National Doodle Day

It’s National Doodle Day, an annual fundraising event and auction held by Epilepsy Action to help people take control of their epilepsy.

Every year famous celebrities and illustrators pick up their pencils, pens, and paint brushes to create a selection of one-of-a-kind doodles which are then auctioned off to the highest bidder over the course of three days on eBay. This year’s auction includes doodles from Derren Brown, Tom Hardy, Aisling Bea, Warwick Davis, Miranda Hart, Joanna Lumley, and Diane Morgan.

Epilepsy Action is a charity dedicated to raising a wider awareness and understanding of epilepsy so that those living with the condition are treated with fairness and respect. They want to ensure people with epilepsy have the support they need to manage their condition through high quality, accessible epilepsy healthcare services. Epilepsy Action provides a wealth of information and advice on their website and well as resources designed to help people living with epilepsy access support in their local areas.

The money raised through National Doodle Day makes it possible for the Epilepsy Action Helpline provide the latest expert advice for those in need. It also goes towards expanding the charity’s network of local support groups to help more people beat the loneliness and isolation epilepsy can bring. The National Doodle Day auction is now live and you can view (and bid on!) this year’s celebrity doodles here.

In celebration of National Doodle Day we challenged the Platform 81 team to draw their very own self portrait doodles in 30 seconds or less. The results ranged from surprisingly accurate to downright bizarre. The National Doodle Day website has an entire page dedicated to interpreting doodles but, given the *cough* uniqueness *cough* of some of our doodles, we’re not sure if the Platform 81 team should really open that can of worms. Take a look at our doodles below and let us know your favourites on Twitter!