SKILLS Launches Across Three Vancouver Schools

This September, SKILLS Vancouver is launching Atelier BD & Création across three school communities in Vancouver.

The program will begin with:

Les Copains — École Rose-des-Vents
La Marelle — École des Colibris
Les Aventuriers — Queen Elizabeth Annex

This first edition will run during the first trimester of the school year, giving children several weeks to explore, experiment, and gradually develop their own creative world.

Throughout the trimester, children will be invited to imagine their own hero, build a world around that character, create supporting characters, explore different stories, and bring their ideas to life through drawing and comics.

The goal is not to teach children how to draw “the right way.”

It is to give them the space, tools, time, and confidence to explore their imagination and create something that genuinely belongs to them.

Each child will move at their own pace, develop their own visual language, and make their own creative choices.

At the end of the trimester, their work will be prepared and brought together into a published comic book they can take home and be proud of.

This first-trimester launch marks an exciting step for SKILLS and the beginning of a creative journey we hope will grow alongside the children, schools, and communities taking part.

Three schools. One trimester. Countless ideas waiting to come to life.

Credit: Matthieu

Creating the Hero

Creating the Hero

During the first session of Atelier BD & Création, each child begins by creating their hero.

They imagine their hero’s appearance, personality, strengths, flaws, and all the little details that make them unique.

The goal is not simply to draw a character, but to begin giving that character a real identity.

This hero then becomes the thread that connects the experience.

Over the following weeks, the hero will discover their world, meet other characters, and take part in different adventures imagined by the child.

Everything begins with a character. Then, little by little, their story comes to life.

Creating the World of Their Hero

Creating the World of Their Hero

During the second session of Atelier BD & Création, each child imagines the world in which their hero will live.

They may create a city, a forest, a mountain, a planet, or any other place inspired by their imagination.

The goal is not simply to draw a setting, but to begin building a world that belongs to their character.

This world will then become the setting for their different adventures.

Over the following weeks, the hero will explore these places, meet other characters, and experience stories imagined by the child.

Everything begins with a hero. Then, around them, an entire world comes to life.

Creating the Supporting Characters

Creating the Supporting Characters

During the third session of Atelier BD & Création, each child imagines the supporting characters who will help bring their hero’s world to life.

They may create friends, family members, animals, rivals, or any other characters who will each have their own role in the story.

The goal is to add more depth to the comic’s world and begin creating the relationships that will shape future adventures.

These new characters can accompany the hero, help them, surprise them, or sometimes make life a little more complicated.

Little by little, it is no longer just a hero coming to life, but an entire world growing around them.

Behind the Creative Process

Behind the Creative Process

During Atelier BD & Création, children also take time to explore their ideas through sketches and preparatory drawings.

These first drafts give them the freedom to test a scene, an expression, a movement, or simply an idea without trying to create a perfect drawing right away.

The goal is to make room for experimentation and to show children that a story can evolve before finding its final form.

Some ideas will become full adventures. Others may remain as drawings, experiments, or stories that were not selected.

All of these sketches become part of the creative journey and may find their place in the final book.