Brian Froud is one of the most famous illustrators working today. From books, magazines, posters to high profile movie productions, Froud has become a sought after name in the art world. His uniquely beautiful creations have inspired generations of people who have grown up with some of the most beloved creations of Froud. He is considered to be the present master of the fairy tale world. From goblins, unicorns, leprechauns, fairies to wizards all have been created with a sharp creative intensity befitting to Froud. He can still be found sketching vigorously with his wife, who is also a graphic artist, in their home in Devon, England. Froud’s paintings take you into the extraordinary world of fairy tales which most of us used to read about during our childhood. He has managed to create such a beautiful world that it stays with the viewer forever regardless of whether it is in his book illustrations, movies or even costume designs. In many ways there is an excited child present in Froud himself who comes up with such vivid creations.
Brian Froud was born in 1947 in Winchester, England and spent the next few years of his life in Kent. He studied graphic design at the Maidstone College of Art. Initially Froud was keen on painting but he soon discovered the world of graphic designing and since then has never looked back. Apart from graphic design, Froud also developed a strong interest in folk fare and legends – this is one of the chief reasons why his works are the perfect mixture of both these combinations. Under the watchful eye of another master illustrator Arthur Rackham, Froud soon started learning about the variations of graphic design. He also ate up every folk fare and fairy tale of Great Britain and started studying the same for other cultures like Greek mythology, Renaissance symbolism and anything that was even remotely interesting in Froud’s fiery imaginative mind. Froud worked at the Artist Partners Agency in London for a few years as a creative illustrator. He credits the job for teaching him a lot about not only illustrations but the commercial market for fairy tales and legends. Froud realized that fairy tales and legends were something which would never get old. Soon Froud developed his own magical distinctive style and experimented with three dimensional designs complete with gnomes, goblins, warlocks and dragons. After winning Artist Partners numerous awards for his book and magazine covers Froud left the job and moved to Devon to start working on his own cover illustrations.
Perhaps Froud’s most beloved and memorable illustrations and costume designing is for the classic movie labyrinth – a childhood favorite of pretty much every person under the sun. The brilliant way Froud was able to create the perfect blend of evil and good in a magical world is spellbinding. The movie set the bar very high for graphic designs and its sets, all of which was done by Froud as the chief concept designer for the movie. Labyrinth goes down in history as a beloved movie watched by millions around the world, chiefly because of Frouds masterful creations in the movie. It is no wonder that Brian Froud is considered to be the pre-eminent fairy artist of his generation.
