Alvaro Tapia, born in 1976 in Växjö, is a Swedish illustrator and concept artist based in Stockholm. He is educated at Konstfack (graphic design and illustration) and over the years has created everything from book and album covers to concept design for video games.
His first book cover was Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, published in Sweden in 1999. The character was relatively unknown at the time, but today, the Harry Potter books have sold almost 4 million copies in Sweden alone. Tapia has illustrated all the covers except one for the Swedish edition of the book series. Among his other assignments are illustrations for the book Swedish Folk Tales (2008), artwork for the Swedish cult-favorite role-playing game Dragons and Demons, and several album covers, including rapper Timbuktu’s breakthrough album The botten is nådd! (2003) and Dismember’s Death Metal (1997).
Tapia draws inspiration for his visual worlds from cultural history, religious history, folklore, and archaeology. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by fairy tales and mythological beings. He illustrates characters with great empathy, skillfully portraying their roles and functions in the story. His pictures are filled with exciting details that can inspire the imagination while leading the viewer into new enchanting worlds.
»Svenska folksagor«
Original for the book »Harry Potter och halvblodsprinsen«
Alvaro Tapia