Quentin Blake returns to Bankside Gallery for the fourth consecutive year, bringing an eclectic mix of work in his new show, ‘Ninety Drawings’. Subjects range from emotive figures in watercolour landscapes (‘On the Beach’, 2020) to a whole flock of elegant birds created using children’s washable fibre-tip pens (‘Wading Birds’, 2021), together with a playful set of fish and other marine life, worked in vibrant Stabilo watercolour pencil, on sheets of hand-made paper (‘Fish’ and ‘Fishscapes’, 2025).
In a very productive period in the studio, more than half the drawings have been created in the past 6 months. Many of these new works are on the theme of enjoyment of the natural world, whether standing on a hilltop on a windy day, or simply relaxing in a tree with a good book. The artist’s quintessential observational humour is as present as ever, providing an affectionate look at life through his pen.
Proceeds from the show will be donated to Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, the UK’s flagship centre for the artform which is now nearing completion in its new home in Clerkenwell. The Centre plans to open its doors to the public in Spring 2026.
