Dolores Avendaño
Castles in the Wind
Dolores Avendaño’s journey to becoming the Spanish-language illustrator of Harry Potter began long before she ever picked up a brush for the series. Raised in Argentina, she grew up surrounded by magic—of the natural kind. Walks through her grandparents’ countryside in Bariloche fed her young imagination. Trees that creaked in the wind became fairies opening windows. The mountains held hidden castles. From early on, her world was one of wonder and story.
At just six years old, Dolores knew exactly what she wanted to do: illustrate children’s books. She would study the drawings in books and declare, “When I grow up, I want to do that.” It was a certainty, not a wish. And despite early setbacks—including professors in the U.S. who suggested she switch majors—she stayed her course with resilience and grit.
Her studies in Graphic Design at the University of Buenos Aires, followed by Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, laid the groundwork for her style. Her tenacity paid off early. Straight out of university, she landed her first major commission: On Halloween Night, a fully illustrated hardcover children’s book for an American publisher. Her artwork filled the pages so completely, there was barely room left for the text. And in a magical twist of fate, her debut even made a cameo in the film You’ve Got Mail.
A Wizard Boy and a Week’s Work
Dolores’ journey with Harry Potter began with serendipity. Back in Argentina after her student visa expired, she began working with local publishers. One day, after turning in illustrations for a book about a heroic criollo horse, her publisher at Emecé casually offered her another project.
“It’s about a wizard boy,” the art director said.
Dolores lit up. “A wizard boy? That’s the theme for me. I’ve wanted to do that all my life.”
The deadline was tight—one week to read the book, draft the sketch, and deliver the final cover—but Dolores embraced the challenge. At the time, neither she nor the publisher realized the scope of what Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone would become. To them, it was just another children’s book. But that magical boy was about to change everything.
Bringing Harry to Life
Dolores was asked to depict the same scene as the American cover: Harry chasing the Golden Snitch. But her version, released by Ediciones Salamandra in December 1998, brought a new depth to the image. She filled the background with magic—Fluffy the three-headed dog, a unicorn by the lake, the towering spires of Hogwarts. It was both familiar and distinct, capturing the spirit of the story while adding her own signature style.
The challenge, she admitted, was in designing Harry’s pose on the broom. After three full drafts, the version that would grace bookstores across the Spanish-speaking world emerged. It became one of the most recognizable covers of the series, and for many Spanish-speaking fans, the definitive Harry.
Though her work was limited to the covers—no internal illustrations—Dolores treated each assignment as an opportunity to interpret the narrative through her lens. She immersed herself in the text, sometimes offering counterproposals to the suggested scenes. “It gives me freedom,” she explained. “The editor might ask for a moment, but I read the book to suggest a scene before or after, to give it a personal touch.”
Craft, Color, and Composition
Dolores’ process is deeply intuitive. She sketches by hand, layering elements with tracing paper like a living collage, building her compositions piece by piece. Her studio is a tranquil space filled with white light, paper, and brushes—old-school tools she’s never abandoned. “The feeling of the brush in my hand, the ritual—I love it,” she said.
Working mostly in daylight, she lets her illustrations evolve naturally, finding their form on the page. “The illustration is never a faithful copy of what’s in your imagination,” she explained. “It becomes more complete on paper.”
She’s deliberate with color. The monochromatic blues of Order of the Phoenix remain one of her favorites. “I love working in those tones,” she said, and the image of Harry and Dumbledore flying into battle still feels vivid and bold.
Though she occasionally edits on the computer, her heart is in the brushstrokes. And every original Harry Potter piece she created has traveled—from Buenos Aires to Hong Kong, where one illustration now hangs in a private home after being used in international promotion.
Fear, Fans, and Freedom
In the early days, Dolores didn’t realize just how big Harry Potter would become. She hadn’t anticipated the fan clubs, the interviews, the people writing to her to ask about future covers. “I try not to think about that,” she said. “You can’t please everyone. Some will love it, some won’t. You just have to focus on the work.”
And focus she did. With each cover, she aimed to remain true to the world J.K. Rowling created, even when editorial direction imposed limits. For Deathly Hallows, she was asked to include elements she knew weren’t quite right—but she followed the brief while still infusing her artistic spirit.
There was only one point of indirect contact with Rowling herself. When Warner Bros. wanted to unify the covers after the films launched, Rowling intervened. She decided each publisher could keep their unique covers. Dolores’ version would remain the face of Harry Potter in Spanish-speaking countries.
Though the character is hers—her Harry, her linework, her brush—she signed away merchandising rights, a bittersweet necessity in the world of international publishing.
The Hippogriff and the Sahara
While illustrating Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Dolores fell in love with Buckbeak. “I love mythological creatures,” she said. And as she was drawing the winged beast, another childhood dream stirred—one not of wands and spells, but of running.
She trained for marathons, completing the New York City Marathon. A photo shown to her afterward lit another spark: a runner crossing the Sahara Desert in the grueling Marathon des Sables. She knew immediately: this was her next challenge.
Thanks to her recognition as the Harry Potter illustrator, she found a sponsor to help fund the expensive journey. She trained for two years and became the first Argentine woman to complete the seven-day, 243-kilometer, self-supported race through the Sahara.
For Dolores, it was more than a race. “It was a life experience,” she said. The discipline, the solitude, the magic of it all—it echoed the same creative journey she walked with every cover.
A World of Her Own
Dolores Avendaño’s covers captured a vision of Harry Potter that resonated deeply with readers throughout the Spanish-speaking world. For many, her Harry—with his red cape, flying through the starlit sky—is Harry. Her unicorns, dragons, and castles filled young imaginations and gave new life to Rowling’s words.
And though she wishes she could have illustrated the interiors, her contribution remains profound.
“I see the world as I draw,” she said. “The pencil guides me. The image becomes real on paper.”
As the series came to an end, she felt the bittersweet pang that every reader knows: the joy of finishing a great story, tempered by the sorrow of leaving it behind. “I don’t know how I’ll feel doing the last book,” she once said. “I’ll be sorry when it’s finished.”
From Paper to Legacy
In a bakery in Palermo, Dolores once flipped through a cake catalog and stumbled upon a familiar image—her Harry Potter, now immortalized in frosting.
She laughed. “Life surprises you.”
And that, perhaps, is what defines her legacy. Dolores Avendaño’s journey has been one of resilience, creativity, and boundless wonder. From a countryside dreamer to an international illustrator, from tracing paper to marathons across deserts—she has always chased her own kind of magic.
Her brush gave Harry Potter a face for millions of readers. And in doing so, she gave herself—and the world—a new way to believe.