ILLUSTRATOR #4 SIR QUENTIN BLAKE CBE
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| Pictured: Sir Quentin Blake CBE image souce: https://twitter.com/QuentinBlakeHQ |
This is the fourth in my series of profiling illustrators, and Sir Quentin Blake's artwork, (as that of Chris Riddell OBE), pops up in many other formats and presentations; and not just in fiction works and picture books for which most renowned.
The majority of us, of course, recognise the most famous works generated from Sir Quentin are his collaborations with Roald Dahl. Having gifted us with a magical sense of Dahl's characters such as Matilda and Charlie (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) .
Sir Quentin's signature style is cartoon-like, scribbly-like, illustrations. Often characters have exaggerated body proportions; often with long, willowy limbs; and faces with pointy noses. His characters are often engaged in a busy activity and we get a lovely feel of action and movement in his 2D artworks in which he always manages to include a sense of comedy and novelty. When he adds colour to his illustrations, Sir Quentin adds a variety of watercolour paint colours which he applies loosely within the contours of the black outlines. The result is clearly defining, relaxed, and unmistakably original.
I think it was around 2013 that I visited an exhibition of his works at The Herbert Museum and Art Gallery, in Coventry (part of a wider tour), and so was very fortunate to see his work up close. Sir Quentin, at 88, falls inbetween the age of my mother, and my late, father. So. when reading about his young life I get an idea about the man, the quality of his education and him 'doing' National Service. Interestingly, Sir Quentin just loved to draw from a young age, as the case with others I have profiled: Riddell (The Observer), Tim Pond (The Guardian) and Peggy Fortnum (Paddington Bear books).
Sir Quentin made a living as an illustrator from the age of 16, working for well known editorial publications including The Spectator;.and a little later he started illustrating children's books He also taught art, which included being head of the Illustration department at the Royal College of Art for a few years.
In 1999, Sir Quentin was appointed the first ever Children's Laureate. He has had an illustrious career in book illustrating, winning many prestigious prizes and awards. Also, he has aquired an additional 'string to his bow' in recent decades - working as an exhibition curator, therefore, working alongside well known institutions at home and abroad and in arts funded projects too.
He '..received a knighthood for 'services to illustration' in the New Year's Honours for 2013, and became an Honorary Freeman of the City of London in 2015' - Blake, Q. (2021) Meet QB - Biography
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