Mary GrandPre Talks “Deathly Hallows” Cover and More

Jun 10, 2007

Posted by: SueTLC

Uncategorized

In a new interview with the Pioneer Press, artist Mary GrandPre discusses the cover art she created for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She says the whole process of creating her work for the last Harry Potter novel took two and a half months, as she says she “first does “pencil roughs” (drawings on tracing paper) and then her medium of choice, pastels on paper.”
As one of the few who have read the book, Mary Grand Pre says of “Deathly Hallows” :

“I really do like book seven,” she says. “I really, really did. Not that it was easy to read. There are some very sad things in there, and I can’t say what they are. But I think it was really well done.”

Emphasising that she has “to be careful to not give anything away as far as what’s going to happen,” in the overall cover art, the illustrator of the Scholastic editions of the series notes:

“There are just a few of us who have read book seven,” GrandPre says. “The manuscript is flown down to me. I keep it in a safe once it gets here. I don’t talk to anybody about when I get it or where I keep it. I sign a paper promising that I won’t. It’s all very legal and protected, and I have to sign confidentiality agreements. It’s very serious stuff. Because if it gets out, if there’s any kind of theft or leak, that’s huge.

“I do get nervous,” she says. “But my family – we don’t even talk about it. My friends don’t bring it up. I’ll get calls, from reporters or people who know it’s coming up, and they’ll ask me who dies. Of course, I can’t answer. I can’t even say I know.”

So what can she say about book seven?

“Nothing, pretty much,” she says, laughing.

Please note, the article does confirm a detail first mentioned on Pottercast regarding an element from the cover art for “Sorcerer’s Stone,” that she used again on this last cover art for Deathly Hallows. Hence, a slight spoiler caution is given for those wishing to read this entire interview, here





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.