New Harry Potter illustrations are a visual treat

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Award-winning illustrator Jim Kay lends his talents to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition

Jim Kay is signed up to illustrate all seven Harry Potter books

Following on from the huge success of last year's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Illustrated Edition, Pottermore has teased some images from the follow-up, The Chamber of Secrets. Illustrator Jim Kay continues to provide the images, picking up his best pencils and drawing tools to bring the fantasy world to life.

Fans can also expect to see potato-headed gnomes, the Hogwart's castle, and a new cover that updates the original 1998 artwork to feature the Weasley twins and The Burrow.

The artwork is all the more impressive considering how quickly it was made. "It took about two-and-a-half years to do the first book, and we had 10 months to do the second," Kay reveals.

Working on the book for a minimum of 12 hours a days, seven days a week, for a year straight has been worth it though, with even JK Rowling herself praising Kay's work, "Seeing Jim Kay’s illustrations moved me profoundly. I love his interpretation of Harry Potter's world, and I feel honoured and grateful that he has lent this talent to it."

Get a taste of the book below ahead of its release on 4 October 2016.

Chamber of Secrets cover

This new cover updates the book's original design

Chamber of Secrets Hagrid

Hagrid and Hogwarts feature in the upcoming book

Chamber of Secrets creatures

Jim Kay draws lots of inspiration from his back garden

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Dom Carter
Dom Carter
Freelance writer

Dom Carter is a freelance writer who specialises in art and design. Formerly a staff writer for Creative Bloq, his work has also appeared on Creative Boom and in the pages of ImagineFX, Computer Arts, 3D World, and .net. He has been a D&AD New Blood judge, and has a particular interest in picture books.