From an original drawing in watercolour pencil, from the series The Life of Birds (2011). ' I draw every day - unless I'm being interviewed' - Sir Quentin Blake.

A Founding Patron of The Big Draw, Blake is one of Britain's best-loved illustrators and children's authors. He taught for over twenty years at the Royal College of Art, where he was Head of Illustration (1978- 1986). He has illustrated nearly 300 books, including almost every Roald Dahl children's classic. He has won numerous prizes and awards, including the Whitbread Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition given to creators of children's books.

Blake was knighted in 2013 for his services to illustration, and in 2014 he was awarded the insignia of Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. His campaign for greater recognition of the art of illustration led to the opening of the House of Illustration in King’s Cross in 2013.