Neil Packer

Neil Packer
Biographical information
Born	1961 (age 64) England
Nationality	English
Gender	Male
Occupation	Illustrator

Neil Packer is an English artist who worked with Jim Kay to produce illustrations for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Illustrated Edition.

Biography

In the 1970s, Packer attended Colchester School of Art. Packer has been an illustrator since 1984, when he created illustrations for a children's book called The Rest of the Day Is Your Own. In addition to books, he has illustrated for packaging and advertising. He has worked for the Folio Society, producing illustrations for the likes of Catch 22 and One Hundred Years of Solitude. In 2013 he published The Odyssey, and The Iliad in 2015. He lives and works in London.

Packer is a good friend of Jim Kay. In 2022, it was announced that Packer had worked with Kay to produce Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Illustrated Edition, which Kay had found particularly difficult. Kay thought it "was a privilege to have Neil Packer helping with this daunting task" and that he "is perfect for Potter". Packer created about a quarter of the imagery, including magical artefacts and locations in this illustrated edition, including a cutaway of the Ministry of Magic, Firenze's Divination classroom, along with other magical artefacts and favourite locations from the wizarding world.

In October 2022, Kay announced that he had pulled out of the illustrated series, with Order of the Phoenix being the final book he will publish. He cited Packer for being the reason that this book was completed. Ultimately, Levi Pinfold was chosen to be the illustrator for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as announced on 11 March 2025.

External links

• Neil Packer's official account on Instagram