Beloved children’s author Quentin Blake came to King’s Cross on Sunday to launch the world’s biggest drawing festival.

After travelling along Regent’s Canal via tugboat, the illustrator of the Roald Dahl stories hopped to shore and cut a giant ribbon spanning the famous Battlebridge Basin to open the Big Draw, a nationwide celebration of different types of art.

The event on Sunday was held in Kings Place, York Way, and saw visitors have a go at animation, fashion art, drawing for comics, racing paper boats on the canal and more.

Mr Blake also drew a self portrait – an image for the first ever visual census of Londoners.

Islington artist Marion Deuchars, who lives in Upper Street and hosted workshops at the event, said: “It was really good, such a mad event. It was much bigger than I imagined. Every single floor of the huge building was bursting with activities, it was really inspiring.

“The workshops I was doing were meant for kids, but the adults kept joining in – I don’t think they could resist the lure of a paint brush with a big blob of paint on the end.

“It was a beautiful day, which helped, but the whole thing was so special. The organisers did a great job.” Photos by Tony Gay