Quentin Blake is a remarkable English artist who has excelled in various forms of art, such as cartooning, caricature, illustration, and writing for children. His ability to bring stories to life with his unique and expressive artwork has made him a beloved figure in the world of children’s literature.
With a career spanning several decades, Blake has illustrated over 300 books and collaborated with notable authors such as John Yeoman, Michael Rosen, Roald Dahl, and Russell Hoban. His artistic talents have not only inspired other aspiring artists but also earned him numerous awards, including the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, the highest international recognition given to creators of children’s books.
Did You Know These 10 Interesting Facts about Quentin Blake
1. He’s a Native of Kent, England
Quentin Blake was born to his parents on December 16, 1932, and he’s 91 years old at the moment. From the records, he was born in Sidcup, Kent, England. His father was a civil servant, while his mother mostly took care of the house.
As for his education, he first attended Holy Trinity Lamorbey Church of England Primary School before proceeding to Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. He later decided to study English literature at Downing College, Cambridge, and later received his post-graduate teaching diploma from the University of London Institute of Education.
Following Blake’s artistic passions, which were encouraged by his Latin teacher, he decided to hone his skills and studied part-time at the Chelsea School of Art and later at Camberwell College of Art. Over the years, his career as an illustrator has seen him earn other honorary degrees from universities throughout the UK.
2. Quentin Blake was a Tutor For Several Years
A few years after Blake bagged his teaching diploma, he got into the educational sector and began his career in that field. He first taught English at the Lycée Français de Londres and later worked at the Royal College of Art for over two decades.
The Kent native was later promoted to head the illustration department from 1978 to 1986.
3. His First Drawings were Published at the age of 16
Blake was only 16 years old when he made his first drawings and was still in school at the time. Surprisingly, these drawings were accepted and published by “Punch” news, and he continued to draw for Punch. He revealed that “It was wonderful when the magazine decided to have colored covers every week”.
Following this, he caught sight of other magazines, such as “The Spectator,” which gave him the opportunity to draw and further establish himself.
4. Quentin Blake Has Illustrated Over 300 Books
Over the last four decades, Blake has been illustrating several books, even the ones that were never illustrated by the original writers. such as Great Day for Up, written by Dr. Seuss.
As of 2006, he had illustrated 323 books, of which 35 were written by authors such as Joan Aiken, Elizabeth Bowen, Sylvia Plath, Roald Dahl, Nils-Olof Franzén, and William Steig.
Some of the books he illustrated are Alphabet Soup (1969), The Boy Who Sprouted Antlers (1971), Sixes and Sevens (1971), Mouse Trouble (1972), Beatrice and Vanessa (1974), The Puffin Book of Improbable Records (1975, reissued in 1993), The Heron and the Crane (1999), Amazing Animal Stories (2011), The Fabulous Foskett Family Circus (2013), and All the Year Round (2017).
His works have also gone from just children’s illustrations to making large-scale drawings for hospitals and healthcare settings in the UK and France.
5. He Has Also Worked as an Exhibition Curator
Aside from illustrations, Blake has been curating shows in different places, such as the National Gallery, the British Library, and the Musée du Petit Palais in Paris. In addition to this, he was also an occasional presenter on the BBC children’s storytelling program Jackanory.
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6. Quentin Blake has Never Being Married
For reasons that have remained unknown, Blake is not yet married, and if all our findings are correct, he has never been married. In the same manner, information about his relationship has not been revealed to the public.
While he’s yet to clearly establish his reasons for staying unmarried, he once hinted that he has never wanted children since he could invent them.
Apparently, Blake’s passion for drawing has been his distraction all these years, and he has several prizes and awards to show for it.
7. His Recurring Elements are Birds
Since the start of Blake’s career, he has illustrated several elements and animals; however, he seems to enjoy drawing birds, and according to him, it’s partly because they’ve got two legs like humans. He was once asked to bring in characters from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and unsurprisingly, they all ended up as birds.
Some of his best-known books with bird characters include Cockatoos, The Twits and My Bird in the Weed, and The Life of Birds.
8. He Has Numerous Awards to his name
Awards have become a great way to encourage and appreciate people for standing out in their fields, and Blake surely deserves this. He has received numerous prizes and awards for his books, including the Whitbread Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal, the Emil/Kurt Maschler Award, the international Bologna Ragazzi Prize, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, which is the highest international recognition given to creators of children’s books.
In addition to his awards, Blake was given the ‘Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French Government for services to literature, and in 2007 and 2014 he was admitted to the Legion d’Honneur. In the same vein, he was appointed the first ever Children’s Laureate for two years and later the Companion of Honour on the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2022.
9. Blake’s Influence and Legacy
Blake’s career as an illustrator has inspired a number of illustrators, and among this list are the likes of Peter van Straaten, Judith Vanistendael, Marloes de Vries, Jean Bourguignon, and Mas Hab. He has also supported the “Campaign for Drawing” since its creation in 2000. The platform was established to encourage everyone to draw.
To establish his legacy in the sands of time, the bilingual German-English school in Berlin was named The Quentin Blake Europe School in 2002. Thirteen years later, the children’s library at the Institut Français in London sports the name “Bibliothèque Quentin Blake.”
10. How He Spends His Free Time
Even though Blake’s life has been about cartooning and illustrating, he also enjoys a whole lot of activities in his free time. From our findings, he spends his free time giving talks, reading, bird watching, and cycling.
