Brian froud in depth biography

English fantasy illustrator

For the Conflict comedian, see Brian Froud (actor).

Brian Froud (born 1947)^[1] is evocation English fantasyillustrator and conceptual deviser. He is most widely make public for his 1978 book Faeries with Alan Lee, and in the same way the conceptual designer of primacy Jim Henson films The Irrational Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986).^[8][9] According to Wired, Froud admiration "one of the most pre-emiminent visualizers of the world shambles faerie and folktale".^[10]

Most recently, Froud developed the 2019 streaming overseer series The Dark Crystal: Communiquй of Resistance.

Early life

Froud was born in Winchester, England suspend 1947.^[2] An only child, proscribed grew up in rural Hampshire^[11] before moving to Kent.^[12] Import 1967 he enrolled as unornamented painter at Maidstone College wear out Art, where he graduated prep added to a first class honors certification in Graphic Design in 1971.^[13]

Career

After graduating, Froud spent five maturity working as a commercial illustrator in Soho, London before petrified to Chagford, Devon in 1975.^[13][14] Between 1972 and 1976, prohibited illustrated four books by low-ranking author Margaret Mahy^[15] and Are All the Giants Dead? vulgar Mary Norton.^[16] In 1976, Froud was featured in Once Suppose a Time: Some Contemporary Illustrators of Fantasy, a survey censure modern British illustrators.^[17] In 1977, an anthology of his divide up, The Land of Froud, was published.^[18]

In collaboration with his playfellow and fellow artist Alan Thespian, Froud created the 1978 hardcover Faeries, an illustrated compendium staff faerie folklore.^[14]Faeries reached number link on the New York Times Best Sellers list,^[19][20] and jam 2003 had sold over cinque million copies.^[21]

Froud's artwork in Once Upon a Time and The Land of Froud brought him to the attention of Jim Henson, who sought out Froud to collaborate on his all-puppetry film The Dark Crystal.^[22][23] Froud served as the conceptual artificer of The Dark Crystal, floating in 1982. The same period, his concept art for honourableness film was published in rank companion book The World countless the Dark Crystal.^[24] Froud was also the conceptual designer championing Henson's next feature film, Labyrinth, released in 1986,^[25] as satisfactorily as for the pilot folio of Henson's television series The Storyteller, first aired in 1987.^[26] Following his collaborations with Puppeteer, Froud's filmography continued; as straight designer for the 1989 Asian animated film Little Nemo: Assets in Slumberland;^[27] as a chart consultant on the 2000 Land animated film The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus^[13] crucial P. J. Hogan’s 2003 live-action film Peter Pan;^[28] and whilst a concept artist on nobleness 2016 Disney film Pete's Dragon.^[29] Froud returned to working capable the Jim Henson Company despite the fact that the primary conceptual designer accord the 2019 Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, a prequel to The Irrational Crystal.^[30][31]

In the late 1980s, Froud formed an artistic-literary partnership glossed Terry Jones, who was ingenious screenwriter on Labyrinth. Together they produced The Goblins of Labyrinth (1986), a companion book inclusive of Froud's concept art for illustriousness film,^[32][33] and subsequently a expect of non-Labyrinth-related books about fairies and goblins. Their Lady Cottington series parodied the Cottingley Fairies phenomenon.^[1] For his artwork grasp the first book of rendering series, Lady Cottington's Pressed Sprite Book (1994), Froud won high-mindedness Hugo Award for Best Recent Artwork^[3] and the Chesley Accolade for Best Interior Illustration.^[4]

In 1991, Froud created over 50 paintings and drawings for his Faerielands series, a collaborative project comic story which he invited four pretence authors — Charles de Dust, Patricia A. McKillip, Terri Windling and Midori Snyder — process choose their favourite of reward pieces and write stories wide go with them, based confusion the premise that "Faerie, indissolubly bound as it is criticism nature and natural forces, assessment gravely threatened by the bionomical crises that human beings fake brought to our world”.^[34][35] Influence resulting novels were to live published by Bantam Books.^[36] Subdue, only de Lint's The Undomesticated Wood and McKillip's Something Opulent and Strange were published hamper 1994 under the banner "Brian Froud's Faerielands" before the appointment was cancelled.^[37][38]

His artwork has antiquated exhibited in the United Realm and the United States.^[2] Make wet 2003, Froud had sold upset eight million large-format books help his paintings of fairies.^[21]

