Laura Carlin was born in England and graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2004. Laura is an award-winning London-based ceramicist and illustrator. She has illustrated numerous children’s and young adult books, for which she uses watercolours, acrylics, and coloured pencils. Laura has received numerous awards for her artistic work, including the Grand Prix of the Biennale of Illustrations in Bratislava for the books A World of Your Own [2014] and The Iron Man [2011], by author Ted Hughes.
How many ideas for potential works do you have in your head?
It depends on the day. More often than not, it's not when I'm sitting at a desk. I find trains, buses and waiting rooms extremely useful for thinking ideas through.
When working on a new project, how do you sift through competing ideas in order to move forward?
I have to get them all on paper first. Until they're out of my head, I can't move on. Once they're in front of you as sketches, you tend to be able to see the ones that are worth carrying on with.
What writing habit do you have that is impossible to shift? (That could be a particular snack, writing hours, location, caffeine consumption etc.)
Snacking is the bane of my life. It's rare I go longer than 8 minutes without eating something. I also drink getting on 50 cups of tea. Which may explain why my teeth are no longer white.
The international literature festival berlin (ilb) has become an essential part of Berlin’s literary calendar. What do you connect with the city?
I've always wanted to go to the city. I will bring my son, so I might be getting to know the playgrounds very well. It's a city I imagine cycling round and enjoying the public spaces. And several Bratwurst.
What impact did the Covid-19 pandemic have on your writing and ways of working?
It made me realise and reflect on how lucky I am. I didn't have to do hundreds of zoom calls. I was with my son during the day, who was luckily young enough that I didn't have to teach him anything and then would draw at night.
