Pick and Draw game: Artistic fun for all ages, with a group or on one's own

A deck of cards plus a pencil (with an eraser) and paper are all that's needed for hours of fun — as long as the cards are from the Pick and Draw game.

The Pick and Draw game, created by picture book illustrator Rich Davis, makes me think of those painting places where a group of soon-to-be artists receive the very same instruction yet create fabulously unique paintings, each masterpiece just like the others... but different.

That's the idea behind Pick and Draw, only, the creative result is a comical cartoon. Funky hair, silly smiles, and other funny features combine in unique ways to create characters like no other... but very much like the other cartoonists in the group.

Pick and Draw (which I received free for review) can be played alone, with a solo player picking one of each of the feature cards — face, nose, eyes, mouth, hair — without looking at the faces. Then, with the cards lined up face down in front of the player, in that order, the face card is turned over. On a piece of blank paper, that feature is drawn. One by one, the features are added to the face, according to the shape on the card.

Once all cards are used, a comical face is complete — and the player has learned how fun and simple it can be to be a cartoonist. See, even I can be an artist (and I even used a marker, not a pencil with an eraser!):

Pick and Draw can also be played in a group. One person serves as the leader, pulling the cards as when solo but sharing the design with the group along the way. It makes for a fun family game; I'm throwing the deck into my purse for pulling out after Thanksgiving dinner at my daughter's house. (But shhh... don't tell anyone as it's a surprise.)

A more detailed description of game play, courtesy the Pick and Draw game creator:

There are many other ways to play with the Pick and Draw game, especially in a crowd or classroom. Rich Davis has compiled some great activities shared by teachers and others into The Big Book of Pick and Draw Activities, which is available on Amazon.com for $13.

Even without the book, the creativity can be expanded upon, as this note included with my review Pick and Draw game directs:

Learn more about this creative card game — which, by the way, makes a fabulous and unique gift for kids and adults — at PickandDraw.com, where it can be purchased for $10 plus shipping.

Disclosure: I received this product free for review; opinions are my own.