sign up/login
The Big Draw
  • Festival Festival
    • About The Big Draw Festival
    • All Events
    • Big Draw Festival Awards
    • Sponsor-Partners 2023
    • The Big Draw Festival 2023: Drawing with Senses
    • What the Organisers Say
  • Blog Blog
    • Support Support
      • Shop Shop
        • Gallery Gallery
          • Our Work Our Work
            • About Us
            • Concepts & The Big Draw
            • Concepts Drawing Challenge
            • Contact
            • Drawing in Schools
            • FAQ's
            • Opportunities
            • Press
            • The Big Draw Ambassadors
            • The Big Draw Patrons
            • The Big Draw Trustees
            • The Ruskin Prize


          Membership area

          Drawing Changes Lives

          The Big Draw
          • Festival Festival
            • About The Big Draw Festival
            • All Events
            • Big Draw Festival Awards
            • Sponsor-Partners 2023
            • The Big Draw Festival 2023: Drawing with Senses
            • What the Organisers Say
          • Blog Blog
            • Support Support
              • Shop Shop
                • Gallery Gallery
                  • Our Work Our Work
                    • About Us
                    • Concepts & The Big Draw
                    • Concepts Drawing Challenge
                    • Contact
                    • Drawing in Schools
                    • FAQ's
                    • Opportunities
                    • Press
                    • The Big Draw Ambassadors
                    • The Big Draw Patrons
                    • The Big Draw Trustees
                    • The Ruskin Prize

                  Membership area

                  The World's Biggest Drawing Festival


                  Why I love The Big Draw

                  BY KATIE THEODOROS

                  The way I feel about the Big Draw is sort of the way I felt about The New Kids on The Block circa 1989.  Well, minus the school-girl crushes.  Just like the 8-year-old me prepared for stardom by practicing the dance moves to You Got The Right Stuff in front of my bedroom mirror, the 25-year-old me prepared for an art education career by envisioning taking part in events like the Big Draw.  So when I started working at PEM, you can imagine how excited I was when they welcomed this vision.

                  Not only did PEM run a Big Draw event in October 2013, but we won the Trailblazer Drawing Inspiration Award, one of three given out by the Campaign for Drawing.  The award recognizes “Inspirational organizers and their boundless energy and willingness to push the boundaries of their organization.”  And to make matters even more exciting, I was able to travel to London and attend the award ceremony on April 28th with Juliette Fritsch, PEM’s chief of education and interpretation.

                  edit 30
                  Katie Theodoros and Juliette Fritsch at Big Draw Awards Ceremony, Painter’s Hall, London. Photo Credit: Eliza Power

                  Why am I so excited about the Big Draw?  Drawing has always been a big part of my life. I’m good at it. (Just to balance out that statement, I want to point out that there are many many things that I am not good at.)  For instance, I could never (and still can’t) remember my times tables, or spell most words correctly or sit still in a classroom for more than two minutes. But ask me to draw a something line for line, to record my thoughts abstractly with colored pencils and sit completely focused in the art studio for hours at a time…no problem.

                  20130380_0015
                  PEM’s special concoction of sidewalk paint was a popular activity. Photo by Kathy Tarantola/PEM

                  The Big Draw isn’t necessarily for drawing enthusiasts like me.  It’s for people who don’t draw, or who think they can’t draw, and it’s to overturn the notion that there is a “right way” to draw. The simplicity of The Campaign for Drawing is alluring; it is to get everyone drawing.  They have managed to build a huge international following based on that, with hundreds of thousands of people taking part each year, many of whom, at some point in their lives have probably said “I can’t draw.”

                  20130380_0152
                  PEM guests immersed in our Zentangle activity run by artist Aimee Michaels. Photo by Kathy Tarantola/PEM

                  Drawing is often overlooked, sometimes looked-down upon, however, its importance is widespread and the evidence is everywhere.  The chair you are sitting on, the clothes you’re wearing, the building that surrounds you, the computer you’re using, they all began with sketches and drawings by designers, architects and engineers.  So I say, it’s time we all start drawing, to help us understand the world around us, to bring us together and share something we can all do.

