SHARJAH, 15th October, 2026 (WAM) -- The Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference (SACC 2026) will offer more than 25 activities to develop creative skills in visual storytelling, drawing, animation and character performance, bringing together comic artists, animators, writers and enthusiasts at Aljada, Sharjah, from 22 to 25 October.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the conference will bring together regional and international creative professionals, artists and emerging talent for workshops and masterclasses led by practitioners in comics, animation, filmmaking and product development.
In “From Comic Art to Collectables”, Hal Laren, comic artist, concept designer and publisher at Reaper Comics, will explore how comic artwork and character designs can be transformed into toys, statues and other collectables. Participants will learn about the creative and production decisions involved in translating two-dimensional illustrations into three-dimensional models.
Veteran Disney animator and director Robb Pratt will lead “Learning Traditional Animation”, demonstrating how hand-drawn animation principles can enhance comic art. Participants will explore movement, gesture and character performance to create more dynamic action poses, expressive characters and engaging sequential storytelling.
Pratt will join artist, writer, director and producer Shannon Eric Denton for “Writing for Animation – From Script to Screen”. The masterclass will examine how storytelling techniques from comics can be adapted for animation, covering pacing, dialogue, visual storytelling and character development. It will also explore collaboration among writers, storyboard artists, directors, animators and voice performers in bringing stories from script to screen.
Stunt performer and actor Lauren Mary Kim will lead “The Art of Lightsaber Dueling”, drawing on her experience as the motion-capture performer for Ahsoka Tano in Season 7 of The Clone Wars. Through demonstrations of movement, stance and choreography, she will explain how martial arts can convey character and create convincing cinematic combat.
“The Cosplay Life Drawing Masterclass” will offer participants the chance to draw live cosplay models posed in styles inspired by comics, fantasy and popular culture.
Bernard Chang, Ken Lashley and Erica D’Urso will lead one edition, while Ashraf Ghory, Shannon Eric Denton and Gus Vazquez will lead another. Participants will develop their skills in gesture, anatomy, movement and composition, receive practical feedback and build confidence in conveying character and narrative through figure drawing.
Actor and movement coach Terry Notary will lead “Creature Performance & Motion Capture”, exploring how physical performances are translated into believable digital characters.
Through practical demonstrations, he will examine how posture, breathing and rhythm shape non-human movement and introduce motion-capture technologies for transferring live performances into animation and virtual production.
The Comics programme will connect the disciplines involved in creating engaging characters and stories, spanning drawing, writing, animation, product design, physical performance and digital production. It will also demonstrate how creative skills developed in one format can be applied across formats.