Harry Pottertapped a heavyweight in the illustration world for its 20th anniversary: Brian Selznick.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stonepublished Sept. 1, 1998, which means weve arrived at the official birthday.
Read on for our conversation below, and check out all of EWsHarry Potteranniversary coveragehere.
Brian Selznick/© 2018 Scholastic
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Whats your relationship to Harry Potter?
I became a huge fan I cried most when Dobby died and am a proud Hufflepuff.
How did you getting tapped to design the anniversary covers come about?
Brian Selznick/© 2018 Scholastic
The mural, in which all of the cover images are combined, is so gorgeous.
I realized that the lines looked like a snake, which made me think of Nagini.
In the end, I managed to draw the cloaks in ways that avoid the issue completely!
That said, I still had lots of outside references.
Your career as an illustrator speaks for itself.
Anything about this experience that was unique, or stands out?Well, everything aboutHarry Potteris unique.
Thats a pretty unique experience and one Ill never forget.
Now more than ever we need to be reminded that evil can be vanquished.
