Here are some facts about Quentin Blake.
- Quentin Blake is an English writer of children’s books, and an illustrator. He has illustrated several books for children by the popular writer, Roald Dahl, and has won several awards.
- He was born in Kent in 1932 and had his first drawing was published when he was only 16.
- He studied English literature at Cambridge before working at London’s Royal College of Art for over 20 years.
- Quentin Blake has illustrated over 300 books, including over 30 he has written himself.
- In 1974, he illustrated the first book by Dr. Seuss that Seuss didn’t illustrate himself.
- As well as illustrating fiction, he has illustrated books about poetry, healthy living and cooking. He has supplied drawings for several classic novels, including and edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
- He has also designed store logos and postage stamps, and drawn on the side of buses. He has presented the children’s programme Jackanory and is patron of several charities.
- One of his biggest projects was a large mural on a disused building near St. Pancras station in London. The mural was designed to greet passengers arriving in London by train.
- Quentin Blake has been an exhibition curator since the 1990s, working in the British Library and a museum in Paris. He has also created works for British and French hospitals.
- Quentin Blake has supported the Campaign for Drawing since its creation in 2000. The charity’s goal is to encourage everyone to draw, and other patrons include artists Gerald Scarfe and David Hockney.
- In his spare time, Blake enjoys giving talks, reading, bird watching and cycling.
- He owns a home in France and sometimes tries to read books written in French.
- Blake was awarded the CBE in 2005, and was knighted for his services in 2013. He has won several other awards, including the 1980 Kate Greenaway award for best children’s book illustration.
