Trolls: Paintings and Portraits

by Brian Froud, Wendy Froud

Not since his conceptual design work with Jim Henson on the classic films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth has New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Brian Froud created a faerie world with such imagination, dimension, depth, and detail as in Trolls .

Trolls features new and classic work by both Brian and Wendy Froud woven together with artifacts and symbols of the natural world to create a fascinating revelation about the world of trolls. The book explores trolls and troll culture, revealing their philosophies, their home life, and their world attitudes through their tales, mythology, and archaeology.

Froud writes in his introduction, “Who sleeps under the silent hill and what huddles in the dank darkness under the bridge? In short, what sort of invisible spirits inhabit our visible world and what do they look like? My paintings of trolls answer some of these questions. . . . The last conversation Jim Henson and I had before his death was about collaborating on another film. It was to be about trolls. This book is, in essence, the film we never got to make.”

The artwork here features Froud’s sketches and full-color paintings of trolls in their native habitats. It also seamlessly blends in Wendy Froud’s astonishing three-dimensional figures to tell stories within stories. Together they tell the story of a troll child who is on a quest to gather tales “for the asking, the giving, and the keeping.” Along the way, you will be told the tales of “The Troll Bride,” “The Tale of The Bad Troll,” and “The Tale of The Pride of Anhold Honeybag.”

Trolls affirms that trolls are real, that they have lived and are living now. The texture of the world and the deeply immersive, cinematic images will appeal to the legions of fantasy—and Froud—fans. This book is not only a celebration of fantastical art but also a celebration of the power of stories.

Genres: Fantasy, Art, Picture Books, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fairies, Speculative Fiction

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Brian Froud is an award-winning illustrator, author, and faery authority. His books include the international best-sellers Faeries, Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book, Lady Cottington's Fairy Album, and The Faeries' Oracle. He also served as the conceptual designer on Jim Henson's films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Froud lives in Devon, England.
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"I paint the spirit and soul of what I see." - Brian Froud

For over 35 years, Brian Froud has been regarded as the pre-eminent faerie artist in the world and an authority on faeries and faerie lore. His international best-selling book, FAERIES with fantasy and Tolkien illustrator Alan Lee is considered a modern classic. His landmark work with Jim Henson as conceptual designer on feature films THE DARK CRYSTAL, LABYRINTH and other Henson projects set new standards for design, puppeteering and animatronics in film and are considered landmarks in the evolution of modern day special effects and attract an international cult following . With over 8 million books sold to date, Brian's international best sellers include LADY COTTINGTON'S PRESSED FAIRY BOOK, GOOD FAERIES / BAD FAERIES and THE FAERIES' ORACLE and LADY COTTINGTON'S FAIRY ALBUM. Other works with text by Ari Berk include GOBLINS!, RUNES OF ELFLAND, LADY COTTINGTON PRESSED FAIRY LETTERS and BRIAN FROUD'S WORLD OF FAERIE. His latest books are THE HEART OF FAERIE ORACLE, authored by his wife, Wendy and HOW TO SEE FAERIES, with New York Times best-selling author, John Matthews are published by Abrams Books. He and Wendy are now working on their forthcoming book, TROLLS, to be published by Abrams in 2012.

Brian's work has been licensed by numerous licensing companies internationally. His work inspires Faerieworlds and FaerieCon, festival events that attract over 30,000 guests annually. Brian created concept designs for a sequel to THE DARK CRYSTAL, produced by the Jim Henson Company and is developing concept designs for feature film projects now in development. He and Wendy created the story concept for a graphic novel series based on THE DARK CRYSTAL to be published by Archaia Comics in 2011. His work has been featured in exhibitions throughout the world and his paintings reside in many private and public collections. Brian lives in Devon, England with his wife, internationally acclaimed doll maker Wendy Froud.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wanting to pick up a copy of this book for a while however I have never "got round to it" until now. And I must admit I am very pleased I did.

So you have here is a celebration of Brian's (and I suspect a great deal of his wife Wendy too) imagination of the "otherworld" the one inhabited by Trolls.

The book acts as part guide to Trolls, part coming of age story (I will not go any further as I do not do spoilers) enough to say that if you are here for a story there is one, but if yo are here only for the amazing art then you will not be disappointed either.

I have to address on thing here - I have to say that some of the art is very reminiscent of both Labyrinth and Dark Crystal - hardly surprising consider the massive contribution Brian gave to the films (and the subsequent material realised after as well) but it just goes to show that everything we think we have seen so far is only the tip of the iceberg of material we could still be shown.

And I for one cannot wait. The words, the art are amazing and loved it - I realise now I should have picked this book up long ago.

[Jaimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with faerieworld treasure, and it is sure to delight fans of the Frouds. It is tied together by the story of a young troll seeking his first four stories - of the 4 trollish elements: stone, bone, earth, and wind - but it reminds me of the Eyewitness science/history/anthropology books that I was so fond of as a child due to the discussion of troll living habits and scattered illustrative style. This format might not appeal to all readers, but I found it absolutely engaging because it was like discovering a lost civilization - and all good lost civilizations are steeped in myth, mystery, and wonder (I'm thinking of Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, which are chalk full of legends as well as humanity's roots).

