Photograph: Eduardo J. Gafo

Carolina de Bruijn (Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1981) is a multifaceted Dutch illustrator with an ample background in different art forms and techniques.

Before the age of 10, she enrolled in a local art school in her hometown. During this time, she created the comic strip Tim & Toby for one of the issues of her high school newspaper. She submitted one short comic, thinking it would be a one-time collaboration. However, the comic was an instant hit among her teachers and fellow students. Due to the success, the editors decided to make it a monthly feature in the magazine. During this time, she also successfully started selling acrylic and watercolour paintings that were strongly influenced by the French Impressionists.

After obtaining her MA in English Language and Culture at the University of Leiden in 2006, she moved to Spain where she continued to draw Tim & Toby - this time for the Spanish cultural magazine La Soga. After some years of attending painting classes in Spain, and having participated in several group and solo exhibitions, a friend of Carolina, Jorge Castillo Jiménez, approached her in 2015 to ask if she could illustrate his first book, Cuentos I (2015, publishing house UNO). This would prove to be a turning point in her career, as Carolina enjoyed the illustration process so much that she then decided to switch from comics & paintings to illustrating books. 

The book Cuentos I kicked off further collaborations, the most personal and special one being Aura from Francisco Javier Fernández Casado (2022, publishing house UNO) - in this latter book she also actively participated in the design and editing process. Other works from her also include illustrations for musical projects and logos for several organizations.