Sharjah24: Introducing Children to the Concept of Using Colors and Shapes to Effectively Design and Represent Emotions in Comics, Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) Background Design Workshop 11 days was the perfect opportunity for young artists to understand the vital role of color in the narrative of any illustrated book, not just comics.

“We teach children about the connection between colors and feelings, and its role in shaping the visual storyline of a comic strip. A red background, for example, is a popular signifier of anger or even excitement, while blue is generally associated with sadness, ”noted freelance architect and illustrator Samar Nemeh during the presentation of the workshop.

“They also learn to use different icons in a scene. For example, lightning, clouds or an explosion. All of this learning culminates in a fantastic result for these young artists when they understand how to marry these elements together on one page against various backgrounds like cityscapes or natural scenes, ”added Nemeh.

The participating children fully appreciate the simplicity and almost therapeutic quality of this workshop as they can tap into their own emotions and put their feelings on paper to describe their state of mind.

Learning the basics of cartoon illustration, how backgrounds can be manipulated by color, gives kids the benefit of using the same concept to create digital art. “Giving this kind of information to children from an early age helps them thrive in the art field. Art is constantly evolving – what children draw on paper they can also reproduce on a tablet using the same knowledge of colors and shapes, ”concludes Nemeh.