Charles van Sandwyk is an illustrator, writer and artist based out of Deep Cove in North Vancouver, BC. His work often features imaginative and ornate interpretations of animals and the natural world. Charles' books are designed, written and illustrated by himself, and he oversees every step of their publication.

Charles was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1966 and emigrated to Vancouver with his family in 1977. He was encouraged to pursue his interest in art in high school and went on to study graphic design at Capilano University. His first published book, A Selection of Neighbourly Birds, published in 1987, won an Alcan award. He also won the Grand Prix in the Printing World Awards 2006 for the finest achievement in British Printing for his illustrations of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. He has provided illustrations for Folio Society editions of The Blue Fairy Book and The Wind in the Willows. His book, How to See Fairies, received its own Folio Society edition in 2018.

He divides his time between Deep Cove and the Fiji Islands.