Quentin Blake facts for kids

Sir Quentin Blake (born December 16, 1932) is a famous English artist. He draws cartoons, funny pictures of people (caricatures), and illustrates books, especially for children. He also writes children's books. He has drawn pictures for more than 300 books! Many of his most loved drawings are for the 18 books written by the famous author Roald Dahl. In 2002, he won the important Hans Christian Andersen Award for illustration. This award is like the Nobel Prize for children's book creators, showing how much he has helped children's literature. He was also the very first British Children's Laureate from 1999 to 2001. This special role celebrates authors and illustrators who inspire children to read. He supports the Association of Illustrators, which helps other artists who draw for books.

Quentin Blake's Early Life

Quentin Blake was born on December 16, 1932, in Sidcup, England. His dad worked for the government, and his mom took care of their home. During World War II, he was sent away from his home to a safer place in the West Country. He went to Holy Trinity Lamorbey Primary School and Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. His English teacher, J. H. Walsh, really helped him find his path in life.

Developing Artistic Skills

While he was in school, Quentin Blake got help with his art from a painter and cartoonist named Alfred Jackson. Alfred was married to Blake's Latin teacher. He encouraged Blake to send his drawings to Punch magazine. This led to his first drawing being published when he was just 16 years old! Later, his art teacher, Stanley Simmonds, saw how talented Blake was. He gave Blake lots of support and showed him the work of other artists.

College and Art School

Blake studied English Literature at Downing College, Cambridge, from 1953 to 1956. After that, he got a teaching diploma from the University of London. He also studied art part-time at the Chelsea School of Art and later at Camberwell College of Art. Even though he went to Cambridge, he has said that studying there didn't really help his artistic talent.

Quentin Blake's Career

In the 1960s, Blake taught English at a French school in London called the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle. This started his long connection with France, and he even received a special award from France called the Legion of Honour. He also taught at the Royal College of Art for more than 20 years. From 1978 to 1986, he was the head of the Illustration department there.

Illustrating Books

The first book Blake illustrated was The Wonderful Button by Evan Hunter in 1961. After that, he became known as a loyal, reliable, and funny illustrator. He has illustrated over 300 children's books! Some of the famous authors he worked with include Joan Aiken, Sylvia Plath, Roald Dahl, and Dr. Seuss. He even illustrated the first Dr. Seuss book that Seuss didn't draw himself, called Great Day for Up! (1974).

By 2006, Blake had illustrated 323 books. He wrote 35 of these books himself, and 18 were written by Roald Dahl. More recently, Blake has illustrated two books by David Walliams. He has also created drawings for special limited editions of classic books like Don Quixote and Candide.

Other Creative Projects

In the 1970s, Blake sometimes appeared on the BBC children's show Jackanory. On the show, he would draw pictures on a canvas as he told stories. In 1993, he designed five British Christmas postage stamps. These stamps showed scenes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Blake is a member of the Chelsea Arts Club, a place for artists. He also supports "The Big Draw", which encourages people across the UK to draw. He is a patron of The Nightingale Project, a charity that brings art to hospitals. Since 2006, he has created art for hospitals and health centers in London, a children's hospital in Paris, and a maternity hospital in France. His 2012 book, Quentin Blake: Beyond the Page, talks about how his art has appeared in public places like hospitals and museums, not just in books. In 2007, he designed a huge fabric mural for St Pancras railway station in London. This mural shows a welcoming committee to greet passengers arriving by Eurostar train.

Blake also supports Survival International, an organization that helps indigenous people. He believes it's important to help people whose way of life is threatened by modern society.

Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration

Blake is a founder of the House of Illustration, a special center in London for art exhibitions and educational events about illustration. He was the subject of the very first exhibition there in 2014. In 2020, it was announced that this center will move to a new location and be renamed the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

Besides children's books, Blake designed "Ben," the friendly logo for the shop chain Ben's Cookies. He also created illustrations for the storytelling parts of the Scottish TV series Squeak!. In 2023, the TV show Blue Peter asked Blake to design a new Blue Peter badge called the Book badge.

Quentin Blake's Personal Life

Quentin Blake has never been married and does not have any children. He lives in South Kensington, a part of West London.

Comics by Quentin Blake

Blake was also the artist for a comic strip called Waldo and Wanda. This comic was written by John Yeoman.

Selected Works by Quentin Blake

Here are some books that Quentin Blake both wrote and illustrated:

• Patrick (1968)
• Jack and Nancy (1969)
• Angelo (1970)
• Snuff (1973)
• Lester at the Seaside (1975)
• Lester and the Unusual Pet (1975)
• The Adventures of Lester (1977)
• Mister Magnolia (1980) — This book won the Kate Greenaway Medal!
• Quentin Blake's Nursery Rhyme Book (1983)
• The Story of the Dancing Frog (1984)
• Mrs Armitage On Wheels (1987)
• Quentin Blake's ABC (1989)
• All Join In (1990) — This book won the Kurt Maschler Award for its great mix of words and pictures.
• Cockatoos (1992)
• Simpkin (1993)
• The Quentin Blake Book of Nonsense Verse (1994)
• Clown (1995) — This book was a runner-up for the Greenaway Medal.
• Mrs Armitage and the Big Wave (1997)
• The Green Ship (1998)
• Zagazoo (1998)
• Fantastic Daisy Artichoke (1999)
• The Twelve Days of Christmas (Correspondence) (1999)
• The Laureate's Party (2000)
• Words and Pictures (2000)
• Tell Me a Picture (2001)
• Loveykins (2002)
• Mrs Armitage, Queen of the Road (2003)
• Angel Pavement (2004)
• You're Only Young Twice (2008)
• Daddy Lost his Head (2009)
• Quentin Blake: Beyond the Page (2012)

Blake has illustrated many books by Roald Dahl. He also illustrated the British versions of the Agaton Sax detective novels by Nils-Olof Franzén.

Awards and Honors

Quentin Blake was the very first British Children's Laureate from 1999 to 2001. In 2001, he became an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts. He received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2002 for his amazing work in children's literature. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005 for his contributions to children's books. France also honored him, making him a Knight in 2002 and an Officer in 2007 of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

For his book Mister Magnolia, which he wrote and illustrated, Blake won the 1980 Kate Greenaway Medal. This award celebrates the best children's book illustration by a British artist. His book Clown was also a runner-up for this medal in 1995.

Blake won the Kurt Maschler Award for All Join In (1990). This award celebrates British children's books where the words and pictures work perfectly together.

In 2011, Blake received the Prince Philip Designers Prize. In 2012, he won the Eleanor Farjeon Award, which recognizes people who have made a great contribution to British children's books. He was made a Knight in 2013 for his services to illustration.

In 2014, he received another French honor, the insignia of a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. In 2022, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) for his services to illustration.

Images for kids

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  A robot illustration