Past Workshops
Drawing and Modelling Workshops at “Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes”, Lisbon
Between 2009 and 2012, Mónica Cid developed and led a series of drawing and clay modelling workshops at the Sociedade Nacional de Belas Artes (SNBA), in Lisbon. These workshops explored drawing as a practice of attentive observation, using the diário gráfico (sketchbook) as a daily tool to register and reflect on the surrounding world. Participants were encouraged to draw beyond the studio, working directly from life in the streets around Avenida da Liberdade and its surroundings. Alongside this, clay modelling sessions focused on the study of the human figure through direct observation of a nude model. Drawing was approached as an exploratory tool — a way of understanding structure, weight, balance, and gesture — which naturally extended into three-dimensional work.
For Mónica, the boundaries between drawing and sculpture often dissolve: drawing becomes sculptural, and modelling becomes a form of drawing in space — shaping, refining, and discovering form through touch and observation. Through these workshops, she fostered a space for experimentation, attentive looking, and personal expression.
Drawing Workshops for Architect Students, University of Newcastle, England
Mónica Cid taught drawing and supported project work within the Architecture course at the University of Newcastle. Over four years, she was part of the teaching team leading second-year study trips — to Paris and Brussels — where drawing became a central tool for observing and understanding architecture. Students were encouraged to sketch continuously throughout the journeys, recording buildings, spaces, and details from works by Le Corbusier and other architects. Through drawing, they developed a deeper connection between seeing and understanding — reinforcing the idea that what is carefully observed and drawn becomes a lasting memory.
Modelling Workshop at “Arquivo Municipal de Cascais”, Cascais
Mónica Cid led a workshop at the Arquivo Municipal de Cascais, in the context of an exhibition of cartoon works by her father, Augusto Cid.
The workshop explored caricature through drawing and three-dimensional modelling, bringing together a diverse group of participants with varied professional backgrounds and ages ranging from 10 to over 70. Beginning with the observation of the face and the underlying structure of the head, participants were gradually encouraged to move into a more playful territory — experimenting with exaggeration, distortion, and different expressive possibilities. Moving between drawing and sculpture, the process invited a hands-on and intuitive understanding of form, where humour and observation came together naturally. The workshop unfolded as a lively and engaging space, where looking closely and allowing room for play became equally important.
Drawing Workshops at “Quinta dos Caniços”, Tires
Over the past years, Mónica Cid has led a series of drawing workshops at Quinta dos Caniços, in Tires, Portugal.
These workshops have explored drawing as a practice of attentive observation, across a variety of contexts and themes. From studying natural elements in the surrounding landscape to drawing in museums, observing and interpreting works by other artists, participants were encouraged to engage closely with what they saw. Working both indoors and outdoors, the sessions invited a slower way of looking — using drawing as a tool to understand form, light, and detail. Across the different workshops, Mónica fostered an environment of curiosity, experimentation, and personal discovery, where each participant could develop their own way of seeing and recording the world.