Over 150 workshops led by artists and experts from April 23 to May 4
Sharjah, April 18, 2025
The Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) returns for its 16th edition, bringing the colourful world of illustrated storytelling to life through its lively Comics Corner, where creativity, imagination and hands-on fun come together.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority from April 23 to May 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, the Comics Corner will host 150 engaging activities, including hands-on workshops and interactive sessions. Designed for comic book fans, young creatives, and curious families, the programme offers everything from manga drawing and digital storytelling to animation, 3D design, and more.
Workshops to develop skills and spark creativity
One of the festival’s most eye-catching workshops, ‘Thread Art’, invites young creators to turn simple threads into bold works of art, drawing inspiration from the dynamic visuals of pop art and comic storytelling.
In ‘Manga Drawing Techniques’, kids will dive into the expressive world of Japanese comics, learning how to sketch characters, shape emotions, and plan their panels. Over in ‘Writing Dialogue’, they’ll discover how to craft punchy, powerful lines that bring comic scenes to life.
Led by Dora Wang, the workshop ‘Creating One-Page Comics’ guides children through the full process of comic creation, from shaping a story and designing scenes to laying out panels and placing dialogue bubbles just right.
From paper petals to clay and wood, creativity takes many forms. In ‘Comic-Inspired Flowers’, children create colourful blooms inspired by their favourite characters. ‘Wooden Comic Designs’ lets them carve out bold masks, while ‘Clay Creations’ introduces the hands-on joy of shaping pottery.
Hands-on fun continues with workshops that mix art and everyday objects. In ‘Candle Design Inspired by Comic Characters’, kids craft their quirky candles. ‘Bag Design with Your Own Comic Art’ turns plain tote bags into personal canvases, while ‘Upcycling Metal Cans into Comic Art’ transforms recyclables into striking creations.
The ‘Creating Digital Comics’ workshop introduces young artists to the tools behind today’s digital storytelling. Using apps like Procreate and Clip Studio Paint, they’ll explore digital brushes, layers, and colouring techniques to bring their ideas to life on screen.
Tech-savvy creators can explore the future of design in two exciting workshops. ‘3D Modelling in Blender’ teaches the basics of building digital worlds and characters, while ‘AI Character Design in 3D’ shows how AI can turn a simple sketch into a fully formed 3D figure.
For those with big ideas, ‘Game Development from Scratch’ turns imagination into interactive fun, teaching kids how to build their own playable games. Meanwhile, ‘Starting Your Own Company’ walks them through the first steps of launching a business, blending creativity with entrepreneurship.
Celebrated singer and vocal coach Ali Al Alfy, known for blending classical and modern Arabic music, leads the ‘Singing Workshop for Children’. Through fun, interactive exercises, he introduces young voices to vocal basics while encouraging self-expression, creativity, and confidence on stage.
In the ‘Children’s Literature Translation’ session, Hesham Fahmy explores how to adapt stories for young readers, focusing on cultural context and selecting the right language for every age group.
In ‘Introduction to Comics Creation’, writer Karim Ahmed introduces children to the fundamentals of storytelling through pictures, guiding them through character design, visual pacing and layout planning. Mohamed Esmat adds a spooky edge with ‘Writing Horror Stories for Children’, helping kids craft age-appropriate tales with just the right amount of thrill. He also joins the ‘Panel on Comic Translation’, sharing insights from his work on the Arabic version of DC’s Superman series.
Voice artist and dubbing director Asmaa Sameer invites children into the world of voiceovers with ‘Dubbing Secrets’. The session features a Disney film she helped adapt into Arabic, followed by an engaging Q&A where young attendees get to uncover how their favourite characters find their voices.
Children can bring their stories to life on screen in ‘Digital Drawing for Children’, an interactive workshop where artist Sarah Yasso guides them through using tablets to create expressive, illustrated tales. Meanwhile, Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi leads a lively reading session. He joins the ‘Panel on Comic Translation’, offering insights from his translation work on titles like Absolute Batman and novels by Isaac Asimov and Brandon Sanderson.
‘The World of Podcasting’ opens the mic to young voices as Mostafa Khadr walks them through turning an idea into a full-fledged podcast. The session gives kids the tools to launch their first audio show, from planning and recording to storytelling techniques.
Full information about the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival is available at: https://www.scrf.ae/
-ENDS-