S22 Ep3: Rob Biddulph, Author & Illustrator: The man who taught a million children to draw

Conversations of Inspiration

Holly Tucker MBE

Education, Business, Society & Culture, Self-improvement, Entrepreneurship, Personal Journals

5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if a simple drawing could do more than just fill a page? What if it could boost confidence, spark creativity and even provide comfort in uncertain times?

In this episode, Holly sits down with the brilliant Rob Biddulph, award winning children’s author, illustrator and creative force behind the lockdown sensation Draw With Rob, a movement that inspired millions of children (and their parents) to pick up a pencil and get drawing.

Rob speaks to Holly about the power of creativity, why art is so often undervalued in our education system and how a daily drawing challenge became a lifeline to so many during the pandemic. He also shares how a stroke of luck helped paint the career change he’d craved, but had almost given up on.

This is an episode that explores the importance of keeping that creative spark alive into adulthood, the joy of making art without fear of failure and why in the digital world, putting pen to paper might just be more important than ever.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Keep going, keep drawing, believe in your writing, keep trusting that little voice inside that
0:05.3	tells you to stick to your guns. Trust your ideas, trust the talents you've been given.
0:10.1	Keep that pencil sharpened, keep your confidence high, and get ready for one hell of an adventure.
0:16.5	I can't believe I've just spoken someone who has taught millions of children how to draw
0:21.7	and who was one of our national treasures during lockdown. It's Rob Bedolf, the award-winning
0:27.7	children's author, illustrator, basically the Joe Wicks of the art world during the pandemic.
0:33.8	And I know you're all nodding furiously and you might have even joined along with Rob as he was
0:38.6	drawing with your children. You know, the impact this person has had on so many kids, but so many of us
0:46.6	hold him so dearly in our hearts because he helped us navigate a time where we had no map.
0:53.1	We didn't understand what the next day would bring.
0:56.4	At the same time, we were allowing space for creativity and Rob was there for us.
1:03.1	And one of the things that came through this conversation is this notion that this
1:09.2	interview suddenly feels like one of his kids' books, that there was this
1:14.0	lovely narration of his life and the ups and downs and the darkest of times that led to the
1:22.0	brightest of worlds and the community that he's created and that he feels like the moment he got his first book deal,
1:30.4	he retired. And that was many, many years ago because he now does what he loves. And we spoke
1:37.0	about that and the importance of us doing what we love for a living and making life the storybook that we want it to be.
1:47.7	I just really feel like putting pen to paper and drawing something.
1:51.8	No, it won't be very good.
1:53.2	But Rob would want me to do that because I feel inspired to turn the page and look forward to the future.
2:00.1	And I'm sure you will too.
2:02.4	He's one in a million and speaks with such passion.
	...

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