1. Sir Quentin Saxby Blake was born on 16 December 1932 and is an English cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and children's writer.
30 Facts About Quentin Blake
1. 2.
Quentin Blake has illustrated over 300 books, including 18 written by Roald Dahl, which are among his most popular works.
3.
Quentin Blake was born on 16 December 1932 in Sidcup, Kent, son of William and Evelyn Quentin Blake.
4.
Quentin Blake's father was a civil servant, and his mother a housewife.
5.
Quentin Blake was evacuated to the West Country during the Second World War.
6.
Quentin Blake has since denied that studying at the University of Cambridge contributed to his artistic or creative talent.
7.
Quentin Blake taught at the Royal College of Art for over 20 years, where he was head of the Illustration department from 1978 to 1986.
8.
The first book Quentin Blake illustrated was The Wonderful Button by Evan Hunter, published by Abelard-Schuman in 1961.
9.
In 1993, Quentin Blake designed the five British Christmas issue postage stamps featuring episodes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
10.
Quentin Blake is patron of the Blake Society, Downing College's arts and humanities society.
11.
Quentin Blake is a patron of "The Big Draw", which aims to get people drawing throughout the United Kingdom, and of The Nightingale Project, a charity that provides art to hospitals.
12.
In 2007, Quentin Blake designed a huge mural on fabric, suspended over and thus disguising a ramshackle building immediately opposite an entrance to St Pancras railway station.
13.
Quentin Blake is a supporter of and ambassador for the indigenous rights NGO Survival International.
14.
Quentin Blake is the Founding Trustee of House of Illustration, a centre in London for exhibitions, educational events and activities related to the art of illustration.
15.
Besides children's books, Quentin Blake is the designer of Ben, the logo of the shop chain Ben's Cookies.
16.
In 2023, Quentin Blake was asked by Blue Peter to design a new Blue Peter badge which they have called their Book badge.
17.
Quentin Blake was additionally the artist behind the comic strip Waldo and Wanda, written by John Yeoman.
18.
Quentin Blake has illustrated a score of books by Roald Dahl.
19.
Quentin Blake illustrated the British edition of Agaton Sax, a Swedish-language series of comedy detective novels by Nils-Olof Franzen.
20.
Quentin Blake was the inaugural British Children's Laureate and was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Arts in 2001.
21.
Quentin Blake received the biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award from the International Board on Books for Young People for his career contribution to children's literature in 2002.
22.
Quentin Blake was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2005 New Year Honours for his services to children's literature.
23.
For Mister Magnolia, which he wrote, Quentin Blake won the 1980 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject.
24.
Quentin Blake was a highly commended Greenaway runner-up for The Wild Washerwomen: A new folk tale, by John Yeoman, and a commended runner-up for Clown, which he wrote himself.
25.
Quentin Blake made the Greenaway shortlist for Zagazoo, which he wrote, and for Sad Book by Michael Rosen.
26.
Quentin Blake won the Kurt Maschler Award, or the Emil, for All Join In, which he wrote and illustrated.
27.
Quentin Blake was awarded the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 2011, and received the Eleanor Farjeon Award in November 2012.
28.
Quentin Blake was knighted in the 2013 New Year Honours for his services to illustration.
29.
Quentin Blake is a Companion of the Guild of St George.
30.
Quentin Blake was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to illustration.