History Department. Masterclass at the HUB

Participants were challenged to move away from the conventional approach—"first conceptualize the story, then illustrate it"—and dive into the process almost blindly. Each person drew a random emoji card, and the resulting symbol became a new element of the collective narrative. Gradually, isolated images that seemed completely unrelated began to weave together into a plot that could not be entirely predicted beforehand: every new card had the potential to shift the narrative’s direction and compel participants to find unexpected connections between previous events.

When the overall story was conceived, participants translated it into a visual form, sketching out individual scenes. Thus, during the workshop, we traveled a short path—from a random image and a first association to a finished comic panel.The main objective was to demonstrate that creating a narrative does not always require starting with a clear plot or a predetermined plan. Sometimes, constraints and randomness actually help discover ideas faster, experiment with unexpected solutions, and build upon what has already appeared on the page.

At the end of the master class, we reviewed the sketches and discussed how the same initial idea can develop differently depending on the author’s perspective. The format allowed participants not only to try their hand at creating a comic but also to practically experience the method of collaborative storytelling.

The master class was held as part of the anti-conference program in collaboration with the organizers of HSE Art and Design School: the theme and format were agreed upon in advance, after which I independently prepared the lesson mechanics, materials, and conducted it at the HUB venue.