Profile of Quentin Blake - The Artist
Quentin Blake was educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. He sketched his first drawings at age 16 for the magazine Punch. He took a degree in English Literature at Downing College, Cambridge (1953-6) and then undertook a postgraduate teaching diploma at the Institute of Education before working at the Royal College of Art.
Quentin gained a reputation as a fantasy-like and humorous illustrator of numerous children's books and has illustrated over 300 books. Meanwhile, his illustrations for the stories of Roald Dahl have brought him international fame. In addition to his collaborations with Dahl, Quentin Blake has also written numerous books of his own. His artistic style is very distinct, composed of fast and scribbly ink lines, but with a precise stroke. He colours in pen-and-ink drawings afterwards with watercolour painting. The spontaneity of his style is achieved by allowing himself a free hand at first, and then tracing elements from the first draft onto subsequent drafts.
With Russell Hoban, Quentin was jointly awarded Whitbread Award for Children's Book for How Tom Beat Captain Najork & His Hired Sportsmen.
