Almost 1000 people joined Exeter's Big Draw launch, making it one of the best ever attended events in the museum. The free sketchpads and pencils donated by Persil were highly appreciated.

Four drawing facilitators encouraged people to draw with their eyes closed, without taking the pencil off the paper, consequences, drawing using only dots, making animals from doodles, drawing with a rubber on charcoal covered paper and drawing with their foot or mouth.

There were toddlers drawing with charcoal on their noses while parents and grandparents, who claimed they couldn't draw, spent hours wielding pencils. The drawing spread beyond the gallery to the museum where people, with sketchpads in hand, really engaged with the collections.

Simon James, book illustrator, was a great success, offering hands-on advice, demonstrations and book signing during the afternoon.

The myriad of little drawings will form a huge mosaic in the entrance hall alongside other large paper banners made by community groups, schools and local people, to complement the exhibition The Bigger Picture, a closer look at larger-than-life paintings.