Q&A with Quentin Blake: Read his answers here!

[TinaMumsnet]

We're very pleased to announce that legendary illustrator Quentin Blake will be answering your questions about his work and latest illustrations in The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots.

Beatrix Potter wrote The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots in 1914 but did not find time to illustrate it. Now, over 100 years later, Quentin Blake has brought Kitty to life with his witty and charming illustrations.

Quentin Blake is one of Britain's most successful illustrators. He has illustrated nearly 300 books and he was Roald Dahl's favourite illustrator. He has won many awards, including the Whitbread Award and the Kate Greenaway Medal, and taught for over 20 years at the Royal College of Art. In 1999 he became the first ever Children's Laureate and in 2013 he was knighted for services to illustration.

In Beatrix Potter's own words The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots is about 'a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life' and will be available in all good bookshops from 1 September.

Post your questions to Quentin Blake before 9 September and you'll be entered into a prize draw to win one of five copies of The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots

@WhatamessIgotinto

We all love your illustrations, they really bring the characters to life. How did you find your 'style' of drawing?

It wasn't so much that I found it as it found me. When I was twenty-something I realised that the rough drawings I did sometimes had qualities that were lost in the finished version - so I decided to relax and try to get the spontaneity into the final drawings. Each drawing is like a small performance, and you have to be ready to start again if you get it wrong.

@Mysillydog

I have a teenager who has to draw every day or she gets a bit twitchy. She started out by copying your style from her books and later on has been influenced by Japanese manga and anime. However, it was you that got her started.

She wants to know if you draw everyday for pleasure as well as for work.

I draw every day (unless I have to go somewhere to give a talk, though I have pretty well given that up now). I do a lot of drawings that are not for "work" - though some are intended eventually for exhibitions - but it's all equally for pleasure.

@Witchend

A question my dd has asked several times is why don't more illustrators include different disabled people in the illustrations-they may put a token person in a wheelchair if they think about it. Dd2 is missing her left arm from below the elbow and you get that very rarely in books.

This is a very real question. Part of the problem is that if someone appears in a story with a significant disability we want to know their story - they can't just walk on, so to speak. I tried to do something about this with a book called The Five Of Us, where all the children have disabilities, which are never directly mentioned; it's about what they can do. It's for young children. But in general we just have to try and increase consciousness of the issue.

@VanellopeVonSchweetz99

You are one of my main inspirations in becoming an author/illustrator, 'Sad Book' (Michael Rosen) is my absolute favourite. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Question: What are your 'can't live without'-artist materials? Ie favourite paper, pen/ink, watercolours, lightbox - the more specific the better please.

Can I call you Von for short? Arches Fin (cold-pressed) watercolour paper 180 gsm; sometimes Canson; layout pads for roughs; Indian ink, at the moment Higgins Black Magic, and FW for other colours, quite often sepia. Waverley nibs in a straight (not tapered) penholder, or other similarly scratchy. Quills - turkey, swan, crow, vulture. I think there is a photo of the watercolours on my website. I mix on a piece of paper such as I am going to apply it to. Once again see Words and Pictures.

@Jonessoar

Have you ever read a book you weren't tasked with illustrating, had an idea pop in your head and gone on to draw it anyway? If so, what book? Been a huge fan of your work since I was a small child and now my children are giggling at the very same things you brought to life, thank you!

Yes, but it was slower and more substantial than that, in fact. I was fascinated by a French paperback of Voyages to the Sun and the Moon by Cyrano de Bergerac, and I started doing drawings for it, and eventually proposed it to the Folio Society, who published it (about twenty or so years ago) and allowed me to do a large number of illustrations.

@lalalonglegs

Hello Sir Quentin

I love the way that the children in your books seem so chaotic and nearly always very busy and involved in their own thing, buzzing around creating a benign anarchy. As you don't have first-hand experience of bringing up children and have never, as far as I know, worked in a primary school or nursery, who do you model these children on? Did you grow up in a large family where children were left to their own devices or is it an idealised version of how childhood should be?

Thank you for all your fantastic books - my children pretend to be a bit old for some of them but we still enjoy Mr Magnolia, Sixes and Sevens and Captain Najork.

lala

PS Are you doing another show at B&H this winter?

I didn't grow up in a large family - my brother was eleven years older than me, so in practical terms I was an only child. But the children in the drawings aren't "modelled" on anyone, any more that the adults or the dogs are. I have noticed that a lot of people, including quite intelligent ones, find it hard to take on board that you can actually imagine things. I have done drawings of mothers and babies for two maternity hospitals, but I am not married, have no children, have never been pregnant etc; you start drawing and use your imagination.

