Illustrator gives free drawing lessons to inspire kids

With children stuck at home across the world, parents have been thankful for free activities to keep them entertained. Illustrator Rob Biddulph's draw-along videos have been particularly popular on Twitter.

Using the hashtag #DrawWithRob, budding young artists have been sharing their responses to Biddulph's tutorials, which he shares every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am BST on Twitter. We love a good drawing lesson (check out our list of the best how to draw tutorials), and Biddulph's animal designs are a super-fun example.

And now, over a month into his classes, Biddulph is attempting to break a world record for the largest online art club ever. To beat the record, over 10,000 people need to tune in on 21 May at 4pm BST (8am PST) and watch Biddulph's video for at least 30 minutes. We don't think it should be too much of a struggle. 

Biddulph is also aiming to raise money for Covid charities at the same time, and is asking for donations for participants. If you're not sure if it's for you and your little ones, you can check out the sort of thing he usually posts below.

"[Draw-alongs] are something I have been doing for years at my live events," Biddulph told BBC Breakfast, but with so many kids now stuck at home, "this is something I can do for those parents and those kids." As well as being posted to Twitter, the videos will have a permanent home on the illustrator's website. Below is the first tutorial, 'Gregosaurus'.

Biddulph is quick to point at that the draw-along is not a competition. "I've seen thousands [of entries] now, and every single picture is different and charming in its own way." We completely agree – here are some delightful #DrawWithRob examples from Twitter:

To join in with the ongoing art club, go to Biddulph's Twitter page on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for the latest draw-alongs. "All you need," he says, "is a piece of paper and a pencil, and maybe some colouring pencils". 

And if you want to be part of a world record, then sign up ahead of 21 May in order to take part at artworldrecords.com.

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