live or watch a recording after each session airs. Sessions will take place live over Zoom, with dedicated Q&A segments for students to ask questions via video or chat. Within 72 hours after each session airs, we will email all enrolled students a recording of the session, which they can watch using a temporary password for up to two weeks after the course concludes.
In most cases, instructors will use Google Classroom to communicate with students outside of class. While students aren’t required to use Classroom, instructors will be using this platform to post resources, discussion questions, and assignments, when applicable.
We provide closed captioning for all of our courses, as well as transcripts upon request. Please reach out to us at experiences@atlasobscura.com if you have any questions, requests, or access needs.
This course is open to all ages and appropriate for adults as well as kids and families.
