Summer 2025
Building Worlds: Writing and Drawing for Digital Storytelling
June 3 — July 10
Tuesdays & Thursdays
5:30 — 7:00 PM PST
Have you always wanted to bring your story to life in words and images? This all-level beginner workshop will spark your creativity by exploring creative writing and art practices for animation. We will build a safe space for participants to experiment with different ways of building worlds through character development, environments, and storylines. Instructors will guide you through collective exercises that will allow you to connect your personal experiences and backgrounds to creative ideas for digital storytelling. You will come out of the workshop with foundational skills in: art techniques such as sketching, composition, and storyboarding and writing tools such as narrative development, story arc building, and generative and mindful writing.
Whether you want to create for yourself, or animation, film, books, or video games, this workshop provides a creative sandbox to experiment, learn, and grow. And, you know what the best part is? You don’t need any experience in writing or drawing to join us for a summer of digital storytelling to build worlds!
You may write your assignments in Spanish but facilitation will take place in English.
Meet Our Instructors
Yairamaren Maldonado completed her Ph.D. in Latin American and Caribbean Literature and New Media at UC Berkeley, is a published writer, and has over 15 years of experience co-creating community-based storytelling with hundreds of folks in California, Latin America, and the Caribbean. She is also the founder and executive director of Escritura Pública, a non-profit dedicated to uplifting BIPOC women’s voices through storytelling, the literary arts, and multimedia publications. Author of academic research articles such as “Methodological reconfiguration for digital storytelling for Latin American Studies and Humanizando la deportación”, her second book Sci-fi at the Mirador (2022), and the substack newsletter Escritura Imperfecta.
Tim Evatt is going on his 20th year as a design veteran whose career has spanned both video games and animated films. He currently works at Pixar Animation Studios, having designed sets for Inside Out 2 and production-designed the movie Lightyear. His other credits include Toy Story 3, Coco, and Soul, to name a few.
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You will learn foundational skills in storytelling and drawing, gaining an overview of storytelling before freely exploring through different writing and drawing exercises.
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You will draw from your personal experiences and voice to develop characters through writing exercises and character profiles. Using scribbles, you will begin shaping the look of your characters—yes, scribbles!
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You will engage in mindful writing exercises to connect with your senses and create vivid setting descriptions. Using silhouettes and shading techniques, you will bring your environments to life and build immersive fictional worlds.
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You will weave together the elements of storytelling to craft a compelling narrative. By revisiting storytelling fundamentals, you will develop strong story arcs and defining moments to build a solid foundation for any story.
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You will sharpen your storytelling skills and gain confidence in editing your work. Through guided exercises, you will refine your story’s details—both in words and visuals—so you’ll always know when your work is ready to share.
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You will present your finalized or drafted stories in small groups, where instructors and industry professionals will provide constructive feedback, helping you grow as a storyteller and artist.
Register
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Early bird special
Register now until March 31, 2025 and receive a 50% discount!
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Student discount
Are you a UC Berkeley student? You are eligible to receive an 67% discount!
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Summer 2025 pass
Get access to this amazing program!