studio schmal presents:
Seeds of fables
Illustration workshop with guest teacher Jesús Cisneros in Erlau from 24.06. till 01.07.2022
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“I understand drawing as something essential, that brings us closer to life and helps realizing it.”
– Jesús Cisneros
In this sense the course will be a journey that allows illuminating important aspects of our relationship with drawing, from its capacity to recreate the world and its relation with memory to its narrative and symbolic potential. We will be traveling through diverse techniques and themes. It will be mainly an encounter with the pleasure of drawing, discovering with our hands the expressiveness of black and white and the possibilities of color.
Our exploration will be nourished by the close by nature, we will enjoy a walk to observe and take notes. On the other hand the dynamic of the workshop itself will increase the crossover and interchange of ideas in a way that each participant will develop a personal project, while his/her work will also be a fruit of meeting and exchanging with the group. We will pass the intimate insight of drawing to the collective experience of narration, studying the relationships between words and images.
Guest teacher
Jesús Cisneros (Zaragoza, Spain, 1969) studied illustration at the School of Applied Arts and art history at the University of Zaragoza. He has published books in collaboration with publishing houses in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Italy and the United Kingdom and has collaborated in various editorial projects. His artwork has been exhibited in Mexico City, Seoul, Marseille, Porto and several times at the children’s book fair in Bologna and at „Illustrarte“ Lisbon. Between 2013 and 2018 he lived in Mexico City where he was combining his work as a freelance illustrator with teaching as a professor at UNAM and the Centre for Design, Film and Television. At the end of 2018 he moved back to Spain, where he works and resides in his home town Zaragoza and is teaching around Europe and abroad. His picturesque, wild and colorful work sprinkles pure creativity and joy and always seeks the encounter between diverse worlds such as drawing, painting, literature and cinema.
About us
We are Johanna and Cristóbal Schmal, both artists ourselves working across fine and applied arts, such as illustration, textiles, paintings and drawings. We are inspired by the source of nature and its rhythms, by crafts and folk art, by the mysticism and character of places, by the childly spirit, by people, their countries and cultural traditions. Our vision is to celebrate and promote creativity, awake this creative energy that is our essence as humans and that can lead us towards new paths with ourselves, each other, our planet and a universal connection. We believe in the power of community and cultural, social and creative exchange which is why we hold this workshop as an integrally artistic, mindful and familial experience. We hope you will enjoy.
The experience
Our aim is to offer a holistic experience with the workshop as its heart and the possibility to connect with nature, the group and yourself in this special location far away from the day to day routines as its body. We want you to nourish with creativity, with fresh air and natural surroundings, with good conversations and new networks, with fondly prepared vegetarian food and plenty of space for movement or hanging out. You can expand your creative horizon and community while gifting yourself with self-care and most important of all having a good and unforgettable time ︎
The venue
The seven days lasting workshop will take place at a former farm Erlenhof-Erlau, a scenic location in the middle of UNESCO Geopark Bergstraße-Odenwald around 1h south of Frankfurt am Main. The stream valley near Fränkisch-Crumbach is surrounded by sunny hills and broad-leaved forests, offering nature at its fullest with plenty of possibilities for hiking, strolling around, sun baths and shadowy rests by the brook. Thanks to the beautifully equipped apartments we can not only work at these grounds but also stay over, benefitting from the possibilities of exchange as well as ease in the meantime.
Seeds of fables
Illustration workshop with guest teacher Jesús Cisneros in Erlau from 24.06. till 01.07.2022

“I understand drawing as something essential, that brings us closer to life and helps realizing it.”
– Jesús Cisneros
In this sense the course will be a journey that allows illuminating important aspects of our relationship with drawing, from its capacity to recreate the world and its relation with memory to its narrative and symbolic potential. We will be traveling through diverse techniques and themes. It will be mainly an encounter with the pleasure of drawing, discovering with our hands the expressiveness of black and white and the possibilities of color.
Our exploration will be nourished by the close by nature, we will enjoy a walk to observe and take notes. On the other hand the dynamic of the workshop itself will increase the crossover and interchange of ideas in a way that each participant will develop a personal project, while his/her work will also be a fruit of meeting and exchanging with the group. We will pass the intimate insight of drawing to the collective experience of narration, studying the relationships between words and images.
Guest teacher
Jesús Cisneros (Zaragoza, Spain, 1969) studied illustration at the School of Applied Arts and art history at the University of Zaragoza. He has published books in collaboration with publishing houses in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Italy and the United Kingdom and has collaborated in various editorial projects. His artwork has been exhibited in Mexico City, Seoul, Marseille, Porto and several times at the children’s book fair in Bologna and at „Illustrarte“ Lisbon. Between 2013 and 2018 he lived in Mexico City where he was combining his work as a freelance illustrator with teaching as a professor at UNAM and the Centre for Design, Film and Television. At the end of 2018 he moved back to Spain, where he works and resides in his home town Zaragoza and is teaching around Europe and abroad. His picturesque, wild and colorful work sprinkles pure creativity and joy and always seeks the encounter between diverse worlds such as drawing, painting, literature and cinema.