I think this leads straight on to one of the questions from GHornby:

What do you think and what are your emotions when you are drawing?

What I am trying to do is act the feelings of the characters in the picture, but I am not feeling what they are feeling. To Take the example of Michael Rosen’s Sad Book (which was mentioned by one of the other questioners): I felt sad when I first heard about his son, but in the illustrations I am depicting sadness, judging the quantity and nature of it, organising the surrounding atmosphere, and so on.

@GHornsby

Dear Quentin,

We are back and have all of our questions below. We have some very curious kids at our school!

What goes what goes on your mind when you´re painting your drawings?

How did Roald Dahl get his inspiration?

Why did you choose to be an illustrator?

What is the strangest request you have had from a publisher?

From where do you get your inspiration for drawing?

Which is your favourite drawing and why?

How did you meet Roald Dahl?

Which is your favourite drawing that you have drawn?

How did you decided to illustrate Kitty in boots and who did you get permission from?

How did you get to be Roald Dahl´s illustrator?

Did you get your style of drawing by some kind of inspiration?

Do you need to read all the book to draw the pictures?

How does it feel to be one of the greatest illustrators in history, is it fun to be such a big role model?

Did you ever disagree with any of Roald Dahl´s suggestions?

How did you feel illustrating for Roald Dahl?

Do you listen to music when you draw? If so, what music?

Who is your inspiration? Why?

Since when did you start to paint?

Do you practice illustrating every day?

Do you have someone special to think of when illustrating?

How did you start your life as an illustrator?

What was the first book you illustrated?

Do you work with anyone else?

Who taught you to draw?

Do you have a pet?

What did you like to do when you were a kid?

Where do you live?

Does the way you feel affect the way you draw?

How do you get inspired to illustrate the book kitty in boots?

Why do you want to illustrate Beatrix Potter Books?

How do you make it that when you draw the people that read that book feel that they are there?

How did you learn to draw with that technique?

What do you think or what are your emotions when you are drawing?

Was your passion to be an illustrator?

What is the strangest request you have had from a publisher?

Why did you want to illustrate specifically Roald Dahl's Books?

How you eat in the middle of a book?

How do you illustrate so well?

Thank you so much! We can´t wait to hear from you.

Kind Regards,
Mr Greg and the kids from Colegio Anglo Colombia

I save the next question from GHornby till last: How does it feel to be one of the greatest illustrators etcetera?
Well, if you say so, and I am very pleased at the thought, though it doesn't quite produce the permanent glow of euphoria that I could hope for. I go on worrying about the details of the job, but of course I also go on being delighted when I am presented with some new project. And it is very gratifying and rewarding when someone - especially a young illustrator - says (as one questioner does here) that my work has inspired them. That helps me too.

@trufflehunterthebadger

Oh how exciting ! I live in Hastings and love the illustrations you did inspired by the sea. Are they available as a series of prints ? I have the cover of our council magazine with one of your drawings on the cover proudly displayed in a frame !

Which was your favourite Roald Dahl book to illustrate ? My favourite would have to be the Revolting Rhymes, particularly Cinderella.

And finally couldnt be a better title for us as my daughter's name is... Kitty !

Next time you are in Hastings pop in for a cuppa !!

P.S Trufflehunterthebadger: I think the Jerwood has a print of the poster Artists on the Beach but no, sorry, we didn't do prints of the Life Under Water series and just sold the originals. There is another show coming up in July 2017. See you there

Dear Mothers Grim,

Some of our students wanted to thank you personally. Here are their letters:

Dear Mothers Grimm,
Thank you so much for the book you sent to us (The primary Anglo Colombianos Library). I really appreciate the action you decided to do. Thanks for realising that our questions were good which means a lot to us. We really hoped we could win a book of Kitty-in-Boots!

Best Wishes,
Isabella S.V.

Dear Mothers Grimm,
In the name of the Anglo Colombiano’s Primary Library, we would like to thank you for the book and for recognizing that our questions were the best. We are really thankful for this action that we will never forget and will stay here forever. This is really important for us that’s why we want to say thank you. The school will take care of the book as much as you would’ve have done.

Kind Regards,
Celeste J.

Dear Mothers Grim,

We really thank you for the donation you did to the school it is really nice you gave it to us so that other kids can be able to read it and see it. You don’t know how happy we are to able to get the book we promise you we will take care of it as much as you would have done. We sent this letter because we want to say how thankful we are because of you.

Best Wishes,
Luciano Gallo