DRAWING INSPIRATION AWARDS

'Arty Bodies' at Inverinate Community Hall, Kyle of Lochalsh

Organised by Helen Robertson, Artist
Auchtertyre and Loch Duich primary schools, teachers and parents joined forces to cover the walls of their village hall with the largest drawing this small community has ever seen. They created life-size 'arty bodies', drawing each other's outlines on the paper-lined walls and filling them in with charcoal, zany patterns and designs. To make room for everyone, pupils struck unusual poses to fit the available spaces. Samples of decoration from all over the world provided inspiration. These exuberant and graphic self-portraits, in every position and size, were fascinating in their detail. But when the community came to see the striking results, they felt as if they were surrounded by 21st century cave drawings. A school calendar, identifying each contributor and their work, will allow ex-pupils to show off their 'arty bodies' to their grandchildren in decades to come.

'The International Exchange Big Draw' at The King's School, Worcester

Organised by Liz Hand, Head of Art, and Bing Wang, Artist/Teacher
Pupils, parents, teachers and the local community were invited to create a 50-metre panoramic drawing of the school and its surroundings. The collaborative black ink drawing was inspired by traditional Chinese scroll paintings, examples of which were displayed as inspiration. Participants selected part of a digital montage of the school, and were encouraged to visit, observe and sketch their location before adding their contribution to the long wall scroll. Simultaneously, students at the Quing Dao Fine Art School in China, completed a drawing of their school, using the same techniques; later, the scrolls were exchanged for exhibition in the partner school. Kings' sixth formers mounted an exhibition of their work, Drawing the Line, in Worcester Cathedral, where it was seen by hundreds of visitors. A catalyst for international co-operation, this event proved that drawing is a universal activity and can unite people of different cultures.

'The Big Draw 06' with ProjectBase at Cornwall College, Camborne

Organised by Georgina Kennedy, Interaction Programmer, and Sarah de Sainte Croix, Interaction Intern
Over 1300 people from Cornwall and beyond took part in the Big Draw, making slides from kits distributed by ProjectBase to schools, colleges, community groups and individuals. Each kit contained a slide mount, sticky tape and 'bits and bobs' for sticking to the slide. The assembled slides were added to a collection projected during a two-week public exhibition in the college's Dod Proctor Gallery. Exhibition visitors could select a slide to project onto the gallery walls, or make their own to create large-scale drawings with light. The combination of tiny and large in a single project allowed participants to find a process they felt comfortable with, and to be involved in The Big Draw in their own home, community group or school, or at a public exhibition. Activities such as thumb print portraits, 'wish you were here' postcards, a special family day and a late night drawing session further enhanced the exhibition. This project was designed to engage people of all ages and abilities.
Supported by Cornwall Arts Marketing and Carters Packaging Ltd

'Knockout Drawings from the Boxing Ring' at Salford Lads' & Girls' Club and Ordsall Community Arts at Salford Lads' Club

'A Tactile Fish out of Water' at St Dunstan's, Brighton

Organised by Kathryn Jones Romain, Craft Instructor
Linking to Art beyond Sight Awareness Month, 100 blind and partially sighted adults and staff from St Dunstan's took part in an activity based on sound, allowing both the sighted and non-sighted to participate equally. As a forerunner, a workshop run by the Courtauld Institute of Art for the visually impaired, on Kandinsky and the influence of music on his paintings, excited interest in drawing to sound. Music evoking water inspired participants in Brighton, London and Sheffield to communicate their thoughts and feelings through drawings. Blind drawers were able to feel their images by using a paper which, when passed through a Zy-fuse machine, turned the drawn line into 3-D, and a plastic that lifted along the line inscribed by a biro. The images were mounted on card to form the scales of a huge hanging fish collage that rippled when touched. This tactile 'fish out of water' is a remarkable record of a rich collection of images expressing individual personalities.