About us
We are Johanna and Cristóbal Schmal, both artists ourselves working across fine and applied arts, such as illustration, textiles, paintings and drawings. We are inspired by the source of nature and its rhythms, by crafts and folk art, by the mysticism and character of places, by the childly spirit, by people, their countries and cultural traditions. Our vision is to celebrate and promote creativity, awake this creative energy that is our essence as humans and that can lead us towards new paths with ourselves, each other, our planet and a universal connection. We believe in the power of community and cultural, social and creative exchange which is why we hold this workshop as an integrally artistic, mindful and familial experience. We hope you will enjoy.
The experience
Our aim is to offer a holistic experience with the workshop as its heart and the possibility to connect with nature, the group and yourself in this special location far away from the day to day routines as its body. We want you to nourish with creativity, with fresh air and natural surroundings, with good conversations and new networks, with fondly prepared vegetarian food and plenty of space for movement or hanging out. You can expand your creative horizon and community while gifting yourself with self-care and most important of all having a good and unforgettable time ︎






The venue
The seven days lasting workshop will take place at a former farm Erlenhof-Erlau, a scenic location in the middle of UNESCO Geopark Bergstraße-Odenwald around 1h south of Frankfurt am Main. The stream valley near Fränkisch-Crumbach is surrounded by sunny hills and broad-leaved forests, offering nature at its fullest with plenty of possibilities for hiking, strolling around, sun baths and shadowy rests by the brook. Thanks to the beautifully equipped apartments we can not only work at these grounds but also stay over, benefitting from the possibilities of exchange as well as ease in the meantime.
Schedule
Friday 24.06.2022 (afternoon) till Friday 01.07.2022 (noon)
The first day is for arrival during the afternoon, calm down, getting to know each other, setting up and have a common dinner at night.
Saturday early morning we are planning to start with an initial Yoga practice to get our creative energies flowing. Obviously this will be for all levels.
The illustration course will then start after breakfast and we will work the whole week till Thursday with the possibility to go on a group hike one afternoon and see more of the area. Of course you can integrate smaller walks as a daily routine if you like. The last day we are going to present the results and have a goodbye brunch, the course will end at noon.
Extra Yoga classes with Pia (20morgen.de) can be booked if there is a minimum of 6 participants. If you are interested in that option, please let us know.
Accommodation
The group will be accommodated for 7 nights in the comfortable apartments of Erlenhof with rooms for usually 2 persons.
Catering
Enjoying meals together is - apart from nurturing - a great opportunity for chatting, exchange and getting to know each other better and we therefore consider it to play an important role in the whole experience. Cooking itself is a creative process and we are very happy to have the support of Teresa and Carlos an italian-columbian-duo and artists themselves. They will take care of lunch, dinner and self-serviced breakfast.
Participants
The course is open for anybody, it is not necessary to have previous knowledge in illustration. Please note that a minimum of 14 participants is needed to realize the course.
Language
The course will be held in Spanish with translation to English. Also there are German speakers around of course, but please note that we cannot provide two complete translations.
Transport
There are several possibilities to get to Erlau. The first option is coming by car, you could organize as a group with other participants and we can help connecting you with each other. Fränkisch-Crumbach can also be reached by public transport. There are trains running between Frankfurt / Darmstadt and Reinheim, from there you can take the bus to Fränkisch-Crumbach and walk the last 2km to Erlau valley. In this case we can organize a shuttle for your luggage ;-) You could also bring your bike and ride from Reinheim to Erlau.
Price
Course fee: 495€
Accomodation: 265€
Full board: 215€
Total 975€
(Price includes 7% taxes and can be paid in 2 rates)
Registration
Via email at hello@johannaschmal.com as possible until 12.04.2022.
Please note
We will have to follow the current Covid-19 regulations at that time, which we cannot anticipate for now.
Friday 24.06.2022 (afternoon) till Friday 01.07.2022 (noon)
The first day is for arrival during the afternoon, calm down, getting to know each other, setting up and have a common dinner at night.
Saturday early morning we are planning to start with an initial Yoga practice to get our creative energies flowing. Obviously this will be for all levels.
The illustration course will then start after breakfast and we will work the whole week till Thursday with the possibility to go on a group hike one afternoon and see more of the area. Of course you can integrate smaller walks as a daily routine if you like. The last day we are going to present the results and have a goodbye brunch, the course will end at noon.
Extra Yoga classes with Pia (20morgen.de) can be booked if there is a minimum of 6 participants. If you are interested in that option, please let us know.
Accommodation
The group will be accommodated for 7 nights in the comfortable apartments of Erlenhof with rooms for usually 2 persons.
Catering
Enjoying meals together is - apart from nurturing - a great opportunity for chatting, exchange and getting to know each other better and we therefore consider it to play an important role in the whole experience. Cooking itself is a creative process and we are very happy to have the support of Teresa and Carlos an italian-columbian-duo and artists themselves. They will take care of lunch, dinner and self-serviced breakfast.
Participants
The course is open for anybody, it is not necessary to have previous knowledge in illustration. Please note that a minimum of 14 participants is needed to realize the course.
Language
The course will be held in Spanish with translation to English. Also there are German speakers around of course, but please note that we cannot provide two complete translations.
Transport
There are several possibilities to get to Erlau. The first option is coming by car, you could organize as a group with other participants and we can help connecting you with each other. Fränkisch-Crumbach can also be reached by public transport. There are trains running between Frankfurt / Darmstadt and Reinheim, from there you can take the bus to Fränkisch-Crumbach and walk the last 2km to Erlau valley. In this case we can organize a shuttle for your luggage ;-) You could also bring your bike and ride from Reinheim to Erlau.
Price
Course fee: 495€
Accomodation: 265€
Full board: 215€
Total 975€
(Price includes 7% taxes and can be paid in 2 rates)
Registration
Via email at hello@johannaschmal.com as possible until 12.04.2022.
Please note
We will have to follow the current Covid-19 regulations at that time, which we cannot anticipate for now.