Mary GrandPré
Encyclopedia
Mary GrandPré is an American
illustrator
and writer, best known for her cover and chapter illustrations for the American editions of the Harry Potter
books, published by Scholastic. As of 2007, her artwork, which GrandPré creates with paint and pastels, has illustrated more than twenty books, as well in gallery exhibitions and periodicals such as The New Yorker
, Atlantic Monthly and The Wall Street Journal
.
, but spent most of her life in Minnesota
. She began drawing when she was only five years old, beginning with a reproduction of Mickey Mouse
. By age ten, she was imitating Salvador Dalí
, experimenting with stretched objects painted with oils, before graduating to copying black-and-white photos from the encyclopedia. After receiving an undergraduate degree at Pomona College
, GrandPré was educated at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design
.
After her graduation, GrandPré spent several years as a waitress while working to be noticed by ad agencies and attempting to find her own style. Her drawing evolved into what she calls "soft geometry," featuring pastel
s used in a "colorful, light-hearted, and whimsical" manner. Her work is created completely by hand, without using a computer.
GrandPré resides in Sarasota, Florida
with her family.
, The Atlantic Monthly
, and The Wall Street Journal
. Among her other famous works, she was commissioned to illustrate the official poster for the 2005 Minnesota State Fair
. A Dreamworks
executive who enjoyed her work called to invite her to participate as an illustrator for their movie Antz
, for which GrandPré was involved with creating some of the landscapes. She has also participated in character development for another animated film. She also taught at The Ringling School of Art and Design.
books has been featured on the cover of Time magazine. Her work, chosen from thousands of illustrators, has also been featured on the cover of Showcase 16. She has received awards from The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Graphis, Print, and Art Direction, and has been profiled in Step-by-Step Graphics and Communications Arts Magazine. GrandPré has also been featured in the book How Jane Won, which examines fifty women who have been successful in their chosen career and in their personal lives.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and writer, best known for her cover and chapter illustrations for the American editions of the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
books, published by Scholastic. As of 2007, her artwork, which GrandPré creates with paint and pastels, has illustrated more than twenty books, as well in gallery exhibitions and periodicals such as The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Atlantic Monthly and The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
.
Early life
Mary GrandPré was born in South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, but spent most of her life in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. She began drawing when she was only five years old, beginning with a reproduction of Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
. By age ten, she was imitating Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
, experimenting with stretched objects painted with oils, before graduating to copying black-and-white photos from the encyclopedia. After receiving an undergraduate degree at Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
, GrandPré was educated at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit four-year and postgraduate college specializing in the visual arts. Located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, MCAD currently enrolls approximately 1,000 students offering curriculum that includes...
.
After her graduation, GrandPré spent several years as a waitress while working to be noticed by ad agencies and attempting to find her own style. Her drawing evolved into what she calls "soft geometry," featuring pastel
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
s used in a "colorful, light-hearted, and whimsical" manner. Her work is created completely by hand, without using a computer.
GrandPré resides in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
with her family.
Career
Mary GrandPré has created images for advertising and magazines, including The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, and The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
. Among her other famous works, she was commissioned to illustrate the official poster for the 2005 Minnesota State Fair
Minnesota State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It is the 2nd largest fair in the United States, and the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance, though the State Fair of Texas runs...
. A Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
executive who enjoyed her work called to invite her to participate as an illustrator for their movie Antz
Antz
Antz is a 1998 American computer animated action adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation. It features the voices of well-known actors such as Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, and Danny Glover as...
, for which GrandPré was involved with creating some of the landscapes. She has also participated in character development for another animated film. She also taught at The Ringling School of Art and Design.
Harry Potter series
GrandPré has illustrated all of the American editions of the Harry Potter novels. She was one of the few people who were able to read the Harry Potter books before they were released to the general public. When she received each new book, she read the story through once, highlighting descriptions that she felt would do well as an illustration. She then created various sketches as ideas for the cover and chapter art, before sending her favorites to the editors to decide which should appear in the final publication. GrandPré devises her images after reading the scripts for the books, and does not collaborate with or receive input from J.K. Rowling, although the two have met. Her artwork for the final novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was created using pastels on toned printmaking paper.Other children's books
In addition to the Harry Potter series, she has illustrated picture books including Pockets, Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat, Vegetables Go to Bed, The Thread of Life, Swing Around the Sun, The Sea Chest, and Sweep Dreams. She also illustrated Plum, and Henry and Pawl and the Round Yellow Ball, which was co-written by her husband, Tom Casmer.Recognition
GrandPré's work with the Harry PotterHarry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
books has been featured on the cover of Time magazine. Her work, chosen from thousands of illustrators, has also been featured on the cover of Showcase 16. She has received awards from The Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Graphis, Print, and Art Direction, and has been profiled in Step-by-Step Graphics and Communications Arts Magazine. GrandPré has also been featured in the book How Jane Won, which examines fifty women who have been successful in their chosen career and in their personal lives.
Charity work
In 2006 GrandPré began creating art for herself instead of for an assignment. She has donated several pieces to The Wellness Community of Southwest Florida, a non-profit organization providing support for people with cancer. She has also contributed to her local Habitat for Humanity charity by donating pieces and books, as well.The Harry Potter series
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1998); Anniversary Edition (Scholastic, 2008)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1999)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1999)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2000)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J.K. Rowling, (Scholastic, 2003)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2005)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2007)
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 2008)
- The box of the special edition of Quidditch and Fantastic Beasts (Scholastic, 2005)
Poetry collections
- Swing Around the Sun, poems by Barbara Juster Esbensen (the Fall season; Lerner Publishing Group, 2002)
- Plum, poetry by Tony Mitton (Scholastic, 2003)
Storybooks
- The Vegetables Go to Bed, by Christopher L. King (Crown, 1994)
- Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat, by Jennifer Armstrong (Dragonfly Books, 1996)
- Pockets, by Jennifer Armstrong (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1998)
- The Sea Chest, by Toni Buzzeo (Dial, 2002)
- The Thread of Life: Twelve Old Italian Tales , by Domenico Vittorini (Running Press Kids; New Ed edition, 2003)
- Sweep Dreams, by Nancy Willard (Little, Brown Young Readers, 2005)
- Lucia and the Light, by Phyllis Root (Candlewick Press, 2006)
- Aunt Claire's Yellow Beehive Hair, by Deborah Blumenthal (Pelican, 2007)
- Henry and Pawl and the Round Yellow Ball, co-written with her husband, Tom Casmer (Dial, 2005)
Periodicals
- The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
- Atlantic Monthly
- The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
External links
- MaryGrandPre.com official website
- Amazon.com exclusive interview regarding Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
artwork