Biography

“When I was nine a picture that I had drawn at school was pinned up in the hall, and the husband of one of the teachers saw it and offered me five pounds to do a similar picture for him. That’s when I decided I was going to be a professional artist one day!”

Nick Sharratt was born in London in 1962 and trained in graphic design at St. Martin's School of Art. He takes a lot of his inspiration from the pop and graphic art of the 1960s, which he experienced as a child. He loves to use vibrant colours and bold patterns in his pictures, but, he says, "the most important element of my work is the humour." He mostly uses a computer to colour his hand-drawn artwork but he also likes experimenting with different media and you'll find watercolour, liquid acrylics, charcoal, ink, animation cell paint and photographs in his work.

As well as illustrating for Jacqueline Wilson, and other writers, Nick also produces his own picture books for a younger audience. Eating is one of Nick's favourite pastimes and food often crops up in his work.

He has won numerous awards which include the 2001 Children's Book Award, the Stockport Schools Book Award for KS1, the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the Experian Award, all for Eat Your Peas, written by Kes Gray. Pants won the picture book category of the 2003 Children's Book Award and was shortlisted for the Greenaway Prize. Nick Sharratt's work has been exhibited in Britain, Italy, Japan and U.S.A.

Nick currently lives in Brighton. He has his very own website where you can find out more about him and all of the books he has illustrated.

Click here for Nick Sharratt's website.