Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration launches the very first National Illustration Day

By John Freeman on November 24, 2023

The very first National Illustration Day, taking place today, Friday 24th November 2023, a new project from The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration.

It’s a chance for everyone in the UK to celebrate the pictures that are part of our lives and the brilliant people who make them.

Why National Illustration Day?

“Illustration is everywhere,” the Centre team explains, “in picturebooks and packaging, on posters and road signs, and embedded in videogames and apps. It’s a huge part of our lives, but we don’t always realise it. We wanted to take a day to celebrate illustration and illustrators.

If you want to get involved in National Illustration Day today, the Centre wants as many people as possible to share a useful, inspiring or much-loved illustration on Instagram, Facebook or X, tagging them @qbcentre and using #NationalIllustrationDay.

“You can share any illustration – 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!

“We want to get #NationalIllustrationDay trending with as many different illustrations as we can, and we’ll be reposting our favourites via @qbcentre.

You can use National Illustration Day GIFs and social-ready images designed by Lena Yokoyama to make your posts pop!

To celebrate the very first National Illustration Day, the Centre is setting up a pop up illustration studio at Angel Central Shopping Centre in Islington, running today through to Sunday 26th November – more details here. Drop in and create your own illustration – no booking required, just drop in!

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration is the UK’s first and only charity for illustration, the art we experience in our everyday lives. Their exhibitions and projects celebrate illustration, support illustrators and empower people of all ages to tell their stories.

They are currently restoring an industrial heritage site to create the national centre for illustration, which is planned to open in 2025.

• Print a poster or share a GIF be part of #NationalIllustrationDay – Download and share, and don’t forget to use #NationalIllustrationDay and tag The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration on: Instagram: @qbcentre | Facebook: @QuentinBlakeCentre | X: @qbcentre

• Illustrations to share

• Find out more about celebrating National Illustration Day online

• Find out more about celebrating National Illustration Day in school

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.