Per O. Jorgensen
A Castle, a Forest, and a Studio
To reach Per O. Jørgensen’s home and studio, you hike through the tranquil Gjorslev Beech Forest, past sweeping views of the Baltic Sea, until you arrive at a 15th-century castle. That’s where the Danish illustrator lives — not just near the castle, but on its grounds. It’s a fitting setting for the artist behind the Danish Harry Potter covers, a world where fantasy and reality intertwine.
Inside his studio, surrounded by paint-splattered tools, sketches, and posters, it’s easy to imagine how the magic of Hogwarts came to life on his canvases. “It was surreal,” said one visitor, “thinking about all the Harry Potter artwork that was made here.”
A Boy with Four Fingers
Per illustrated all seven Danish covers for Harry Potter, each brimming with his trademark realism and earthy palette. But fans still chuckle about one famous slip-up on The Philosopher’s Stone. At a signing, a young reader pointed to the cover and asked, “Why does Harry have four fingers?”
Per was stunned — and upon closer inspection, he saw it was true. “Oh my God!” he laughed. “I have drawn Harry Potter with four fingers!”
It became an endearing anecdote about a moment of oversight in a decade-long artistic journey.
From Valby, With Magic
Jørgensen often uses real-life models for his illustrations. In fact, the original Danish Harry Potter was inspired by a local boy from Valby, the son of one of his customers. Per took reference photos to accurately capture pose, light, and emotion, grounding the magical world in something real and human.
In some cases, he even became the model himself — donning costumes in the forest and enlisting family members to pose for characters.
Family, Friends, and Phoenixes
Per’s work on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix included two distinct covers: one for bookshops, and another for book clubs in Denmark. But it’s The Half-Blood Prince that holds the most personal meaning — because his entire family appears on the cover. Per is the man standing in the background. His wife, Ingrid, sits beside him, and the two girls in the lake? Their daughters.
A Dark Ending, Reimagined
When Deathly Hallows was in production, Per’s original concept was strikingly somber: an image of Harry Potter dead in Hagrid’s arms. But with the publisher planning a festive release party for fans — complete with a giant banner — he decided it might be too grim a first impression.
Instead, the final cover features a less obvious moment from the Battle of Hogwarts: when Professor McGonagall awakens the statues to defend the school. Those mysterious creatures in the artwork? The stone guardians of Hogwarts.
As for Dobby appearing (despite his tragic fate in the book)? Maybe it was an intentional misdirect… or maybe, Per just wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
A Path to Fame
For Per O. Jørgensen, Harry Potter wasn’t just a project — it was a turning point. “Harry Potter was a hit,” he once said. “It was the one that made me famous. And it’s important to be famous as an artist. Because that’s how you get jobs.”
From paintbrushes in a castle studio to seven years of visual storytelling, Per’s covers captured the imagination of Danish readers — and still stand as one of the most personal interpretations of the series ever created.