Self-portrait sketch by Quentin Blake, showing the artist receiving a vaccine against COVID-19, made at the Science Museum vaccination centre in London, on 6th April 2022

Quentin Blake drew this sketch when he received a vaccination against COVID-19 in 2022 at the vaccination centre hosted by the Science Museum. An impromptu drawing in biro on an A4 sheet of paper, it represents a smiling Blake holding out his arm for the vaccine in the artist's familiar whimsical style. This joyful sketch is a personal response to the vaccine roll-out which, by reducing the severity of the disease and saving millions of lives, transformed the pandemic’s course. The sketch evokes a sense of hope and optimism.

In March 2021, shortly after the UK began vaccinating the population, the Science Museum opened an NHS vaccination hub. It was then reopened in December 2021 as the Omicron variant swept through the country. By the time the museum closed its vaccination centre at the end of April 2022, 139,000 jabs had been administered at the site.