Manga Art Secrets is Dalia Sharawna’s first book with Search Press. Based in Hebron in Palestine, Dalia has been drawing manga for ten years, fired by her passion for anime which she has held since childhood. Showcasing her unique style of manga art on her Instagram @drawing_dalia, Dalia has built a following of 178k people.

We caught up with Dalia to find out a bit more about her new book, her inspiration, and her Search Press journey!

How are you Dalia?

I am fine, thanks for asking. It's not been the best time, but personally, I was not too badly affected by Covid as I am more of a homebody and work freelance. However, it has definitely affected some of the people who I care about and people in general.  But I always try to look at things in a positive way and be optimistic about how things will turn out tomorrow.

Dalia, you’ve been drawing manga art for ten years. What is it about manga that captured your interest at such an early age? 

My interest started with watching anime and trying to draw the characters that I liked. With time this became a hobby which then developed into what I draw today.

What are your favourite subjects to draw in the manga art style?

There is not a specific subject [which I prefer to draw]. I don't know if drawing male characters is a subject, but in general, I tend to draw what I like. Mostly, my drawings are influenced by the people and culture of East Asia. In my opinion, their features are the closest to manga and I find drawing them in manga style enjoyable.

How did your new book, Manga Art Secrets come about? How did Search Press discover you?

I was approached by a very kind editor named Katie. I was so happy to be approached by her as there were many who had asked me to do a book before and it has been a goal of mine [to publish a book].

It took around a year of work, but I enjoyed the process and working with the team who helped me with the project. I am really happy with how it turned out and, as I mentioned, it was one of my goals, so I am so thankful to all the people who made this project possible.

What are your favourite sections from the book?

I really like all the sections, especially because it gave me a chance to draw girls, as well as boys, which is something that I don't do that often.

You also run a ‘Draw Manga with Dalia’ course, tell us a little about it.

The course contains pre-recorded classes which cover everything a person needs to know to draw manga.  Altogether, the course amounts to 8 hours and 23 minutes of teaching. It’s hopefully beneficial to all artists regardless of their drawing level, but especially for beginners. There are tasks at the end of most of the units that I review and give constructive feedback on.

Are you currently working on anything at the moment?

As I mentioned, I am currently running my class. This involves setting tasks and providing feedback and guidance to people on how they can possibly improve their submissions. I also work on interior design projects that I receive through my Instagram account @dd_interrior.design, as I work as a freelance interior designer together with my twin sister @diana1992d. I also do commission work from my main account @drawing_dalia.


Manga Art Secrets is available to pre-order from Search Press, RRP £12.99.