'A Walk on the Wild Side' with A Dab Hand, Cumbria

Organised by Alex Jakob-Whitworth and Diane Steadman, Artists/Art Educators
Nine communities and their schools were invited to create a Lilliputian slice of 'virtual reality' of Cross Fell and Moor House Nature Reserve, a unique remote landscape towering above the Eden Valley. Pupils, families and volunteers from the wider community made gigantic animals, birds, plants and insects using withies and tissue paper. Meanwhile, secondary school students with sketchbooks and cameras braved the harsh weather on the fells, to experience the sheer scale of the environment and the diversity of flora and fauna. They developed their sketches and photographs using charcoal, wax resist, felt pen and wash into a series of large-scale canvases. These formed a backdrop for the paper sculptures. Light projections of day and night time conditions, and recordings of the sounds of the fells, were added to the installation before it opened to the public. The result was a closely observed and atmospheric invocation of one of England's last wildernesses.

'Seeking Common Treasure' with Chislehurst Common Big Draw Intitiative

Organised by Donna Bompas, Chairman of the Big Draw Initiative
Over 600 people, 70 artists and volunteers came together for this mega community event, now in its third year, raising over £1000 for the Trustees of the Common. Drawing activities on the common, and in the church and pub, revolved round the theme 'Common Treasure'. The very full programme included life drawing, cartooning, self-portraiture, calligraphy, mapmaking and creating 3-D nature collages on a woodland path - using the real thing. Goats, story-telling, helium balloons and treasure hunts kept the children further enthralled, while adults could revive in the tea tent run by a local PTA. This year, the organisers developed an exciting mixed media teaching pack, based on drawing shoes in 2D and 3D, complete with sample artwork and contextual references to Van Gogh and Jasper Johns. This made it possible to involve local schools. A new, dedicated website displayed the schools' work and kept the local community informed about Big Draw activities.

'An Invitation to Discover' with the Gardens of Easton Lodge Preservation Trust, Essex

Organised by Catherine Mummery, Project Co-ordinator and artists Kiran Chahal, Liz Ellis and Anne Schwegmann-Fielding
Linking drawing to healthy living and green transport initiatives resulted in an ambitious schools programme with wide public participation, not only in the gardens, but also in surrounding areas. Artist Kiran Chahal worked for four weeks with schools across Essex on the themes of journeys and maps, creating stunning banners for display round the Gardens. Each banner reflected curriculum topics and aspects of the garden's hidden history, and helped form an arts trail interpreting the entire site. Arts activity days encouraged families to walk or cycle to the Gardens and experiment with techniques used by the schoolchildren, such as spray-painting and collage. Unexpected challenges, such as plaster carving, and decorating recycled shoes and bicycle wheels, helped everyone discover that drawing, social history, fresh air and environmental awareness can be fun and accessible. This also kick-started future collaborations with groups such as the Country Park Rangers, local record office, health support workers, Rights of way, cycling and walking groups.
Supported by Essex County Council, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Uttlesford District Council

'Allsorts' with Art in the Crypt at St Paul's Church, Bristol

'Lines in Draught' at Mill Yard Studios, Kendal

Organised by David Penn, Artist
Instead of working in their individual studios, the artists at Staveley Mill Yard created a communal open studio for this event in the neighbouring Tasting Hall of award-winning real ale brewery Hawkshead. Here, they enticed unsuspecting adult visitors, who probably had not drawn since leaving school, to use unfamiliar materials in unfamiliar ways. Fingers, feet, straw, corks and squeezy bottles somehow became dexterously connected to malt, hops, barley and even the precious liquid itself (donated by Hawkshead) to create drawings on blank beer mats provided by the manufacturer, thirsties. Over a period of four hours, intriguingly adorned four-inch beer mats were rapidly joined together to form a huge collective banner, as well as individual four-foot beer mats. Experimental - but meticulously planned - this innovative Big Draw provided a challenging and satisfying adventure for both audience and organisers!

