Who is Levi Pinfold? All about artist as Bloomsbury ropes him in for the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions series' final two books

Bloomsbury Children's Books recently announced that artist Levi Pinfold will be illustrating the final two books of the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions series. The announcement was made on Monday, March 10, via the company's official Instagram account and website.

The series of Illustrated Editions was launched in 2015, with the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Since then, the series has become a fan favorite for its spectacular artwork and creative storytelling. British illustrator and printmaker Jim Kay was chosen to bring the characters to life with his artwork.

A report published on HarryPotter.com on March 10 announced:

"Jim Kay made the difficult decision to step back from the Harry Potter Illustrated Editions to focus on his mental health."

Kay will be replaced by the award-winning artist, Levi Pinfold, to illustrate the final two books of the series— The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows.

Bloomsbury also took to their Instagram to reveal the release date of the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince as October 2026. The post contained an illustrated version of Dumbledore and Harry looking into the magical Pensieve.

As per booktrust.org.uk, Levi Pinfold originally hails from England's Forest of Dean and currently lives in Cornwall. He graduated with a degree in arts from the University College Falmouth in 2006 and has been working as a self-employed illustrator ever since. His debut picture book was The Django (2010), which was released by Templar Publishing. It was followed by Black Dog.

For his craft, Levi was awarded Best Emerging Illustrator at The Book Trust Early Years Award in 2010. The next year (2011), he was also chosen for the Book Trust Best New Illustrators Award.

Eagle-eyed Potterheads may have already spotted the past contributions of Levi Pinfold in the Potterverse. He has contributed to both Bloomsbury’s Harry Potter Hogwarts House Editions and The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac.

Levi Pinfold on his new role and insights on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels by JK Rowling that chronicle the life of the titular character and his friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger— students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story follows an evil wizard, Voldemort, who wants to overthrow Harry and the Ministry of Magic to become the all-powerful dictator of the wizarding world.

Levi Pinfold opened up about the opportunity to be able to work on the book series, describing the experience as "magical," as reported on the official website (harrypotter.com).

"These books are like old friends, and I feel incredibly lucky to attempt to share what I see in them. Visually speaking, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is like watching a firework display on the coldest, darkest of nights. That sense of wonder and awe is something I’d love to share with readers, my younger self and my own kids."

Jim Kay has also waxed lyrical about Pinfold, recalling the first time he came across the latter's artwork.

"An art director first showed me Levi’s work many years back when I was visiting a publisher. When he pulled open the drawer and I saw this beautiful piece of painting, I was blown away. His work has since then become so important to me, as he’s everything that you could wish for in an illustrator," he expressed.

According to Kay, knowing that Pinfold would illustrate the last two iterations of the series was a "huge comfort," as a fan of both the story and the artist.

With The Half-Blood Prince set to release next year, pre-order details are expected to be published by Bloomsbury soon. In the meantime, fans can purchase the first five books and more from their official website.

Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay