Sara Fanelli was born in Florence. She came to London to study art, and has been working there as a designer and illustrator since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1995. She divides her time between self-generated projects and commercial illustration commissions from a wide range of international clients, including the New Yorker, Penguin Books, Faber & Faber, Tate Modern, The Victoria & Albert Museum, Ron Arad, Issey Miyake, the New York Times and the Royal Mail. She has written and illustrated a number of children's books, and her work has been exhibited in venues around the world. She has twice been the overall winner of the Victoria & Albert Museum's illustration award and been awarded two D&AD pencils.