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SEPTEMBER 2018
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Flight Time
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35
Interview
when bringing someone else’s vision to life,
but Blake seems to rely on an inner instinct
rather than a dictated brief, particularly
when it comes to the main image everyone
is going to see on the bookshelf, which begs
the question: should you ever judge a book
by its cover? “No, you shouldn’t, but it’s an
important aspect of it and it’s very interesting
to me because doing the covers of books is
one of the most difficult things.
“Sometimes you get it right straight away,
but it can be very problematic because you
need to make the book look interesting; you
need to give some feeling of the atmosphere
and flavour of it, without giving away too
much. It needs to stimulate your appetite
without satisfying it. It’s a tricky job and I
rarely get it right first time.”
From the grinning face of Charlie Bucket
as he gleefully waves his golden ticket next to
the eccentric Willy Wonka, to the exuberant
Mr Fox, or the brilliantly bookish Matilda
standing atop a pile of tomes, while the
wonky-faced BFG gently cradles inquisitive
young Sophie, Blake’s covers with Dahl are
as iconic as they come. And yet, despite their
obvious shared chemistry as creators, it is
still hard to imagine how two artists who are
both so strong-minded in their own vision
managed to have such a long and prosperous
partnership without any notable disputes,
particularly as Dahl wasn’t always known for
being the most amicable…
“People often remark how he was a
formidable personality, but this wasn’t
really a problem because I wanted him to be
happy, if you see what I mean. I think we
established a very good collaboration because
F L I G H T D E TA I L S
Flybe has flights to La Rochelle from
Birmingham (until 5th September),
Manchester (until 5th September) and
Southampton.
he understood that. We talked about the
drawings and I was ready to change things
– I’m not fussy like that, and that is part of
the job, but also, we wanted the drawings to
do part of the work. So that provided a very
good basis to the collaboration,” says Blake.
“Although we were very different kinds of
people, a lot of the sense of humour was the
same, and I got to know him and his family
very well.”
Unlike the late, great Dahl, who was
married for 30 years and had five children,
Blake has remained single and childless. He
once remarked, “I never wanted children
but will happily spend my days inventing
them”, and arguably has a fondness and
consideration for the younger generation
as reflected both in his work as a children’s
illustrator and his time spent as a teacher (he
taught at the Royal College of Art for over
20 years).
Such life choices afford a greater level
of freedom which Blake has used to remain
entirely devoted to his work, flitting between
France and England depending on where
his imagination lay, with both countries
honouring his tremendous contribution.
Blake was created a Knight Bachelor in the
2013 New Year Honours for his services to
illustration, and in France he was made a
Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in
2002 and elevated to Officer in 2007. Then,
in March 2014, he was awarded the insignia
of a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur at a
ceremony at the Institut Français in London,
an honour he is particularly proud of.
Said Blake: “It means a lot to me, it’s
hard to say but it means you have a real
relationship with that country I suppose.
Partly why I’ve got that medal is because
I’ve done a lot with the French Institute in
London as well. And I’ve illustrated French
books in London as well as France.
“It’s a lot of toing and froing and it’s very
gratifying to me that the people in France
have appreciated me and my work. All I
can say is, in return, this region and these
people have been very good to me, while
the countryside and the coast have offered
so much inspiration, more than I could ever
commit to paper.
“In these days of Brexit, of all this talk of
exports and imports, surely that’s an example
of the very best type of trade between
nations… one of affection and inspiration;
and of course, that makes me so happy.”
At the Museum of Childhood
Children join Quentin Blake at The Big Draw, a festival
to encourage children to try their hand at drawing