Inspiring Artists: Brian Froud
Aug 3rd, 2012 by Aldouspi

“For me drawing is an attempt to understand what I feel about the world I live in. ” – Brian Froud, The Secret Sketchbooks

Brian Froud (1947 – ) is the embodiment of a fairy artist. With his unique take on the world of fairies, Brian Froud have created a widespread fanbase that like himself is very devoted to the world of fairies.

Mr. Froud is married to Wendy Froud and together they have a son named Tony. The Froud family is all very artistically engaged. Wendy creates the most stunning fairy doll sculptures and Tony is also a puppeteer, a master of stilts and an actor (He was the baby in the movie the Labyrinth). Brian and Wendy currently reside in Dartmoor, Britain whereas Tony lives with his wife Sarah in Oregon, USA.

Brian Froud’s paintings and drawings are often done as mixed media, he uses pencils, gouache, colored pencils, pastels and so on. All medias with which he seems very familiar and masters. He is capable of painting a fully realistically rendered figure but chooses more often than not, in the name of fairy, to use a far more imaginative route. His incredible imagination and skill have seen him nominated for the Chesley Award four times, and one time winning it with the interior illustrations of his book Good Faeries/Bad Faeries. However his most famous work is the creature designs with Jim Henson on the movies The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.

 

The fairies of Brian Froud are not your typical pretty-girl fairy and therein lies their charm. They are naughty, some are twisted, some are absolutely stunning, others are hideous and some wicked. They are truly creatures of nature and creatures of the wild.

I find it very intriguing that Brian Froud wholeheartedly believes in fairies. His conviction is fully apparent through his books but it is also infectious. You need to separate yourself from the idea of fairies as a full on creature and embrace them more as a feeling or aspect of nature. Hey, we all could use a little magic in our lives so don’t point fingers and yell crazy.

“You do not see fairies through the eyes, you see them through the heart and that took me a long time to learn because I was always trying to see them through my eyes. ” – Brian Froud, interview on Fairy Faith

When I first came across the artwork of Brian Froud I was immidiately sold and over the years I have gathered quite a collection of his books. My favourite remains to this day Good Faeries/Bad Faeries which was incidently also the first book of his that came into my possession. The book is very richly illustrated in full colours and it can be purchased of Amazon for a mere $ 19.80 currently, or just $ 1.79 if you don’t mind a used book. Trust me, it is worth the investment for the gorgeous illustrations alone.

In 2005, during my early meeting with Brian Froud’s artwork, I submitted my website to Froudian Artists of the month and was lucky enough to get picked along with two other artists. Looking back at my fairy drawings from then currently, I am mildly embarrassed but still, it was a huge compliment and more importantly encouragement at the time. The inspiration from it was one of the reasons I settled on pursuing art as a career.

To this day Brian Froud remains a huge inspiration to fairy fan across the globe. It is my hope his fairies may inspire you too.

Links:
World of Froud: Brian and Wendy Froud’s official website
Realm of Froud: The Froud Family on Facebook
Realm of Froud Blog
Brian Froud’s Book on Amazon.com

 

 

 

Wicked Fairytale

Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists
Aug 12th, 2011 by Aldouspi

Drawn In: A Peek into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists

This book shares large full-color images and profiles each of the amazingly talented artists that discuss their sketchbooks and how they use them.

People are fascinated by artist’s sketchbooks. They offer a glimpse into private pages where artists brainstorm, doodle, develop and work on ideas, and keep track of their musings. Artists use these journals to document their daily lives, produce their initial ideas for bigger projects, and practice their skills. Using a variety of media fr

List Price: $ 24.99 Price: $ 15.09


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