New Harry Potter drawings revealed

LONDON — Every time new drawings are released for Harry Potter books, fans are made to think again about JK Rowling’s wizarding world. Now drawings from Jim Kay for the new fully illustrated version of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone conjure up a far darker and filmic version of Hogwarts and its students and teachers.

Kay won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2012 for his inky, gothic illustration of Patrick Ness’ A Monster Calls, and these drawings of Harry’s friends Rubeus Hagrid, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley and enemy Draco Malfoy are similarly gloomy. He appears to have paid close attention to Rowling’s description of the characters. The black and white sketch of Ron gives him a longer face than in other interpretations, including the Warner Bros film adaptation, reflecting the “long nose” and “blue eyes” noted in the books.

Hermione is shown studiously performing a spell and Kay has given her the famously bushy hair Rowling bestowed on the character. Hagrid is pictured looming out of the darkness, perhaps in his hut or the remote seaside cabin he rescues Harry from in the first book. Kay has also had fun imagining the objects the half-giant carries around in his moleskin coat, including a monkey keyring.

But perhaps it is Draco Malfoy that Kay depicts the best: The young Slytherin wizard is drawn with cold grey eyes and pale skin with the “sleek white-blond hair and rather sharp, pointed features” that Rowling describes. More chillingly, Kay has given Draco an air of sinister power. The artist said he was extremely excited to be given the opportunity of illustrating possibly the most expansive fantasy world in children’s literature.

Kay added: “The story is everything and so I want to bring what I can to really show the depth of Rowling’s stories to their best.”

The first fully illustrated edition of Rowling’s original Harry Potter novel will be published worldwide on Oct 6. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH