‘Villains' Steal the Limelight at 12th Sharjah Children's Reading Festival

Children learn to draw crooked faces and exaggerated features at the ‘Villain Character Building’ workshop

Sharjah, May 24, 2021

Who loves the bad guys? 

Not everybody cares only for the superhero; villains too seem to have a fair share of fans – especially amongst the 7 to 11-year-old visitors at the ongoing 12th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival who have been queueing up for the popular ‘Villain Character Building’ workshop at the dedicated Comics Station in Hall 3 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

10-year-old Zayed walked into the workshop with a clear idea of the villain he wanted to sketch – the Joker, the ultimate villain in the Batman series. “I have watched the film and the Joker is super scary. Yes, Batman is the superhero, but I love the Joker because his teeth and his smile look so terrifying!” 

Zayed initially struggled with the outline of the face and was coaxed into adopting a more flexible approach in getting the form and proportions right. In his next attempt, he sketched out the exaggerated features with precision, opting for a sunny yellow to accentuate the teeth and eyes of one of the most villainous characters in the comic books’ universe. 

The workshops at the Comics Station at SCRF 2021, which concludes on May 29, are open to children of all age groups.