The directory «Artists»

Blake Quentin Saxby
(b. 1932)

Quentin Saxby Blake CBE (born in Sidcup) is a British cartoonist, illustrator and children's book author, most notable for his illustrations in books written by Roald Dahl.

Blake was educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. His first published drawing was for Punch magazine, at the age of 16. He read 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.

Blake gained a reputation as a fantastic and humorous illustrator of over 300 children's books books. In particular, his illustrations of Roald Dahl's stories brought him international fame. In addition to his collaborations with Dahl, 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. His idiosyncratic use of line adds great depth to his drawings, conveying movement and creating a sense of excitement within the image. First, he creates pen-and-ink drawings, and then adds colour by 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.

Together with Russell Hoban, he was awarded the Whitbread Award for Children's Book for How Tom Beat Captain Najork & His Hired Sportsmen.

He was appointed an OBE in 1988, and subsequently was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2005 New Year's Honours List for services to Children's Literature.

Since 1989, he has been visiting professor at the Royal College of Art. In 1999 he was made the first Children's Laureate in the UK. In 2002 he was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his contributions to children's book illustration.

Great Britain, 1993, The Big Friendly Giant and Sophie

Great Britain, 2006, The Enormous Crocodile