                  20130523_1639
                  Emily Larsen, production designer at PEM, starts to draw a crowd with her large mural featured at the main entrance on Big Draw weekend. Photo by Allison White/PEM

                  We are gearing up for 2014 Big Draw at PEM on October 11th.  The buzz has already started to move through PEM.  This is certainly going to be a team effort.  Many staff love the concept and are jumping on board to help out.  I hope this excitement spreads to our community in Salem and its many visitors during the month of October and I hope to see everyone drawing!

                  20130523_1664

                  Photo by Allison White/PEM


                  20130380_0102

                   Photo by Kathy Tarantola/PEM

                  20130380_0111

                  Photo by Kathy Tarantola/PEM

                  facebook twitter instagram pinterest YouTube
                  Find an event

                  search Advanced search »

                  Receive Big Draw News

                  Subscribe to our mailing list

                  Add me to the list
                  Using different skills together to create art
                  Using different skills together to create art
                  Sandgate Primary School
                  The Caldon Canal
                  The Caldon Canal
                  Stockton Brook Studios
                  We are located on the University of Birmingham campus.
                  We are located on the University of Birmingham campus.
                  Barber Institute of Fine Arts
                  Colourful Sugar Skull Pavement Art
                  Colourful Sugar Skull Pavement Art
                  20-21 Visual Arts Centre
                  Thank you Misha!
                  Thank you Misha!
                  The Purcell School
                  Children having fun drawing friends through perspex screens
                  Children having fun drawing friends through perspex screens
                  Made in the Cotswolds
                  Big Draw at the Welcoming Party 2015
                  Big Draw at the Welcoming Party 2015
                  Cambridge International School
                  Art in the dark
                  Art in the dark
                  Tamworth Borough Council, Tamworth Arts and Events
                  Parakeet and Trees - Nicola & Yvonne
                  Parakeet and Trees - Nicola & Yvonne
                  Drawn In Keynsham
                  Tiger by years 1,2,3,5,7
                  Tiger by years 1,2,3,5,7
                  The Hampshire School Chelsea
                  Family drawing together in our learning studio
                  Family drawing together in our learning studio
                  St Albans Museums
                  Drawing process to finished painting Rose Ensore at TAAG till Nov 3rd
                  Drawing process to finished painting Rose Ensore at TAAG till Nov 3rd
                  Teignmouth arts action group
                  The artist team
                  The artist team
                  Animate Arts Company
                  24H Drawing Lab (Rome) - Tactile Drawing at Archivio Menna Binga
                  24H Drawing Lab (Rome) - Tactile Drawing at Archivio Menna Binga
                  24H Drawing Lab
                  4 Wilds of 5 Lely Court Sill
                  4 Wilds of 5 Lely Court Sill
                  Garden Museum
                  Year 5 artwork by Oliver
                  Year 5 artwork by Oliver
                  St Leonards CE Primary School
                  Emily Motto, Another Arena (detail), 2016.
                  Emily Motto, Another Arena (detail), 2016.
                  Beaconsfield
                  Building our webs
                  Building our webs
                  WalktheLoopArts
                  Can
                  Can't Draw Club gets Drawn to Life 10/10/19 The Alabaster Jar
                  Sarah Buckett
                  Big Draw 2019
                  Big Draw 2019
                  Midlands Arts Centre
                  Gallery View The
                  Big Draw

                  @ The Big Draw

                  Tweets by @The_Big_Draw
                  • About us
                  • Terms and Conditions
                  • Organise an event
                  • Press
                  • Privacy policy
                  • Contact
                  The Guild of St George Urban Space Management East London Chamber Alan Davidson Foundation Foster and Partners Trinity Bouy Wharf Trust Trinity Bouy Wharf Here for Culture Concepts Derwent Lottery funded