The project “Zeich(n)en für Europa” (Drawing for Europe) was initiated by Markus Weber, head of the Frankfurt Moritz Verlag. On the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2017, he motivated a number of internationally renowned and award-winning illustrators, among them Axel Scheffler, Jutta Bauer and Thé Tjong-Khing, to place characters from their books in a personal European context. Finely sketched mythical creatures, black bulls and blue owls as well as colorful images of meaning and dreams promote a united and strong Europe. The creatives generously donated their 20 or so original motifs to Pulse of Europe. They were auctioned off in an online auction in June 2018; the total proceeds were just under 18,000 euros. Pulse of Europe was able to put this amount into start-up funding to run the European HomeParliaments. Since then, the motifs have been on the road in Europe as high-quality art prints.
Inspired by the project, the book “Drawing (for) a Europe. Pictures of 45 Painters” was published by Beltz & Gelberg. In England, the book “Drawing Europe together. Forty-five Illustrators. One Europe” was already on the market in fall 2018.