He asked the illustrator to inject elements of the countryside into the work Froud would do for Henson. Not only was he impressed with Froud’s work but he also fell in love with Devon. Henson went to Devon in England to see Froud. He had an idea for a movie and once he saw one of Froud’s pictures on a book cover, he concluded that the illustrator had what it took to help him define his idea. That is exactly what he did, going so far as to collaborate with Jim Henson on the filmmaker’s most renowned works. Later on, when he joined forces with Alan Lee to produce a book titled ‘Faeries’, Froud realized that faeries were his passion and that he wanted to spend his days pursuing the subject.

This annoyed Froud who believed that art should speak for itself, that it should tell its own stories. In doing so, these artists had elevated themselves over their art. At the time that Froud was honing his craft, he noticed that a lot of artists had attracted fame by attaching erudite explanations to the terrible pictures they had drawn. The illustrator was certain that the world had more to offer than his eyes could see and that seemingly ordinary objects like trees had souls.

He remembers reading Arthur Rackham’s book on fairy tales and realizing that the author had accurately captured and manifested the magic that Froud had glimpsed in the real world. Doing so deepened his appreciation for the genre. He started investigating the messages, meanings, and origins of popular folktales. The illustrator’s interest in fairies was ignited in college. But Froud never forgot his love for the fantastical. The illustrations he made for her novels attracted even more awards recognition for the artist. His achievements did not end there.Īfter leaving Artist Partners, Froud partnered with Margaret Mahy. His contribution to ads, magazines, and the covers of children’s books turned Froud into an award-winning artist. The illustrator was a valuable addition to Artist Partners. But he always found the time to indulge his interests while working from his office cubical. He was still working in the commercial illustration field. Froud developed a unique style that he used to create a detailed fantasy world filled with goblins, gnomes, and other fantastical creatures. But his interests were primarily rooted in fantasy and folklore, which is why he was always drawing images with a mythic element. He joined the Artist Partners Agency as a commercial illustrator soon after. Born in 1947 in Winchester, England, Froud graduated from Maidstone College of Art with a diploma in Graphic Design.

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