• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

IMMERSION IN DRAWING I

The central focus of Francesc Ruiz's residency is drawing, and nearly all the sessions that the artist conducts at the school focused on this art genre in one way or another, through a range of different materials. This constant is reinforced by the group's teacher, Mercè Gaja, who also devotes the so-called “third”, additional, hour to exercises related to the technique.

• 
• 
• 
• 

THE COMIC

Discovering the comic ...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

IMMERSION IN DRAWING II

Practicing ...

• 
• 
• 
• 

SESSION BY FRANCESC RUIZ

Presentation

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PROCESS

Being an author ...

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

PRESENTATIONS

Defining yourself as an author

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

IGNASI IGLÉSIAS - CAN FABRA LIBRARY/ FABRA I COATS - ART FACTORY

PUBLISHING PROJECT. In April, the publishing project conceived by Francesc Ruiz begins to take shape. The pupils hold a vote to decide the project title, which is, finally, Drawing Diamonds, and the work of producing the fanzines for the catalogue begins.

The chance to make a first presentation of the publishing company is offered by a public library in the same neighbourhood as the school, the Ignasi Iglésias - Can Fabra library, which also specialises in comics, the central theme of the residency. An exhibition of self-portraits and fanzines is presented in the Territori Mutant gallery, from March 23 to April 25. The head of the comics section takes us around the library and tells us briefly about the type of resources and how the comic reading groups and loan services work.

Carles Giner shows us around the main spaces at Fabra i Coats, including the co-working areas, the rooms for events and the facilities at this art factory. The group also meet the artist-in-residence, Richard John Jones, who shows us his work.

• 

SITES IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Fatbottom Graphic Bookshop / Et Hall Contemporary Drawing Gallery / Múltiplos, bookshop specialising in artist's publications / MACBA

The group visits various places in the Raval neighbourhood related to the themes of the residency: drawing, independent publishing and contemporary art. At the bookshop specialising in independent comics, the pupils select a series of works to donate to the school library. At MACBA, they learn about contemporary art through a performance by the artist Jordi Ferreiro.

NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF CATALONIA (MNAC)

Guided by the director, Francesc Quílez, we visit the reserve collections of the Drawing and Engraving Cabinet, where we see a sample of the museum's illustrations, comic strips, satirical cartoons, etc. We also visit the MNAC library, where the head of periodical publications and art magazines shows us a selection of journals and artist's books, underground publications and fanzines. Finally, we visit the modern art collection.

• 

TALK BY IÑAKI SANZ

Talk by Iñaki Sanz (director of the Graf Festival) at the school.

Three weeks before the group took part at the Graf Festival, Iñaki Sanz tells the pupils about the event, illustrated by photos, and shows them the resources available to them for setting up their stall and displaying their fanzines. He also tells them about some of the artists and publishing companies that will be taking part.

• 
• 
• 
• 

VISIT TO THE LLOTJA ART SCHOOL IN SANT ANDREU

Toni Micó, director of the Comic Department at the Llotja Art School, takes us on a guided tour of the workshops at the school and introduces us to the group of students specialising in comic, and we sit in on part of a class with them..

• 
• 

PREPARING THE PRESENTATION AT THE GRAF FESTIVAL

At 5 pm on May 22, the stand with the fanzines and the Drawing Diamonds project is presented at Graf, the fair for independent comic books and illustration. The event takes place at Fabra i Coats - Art Factory of Barcelona, in the Sant Andreu neighbourhood, on May 22 and 23.

• 
• 

GRAF FESTIVAL

An independent comic show in our own Sant Andreu neighbourhood. Graf, Author Comic and Independent Publishing Festival http://grafcomic.com/ 

DRAWING DIAMONDS

Drawing Diamonds is an open publishing project which defends the possibility that each and every one of us are authors, we only need to put this idea into practice and throw ourselves into publishing.

Drawing Diamonds publishes the works of a group of young artists who have taken up drawing and comics with the freedom necessary for them to work with a huge variety of styles, themes and narrative approaches, all unique and exceptionally personal.

Drawing Diamonds aims to get all its publications to the neighbourhood, to the entire country, around the world, because we believe that we should not restrict the possibilities that distribution networks allow today.