[Jane Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book mainly for the artwork but
liked the story as well.

[Armando · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around the Globe in 52 Books
[Prompt: A Fairytale from Another Country]

Checked this book out because of Brian Froud's artwork and was not disappointed. Well, I was at first, because this isn't just a collection of his and his wife's artwork, this is essentially a fairytale with a complete written story. However, that story is so charming and magical, that it didn't take long to wash away my disappointment and had me charmed. The story follows a young Troll child as he goes on a quest to receive his own name. In order to do so, he must hear tales of stone and bone, wood and feather, and must do so by asking for stories from other trolls around his realm. It is a super charming tale, and in-between each story, there is a great amount of illustrations and lore notes surrounding trolls and their world. This is a story that celebrates the art of storytelling, and how important stories and tales are for communities and individuals. It is just very lovely and charming. And definitely rocks Dark Crystal and Labyrinth Vibes.

Supposedly the story here was supposed to be turned into another movie with Jim Henson and his company, but unfortunately he passed away before they could get it into production. I would love to see a movie or short series based off this. Not only is there a complete story along with some beautiful art, there are also some completed puppets that seem to have been made as a concept. So its just so teasing to see what could of have been.

Definitely worth checking out if you're an aspiring artist, writer, film maker, or just looking for a warm fairytale. This is definitely it.

[Suncerae · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young forest troll goes on a journey to collect his first four stories — stories of stone, bone, earth, and wind, each "for the asking, the giving, and the keeping." On the way, troll trinkets, customs, philosophies, and behaviors are beautifully illustrated and explained in the vein of an anthropologist uncovering a new civilization, similar to the related Faeries book, co-authored with Alan Lee. The sketches and paintings of trolls in their native habitats combined with the sculpted tools, artifacts, and puppets, bring the troll world to life.

Trolls is not only a lovely collection of fantasy art, but celebrates the power and magic of story-collecting and story-telling by way of the troll tales, "The Troll Bride", "The Bad Troll", and "The Pride of Anhold Honeybag", and "The Red-Haired Boy". Live through the troll tales, weave them together, tie them to your tail, then let them flow separately again, as rivers and tree roots. Embark on a delightful journey into the world of trolls with the Frouds as your guides.

Highly recommended for fans of The Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal, or if you want to know where all your spoons have gone!

readwellreviews.com

[Lia C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding book co-created by the minds who dwell in the realms outside of humans.
In the introduction, Brian Froud explains that after working with Jim Henson on The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth, they had discussed a movie about trolls. Jim loved the idea. They green-lit the project, but the untimely death of Jim delayed the movie indefinitely, so this book is the movie that never was made. Learning this made the story even more sweet, and it's dedicated to Jim (and more) as well.
We follow the troll child who has no tales to tie to his tail and his journey to collect stories to keep, tell, and remember. His journey takes him across The Otherworld, where trolls live to find stories of stone and bone, wood and feather. Brian Froud's illustrations come to life and are augmented by Wendy Froud's sculptures to create a diverse landscape as we follow the troll child on his quest.
I recommend this book to all fans of fantasy, the Froud's mind-bending art, and for Jim Henson fans who want to read his final unmade film. It's a fun story into the world of trolls, unlike anything else I've read before.

[Lenno Vranken · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few books by artist and writer Brian Froud that I hadn't read yet!
So glad to have this treassure in my collection now.
As per usual, everything about this faerie-book was a whimsical, adventurous delight.
Brian's books about faeries seem to have a sort of spiritual aura around them, wich always makes me quite emotional whilst reading his work.
I really love it when Brian and his wife Wendy do collaborations together. The passion, teamwork and shared love for the faerie realm seeps through in every page.
I must admit that I've never been a big fan of trolls as creatures. However, this book made me realise that there are alot of misconceptions serounding these beings. They can be as beautiful and whise as ugly and ill-tempered, just like any other creature from the faerie world.
I feel sad that I've almost read all of Brian Froud's books now. Hopefully he will come out with a new book in the near future, if the modern publishing industry will allow it.

[Tearese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Froud's artwork is always five stars, as are the accompanying physical renderings of his mythical creatures; but the writing in this volume rates closer to a three sometimes.
The artwork makes the book worth the purchase, but the organization could be confusing. There was a main story, and some pseudo-anthropology sections, which were straightforward enough. But some small stories continued onto another page, or much further along in the book, while others were just scraps of story and I found myself searching for the rest of it to no avail. Near the end was a whole new tale, but it felt so jumbled it was like the pages were out of order - I found myself looking for page numbers to see if this was actually the case, but it wasn't numbered. Of course, the pictures were drawn a long time ago, and the story was probably just made up later to accompany them, so that's part of the issue. Still a beautiful book!

