House of Illustration’s inaugural exhibition was Inside Stories, a landmark show by Quentin Blake, one of the UK’s most important and best-loved illustrators, whose work is recognised worldwide.

This exhibition offered a unique insight into the origins of some of Blake’s most characteristic and popular creations, from his illustrations to Roald Dahl's The Twits(opens in new window) and Danny the Champion of the World(opens in new window) to his own Clown(opens in new window) and The Boy in The Dress(opens in new window) by David Walliams, together with illustrations to books by John Yeoman, Russell Hoban and Michael Rosen(opens in new window).

The exhibition brought together first roughs and storyboards, many never shown before, with finished artwork to demonstrate how ideas evolved, often in close collaboration with the authors.

It showed how Blake brings to bear a wide range of different techniques and media including inks, watercolours and pastels applied with a variety of touch, in response to the particular mood of a book and the nature of its characters, to create his distinctive and unforgettable illustrations.