Islington Community Project | Quentin Blake Centre - Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration

Collaborations with our local community are shaping plans for our opening in 2026.

In 2026, we will open Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in Clerkenwell, London. Ahead of opening, we are co-developing plans for our programmes and gardens with people in our local borough of Islington.

Families from The Parent House have been working with artist Matt Shaw and illustrators Joey Yu and Grace Holliday to design an outdoor play space for the Centre.

An illustration with pencil and felt tip on yellow paper showing a group of children in a garden, playing with a water feature

Illustrator Grace Holliday is facilitating a co-produced heritage project in partnership with The Peel and their adult social club. The group has been developing illustration techniques while exploring personal resonances with heritage. They have been diving into topics including architecture, natural spaces, food, music and traditions.

An illustration of a red tram, executed in coloured felt pen. An adult's hand is holding a black pen and adding details to the drawing.

Week one

Participant in week one of the project creating an illustration to be used in a relief collage.

Photograph © Valentina Zunino

A group of older adults gathered around a large table. They are painting with diluted ink on sheets of paper.

Week two

The participants in week two of the project using an ink wash painting technique to achieve different tones and shades.

Photograph © Valentina Zunino

A table covered in colourful illustrations of different leaves.

Week three

Illustrations created by participants in week three of the project, using foraged leaves.

Photograph © Valentina Zunino

A photograph of a group of older adults gathered around a large table creating monoprints with ink, rollers and large sheets of paper

Week four

Participants in week four of the project experimenting with monoprinting.

Photograph © Valentina Zunino

A piece of paper with an oil pastel drawing of a landscape. An adult's hand is holding a plastic tool which they are using to scratch details into the layers of oil pastel.

Week five

A participant using the grafitto drawing technique to create illustrations by scratching details into layers of oil pastel.

Photograph © Valentina Zunino

A photograph of a fabric canvas and paint palette on a table. An adult's hand is holding a paintbrush and painting a scene with foliage and flowers on the canvas.

Week six

A participant experimenting with painting on fabric canvases in the week six workshop.

A photograph of several black and white ink drawings on a table, next to some postcards showing an illustration of an art gallery scene

Week seven

Illustrations created by participants in week seven of the project using dip pens and ink.

A group of older adults stood around a large table. They are dipping sheets of paper into trays of paint to create a marbled effect.

Week eight

The participants using a marbling technique by floating pigment on water and laying paper over the water to transfer the pigment design onto the paper.

In the run up to our opening, we will be collaborating with Sapphire Independent Housing, Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants, and Islington Fostering Families to explore illustration, heritage, and community connections.