'Face to Face' at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter

Organised by Emma Molony, Community Activities Officer
Seven workstations around the museum provided a wealth of unconventional approaches to portraiture for all ages. Linked to the Eye to Eye exhibition, they were augmented by mirrors, acetate frames and silly hats to encourage striking poses and experimental work. From wire, beads and pipe cleaners to chunky charcoal or glue and drizzled sand, participants used unusual materials and techniques to draw themselves or each other. Portraits on six-inch squares of paper in a variety of colours and textures, and in thick gold paper frames, rapidly grew into banners forming their own exhibition in the museum entrance. Activities with feathers, quills and ink, invisible drawings with wax and water colours, surprise drawings with mono printing and carbon paper, or tracing outlines of people with chalk on acetate stretched across a Perspex window were fun and engaging. They challenged the belief that portraiture has to be solemn and staid.

'Our Amazing Space' at St George's Church of England Primary School, Worcester

Organised by Steve Mills, Head Teacher, and Claire Horacek, Artist/Teacher
The The teachers' ambitions to get the whole school drawing were not inhibited by their lack of previous Big Draw experience. All 200 pupils spent an afternoon a week throughout September and October working with artists and teachers to produce sustained work combining drawing in different forms and media. These included frottage, blind drawing and collages - using paper and plastic, as well as pen and ink. All the artwork celebrated the school environment (building, gardens and their contents) and portrayed the children in both 2D and 3D, stimulating visual awareness. This extensive programme led to an exhibition and a 'drop in and have a go' workshop for parents and friends. Not only did the Big Draw have a huge impact on pupils, teaching staff and assistants at the time, it will have a long-term effect through the school's subsequent decision to develop specialist art teaching.

'Family Big Draw Weekend' with Bishops Wood Centre and Worcestershire County Council

Organised by Marian Gager, Teacher Advisor Art & Design, Jon Cree, Education and Training Officer, Bishops Wood and Sue Pope Hartlebury County Museum
Building on two previous award-winning Big Draws at Bishops Wood, the County Arts Team welcomed the opportunity to expand, and they opened the County Museum for a Saturday Big Draw. On consecutive days at the two venues, over 600 visitors actively participated in a range of novel activities that challenged preconceived ideas of drawing. Inspired by the natural surroundings at Bishops Wood and the museum's building and exhibits, visitors experimented with grass-drawing, willow sculptures, mark-making on unfired bricks (donated by Hartlebury Brick Factory), mono printing, digital collages, twig pencils, shadow drawing and transforming people into trees using recycled materials. The museum's glass elevator became a vantage point for photographing choreographed, kaleidoscopic movements by groups of participants 100 feet below. Firelight stories, drawing on bark with natural pigments and workshops on junk instrument and music making with Baxter College Youth Band, all contributed to a magnificent and memorable celebration of creativity.

'The Seed Packet Exhibition' at The Hidden Gardens, Glasgow

Organised by Rachel Mimiec, Artist-in-Residence
The Big Draw was an opportunity to introduce the local community to the Gardens' new artist-in residence, part of its outreach work with schools and community groups, and resulted in an exhibition of 'seed packet' artwork. Craftily designed invitations, in the form of a seed packet, provided an unusual canvas for depicting plant drawings. Inspired by the setting, visitors to the exhibition opening on Big Draw Day, added their contributions to the display racks of lovingly drawn trees, flowers and vegetables. This simple, unthreatening format reflected the wide diversity of the community with plants from all over the world, some native to Scotland, and mythical creations with unusual properties - from 'peace berries' to 'money trees'. Each individual work formed part of the larger project, and 88 of the 498 packets will illustrate a colourful poster made for the local communities. As a fitting finale, the seed packets were returned to their owners filled with seeds to grow at home.

'Heads, Leaves and Green Men' with Southwell Artists & Southwell Open Studios at Southwell Minster