Danny Allison illustrates a stamp series tracing the links between Jersey and the United States.
A presidential visit, an escape during wartime, Jersey cows and even the origins of New Jersey form the basis of a new stamp collection illustrated by Danny for Jersey Stamps, marking the long-standing links between the island and the United States.
Created for the Jersey's International Connections issue, the set explores how people, products and ideas have travelled across the Atlantic, shaping relationships that continue today.
Linking such varied stories was central to the brief. Danny's artwork creates a coherent visual language across the series, bringing together the diverse subjects while allowing each stamp to retain its own identity.
We talk to Helen Brady about landing and executing her first big project in children’s publishing – illustrations for three Pocket Potter books by JK Rowling.
Words by Garrick Webster
In May 2024, Helen Brady was a new illustrator with plenty of potential and a small portfolio demonstrating her skills in character creation, storytelling and an ability to evoke a slightly creepy and mysterious atmosphere. As we write, just over two years have passed and the UK-based illustrator’s name is attached to one of the biggest children’s fantasy franchises the publishing world has ever seen.
In February 2026, Luna Lovegood from the Pocket Potter Stories by JK Rowling was released full of Helen’s frankly quite magical illustrations. In August 2026, this was followed up with a Pocket Potter tome all about Dobby, one of the Harry Potter universe’s best known, best loved, and most puzzling characters.
It’s a transformation that has seen Helen shift from creating nuanced, sophisticated, almost Rackham-like storybook imagery to work suited more to younger readers – there’s less happening in the shadows, with lots more fully illuminated bright colours. Yet that same quirky charm, personality and hints of mystery remain. It’s all been possible thanks to working with a great client in Bloomsbury Publishing; lots of support from Helen’s agency, IllustrationX; and thanks to her own boundless creativity.
A dream commission
Everything was very secret squirrel in the beginning, as you’d expect. An NDA was signed and a brief came through requesting two character designs – one for Luna and one for Dobby.
“I was absolutely buzzing. They’re characters I absolutely love and relate to in many ways. I knew they were trialling other illustrators, so I was hoping but not expecting to be chosen,” says Helen.
“But I was determined that I would at least produce work that made the team notice me, so I sent them the character designs plus a fair few additional sketches of the characters in different poses and secondary characters that could be included too.”
Soon, Helen had landed the job, joining a line-up of illustrators working across the Pocket Potter series that includes the likes of Olia Muza, Laura Proietti, Natalie Smillie and Paola Escobar. For Luna Lovegood and Dobby, the commission required the creation of the key character posed for the jacket image, plus 13 double-page spread images filled with the main characters, settings, props, details and secondary characters.
“There was quite a quick turnaround so I mainly sketched in pencil and ink and added colour digitally, aiming to retain some of the hand-crafted texture while benefitting from the convenience and speed of colouring digitally on my iPad,” says Helen. “There were also so many tiny details that would have been really difficult doing by hand unless I'd worked on a huge scale, so these were pretty much all done digitally.”
Honing the tone of the imagery
While Helen’s style tends to gravitate towards more muted palettes, shadows and perhaps a slightly creepier outcome, to hit the right tone for a five- to 10-year-old age range, Helen had to use punchier colours. This would also ensure the artwork could sit cohesively with that of the other books in the series.
“I remember sending my first colour rough over and Danielle Webster-Jones, my lovely art director, sent a message back saying something along the lines of, 'This is a lovely, sophisticated palette but could we try brightening x, y and z.’ I think that was her incredibly kind and diplomatic way of telling me it was too dull,” laughs Helen.
But it wasn’t only Helen’s colour sense that shifted for the series. For example, Dobby himself is a complex, damaged character – some younger children would find him troubling. As might some adults! So, working with the team at Bloomsbury, Helen retained some of his oddness and charm, but took away some of the bandages and wounds.
“I hope I've captured his silly, loveable and tenacious energy still, and I really hope the children it's aimed at will enjoy my portrayal of him and his antics.”
The learning curve is a spiral staircase
While Helen feels she had a great deal of creative freedom, she also took on the brief with a view to learning what it takes to work on such a project from one of the biggest names in publishing. One key challenge turned out to be the spiral staircases that seemed to crop up with regularity – something Helen spent a long time trying to reconcile with her style. But there was also the opportunity to flex her creativity.
“I particularly loved the larger scenes where I could conceal narratives or objects in the background like the Hogwarts Kitchen scene in the Dobby book,” adds Helen.
In the Luna Lovegood book, there is a scene about the magical creatures Luna believes in, and it was suggested that these images were presented as Luna’s drawings. That begged the question: should Luna’s style differ from Helen’s? Along with the team at Bloomsbury, Helen pondered what Luna’s creative voice might be.
“We discussed what we were into as teenagers and I said I was in my Egon Schiele and Modigliani era at that point, so we landed on something along those lines with Luna's painting having elongated faces and eyes,” she says. “We also decided to ditch some of the picture frames and add fun tape and pins and Luna's signature to her paintings to add to the DIY-feel.”
From a spread that made her feel nervous, Helen worked with the team to create something inspired and original.
“It’s pretty much a dream come true!” says Helen. “To work on a book based on Harry Potter, which meant so much to me personally growing up, to illustrate characters I already absolutely loved and then to have the opportunity to work with the loveliest, most talented team who have just been brilliant work with – I’m not sure how I'm going to top it, really. I'm going to have to write and illustrate a bestseller now, there is no other option at this point!”
