Talented artist Laura Carlin, ticks many ‘like’ boxes for me. There’s a beauty, delicacy and somehow a vulnerability in her illustration that speaks to my senses. Working for the Heart Agency , Laura manages to express her many ideas in her own unique style.

Animals and real life are observed in illustrated snapshots.

Humour too. The lady about to answer the door with her skirt tucked in her knickers and the other woman desperately trying to buy cakes when the shop is closed, both made me smile.

She was invited to Illustrate Ted Hughes’s brilliant book for children’ The Iron Man’ and created such an amazing book. Combining colour, shape, form, graphics and watercolour and weaving it cleverly around the story.

Whilst studying for her Masters at the Royal College of Art, Laura won several awards including the Quentin Blake Award two years running, and the 2004 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. Laura primarily works in her sketchbook, both on location and at her studio. A prolific drawer and painter, she has learnt to appreciate mistakes and understand the power of white space. 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. In 2009 Laura was voted an ADC Young Gun, one of the 50 most influential creatives under 30 years of age, so you get an idea just how her talent is respected. Now days not only for her illustration, but also for her ceramics.

I love her fresh and free studies of animals and how her animal watercolours get translated into her amusing, and characterful ceramic forms.

The tiger amongst the trees is a favourite already. I love their flattened faces and beady, uncertain eyes.

Laura also works with boats, buildings and pots too. How great to see her illustration translated so faithfully onto grounds other than paper.

After recently completing a favourite series of books by Susan Cooper called ‘The Dark Is Rising’ Sequence, I was delighted to see that The Folio Society had commissioned Laura to illustrate a reprint of the same five books. What a treat this would be to own ! Anyone who has read the books, can appreciate, just how well Laura has managed to capture Susan Cooper’s world. Her beautiful illustrations really do depict the fight between the dark and light forces that exists throughout the stories journey.

Looking at the images, I can feel some of the isolation and remoteness that is captured so well in the books. They tell a tale of struggles with nature, with man, beast and within oneself. All nicely summed up in her paintings.

Great to discover such strong, confident work. Any other thoughts ?