Emirati artists take comics seriously

Sara Al Saeedi was one of the students drawing at the workshop at the Al Jalila Children’s Centre in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI // Comic-book artists hoping to catch a publisher’s eye honed their skills at a cartoon workshop ahead of a book festival celebrating UAE literature and culture.

The skills to produce comics and children’s literature were polished at a four-day event hosted by the UAE Board on Books for Young People and the Goethe-Institute German Language Centre. The best work from young Emiratis will be displayed at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair on Saturday.

Japanese manga-style was popular among artists at the Al Jalila Children’s Centre in Dubai.

Inga Steinmetz, from Berlin, started writing and drawing comics at 15 and is most known for her works Cheeky Girls – Cheeky Manga, Grimms Manga and Alpha Girl.

Steinmetz was guiding workshop students.

“Some of the artists are on a professional level, others just want to improve their drawing,” she said. “Many are clearly inspired by Japanese manga cartoons or American comics.

“Inspiration can dry up very quickly, so I have been teaching them to develop a structure so they don’t get lost.”

The workshop theme was inspired by popular stories from science fiction and featured 15 Emirati artists and expatriates who learnt the art of storytelling with characters, key aspects of production and development, how to use the latest technologies available and useful tips for success.

Khadija Al Saeedi worked for four years with Cartoon Network studios in Abu Dhabi and was at the Dubai workshop to improve her writing skills.

“I wanted to refresh my skills and get involved in the comic industry,” she said. “I enjoy developing my characters, it is the most fun thing to do, to build a character from scratch and give them a personality and back story.”

Most artists who attended were self taught.

“I see artists in the UAE trying to sell their work every year at Comic Con, there is a lot of talent here but they do not always have the confidence to develop their work,” Ms Al Saeedi said.

“There isn’t a college here that focuses on that style of art, most focus on fine arts or traditional styles, rather than cartoons and animation.”

Emirati author Qais Sedki wrote the story for Golden Ring, with the manga-style cartoons done by Japanese artist Akita Himekawa. It is one of few manga cartoons with an Emirati theme.

Bettina Quabius, project coordinator, said: “We thought it would be important to have more local productions, rather than translations from English or other languages.

“We wanted to encourage Emiratis to join in the workshops.”