The Big Draw 2009

By Siobhan Madaras

Sunday 8th and Monday 9th November 2009, University of Hertfordshire

The DeHavilland campus Atrium became a warm haven for those wanting to escape the cold, flaunt their artistic side and take part in the Big Draw, an annual nationwide drawing event.

Presented by UHArts and the School of Education, the two-day event lured excitable children and adults from the Hertfordshire area (not to mention intrigued UH students) to the university where they were invited to contribute their artistic flair to a large floor canvas, postcards and project their drawings onto walls. Creativity bounced off the walls and the atmosphere can be described as nothing short of electric.

Sunday’s activities saw award-winning British illustrator and author James Mayhew join in the creative fun. James joined forces with the de Havilland Philharmonic Orchestra to put on ‘Spooky Tunes Children’s Concert’ – a production full of spine-tingling stories, atmospheric music and spooky pictures drawn by James during the concert. The pictures were later raffled off and after the concert, James was on hand to sign copies of his books and meet fans, young and...ahem, older.

On Monday it was back to the crayons and felt-tips for the second round of the event, this time to the sound of guitarist David Delarre who was present to provide a perfectly acoustic ambience. By the end of the day, the walls and floors were lined with colourful masterpieces, a clear sign of a highly successful event and some unmistakable talent.