With a new Dark Crystal series on the way, it seems only fair to cover the upcoming expanded and revised edition of Brian Froud’s World of Faerie. Especially considering Froud’s impact on anime, such as with The Record of Lodoss War and Aura Battler Dunbine.
The latter point is connected to my recent interview with artist and director Yutaka Izubuchi. While Izubuchi is somewhat known for his industrial mecha designs, it’s his ethereal fantasy-based work that has also been very popular over the years.
While there is a certain art nouveau aspect to his later Aura Battler Dunbine and The Record of Lodoss War designs, Izubuchi openly cited the work of both Brian Froud and Alan Lee more directly in how it influenced his work.
Specifically, he explained that the 1978 artbook Faeries, penned by both Froud and Lee, was very important in regards to how he viewed fantasy art.
When it comes to the art nouveau approach, my designs aren’t influenced by this. However, when I do some kind of package illustration I do use that technique from that era. This is because anime has to move, so you can’t really have that ornate type of lining. So in order to strengthen the fantasy element for the illustration, I adopted some of the art nouveau style. If I am honest, for me these are not really art nouveau. In fact, it’s more openly inspired by the work of two British artists, namely Brian Froud and Alan Lee. Their designs influenced creature design and they did the drawings for The Lord of the Rings series and also The Dark Crystal. What’s more, Froud and Lee co-authored a book called Faeries. The Japanese version of that book was translated and published by Sanrio and I read it when I was at junior high school, or maybe even high school. That was a big influence and I thought this approach would be the ultimate one to take with anything fantasy related creature or that kind of general depiction.
So with the aura battler designs, to emphasize the fantasy elements for the laserdisc jackets for Dunbine I did use something like art nouveau but other than that it is definitely more Froud and Lee there.
For anyone that has seen the later aura battler designs of the Sirbine and Zwauth by Izubuchi, you can definitely see what he is talking about when it comes to both Froud’s and Lee’s influence.
In any case, the original Faeries artbook brings us back to this new book, as it is meant as Froud’s own follow-on to that collection of beautiful fantasy art.
The original Brian Froud’s World of Faerie was published back in 2007 but this updated version is similarly lovely and expands on that edition further.
Featuring all manner of Froud’s artwork depicting fantasy creatures, from faeries to unicorn women and almost everything else. It is also accompanied by some explanations and context for the artwork, which is very much appreciated.
The artwork itself is still very compelling and as someone that grew up in Britain, Froud still captures the fantastical heart of the countryside I remember in his work.
It’s worth understanding that Froud was born in Winchester in Hampshire, a lovely city surrounded by beautiful countryside and not that far from the ancient New Forest, and he later moved to Kent and now lives in Devon.
I too grew up in Hampshire, though from a more northern part, and always loved Froud’s depiction of fantasy, as it felt like these creatures could be uncovered in my own backyard and the nearby woods if I just looked hard enough.
Like Faeries, this new book distills that sense further but also adds further context to the recent revelations I discovered after talking to Japanese artists such as Izubuchi, who clearly love Froud’s work.
However, if you are looking for depictions of Froud’s designs from his film work, such as the original Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, then this book won’t really cater to that. Instead, it’s more about Froud’s fascinating standalone work that arguably caught the attention of Hollywood in the first place.
In addition to all the lovely artwork within the book, you also have a foreword by Dr. Ari Berk and an illustrated poster with a poem written by Neil Gaiman.
So if you like unique and distinct fantasy art, not to mention enjoyed the likes of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, then this updated edition of Brian Froud’s World of Faerie is worth a look.
Brian Froud’s World of Faerie is released on January 29 for $35 and can be pre-ordered from the Insight Editions site.
Disclosure: Insight Editions sent me a copy of this book for the purposes of this review.
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