The Campaign for Drawing's Big Draw 2008

The Campaign for Drawing is again inviting people of all ages to participate in The Big Draw - and use drawing to engage with the past, present and future.

The ninth Big Draw runs from 1 to 31 October 2008, with a special focus on Saturday 11 October when a very large number of events will be running.

I'm a huge and vocal supporter of the Big Draw having participated myself for the last two years. It's absolutely amazing in terms of the way it has engaged with such a diverse range of partners to bring drawing activities to people of all ages. It's also truly admirable for the way that it opens up people's eyes to the immense scope of drawing practice, the range of people who use drawing in their daily lives and the vast number of materials that you can use to draw with in any number of different ways.

The Big Draw - Drawing Together
in the "Big Picture Frame"
with Zandra Rhodes and Andrew Logan
16" x 11", pen and ink and coloured pencils in sketchbook
copyright Katherine Tyrrell

Regular readers may remember my posts last year about:

• the launch day last year Drawn into The Big Draw 2007 and Sketching The Big Draw East
• A Drawing Weekend (Big Draw Weekend 2007) and Drawing Covent Garden Big Draw
• and, of course, there was my own The Big Drawing Book Review - plus the numerous subsequent reviews of books about drawing which you can now find in The Big Drawing Book Review - Resources for Artists.

In October there are 1,000 venues holding big draw events including: galleries, museums, science centres, heritage and environmental sites, libraries, archives, community and shopping centres, colleges, schools and art clubs are hosting drawing activities for people of all abilities.

Activities are mainly free and widely accessible. Find an event in your area. This is my link for events in London.

Since I've got involved, I've noticed a huge increase in participation by various organisations including the various museums, art galleries and art societies. Is you art society taking part?

Last year we hosted the launch of The Big Draw – I have rarely seen so many people actively engaged in making art in our galleries. The institution was transformed.
David Anderson, Director of Learning and Interpretation, Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington

They are going to be exploring technical, scientific, architectural, archaeological or fine art drawing. Participants of all ages are invited to help expand the boundaries of drawing - experimenting with pencils, crayons, charcoal, sand, clay, digital imagery, choreographed movement, vapour trails and fire drawings.

We are immensely grateful to the Campaign for Drawing for all it has done. Drawing is now firmly on the agenda here, and we hope to continue for many years to come.
Kathy Adler, Director of Education, The National Gallery

Special events include:

• 10th - 18th October Transports of Delight at St Pancras International
• 11th October National Big Draw Day. At St Pancras visitors can learn about the station’s past and present engineering feats with ‘Walk & Draw’ tours (10 -11.30, 12.45 - 2.30, 3 - 5pm) headed by expert drawers from leading UK architectural and engineering practices.
  
• 27th October - The Big Picture Party at the National Library which is going to be celebrating the power of picture books in a family oriented event.
  

Plus extras!

• download instructions by Tim Hunkin on how to make a Camera Obscura or how to make a Camera Lucida
  
• online sketch tools to play with - your kids will love these
• a video by Stephen Appleby in which he talks about how he became an illustrator and explains some of the ideas behind his work. He also shares some of his top drawing tips.
  

The Campaign for Drawing has allowed people to draw, and to gather together to draw, in the same way that they gather together to sing. It has brought thousands of people into our galleries and museums. Many of these might not otherwise have come; and almost more importantly, the Campaign has, noticeably, altered the relationship of these visitors with the institutions. They arrive with a purpose, their interest has a focus. This is a triumph of the best kind of accessibility…establishing the importance of drawing not only as a mode of self-expression but a tool in learning and in science and design.
Quentin Blake, Campaign patron and illustrator

As well as trying to get to some of the events I'm probably going to be posting some some more drawing book reviews on this blog and adding them to The Big Drawing Book Review - Resources for Artists.

If you'd like to add any reviews of drawing books you've read please refer to the original post and then leave a link in the comments section below so that I can find your blog and relevant post.

Plus do let me know if you go to any of the events!