Jonny Duddle
Reimagining the Magic
In 2014, Bloomsbury Publishing decided it was time to reintroduce Harry Potter to a new wave of young readers. With the aim of reaching children who hadn’t yet ventured into Rowling’s magical world, they commissioned new covers—bold, colorful, and alive with energy. Their choice of illustrator? Jonny Duddle, a picture book author and concept artist known for The Pirates Next Door and his work with Aardman and Terry Pratchett.
Although Duddle had only read the first Potter book at the time and had never seen the full film series, Bloomsbury believed his fresh perspective could breathe new life into the familiar stories. Rowling herself had remembered a character he designed for a Pirates of the Caribbean video game years earlier, and when Duddle submitted a test cover of Harry, Ron, and Hermione gazing across the lake at Hogwarts, it was clear he was the one.
From Muggle to Fan
At first, Duddle felt like an impostor. “I hadn’t read all the books. I’d only seen the first film. I felt like a proper Muggle.” But this distance, he realized, was a strength. As he read each book in turn, he approached them with the wide-eyed curiosity of a new fan—his imagination unclouded by cinematic visuals or fan expectations.
“I read the story, take notes, and start sketching. I collect references, sometimes from books, online images, or even photos I take myself.” His neighbor’s son—sporting just the right messy hair—served as a model for Harry. A sticky note reading “SCAR” stayed on his monitor, a gentle reminder never to forget the lightning bolt.
Drawing in Layers
Duddle works primarily in digital media, using Photoshop and Corel Painter to sketch, layer, and paint. “The process is very much like working with real paints,” he explained. “I start with a base color, then layer textures, adjust lighting, and keep refining the composition.”
Each cover was built from numerous sketches, pieced together digitally before final feedback from Bloomsbury—and often Rowling herself—guided the revisions. The final illustrations aimed to blend realism with stylization, offering bright colors, exciting compositions, and emotionally resonant scenes.
A Cohesive Set
From the start, Duddle envisioned the series as a unified whole. Each cover features a front image filled with movement and magic, while the back cover highlights a character portrait—Hagrid, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Snape—bringing the saga’s ensemble to life.
He adjusted his style to suit an older audience than his picture books, tempering his usual playful approach with drama and depth. “My illustrations tend to be packed with characters and detail,” he admitted, “but here I had to balance clarity with richness.”
Characters in Motion
Among the characters, Hagrid became Duddle’s favorite. “I love his bumbling, well-meaning nature. He reminds me of myself.” Arthur Weasley was another highlight, drawing on Duddle’s memories of his own father tinkering with old cars. Hermione was brought to life with thick eyebrows and an inquisitive expression, while Snape’s famously hooked nose had to be adjusted at Bloomsbury’s request.
The Hungarian Horntail, meanwhile, nearly drove him to madness. “I’ve drawn dragons before, but this one had to be more realistic. I ended up referencing beetle shells for the scales.” The phoenix on Chamber of Secrets needed tail corrections, the Thestrals for Order of the Phoenix required anatomical research, and Dumbledore’s ring of fire in Half-Blood Prince was digitally layered in blood-orange glows.
A Daily Spell
Duddle’s routine revolved around family life. Mornings were for porridge and school runs in a small Welsh village; evenings were for drawing. His studio—above sagging floorboards—held pirate sketches, fantasy novels, and the occasional Slytherin cloak. Audiobooks narrated by Stephen Fry filled the room as he worked late into the night, sometimes finishing a cover in a few 18-hour sessions.
Despite the pressure, the joy was real. “Books don’t come much bigger than Harry Potter. It’s daunting. But incredibly exciting.” As he worked through the series, he became more than a hired illustrator—he became a true fan.
Bringing Hogwarts to Life
For Philosopher’s Stone, Duddle painted Harry exactly as he imagined him—slight, bright-eyed, and androgynous. The cover shows Hagrid guiding the trio across the lake, while Hogwarts looms in the mist. The character on the back? Hagrid, of course.
Each subsequent cover became a new challenge. Harry’s stag Patronus in Prisoner of Azkaban barely changed from the first sketch. Goblet of Fire brought the demanding task of rendering the Hungarian Horntail. For Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore’s fire encircled the scene with warmth and menace, his Real Bristle brushes in Painter adding flickering texture to the image.
A New Hogwarts Library
In 2017, Duddle returned to Rowling’s world for new editions of The Tales of Beedle the Bard and Quidditch Through the Ages. On the former, the wizard is chased by the hopping pot; on the latter, Roderick Plumpton speeds through the air in hot pursuit of the Golden Snitch.
Once again, Duddle balanced character and whimsy, depth and accessibility. He had found his place in the wizarding world—not just as an illustrator, but as a fan, a father, and a magician in his own right, casting new spells with every brushstroke.