Beneath most paintings, sculptures and architecture, there lies a drawing. Drawing is more than an artistic mode; it’s a fundamental human language dating back to when we scratched outlines of animals on cave walls.

It's also the reason for an all-night meetup in New Orleans of accomplished artists, students, kids and those who just like to push a pencil across a pad from time to time. The annual Draw-a-thon is a 24-hour festival dedicated to sketching, shading, crosshatching, cartooning and even doodling.

There's no fundraiser or tickets, and participation is open to the public. It's art for art's sake.

Draw-a-thon emerged from the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery period, when the storm-scattered artists sought a way to recapture their sense of community in New Orleans. Stretching the a

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