Yesterday was the first ever Illustrators’ Fair, held near Kings Cross in London by the brand new House of Illustration as part of their housewarming season. I was sharing a stall with Claudia Boldt and Karin Littlewood, and there were at least 100 other illustrators on stalls, with many many more illustrators, families, local people and illustration fans visiting throughout the day.

There was a great buzz to the event, with big bunches of balloons everywhere giving it a real fairground feel. We offered free badge-making on our stall which was very popular with children and adults alike – I specially liked Sarah Edmonds‘ ‘Lettuce Dance’ and Bridget Strevens-Marzo‘s Tiz and Ott badges.

We were lucky to be opposite a long blank wall, which Karin quickly converted into a wall of drawing, which kept people busy all day – one boy spent ages drawing a beautifully elaborate northpoint, and the ketchup bottle really makes me smile. And I came home with three new signed picture books, all of which will be a perfect starting point for activities at my weekly under 5s art class.

Big thanks to Bob and Michael, and all the fantastically helpful volunteers at the House of Illustration for organising this wonderful event.