The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has announced the UK's first-ever National Illustration Day – a celebration of the artists and artwork that make our lives better and brighter. Taking place on 24 November, Illustration Day will be a jubilant time to share inspiring artwork from posters to picturebooks, to spotlight the very best of the UK's artistic culture.
Illustrations are a huge part of our day-to-day lives and Illustration Day is a perfect chance to step back and see the beautiful and inspiring creations around us – a moment of mindfulness to appreciate the simple pleasures of art. (To kickstart your illustration inspiration, check out our collection of the best illustration books)
For those unfamiliar, Quentin Blake is a legendary British artist best known for his illustrations for the Roald Dahl books. His artistic legacy is one of the many reasons for the launch of National Illustration Day. The day will be celebrated at schools across the country, as well as part of a larger online community via social media. Using the #NationalIllustrationDay tag, art lovers can showcase their favourite illustrated artwork from dinky doodles to large-scale projects.
"You can share any illustration," reads an announcement on the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration's website. "It might be a persuasive poster you pass by, a picturebook you’ve always loved or even something you’ve made yourself – and you can share more than one!" The charity hopes that the tag will go viral, spreading the joyous illustrations across social media so that the whole world can celebrate.
As part of the launch, illustrator Lena Yokoyama has created an official logo that appears on custom images and GIFs to promote the celebratory day. The official illustrations are drawn in an adorable illustrative style that beautifully incorporates texture and colour in a playful way that feels straight out of a storybook.
For those that really want to get stuck in there will also be a pop-up illustration studio at Angel Central Shopping Centre in Islington, London. The free event is open to all ages and is a perfect opportunity to drop in and create your own illustration with the help of the Quentin Blake Centre team. More information about the pop-up can be found via the official announcement on the centre's website.
For more artistic inspiration, check out our interview with illustrator Sam Taylor, or take a look at the album art that was drawn by a 5-year-old – you're never too young to start getting creative.
