Manga Magic

The Sonia and Emma Show
Sonia Leong (www.fyredrake.net) and Emma Vieceli (http://emma.sweatdrop.com) are two very talented young Manga artists who presented a Manga workshop at Borders bookshop in Cambridge which I took Calum to yesterday.

For those of you who don't know, Manga is Japanese comic book art, and is wildly popular in Japan but also has a huge cult following in the UK and, in fact, all over the world.

Calum is a huge fan, although he prefers Anime (art which is drawn so that it can be animated). However, after seeing Sonia and Emma in action, he's now keen to learn more about traditional Manga and is even considering entering the drawing competition, run by major Manga publisher Tokyopop (great name) (www.tokyopop.com), that launched Emma and Sonia's careers.

A Hot Performance
Despite the sweltering heat, both outside and inside (the air conditioning in Borders didn't reach to the space where the workshop was being held), Sonia and Emma gave a riveting performance which was both funny and informative. I've rarely met two more engaging people. And they looked good, too.

Sonia's outfit in particular was very striking, so I just had to take a photo. Thankfully, Sonia was happy to oblige.

After their workshop, they signed books like true professionals, taking their time and chatting with people in a very natural and friendly way.

'Keep Drawing'
Most importantly, they passed on their knowledge with a wonderful generosity of spirit and gave all the budding artists in the audience a huge amount of encouragement in the form of 'if we can do it, so can you'. As Emma put it when she signed Calum's and Lola's books - 'keep drawing'.

That Sonia and Emma live and breathe Manga is beyond doubt, as is the fact that they're both outstanding artists, each with their own distinctive style.

But, if there's one impression I came away with, it's that they absolutely adore what they do and, in spite of the 'ridiculous' deadlines they have to meet (this is where the real world kicks in), their enthusiasm knows no bounds. That's a great message to give to the more awkward kids in the audience who don't share their confidence.

More Manga
Calum was enthralled by the event and even more delighted when he won some special Manga markers in the raffle.

I won a gorgeous promotional notebook and set of notecards, not available in the UK, which I gave to Lola. She thought they were 'awesome'. She also loved the book I got Sonia and Emma to sign. Sonia wrote a nice message about her having a 'lovely mum' - thank you Sonia.

So I now have two Manga enthusiasts in my house and even as I write, they're sitting in the garden, practising their Manga drawing.

They're comparing notes about technique, discussing different colour schemes and styles etc, and generally having great fun which, after all, is what Manga is all about.