Patrick Benson

"The most important thing that an illustrator has to do is provide lots of visual clues, bits of information - rather like snapshots - that will act as a sort of springboard for the imagination".
Patrick Benson

Patrick Benson was born in 1956 and educated at Eton College before studying classical drawing in Florence and attending Chelsea Art School and St Martin’s School of Art. A chance meeting with the sister of Walker Books’ founder, Sebastian Walker, led him into a career in illustration In 1984. His illustrations for The Book of Hob Stories by William Mayne won the Mother Goose Award for the most promising newcomer in children’s book illustration. He is best known for illustrating two modern classics: Owl Babies, written by Martin Waddell, and The Minpins by Roald Dahl. He has most recently illustrated the exquisite picture book The Stone Bird by Jenny McCartney, published in 2017 by Andersen Press.

  • The Mother Goose Award
  • The Christopher Medal
  • The Kurt Maschler Award

In praise of Owl Babies

Touchingly beautiful ... Drawn with exquisite delicacy ... The perfect picture book.

The Guardian

Did you know…

  • Patrick loves flyfishing, and has illustrated Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley, from the Yellow Pages Television commercial.

  • Roald Dahl personally asked him to illustrate The Minpins which turned out to be one of Dahl’s last ever books.

  • Patrick lives and works on his farm in Scotland. He enjoys anything to do with the countryside and has 26 acres: plenty of room for the 2 horses, 7 sheep, 2 dogs, 36 chickens, 2 guinea fowl, and a guinea pig named Bodger!

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