Drawings from Catalunya

This section includes the Spanish researchers` reports and analysis of the drawings collected in three schools in the region of Catalonia. Laura Morejón Corredera sent us by mid 2007 the drawings from Olot-Girona in Spain. The 17 drawings were made by students from an art and design vocational course. Those drawings were pretty much influenced by comics, especially Japanese manga, normally mixed with other styles, for example some graffiti typography. A typical Japanese manga figure at this time had big and sparkling eyes, small nose, tiny mouth, and slim figure in fashionable dressing. Almost all the drawings were about practical objects or objects of desire (surf, clothes, sportive shoes, design objects). Esther Collados conducted the study in October 2007 with 45 students in the two schools where she conducted art classes in the city of Barcelona. According to her report, the influences of students between 15 and 16 years old are clearly related to: manga style and comics in general and graffiti. On one hand the messages that students want to communicate through their drawings are not always explicit, on the other hand, students are strongly concerned with the aesthetic aspects of their works. Older students’ drawings (18 years old) have more symbolic power. They are keen in communicating their concerns such as: 1º- Speed: The time passes very fast; 2 º- overloads: too many things to do in short time.