Now in its eighth year, the Big Draw is a month-long annual festival designed to provide opportunities for people of all ages to discover, or return to, the pleasure of drawing. With 1,300 events set to take place at venues countrywide, more than 500,000 people are expected to take part this year, exploring different ways of seeing the world with some of the UK's leading designers, illustrators, scientists, artists, architects and engineers. Sunday's launch takes place at 20 venues in the East End, including the Bishopsgate Institute, York Hall, the Ragged School Museum, the Geffrye Museum and the Bethnal Green Working Man's Club. More than 45 free drawing activities are planned, linked by a free shuttle bus for which the fare is a drawing. An Art Boat will sail between the Ecology pavilion in Mile End Park and the Queen Mary Westfield Student Village Mooring. Contributors include architects from Future Systems and Foster & Partners, artists Andrew Logan, Adam Dant and Posy Simmonds and scientist Dr Greg Elgar from Queen Mary, University of London. The day's events will kick off at 10.30am at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green when Quentin Blake releases a great flock of paper birds. Workshops in the museum gardens include a competition inviting children to draw what they thing is the best thing about school. The £1 entry fee will go towards save the Children's work with vulnerable children including those missing out on education because they are living in areas affected by conflict. Full details of the day's events are available on the website.
