Project methodology and advanced experimental work with acrylic

Think of creating an image like leaving a message inside a bottle: the gesture of a castaway who doesn’t know whether their message will ever be read, or reach any shore at all. Or perhaps creating is precisely that final salvation: watching everything drift and vanish.

Introduction

This five-session intensive workshop, structured with a distinctly experimental approach, invites participants to explore the intuitive and intellectual origins of illustration. It is designed for artists who aim not only to transcend technique, but to weave a poetic and intellectual bond between creative action and their own stylistic vision. We will not learn how to draw; we will learn how to measure the abyss.

While we learn drawing techniques, the use of acrylic paint, and layering, we will also work on conceptual and artistic structures.

Tarih: 06 – 10 Temmuz 2026

Venue – Irmak Köşkü, Alumni Association Complex – Winter Garden, Caddebostan, Istanbul.

Address – Aşıklar Çıkmazı No: 1, Caddebostan, Istanbul.

Workshop Objectives

• Conceptual structures
• By working at an advanced level with conceptual and artistic structures, we will transform ideas into an image that carries layers of meaning and fits fully into a professional context.
• Advanced techniques
• We will recognize and apply drawing and painting techniques by focusing on acrylic and layering—especially for light and depth management, which are essential.

5-Session Workshop Program

Session I

• Creative process – the knowledge of what I don’t remember. Memory and essence in image creation
• Conceptual equation and figuration

Session II

• Introduction to materials and technique with acrylic medium – grisaille, layering, and medium use

Session III

• Awareness of what I know I don’t know, yet still recognize
• Developing the first sketches and defining details
• Narrative structure, storyboard, and connections

Session IV

• Character
• Composition of scenes

Session V

• Project, concept art, and critical review

Materials

• 10 photographs or prints that can be cut or altered (any type and size; chosen according to the participant’s taste; images can be printed on any kind of paper).
• 10 words cut from any source.
• 5 photocopies or laser prints with various patterns, geometric textures, ornaments, scientific images, and flower or plant images for transfers (must not be inkjet prints), black and white.
• Basic acrylic paints – red, yellow, blue, black, and white + “parchment” color, 120 ml tubes.
• Brushes – no specific type or brand is required; you may use any brushes you already have. However, the following 5 basic brushes are recommended:
  • 2 flat acrylic brushes (example: no. 2 and no. 10)
  • 2 round watercolor brushes (example: no. 2 and no. 20)
  • 1 liner 00 brush
• Soft colored pencils (non-water-soluble)
• 4B and H graphite pencils
• Tracing paper
• Matte acrylic medium (Winsor or Liquitex)
• Slow drying medium (Winsor or Liquitex)
• 120 g paper for painting – type/brand doesn’t matter, blocks or single sheets are fine
• Brown watercolor tape (water-activated)
• Wooden board 60 × 40 cm, 12 mm thick (a smaller board is possible for travelers; for example A4, 9 mm)
• Scissors, craft knife, and any other tools you are used to
• It is also recommended to bring a water container, a palette (or plate) for mixing colors, and a cloth for drying.

Sanatçı Hakkında

Gabriel Pacheco is a Mexican painter and illustrator born in 1973. He is particularly known for his dreamlike, poetic, and gently melancholic visual language, especially through his interpretations of children’s books and literary texts.

He studied stage design at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico and also earned a diploma in art history from the National Center for the Arts in Mexico. Working in illustration since 1998, the artist has received numerous international recognitions and awards, including a Special Mention in the New Horizons category at Bologna Ragazzi 2009.

Pacheco’s books and works have gained broad international visibility and have been included in prestigious selections such as White Ravens and AIGA 50 Books / 50 Covers. He also served as the artistic director of the International Children’s Book Illustration Exhibition “Le Immagini della Fantasia” in Sarmede.