Learning the art of cartooning

A training course held by cartoonist and trainer Salah Al-Aweid that aimed to explore new talents in the field of cartoon-drawing has successfully discovered 50 promising and talented cartoonists.
Al-Aweid, in a lecture at the Aramco cultural program in Al-Hasa, underlined the importance of color and font in determining the effectiveness of caricatures and the messages they convey. “Factors such as the thickness of the lines, use of color and image all play a significant role in understanding the message,” he said referring to the training courses delivered through the program.
He added that all social classes can relate to caricatures owing to their simplicity and clarity and also thanks to their humorous and satirical approach at conveying complex messages.
He said that the course, which lasted 45 minutes, has raised the level of the artistic awareness for participants, as well as strengthening their cognitional and creative brainstorming skills. He pointed out that caricatures have become effective tools in conveying important modern-day themes.
“For us, this training course has altered a number of concepts concerning the art of caricature,” said participant Nezar Al-Musa, along with Noah Jaber and Mustafa Al-Qatifi. They said in comparison with comedic sketches, caricature-drawing makes implicit statements without alluding to any one party. They emphasized the fact that all cartoonists are entrusted with the task of relaying the concerns and views of ordinary people in a simple yet creative and effective manner.