OXFORD residents turned artists to decorate the walls of the city’s prestigious O3 Gallery this week.

The Oxford Castle gallery provided art materials for visitors to show off their artistic side as part of a nationwide Big Draw event.

Manager Helen Statham said visitors from a range of abilities, ages and techniques had contributed works from portraits to abstracts.

She added: “We are really pleased to be part of the Big Draw.

“We thought it would be a great idea to open up the walls of the gallery.

“Despite technical advancements with things like Photoshop, this shows that drawing is still important.”

The sessions, from noon to 5pm, will continue until Sunday.

Today, visitors to the castle will be asked to draw their dreams in chalk on the paving stones around the site, from 11am to 4pm.

The Big Draw is being run by charity The Campaign for Drawing.