Laura Carlin studied at the Royal College of Art, and won several awards including the Quentin Blake Award two years running, and the National Magazine Award. She also received the Uniqlo Fashion Illustration Award in both 2003 and 2004, which enabled her to travel to Shanghai and Tokyo. A prolific drawer and painter, she also works on ceramics. Laura currently works in an advisory role with the development of Quentin Blake's House of Illustration. She is also a regular visiting lecturer at the University for the Creative Arts at Maidstone. As a commercial illustrator, Laura's work has featured in publications such as Vogue, The New Scientist, The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Telegraph and The Independent. She has also illustrated several children's books and was voted in 2009 an ADC Young Gun, one of the 50 most influential creatives under 30 years of age. She is also the winner of the prestigious 2011 V&A Illustration Award.