Tuesday 11 / February / 2025
Muscat: Zainab Al Yusuf, an Omani Manga artist, became the first Omani to publish a how-to-draw Chibi book in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Oman Pride series had earlier featured an Omani Manga artist, who fused Japanese Manga art with Omani culture.
Al Yusuf is a similar artist; however, she single-handedly published a book to teach people how to draw Chibi style Japanese art and is the first to be published in Arabic.
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“It took me two years to publish the book. I wrote it, designed it and published it. I then got in touch with a UAE-based publishing firm, who made an offer to publish my book,” said Al Yusuf, who goes by the ‘stage name’ Taiga Blush.
Her 200 page-book was released in April 2016 and can be found in various book stores in Dubai.
The book explains in detail how to draw Japanese Manga art in both English and Arabic and according to Al Yusuf, she has sold many copies, but does not have an exact figure for the sales.
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When asked why it was not published in Oman, she said the publishers in Oman did not understand the idea and she did not get much support since the idea was not traditional.
“I just hope someone can open their eyes to what is around them because there are youth in the Sultanate, who have so much capability of introducing new things and understanding it from our perspective,” said Al Yusuf.
In 2015, she won the first prize at one of the biggest comic book and video game conventions called the Comic Con for ‘Best Presenter.’ She displayed her drawings and presented them to the audience who then cast their votes for her.
“I feel proud because I represented Oman abroad,” she said.
Al Yusuf has also won various awards for her work, such as the Behance Award in 2014, the Al Mara’a Lil Ijada (Women for Excellence) Award in 2015 and an award from the National Youth Committee.
Her artwork can take from three days to one week or a month to complete, based on her personal schedule, as well as the complexity of the drawing.
