Weaving Disability & Diverse Bodies into Your Character Design (Afternoon Session)

This is a free workshop for artists who want to weave more disabled and body-diverse characters into their work, and are seeking insights, tips, and resources on how to do this with a high level of intentionality and care. (If you can't make this time, there's an evening session as well!)

We will explore:

• Key ideas and terms from disability studies that artists should know
• Representations of disabled & diverse bodies in popular media – unpacking harmful tropes + gushing about characters and stories we love
• Drawing disabled characters – familiarizing ourselves with a wide range of disabilities and assistive devices, looking at existing media to discuss what's successful (and not), and tips from disabled artists themselves
• Drawing characters with a wider range of body types & physical features – why it’s important, unpacking the pitfalls of 'traditional' character design (avoiding racism, sexism, Eurocentric beauty standards, etc.), how to find stronger reference photos, plus recommendations for artists and educators to follow online
• Drawing fat characters – the ‘visual language’ of fatness in media, what artists get wrong about fat bodies, and joyful visions for more nuanced fat representation

Format/vibe:

This workshop will have a facilitator-led presentation and be lively and conversational! This is a chance for a small group of artists to dive deeply into these topics together with curiosity, enthusiasm, and verve. Disabled attendees will be invited (NOT required) to share critical insights from their lives and work, and non-disabled attendees will be invited to ask vulnerable questions for the room to tackle as a team. We’ll afford each other grace to get things wrong – knowing that our shared goal is learning and growth – and enjoy being in the company of fellow art nerds who care about representation.

What to bring:

You don’t need to bring anything to benefit from this workshop, but are welcome to bring:

• A sketchbook & pencil or pen (if you like to take visual notes or focus best while doodling)
• Characters you've drawn (to introduce yourself to the group, give a sense of your art, or ask for feedback)
• Any personal items you need for comfort and focus (assistive devices, water bottle, snack, seat cushion or preferred chair, sensory or fidget items, noise-reducing headphones, etc.)

Venue & parking:

• VENUE: This workshop will take place inside Crescent Beach Community Gallery at 12160 Beecher St, Surrey, BC. Visit our FAQs for more information about the space and accessibility considerations.
• PARKING: Parking around the gallery can be a challenge, so please leave yourself plenty of time to find a spot, or consider using public transportation (you can map out your trip using TransLink’s Trip Planner).

Reserving seats:

• We have 10 seats available for workshop attendees and kindly require RSVPs to make sure we don't run out of chairs or supplies.
• If this workshop fills up, you can RSVP for the evening session or join our waiting list if you'd like to be notified if someone else cancels for the afternoon session. The facilitator is open to scheduling additional workshops if there's interest!

Questions / contact:

Please email ArtAllAlong@gmail.com if you have any questions or accessibility requests.

Meet the facilitator

Danielle Mijo-Burch (www.mijoburch.com) is a cartoonist and graphic designer based in S'ólh Téméxw (Abbotsford, BC, Canada). Importantly for this workshop, she is also a fat and disabled artist (hearing aid user, neurodivergent) who is experienced talking about these topics with knowledge, humour, and care!

Danielle holds a BA in Ethnic, Gender, and Labour Studies from the University of Washington, and has spent the bulk of her 13-year career designing for non-profits and higher education. In 2021, she transitioned to freelancing to take on illustrative projects that indulge her love of fantasy, inclusive character design, and comedic storytelling. Some of her biggest influences include Over the Garden Wall, Studio Ghibli, Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant), and Abby Howard (The Last Halloween, Scarlet Hollow).

Danielle has created art for the McElroy Brothers (of the hit comedy podcast My Brother, My Brother, and Me), Jam in Jubilee 2022–2024 (a summer arts/music festival hosted by the Abbotsford Arts Council), Tabletop Weekend 2024 at Capital Mall Olympia, and a variety of other causes that focus on nerdery and community connection. She also designed and illustrated Emails to Emily Dickinson (2022), a visual memoir by Amelia Glebocki about the “invisible lives” of grocery store workers at the outbreak of COVID-19, which earned a nod online from award-winning author and McArthur fellow Kiese Laymon.

Danielle is one of six BC-based artists showing work at Crescent Beach Community Gallery from Nov. 21–Dec. 14, 2025, in a free art exhibition and workshop series titled ‘It’s Been Art All Along: Women Making Sense/Cents Through Art in a World on Fire.' You can read more about the show at bit.ly/ArtAllAlong.