An adorable red ladybug dotted with shiny black spots; a slice of red, juicy watermelon; a vibrant glossy rainbow; a sparkly monster face; and a handwritten message on a pastel background bordered by floral designs – these were just some of the inspired masterpieces budding young artists created on plain white rocks at a one-hour arts workshop held at the 12^th edition of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF).

Kids aged 9-13 unleashed their inner creativity at the ‘Drawing on the Stone’ workshop held in Expo Centre Sharjah, as they engaged in the enjoyable craft of decorating stones using a fluorescent palette of acrylic paints, fine-tipped paint brush,floral-patterned stencils, anda sponge brush.

Fitted with an apron and gloves, the children commenced their activity with a base coat of beige on the smooth, oblong shaped stones as the instructor leading the session provided tips on how to blend different shades of paint to get the desired colours of their choice.

“This activity is a combination of traditional and modern painting styles and I find it both creative and interesting,” said 13-year-old Alykotb, as he carefully applied a glossy green shade for the rind of his watermelon. “I have never painted on a stone before; this method is quite challenging as the stone is very porous.”

Every coat of paint was dried using a fan, and the creative impulses of children guided them as they worked on designs of their choice.

“Decorated stones make for great gift ideas and can be used as paper weights or to create seasonal decorations,” said the instructor. “Our goal is to inspire children to make creativity a habit with readily available materials.”

The 11-day festival will continue hosting exciting workshops like these covering a variety of fields until May 29. A total of 537 activities are being featured in this edition of SCRF. Visitors need to register online or at the venue to enter as per the event’s strict CIVID-19 health and safety protocols.