The Big Draw and Concepts Partnership
Learn how Concepts and The Big Draw are creating a positive impact through drawing and creativity around the world.
A Chat with a Vision
We first met with Kate from The Big Draw three years ago on a Zoom chat, and we immediately connected. As we came to know Kate and The Big Draw team, it was clear we shared a passion for connecting drawing, people and our world.
The Big Draw's mission as a charity is dedicated to raising the profile of drawing as a tool for well-being, thought, creativity, social and cultural engagement. The life-long goal of our Concepts team is to encourage an infinite creative spirit, and build connections between people, ideas and platforms across the world through cutting-edge creative tools. Concepts' and The Big Draw's visions for creating positive change through drawing and idea exploration are a perfect match, and so a partnership was born.
Concepts and The Big Draw are delighted to bring our creators and ideas together. We will be stepping forward to promote sketching and visual literacy, share insightful creative workflows, highlight artists and designers around the world, and create a positive impact through drawing and creative thinking. In addition, we are committing to providing ongoing financial support to The Big Draw charity.
About The Big Draw
The Big Draw is an international charity invested in creating positive change for communities through drawing, visual literacy, and creative confidence.
'Founded in 2000 by the Guild of St George, The Big Draw is a pioneering visual literacy charity dedicated to raising the profile of drawing as a tool for well-being, thought, creativity, social and cultural engagement. The charity leads a diverse programme of advocacy, empowerment and engagement, and is the founder and driving force behind The Big Draw Festival – the world’s biggest celebration of drawing.
The Big Draw manages collaborative research projects, campaigns and educational conferences on visual literacy, digital technology and STEAM. The charity supports professional and emerging artists through its national contemporary art prize, The John Ruskin Prize and exhibition, and through events, awards, and competitions, creating platforms for each and everyone who wants to draw.'
Current Events
April 1 - April 30, 2022 - Draw a Landscape Challenge
Our April Drawing Challenge with Concepts + The Big Draw is about the beautiful world around.
Draw a landscape in your style. It can be Bob Ross inspired, science fictional, eco friendly or a landscape design - any scene that explores your connection with the Earth and takes you to a fresh creative place. See details for how to enter the challenge here.
March 8 - March 31, 2022 - Color Patterns Challenge
In support of The Big Draw's 2022 "Come Back to Colour" Festival, our March 2022 Drawing Challenge is all about color!
Create a colorful pattern. Explore your inner color and create a vibrant pattern. You can make it geometric, organic, or play with a twist. Patterns have infused our creative experience through the ages, weaving through our biology and environment to inspire mosaics, textiles and art. Design your own colorful pattern. See our challenge page for details on how to participate. Hosted by Concepts App + The Big Draw.
March 2, 2022 - Learn to Sketchnote Zoom Workshop with Mike Rohde
Tired of taking notes the difficult way? Come learn about Sketchnotes, ideas drawn as simple sketches, with Author and Sketchnoter Mike Rohde in our free Zoom workshop with The Big Draw and Concepts! Learn how to simplify your note taking and remember more with visual note taking techniques. The workshop will be March 2nd at 6:30 pm GMT | 12:30 pm CST.
Reserve your Sketchnoting workshop space here.
In the workshop, you'll learn how to:
- turn simple shapes into drawings
- listen for key information in a class or event, and capture it in a sketch
- improve your memory and have a great time learning with Sketchnoting
Bring yourself, a notebook and pen or favorite drawing tablet, and sketch along with Mike. Not only will you gain loads of confidence in your drawing skills, we'll chat about our favorite tools for note taking - traditional and digital, and help you get started on your Sketchnoting journey. See you there!
February 16, 2022 - Sketchnoting with Mike Rohde
The Big Draw + Concepts App are pleased to chat with Mike Rohde of Sketchnote Army, author of The Sketchnote Handbook and all things related to Sketchnoting! Join us for an hour of Instagram LIVE conversation on February 16, 2022 at 6:30 pm GMT / 10:30 am PST with The Big Draw's Drawn in Conversation Series.
To join the IGLive:
- Follow @thebigdraw, @conceptsapp or @rohdesign on Instagram - we'll be streaming on all three.
- When the hour hits, find the channel's "LIVE" story at the top of your home feed. Tap the story to watch and listen in! Join on your mobile device or Instagram.com.
- Make comments throughout the event and like the post!
- To catch it afterward, tap the Videos tab on @thebigdraw or find it on our YouTube.
Sketchnotes are ideas drawn as simple sketches that help you to understand key information and remember the notes you take. If you're a beginner and interested in learning about Sketchnoting, start with Mike's Sketchnote Mini Workshop.
Get ready for our livestream with Mike's newest blog with The Big Draw, 5 Keys to Better Sketchnoting.
We look forward to seeing you!
February 1 - 28, 2022 - Draw a Tiger Challenge
February 2022 Drawing Challenge, hosted by The Big Draw + Concepts App.
As a creative discovery challenge in theme with the Lunar New Year, draw a Tiger in a style representing your creative goals for 2022. Share your sketch drawn in Concepts App on Instagram, Twitter or Reddit for a chance to win great prizes!
Our Winners. Thank you for joining our Draw a Tiger Challenge! We thought every illustration submitted was rich and beautifully styled - each of you clearly has a strong creative ability and voice. We hope you will bring these powerful creative themes into your work throughout the year, we know you will find success as you dive in and create!
Congratulations to our winners!
