An Afternoon with Quentin Blake

OK, that's a half-truth - I didn't meet him in person, but visited the new exhibition of his work with Roald Dahl: Snozzcumbers and Frobscottle at the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

I went with Maria Knudson, the curator of Giddy Goats and Dippy Dinosaurs, to gather last minute inspiration for our show. We travelled down separately, so I did more people sketching on the train, as you can see from the drawings above and below.

Apart from a couple of pages of original manuscript, poor Roald didn't didn't much of a look-in: Quentin Blake's wonderful drawings dominated.

I am always awe-struck by his ability to capture the essence of a character so simply, and his expert use of body language.


But the real magic is the way he retains a free, sketchy quality, through to the final artwork.

Interestingly, I also realised how how much his drawing style reminds me of Ronald Searle (right). Searle was a massive childhood influence on me, along with the great Ralph Steadman (below). I just love the scratchy, anarchic pen and ink work.

I liked the way Blake's drawings were surface mounted, so you could see little notes in corners, where the paper was torn or thumbed, bits of masking tape etc.

My only criticism of the show, was that it wasn't that good for kids. Given how small the drawings are, work was framed too high on the walls, and there was lots of empty space that could have been more interactive. A big stuffed BFG was striking, but not much good to play with.

The museum's regular collection was fascinating. It was a baking hot day and we were melting, but couldn't tear ourselves away from the most extraordinary collection of dolls houses you ever saw...

Afterwards, with a couple of hours to kill, I pottered round Covent Garden and treated myself to a new dress and these shocking pink pumps. I sketched them on the train home when everyone else got off at Nottingham, and I was all there was left to draw!