Sunday 11 October, 11 – 4pm, Granary Square, King’s Cross, N1C. Free

On 11 October, the international Big Draw festival will take over the vibrant new King’s Cross development with ‘Drawing the World’, and people of all ages are invited to join in a free programme of urban exploration, collaborative drawing and creative activities.

Drawing the World is a partnership between The Big Draw, University of the Arts London (UAL), House of Illustration, and King's Cross, joining together to promote the vital role of creativity in education – under threat from new curriculum policy.

Visitors are invited to choose from a programme of workshops created by leading London art college UAL’s Central Saint Martins, House of Illustration and The Big Draw to become an artist, architect, fashion illustrator, print-maker, or urban sketcher for the day.

© Marc Hulson

Visitors will have the opportunity to:

• Watch UAL Rootstein Hopkins Professor of Drawing Stephen Farthing RA and thirty graduate students produce an epic drawing of the world in a performance directed via mobile phones – and even a drone!
• Trace the universe’s first fourteen billion years on a mythical drawing trail with Global Generation, and discover their unique Skip Garden.
• Draw in space, in 3-D, or in workshops led by illustrator-in-residence David Lemm and the team at House of Illustration.
• Sketch the changing urban scene from viewing platforms, map its history on a giant timeline and design emoji for King’s Cross.
• Complete a free walk-and-draw map while discovering even more of King’s Cross.

Younger visitors will also be able to colour themselves a take-away in the Ready Steady Colour tent, as they are entertained by singing waiters.

Commenting on the event Sue Grayson Ford, Big Draw President, said:

‘The Big Draw is a charity that changes lives around the world by helping people to express themselves through the universal language of drawing. Drawing the World is an epic celebration of creativity, and it promises to be a highlight of the October 2015 Big Draw Festival, which will see thousands of people take part in hundreds of drawing events across the globe.’

Mark Dunhill, Dean of Academic Programmes, Central Saint Martins, UAL added:

‘Drawing is a language that encompasses a very wide range of media and approaches, and can be used for a multitude of different expressive, descriptive and practical visual thinking purposes. Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts is delighted to be involved in activating the public spaces around the Granary Building as part of this year’s Big Draw event. ‘Drawing the World’ will turn the Art School inside out and stimulate all kinds of intriguing, fun and thought provoking ways of making images collectively. 

Colin McKenzie, Director, House of Illustration, said:

‘As the only public gallery in the world devoted to the art of illustration in all its forms we are delighted to be working with the Big Draw and the University of the Arts on this exciting day devoted to getting as many people as possible involved in the activity of drawing.’

Drawing the World is one of five highlight events, and hundreds of activities worldwide taking place as part of the annual Big Draw Festival. Join The Big Draw mailing list (on the right) to find out about events near you, or organise your own Big Draw.