1st Place: @kramer_niels infused his graphic tiger with the determination to respect people, life and planet.
2nd Place: @art_dei_tech created a tiger-stylized firework to symbolize his New Year's goals to solve problems and inspire problem solvers.
3rd Place: @shabnam_illustrations painted an extinct Caspian tiger to represent the tides of power and glory versus extinction. This is something we can help prevent for other creatures.
December 18, 2021 - January 8, 2022 - Draw a Portrait Challenge
December 2021 Drawing Challenge, hosted by The Big Draw + Concepts App.
Draw a portrait of someone who inspires you. It can be a creator, influencer, best friend, or anyone who has made a difference in your life. How have they helped you? Try a two-toned sketch, be creative with dimensions, colors or fills, or take a Picasso-styled approach... whatever sparks your creative energy.
Our Winners. We were very touched by your portrait submissions. We felt so much warmth and connection to the people you sketched, it was a privilege to learn about those who have made a difference in your life. Thank you for your participation, what an incredible creative start to the new year strengthened by those around us!
Congratulations to our challenge winners!
1. @daydreamer35813 drew a portrait of English artist and satirical cartoonist Robert Searle, in a wonderful inked style appreciative of the artist's work.
2. u/hhvvhhll shared a portrait of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, whose insights have helped him to overcome a life of physical trauma and find connection and meaning in his inner landscapes.
3. @lightship_print_shop sketched a portrait of Natural Historian David Attenborough, whose championing of the natural world has been a positive influence in her design work.
November 20, 2021 - December 4, 2021 - Draw a Robot Challenge
November 2021 Drawing Challenge, hosted by The Big Draw + Concepts App.
Draw a robot. It can be practical or imaginative. It might perform a special job, take over the future with advanced AI, or simply keep you company like a best buddy. What does your robot do and how does it work? Share your robot sketch drawn in Concepts App and a description of your idea on Instagram for a chance to win some great prizes.
Our Winners. We had so many amazing entries to our Draw a Robot Challenge! We loved your inventive sketches, you came up with incredibly helpful ideas and great robot companions. Congratulations to our winners!
1. @umairzia.art mechanized an eagle's beak into a robot. "Even a most fundamental technology of nature is often more complex than the most sophisticated technologies of human beings."
2. @razan.zulof sketched a story of an AI that can carry a human's memories and consciousness after death, so the human might continue living as an AI-inhabited robot. Would the experiences be different living in a non-organic system?
3. @kamel___jr invented a traffic control robot for the crowded streets of Egypt to help direct traffic more dynamically than stoplights. With AI linked to traffic sensors, the robot would sense the density of nearby traffic and pedestrians, and manage a safe flow.
October 9 - 30, 2021 - #MaketheChange Drawing Challenge
To kick start our engagement with The Big Draw, Concepts' October Drawing Challenge shares The Big Draw Festival's 2021 event theme, #MaketheChange. This challenge focuses on imagining a positive social or environmental change in your community, and sketching about it in Concepts.
The Challenge. Think of how you can tackle a key area in your community or environment - such as air quality, pollution, litter or green spaces - that will help #MaketheChange. Draw a simple sketch about it in Concepts, and write a description about your idea and what you hope it will accomplish.
Our Winners. Many thanks for submitting your entries to our Concepts + The Big Draw #MaketheChange drawing challenge! We appreciate your smart ideas and thoughtful sketches - your ideas really can make a difference to your communities and inspire others to do the same.
In addition, your entry helped us to contribute to The Big Draw charity. The Big Draw will use the contribution to spread the word about the positive, powerful influence drawing can create in peoples' lives. Thank you for your participation, and congratulations to our winners!
1. @ashorestudio - In areas with heavy rainfall, water sensitive urban design features like permeable paving and rain gardens can help to cleanse nearby water sources from overflowing pollutants.
2. @le_sam_hosseini - To help refugees with few opportunities, a pop-up market called UrbanBazar can become a mobile meeting point in Munich to encourage empathy and cultural conversation.
3. @polpenoret_oret - In residential areas, there can be little room for vegetation, leaving the air around you unclean. Planting trees and greenery in your area can help to both cleanse and cool the air.
Please stay tuned for upcoming events between Concepts and The Big Draw. In the meantime, check out The Big Draw's latest announcements to discover exciting drawing engagements and be inspired to sketch.
Cheers,
The Concepts Team
Hero image - ©The Big Draw Festival Launch 2015 @ Drawing the World, Granary Square, London 3
Cover image - ©The Big Draw Festival Launch 2015 @ Drawing the World, Granary Square, London 1
Cover photos, The Big Draw Festival 2021 artwork and The Big Draw Logo are courtesy of The Big Draw.
New to Concepts? Start your infinite sketching journey with these videos.
Concepts for iOS Quick Start - Start sketching in 5 minutes on your iPad with Concepts.
Concepts for iOS Deep Dive - Learn how to navigate Concepts' infinite canvas and tools in this 15 minute tutorial.
Concepts for Windows Walkthrough - Start sketching with Concepts on Windows 10.
Concepts for Android Walkthrough - Learn to sketch with Concepts on Android and Chrome OS.
Not an artist? Not a problem.
Drawing isn't just for artists, it's for everyone. Learn how to sketch and communicate visually with our free Learn to Draw Series by TopHatch designer Lasse Pekkala. Find downloadable course materials in the video descriptions and level up your sketching.
Find more sketching tutorials on our YouTube channel @conceptsapp.