Jersey Stamps and Collectibles commission Becca Thorne for a stamp collection exploring the legend of Saint Helier.
Becca's new collection of stamps is inspired by the story of Saint Helier, the sixth century hermit and martyr who became Jersey's patron saint. The series explores both the island's history and the myths that have shaped his legacy.
The commission brought together many of Becca's longstanding influences, including medieval art, mythology, stained glass, Celtic imagery and Anglo Saxon design. Although Becca usually works in linocut, she created these illustrations digitally. By building each colour as a separate layer and carving away white space with an eraser tool, she was able to recreate the process and texture of traditional lino printing.
Science Magazine’s report on herpetologist Alejandro Arteaga’s work, is illustrated by Tavo Montañez.
Tavo's rich portrait of the herpetologist is for a feature on his work identifying and protecting Ecuador’s reptiles and amphibians. Written by Humberto Basilio and art directed by Marcy Atarod, the article examines Arteaga’s contributions to species discovery alongside the controversy surrounding some of his methods.
For the commission, Tavo shows a defiant Arteaga alongside Ecuador’s native reptiles, carefully building each element separately to allow flexibility throughout the editorial process.
Carles Garcia O'Dowd designs and draws a monumental illustration for Burning Man 2026, inspired by art history, Black Rock City and the festival's unique culture.
Carles' intricate black and white illustration for this year's Burning Man festival, will be displayed at an impressive 13 by 25 feet.
Drawing inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights, the composition weaves together references to Black Rock City, kink culture, sensory play and the natural world, alongside nods to iconic works including Francisco de Goya's La Maja Desnuda. Much like Bosch's celebrated triptych, the piece rewards close inspection, with interconnected scenes and hidden details gradually revealing themselves.
Set against the creative backdrop of one of the world's most distinctive arts festivals, the work invites visitors to linger, explore and uncover something new with every viewing.
Season of Victory creates surface design illustrations for Harrods' own-brand stationery, homeware and gifting range.
For Harrods’ own-brand collection, Season of Victory developed a series of playful surface patterns under the concept Pop Rockets, which reimagines the iconic Harrods Bear as an astronaut exploring space.
First introduced in 1906, the Harrods Bear has a long history, making the commission a chance to contribute to a familiar part of the store’s visual identity.
The illustrations first appeared on a collection of children’s travel bags and an astronaut keychain, before being rolled out across a wider range of Harrods stationery, homeware and gifting products.
Season of Victory adds, "The amazing Harrods in-house team put extraordinary thought into their products – always really well designed and great quality. "
Muhammed Sajid's reflective series of portraits from Kerala has been longlisted in the World Illustration Awards 2026.
Muhammed's illustrations are shaped by a deep interest in the stories people carry, and this sensitivity has earned his self-initiated series Folks from Kerala a place on the longlist for the World Illustration Awards 2026, in the Exploration category.
Inspired by the people, professions and everyday rhythms of the Indian state where he was born and raised, Muhammed moves beyond conventional portraiture, weaving personal histories and cultural details into a broader piece.
Armenia-based illustrator Svetlana Molodchenko creates a richly detailed illuminated alphabet for e-card company Jacquie Lawson.
Svetlana was commissioned to create an intricate hand-painted alphabet inspired by the natural world. Drawing influence from 'Mira calligraphiae monumenta' and the ornate illustrations of Joris Hoefnagel, Svetlana developed each letter as its own balanced composition, pairing flora and fauna with beauty and detail.
Amaryllis, artichoke and Adonis blue butterflies appear in 'A', while camellias, chestnuts and common blue butterflies form part of 'C'.
Created entirely by hand using traditional materials and illumination techniques, the project took several months to complete, resulting in a collection that feels timeless and jewel-like.
Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor illustrates her second book in Ruby Jean Cottle’s Black River duology, commissioned by Simon & Schuster through Atria Books.
There’s a restless feeling running through Carolina Fuenmayor’s new cover for the final instalment of the Black River duology.
Made for Atria Books ahead of the novel’s September 2026 release, the piece leans into the tension at the centre of the story: desire tangled up with fear, loyalty shadowed by secrecy.
This is vampire fiction at its most emotional - the cover settles naturally into the darker, romantic tone that has shaped the books from the beginning.
Colombian artist Gina has developed a full illustration system for dm-drogerie markt’s Spring 2026 campaign, Garden of Transformation, displayed across more than 2,000 stores nationwide in Germany.
The commission forms part of dm’s rotating artist programme, which invites a different illustrator every four months to reinterpret the brand’s visual identity at scale - Gina is the first Latin American artist selected for the series, extending its cultural and visual range.
Her concept transforms everyday retail environments into living ecosystems, where objects and beauty spaces evolve into organic, blooming forms. The campaign spans storefront façades, posters, postcards, shopping bags, and in-store applications, running until 26 June 2026 and unifying dm’s seasonal presence through a cohesive illustrated world.
Gina says, "Working on this project alongside the design team and my agent has been a deeply enriching journey. Being able to combine analog and digital techniques and to contribute ideas that were ultimately considered for a brand of this scale, has been incredibly rewarding. This commission brings together many of the things I love both as an illustrator and as a person. I hope that those who encounter it feel energized by the colors, uplifted by the visuals, and carry with them a sense of joy and positive energy."
