Children’s book illustrator, mixed media artist and art facilitator based in East Sussex.
Workshops
In the past 5 years, I have been organising and planning learning activities oriented towards school-age children and toddlers in a museum setting, which included arts & crafts events and storytelling sessions. Currently available for visits, talks and workshops - both online and in person - and for a variety of age groups.
Previous Workshops
Cuckoo Trail Workshops
Giulia was commissioned by award-winning PR and marketing consultancy Prowse & Co and Wealden District Council to develop a series of STEM and creative workshops, inspired by the history of the Cuckoo Line and the Wildlife that now populates the Cuckoo Trail, to deliver between March 2024 – December 2024 in different local primary schools and care homes across Wealden District, as part of the UKSPF (UK Shared Prosperity Fund).
Cuckoo Collage Workshop
Using leaves, pressed flowers and different textured paper, attendees had the opportunity to create their own collage masterpiece, inspired by the birds that now populates and live on the Cuckoo trail.
Artworks created by pupils from Punnets Town Community Primary School, Parkside Community Primary School, and Manor Primary School.
Nest Building and Flower Pressing Workshop
Using twigs, leaves and flowers collected along the trail, and traditional binding materials like clay, yarn wool and paper, children had the opportunity to recreate and build magnificent bird's nest replicas.
Nests created by pupils from Manor Primary School, Maynards Green Community Primary School and Polegate School.
Drawing with Ink Workshop
This playful and fun activity didn't require the use of any pencils, instead attendees would use twigs and sustainable support materials (ink brushes, ink pads) to create their own wildlife masterpiece, through a series of quick and timed warm-up exercises, focusing on mark-making and with absolutely no expectation!
In the final part of the workshop pupils had a deeper look at the nature they could can find along the Cuckoo Trail, using a combination of photographic references and some of the natural materials collected along the trail, putting into practice the techniques they previously learnt.
Artworks created by pupils from Blackboys Church of England Primary School.
Cuckoo Line Accordion Book Workshop
In this exciting workshop attendees created a train-shaped “accordion book” about the history of the people who lived and worked along the Cuckoo Line. This activity combined historical facts and imagination, with the use of techniques such collage, drawing, and painting.
Artwork samples created by Giulia Casarotto.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Accordion Books created by pupils from Park Mead Primary School.
.png)
.png)
Paint Class: Go Wild! Illustrate your Wildlife postcard
In this fun and informative workshop, students learnt how to create stunning postcards inspired by the curious animal characters in the vibrant natural world found along the coasts of England.
Fantastical Figureheads
Cutty Sark is looking for a new figurehead! After more than 150 years of service, Nanny the Witch has decided to retire and create trouble elsewhere. Taking inspiration from Royal Museums Greenwich vast collection of figureheads we invited families to reimagine and design a new figurehead for the ship!
The new Cutty Sark figureheads that families created during this 3-day workshop, during Easter Half Term 2023.
The Wild Escape: Make a Wildlife Comic
As part of The Wild Escape project, Prendergast Ladywell School and Trinity Primary School joined me for a day of workshops, where together we created colourful comic strips, depicting storylines which saw the animals escaping the Horniman Natural History Gallery, and returning to their wild habitat.
Two of the five boards, that pupils from Prendergast Ladywell School and Trinity Primary School created as part of the Wild Escape project, in collaboration with Art Fund. These boards were on display between April and June 2023 in the Horniman Gardens.
Earth Day Workshop
Choose your favourite animal and imagine its wild escape to a habitat rich in life. Does your wildlife hero run, swim, crawl or fly? Draw pictures to illustrate your story and let your imagination go wild! Get ready to design your comic book inspired by the wildlife found inside the Horniman Museum & Gardens Collections.
This workshop was part of The Wild Escape, a major new project led by Art Fund uniting hundreds of museums with schools and families in a celebration of UK wildlife and creativity. The pictures and stories children create were brought together in a collective work of art that imagined a better future for the wildlife on our doorstep, launched online and in venues across the UK on Earth Day 2023.
Horniman Museum and Gardens: Museum Club
In November 2022 I was appointed by the Horniman Museum & Gardens to design and facilitate two workshops for their "Museum Clubs", a 10-week after-school club, for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Together we created a climate pledge board, posters and signages to encourage school groups, who regularly visit the museum Education Centre, to responsibly recycle.
Climate Pledge Board designed with Athelney Primary School.
The final designs of the bin posters created with Athelney Primary School.
Polly Plum Brave Adventurer: Draw Along - Events
During these two events, I had the opportunity to teach families how to draw different characters from my book Polly Plum: Brave Adventurer, such as singing pirates, a boastful ghost, and a very hungry walrus, while adding some insights on how I developed each one of them.
The events were based at the National Maritime Museum and Cutty Sark
At Sea Without Tea - Read & Draw Along Workshop
Follow Cutty Sark cook James Robson across the seven seas, as he searches for Tea for Captain Woodget! Read along and learn how to draw his animal friends, Dinah the Panda, Vervet the Monkey & Oz the Kangaroo.
