Quentin Blake's illustrations to go on auction

Dec 4 (life) Unseen drawings from the studio of one of the worlds best-loved illustrators, Sir Quentin Blake, who is best known for illustrating books written by Roald Dahl, will be auctioned online.

Over 200 unseen drawings by him, will be sold by auction house Christie's, to benefit two charities close to the English cartoonist's heart: Greenpeace and Survival International.

"Quentin Blake: Not in Books", an online sale open for bidding from December 10-17, comprises 204 drawings of playful creatures, fantastical scenarios and unusual individuals, who spring directly from Quentin Blake's lively imagination, full of humour and empathy.

The on-sale collection showcases the wide variety of work he undertook over the past decade alongside book illustration, and one is introduced to characters who may not be familiar to us, yet are unmistakable 'Quentin Blake' in their joyful execution and characteristic style.

"I have a lot of drawings that are not in books, but in many ways, they nearly all seem to have a story in them. I am pleased to be able to share this collection of drawings with a wider audience so that readers and collectors may be able to enjoy imagining the many stories and scenarios they could be part of," said Sir Quentin Blake, 86.

The illustrator won the 2002 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration, the highest international recognition given to creators of children's books. In 1999 he was appointed the first UK Children's Laureate and in 2005 was created CBE. This was followed in 2013 by a knighthood for 'services to illustration' in the New Year's Honours. In 2014, Blake was admitted to the Legion d'Honneur and he then became an Honorary Freeman of the City of London in 2015.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@.in)

( With inputs from IANS )