Drawing Day

Drawing Day or Pencil Day is celebrated on the first Saturday in June and the best way to celebrate that day is to express yourself through drawing whatever you like.

You know you've always wanted to capture a piece of coal and show off your creativity around the world in a million shades of gray. To pick up a pencil and create the world in your head on the page in front of you, maybe its crayons are your thing. Whatever you’re medium, Drawing Day is dedicated to our inner artist and encouraging it to grow, and then let it grow every day for the next year!

History of Drawing Day

Drawing Day is there to remind us of a time when we were so caught up in the wondrous and beautiful things that come from our imaginations and on the pages of books to become self-conscious about them. We don't worry about how good or bad we are, we just know that it's time to take advantage of our inner worlds and bring them out in glorious color. Some of us are amazing, to begin with, some of us draw there after drawing painfully, and some of us let the artist among us die in waves of "not being good enough".

Drawing Day reminds you that everything inside of you is valuable and worth sharing with the world. It is also there to bring much-needed appreciation and awareness to painters and illustrators. Wherever you see a picture, from a business card to a beautiful mural on a painting, to every birthday card you ever buy, an artist has been designed to make it. The best way we can thank these brave creative souls is to pick up the pencil and make some noise for the lost and forgotten artists of the world. And a few more things can be found in the process.

The event is also a great opportunity to showcase a unique type of treatment. If you have autistic children or depressed family members, drawing will work as a form of emotional therapy. It allows them to let go of their worries and focus on themselves. As far as you know eyes are known as the window to the soul. Drawing is the door. A picture speaks a thousand words and drawings act as a bridge of expression, taking them to a better place spiritually.

Some facts about famous painters

• Picasso painted before he walked

Spanish artist Pablo Picasso learned to draw before he could walk and his first word was 'piz', which stands for 'lapiz', which means pencil in Spanish.

• Van Gogh sold a painting in his lifetime

It is believed that Vincent van Gogh could only sell one painting "The Red Vineyard" in his lifetime.

• Bob Ross never gets paid for his gigs

Bob Ross made his TV show, "The Joy of Painting" for free - he makes money selling art supplies.

• “Mona Lisa” has its own mailbox

Leonardo Da Vinci's painting; "The Mona Lisa" has her own mailbox at the Louvre to contain the letters she receives from admirers.

• Warhol drew a car in minutes

It took Pop artist Andy Warhol 24 minutes to paint an entire BMW supercar.

How to celebrate Drawing Day

Drawingday.org is the originator of this wonderful holiday, and you can go there to find ways to help celebrate this wonderful holiday. Each year they aim to create a million drawings worldwide to help raise awareness among artists and illustrators. If you want to help them, then all you have to do is draw something and share it with everyone, or you can go out and organize a Drawing Day event at your local school or even Even your workplace! Sit down and draw with your child, encouraging them to continue working on art and creativity and expressing their inner self on paper.

It's not rocket science (although rockets might be your first drawing), all you need is a pencil and paper to get started. Don't be afraid of the blank page, let it scare you! For an easy start, research the things that are close to you such as Table lamp, sofa, pet or maybe the birds in your garden. Get your wrists flowing and the cognitive part of the brain associates what you see with your physical body. Let your pencil run naturally, don't worry about making mistakes. Drawing is like writing, so sometimes you just need to let the flow of words flow incessantly to bring an idea to life.

Once you feel loose, now is the time to get serious. As you begin to open your heart and mind, you will reveal your true energy and nature. What is your most common emotion? Some of the most vivid and haunting paintings ever of the everyday emotions we go through.

One of the most iconic paintings expressing despair, sadness and despair is 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch. Sold for a staggering $120 million in New York, 2012, this is a painting that started out as a very simple sketch. The first layers of any painting are the drawings and contrary to what you might think, they play a big role in determining the strokes. As you sketch, do it with a light touch so you can go back and forth over the same area, to really refine shapes, lines, and shades.

Sitting down with your child and draw with them, will give them the confidence to show a certain side of them that they would be embarrassed or shy about with anyone else. Whether your kids are under 10 or are in their teens, ask them to join you in this great event. Be prepared to take the lead and create a couple of half-baked drawings before you really get into your pencil strokes.