Harry Potter Art By Mary GrandPré

You might not know the name Mary GrandPré or who she is, but if you are a fan of Harry Potter then I guarantee that you know her work. Mary GrandPré is the artist who created all the original cover and chapter art for the American editions of the Harry Potter books.

Mary was one of the few people who was allowed to read each book before it was published. [1] She would read each book so she knew what was important about the story and each chapter, then she created drawings based on what she had read. After completing several drawing she submitted her favorites to the book editors, who then chose which of Mary’s art would be used for each of the published books.

Book Covers

The drawings below are the art Mary drew that was used for the Harry Potter book covers. I have no doubt that many of you have books with these images on them sitting on your bookshelves. I know I do!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

If you pay attention to Mary’s art you will notice that there are subtle hints about either the stories (from the cover art) or each chapter (from the chapter art). The hints she provides are never plot spoilers, which is I appreciate.

Interestingly, Mary drew all the art by hand. Most artists today use computers for their art creation so Mary’s approach was old school. I love that Mary’s art was completely hand drawn and inked. She did a wonderful job, and her art will always be what I think of when I think of the art for my beloved books.

There are limited edition prints of Mary’s Harry Potter work that you can buy. Each piece of art is printed on Giclee paper and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Below are all the available pieces of art, and, as you can see, includes drawings that you won’t find in the books.

Original Art

The following drawings are from scenes in the books but not found in the books. They are gorgeously drawn and perfectly capture each depicted scene.

Hogwarts Castle

Hogwarts Castle

Book #1 – Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley

Source:
[1] http://www.today.com/id/7127158#.WDEeZ3eZMW0