Exhibition preview: Quentin Blake: Drawn by Hand, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, until May 12 2013

Quentin Blake’s Knighthood might give a timely feel to this exhibition, but the Fitzwilliam’s exhibition draws on two bodies of work by the master illustrator which are perhaps less well known.

The first is a series of depictions of mothers swimming underwater with their babies, made to decorate the maternity unit of Angers Hospital, in France, and the Birthing Centre of the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge.

The second is The Life of Birds – a string of animals-turned-humans in which birds are given mortal qualities, producing a somewhat somber series

Blake says the collection of etchings and lithographs is “a sort of odyssey on the drawing board”, allowing visitors to scrutinise the diversity of Roald Dahl’s partner in classics and the techniques he deploys.

They are accompanied by brochures, watercolours, quills and materials from the artist’s studio.

• Open 10am-5pm (12pm-5pm Sunday, closed Monday except Bank Holidays). Admission free. Follow the museum on Twitter @FitzMuseum_UK.

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