Nick was trained in graphic design at St. Martin's School of Art. He takes 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 always the humour." He likes experimenting with different media and you'll find watercolour, liquid acrylics, charcoal, ink, animation cell paint and photographs in his work.

His work is split between illustrating for other writers, most notably Jacqueline Wilson and Jeremy Strong, and producing his own picture books for a younger audience.

He first had an idea for art from his high-school headmistress’s husband who, after seeing his magnificent art work, asked him to draw and paint using water colours, the nearest town to the school.

He has won numerous awards including the 2001 Children's Book Award, the Stockport Schools Book Award for KS1, the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the Experian Award for Eat Your Peas, written by Kes Gray. He won the overall Sheffield Children's Book Award for A Cheese and Tomato Spider and the picture book category for the Time It Took Tom, co-written with Stephen Tucker, which also won best book in the Right Start Book Awards. Pants won the picture book category of the 2003 Children's Book Award and was shortlisted for the Greenaway Prize. Ketchup on Your Cornflakes? won the Under Fives non-fiction Book Prize in the SHE/WHSmith Award. Nick Sharratt's work has been exhibited in Britain, Italy, Japan and U.S.A.He has also been awarded with a Gold Blue Peter badge