Workshop 1: Urban Sketching and Linocut

Teaching Staff: Yuliia Fomichova

Yuliia Fomichova is an experienced trainer, graphic designer and social entrepreneur whose professional journey bridges the fields of human rights, creative education and visual communication. As President of the Charitable Fund League of Tolerance in Ukraine, she has led countless initiatives aimed at empowering youth, promoting equality and developing non-formal education projects that focus on inclusion and intercultural dialogue. Yuliia is also an active freelance graphic designer and illustrator, with over 10 years of experience producing visual concepts, educational materials and creative content for NGOs and social projects.
Since 2020, she has been leading Urban Sketching communities in Ukraine and Sweden, helping participants to explore cities, capture everyday life and share personal perspectives through drawing. In Sweden, she has volunteered with children and youth projects and worked with RFSL Stockholm to provide peer-to-peer mental health support for asylum seekers. Her academic background combines applied chemistry and food technologies with creative design and visual communication, giving her a unique interdisciplinary perspective.
She has an impressive ability to integrate artistic practice, technical knowledge and social engagement into her trainings. Yuliia is passionate about building inclusive, creative environments where participants gain new skills, self-confidence and inspiration to express their ideas visually.

 

Workshop Description

Urban Sketching and Linocut

This workshop series is designed to equip students with a comprehensive set of skills in visual communication and creative expression. The program begins with an introduction to the role of visual communication in education, activism and everyday life. Participants will learn about scribing techniques, discovering how to capture ideas quickly through icons, symbols and simple sketches during live presentations. The training then transitions to Urban Sketching, where students are guided to observe and sketch their surroundings, gaining confidence in documenting architecture, people and city/rural life.

Building on these foundations, participants will explore infographic design, learning principles of data visualization, visual hierarchy and storytelling with images and text. They will also practice applying graphic design basics such as layout, color theory and composition, using both traditional and digital tools. Yuliia introduces participants to user-friendly design software, enabling them to create digital sketches, visual notes and infographics that communicate complex ideas in simple and appealing ways. The sessions also cover effective presentations, showing how to combine visual tools with storytelling for maximum impact.
The workshop culminates in a final project, where each participant produces a unique visual product: either a sketchbook, infographic or digital design; that demonstrates their acquired skills. By the end of the series, students will have developed a versatile toolkit for expressing ideas visually, empowering them to communicate with clarity, creativity and confidence.