Art educators have always considered drawing to be a cornerstone of artistic creation.

And that, no doubt, was a big reason behind "Draw On!," a 12-hour draw-a-thon happening Saturday at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design.

Drawing, after all, is foundational to painting and sculpting. It's often the way the artist initially "captures" a subject, and arguably then, is the most pure.

However it was something else altogether that drove Dorothy Frey to start "Draw On!" at the college four years ago.

Frey, assistant professor in fine art and chair of the fine art department at PCA&D, remembered attending a similar event when she was an underclassman at Millersville University.

"I was able to mingle with juniors and seniors," she recalls. It was an opportunity that left a lasting impression.

"It created this sense of community," she says. And that relaxed atmosphere enhanced creativity.

She wanted to give her students the same opportunity.

"I wanted to give them a day to experiment, explore, draw. A chance for them to be a lot more free, more investigative." And, of course, the chance to get to know other students.

"Draw On!" began four years ago as a 12-hour marathon of drawing for students only.

In subsequent years, the public was invited to join in during a four-hour session.

This year that session will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., sandwiched between the student-only morning session from 9 to noon and evening session from 6 to 9.

Frey says the open session has "exceeded expectations," drawing everyone from teenagers to art teachers to professional artists.

"The nice thing about this is that we don't have any instruction. It's not led by a professor. It's open to however a person wants to work."

The event will host several studios set up for drawing.

One has a still life; one has a nude model who will be holding a pose throughout the day for sustained study; another will have a model changing poses for gesture drawing (a freer sketch-like drawing completed in 10 minutes or less); and still another will have a model in various costumes. (Ever want to draw a clown?)

Participants may come and go as they please between the rooms.

"Drawing from observation is the fastest way to build skills and generate ideas," Frey says. "And there's something very restorative in it."

For participants who want to put down the pencil (or marker, pen or other instrument of choice), the session will offer an alternative this year -- one that comes with instruction.

"It's a monotype workshop," Frey says, explaining that the process involves applying paint or ink to a plexiglass plate that goes onto a press and is printed in reverse.

"It does really interesting things and you get cool textures that maybe you're not expecting," she says. "It's a nice introduction to printmaking."

Participants can choose to attend the workshop or just choose between the studios.

"It's very relaxed," Frey says, adding that nobody has to share their work if they don't want to.

"I believe that drawing is the core of all art forms," she says. "Drawing is the most immediate of all the mediums.

"For some people, drawing leads to something else; they turn it into a painting or a sculpture.

But for others, drawing is the art. It's an end in itself."

And that's what it will be for everyone on Saturday.

Draw On!

Sat. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Public hours: 1-5 p.m. $20

Pa. College of Art and Design

204 N. Prince St., 396-7833

www.pcad.edu

kdaminger@lnpnews.com