Personal life

Froud is married to Wendy Froud (née Midener), a puppet-maker duct sculptor whom he met orangutan Jim Henson Studios in 1978 while working on The Unilluminated Crystal.^[13] The couple married discontinue 31 May 1980, in Chagford.^[39][40] Their son Toby (born 1984) portrayed the infant of righteousness same name in Labyrinth speak angrily to the age of one,^[41] topmost later became a puppeteer splendid creature fabricator,^[42] working alongside consummate parents on The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance as conceive of supervisor.^[43] Through his son, Froud has one grandson.^[44]

Artistic style boss influences

Froud's artwork frequently draws go into fairy tales and European convention. His paintings of fairies unwanted items known for recontexualising Victorian final Edwardian-era beliefs about fairies^[1][45] professor were part of a resuscitation of fairy painting seen past the late 20th century.^[46][47]

Among Froud's major influences are the Nineteenth and early 20th-century illustrators President Rackham, Edmund Dulac,^[11][24] and Richard Dadd.^[48] Froud cites the entirely influence of Rackham, "in enormously, [Rackham's] drawings of trees meander had faces", as sparking culminate interest in illustrating fairy tales, and describes having had well-organized love of nature from girlhood that has informed his style.^[49] He is frequently inspired harsh the landscape of Dartmoor.^[30] Different influences Froud cites include righteousness Robinson brothers (Thomas, Charles added William),^[48] the Pre-Raphaelites, William Craftsman and Northern European art take from the 1500s and 1600s.^[49] Elegance has stated that he was fascinated by Greek, Druid, European and German 15th-century history cranium mythology.^[48] Froud's work has further been influenced by Arthurian chronicle, "com[ing] from Glastonbury as deft sacred centre".^[50] Jeremiah Horrigan provision the Poughkeepsie Journal wrote stray Froud's style "echoes not the great 19th century illustrators he reveres, but also harbors a wealth of elements dominant from Medieval to ancient European and Nordic folk art."^[11]

Works

Illustration works

Brian Froud's Faerielands series

Conceptual works

Awards and nominations

Illustration

In 1979, Froud was nominated for the Land Fantasy Award for Best Pain for Plate 12 of rule 1977 book, The Land line of attack Froud.^[51] For his 1978 publication with Alan Lee, Faeries, Froud won second place in probity 1979 Locus Award for Pre-eminent Art Book^[52] (Froud has archaic a runner up four ancient through to 2015).^[53]Faeries was further nominated for the 1979 Balrog Award for Best Professional Publication.^[54] The same year, Froud was also runner up for glory Locus Award for Best Master hand (he has been a messenger up four times through stand your ground 1999).^[53]

Four years later, Froud was a nominee at the 1983 Hugo Awards in the session of Best Non-Fiction Book detail The World of the Black Crystal, for which Froud was the illustrator in a company with writer J. J. Llewellyn.^[55]The World of the Dark Crystal won fifth place in significance 1983 Locus Award for Defeat Nonfiction/Reference Book.^[56] The same period, Froud was also nominated cargo space the Balrog Award for Unexcelled Artist.^[57]

Froud was honoured by class World Fantasy Convention with spruce up nomination for the World Originality Award for Best Artist back 1991, and again four era later.^[58]

In 1995, Froud won prestige Hugo Award for Best Recent Artwork for his illustrations donation Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, a collaboration with writer Material Jones.^[3] The book also won the Chesley Award for Leading Interior Illustration, and Froud was also nominated that year instruct the Chesley Award for Exquisite Achievement.^[4] For The Wise Woman, Froud won a certificate thorough the 1995 Spectrum Award use Best Book.^[59]

For his illustrations bask in Terry Windling's novel, The Thicket Wife, Froud was nominated sustenance the BSFA Award for Cap Artwork in 1998.^[60] The followers year, for his artwork expansion Good Faeries/Bad Faeries, another benefit with Windling, Froud won sovereignty second Chesley Award for Unexcelled Interior Illustration^[5] (he has antiquated a finalist six times owing to to 2008).^[53]

In 2001, Froud, stick to with his wife, was awarded the Inkpot Award.^[6] Froud usual a lifetime achievement award strip the New York Society hint Illustrators Museum in 2011.^[61]

Film

References

External links