[Ciel Dahlberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book at a Scandinavian store having no idea what it was about. To my surprise, it was written by the person who made Dark Crystal. I absolutely adored the artwork, but what I think I love most about this book isn't the overarching story, but the tiny inserted tidbits of information added like margin notes to the art-- spoons and rocks and the tiny details that make a story unique popped out here and were then applied to the story about the troll boy who had to collect stories (talk about meta). This book was fascinating in a way that many stories aren't; it's truly unique.

[Billy Kid · Rating 3 out of 5]

An art book filled with trolls, created by Brian and Wendy Froud, who worked with The Jim Henson company on iconic works like the Dark Crystal and the Yoda puppet from the Empire Strikes Back.

I skimmed through the last quarter of the book. Don't read this expecting to be wowed by the writing in it. There's some interesting stuff in here but that's not the main appeal.

This is more of a mood board / art reference for a movie that never got made than a work that stands on its own.

[chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Brian Froud's artwork. I vaguely remember reading this and maybe some of his other books when I was a kid. It's a wistful feeling, revisiting the characters and worlds that enchanted you, the way you see them when you're an adult. Like trying to open a jammed door.

I need to re-watch The Dark Crystal now. I adored it when I was a kid, and I was excited when I learned that Froud was the concept designer for that movie. (Also, I noticed that there is a Skeksis in one of the drawings in this book.)

[Kimberly Jolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trolls, illustrated by Brian Froud and narrated by his wife, Wendy Froud, is a wonderful, whimsical experience, which is even better when you read it the second time around. Revisiting this small gem at the start of 2023, I sincerely felt transported to the magical world of trolls with the story so lovingly inked on these pages, combined with the gorgeous illustration work and crafted doll photography that quite literally transport you upon an enchanted journey of (self) discovery.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Froud is such a talented artist. The poetic wording of this book was captivating, and the artwork was magical. You want to keep looking at the pages for hidden faces, which can be found in most of the pictures, but even where there are no "faces", there is a certain quality of the drawings that makes you believe that you are just not seeing the faces "yet." A must read for any Froud fans!

[Mender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous drawings. A lot of the writing isn't structured, just scraps of thoughts and ideas - it's like reading someone's notes that they scribbled down when they just woke up from dreaming them.

Really beautiful and great for finding ideas to use as writing prompts.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

trolls

[Elysabeth H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love creatures

[Amanda Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a touching book but filled with many stories and story snippets. Fans of The Dark Crystal will see many familiar things and a world of new as well. I highly reccomend.

[Elise Belleville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Très sympathique petit voyage en terres Troll !

[Caleb Bollenbacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about stories. Some blemishes here and there but oh how the art makes up for it! Very sad this movie never got off the ground, it would’ve been special.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures on my blog)

Brian Froud continues to explore the fantasy world, this time looking at trolls. His previous books were on faeries ( Faeries: Deluxe Collector's Edition and World of Faerie ) and goblins ( The Goblin Companion ).

This is a 144-page hardcover with larger than A4 size pages.

The story is about a troll child who goes on an adventurous journey to collect tales from the different trolls he meets in the otherworld. The stories are interesting, such as a love story gone wrong, and there are also poems and text on the things trolls use.

Brian Froud's sketches and illustrations are beautiful, as usual. The troll creature designs look slightly whimsical yet believable, perhaps with the exception of the trolls with detachable heads.

Additionally, there are the puppets and accessories handmade by Froud's wife Wendy. The craftsmanship is great and they serve to add a different dimension to this mythical world. However, I feel that something is amiss although I can't pinpoint what. Perhaps it's because of the contrast in style. Graphite drawings will always have that mysterious charm that's difficult to duplicate elsewhere.

Nice book for fans of Brain Froud and fantasy art.

[Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book by chance when I recognize the cover was close on two classic films I've watched and love- The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth. Of course I bought it before I knew it's my only chance to purchase this beauty.

The artworks are not the ones are beautiful and so are the words written beautifully I could not help myself being drawn to its drawings and the story. It was incredible and magnificent. Four tales of Trolls and fantasy never seems to surprise me. Even though I finished reading this magnificent tale I could not help thinking I want to find more books by Brian and Wendy Froud.

Now I can't help wanting to purchase any of their books when I have a chance to see it.

[A. Kaluza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recognized a lot of the art in here from other Froud volumes, but this book is just fine. A good collection of tales, art, and magic, I found this book very enjoyable. No one does woodland fantasy quite like Froud.

I'm not sure if I would need this on my shelf, but if you are at the bookstore or in the library certainly pick this up. You'll feel a certain freeness in your heart all the journey home, and if there's ever a time you find spoons missing from your cupboard, you'll think twice about where they might have gone!

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief escape into the Froudian vision of the earthier of mystical creatures just beyond the veil. Paintings and dolls (Wendy Froud is a master doll sculpture, one of the creators of the Star award puppet for Yoda), trinkets and signs, short stories and thought fragments. All beautifully connected and laid out. Brian Froud said in the introduction that his last talk with Jim Henson (whom he worked with on The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth) was to do a movie centered around Trolls, this book was in part inspired by that thought.

[Noran Miss Pumkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally another Froud Book! I do not get to own any, buy my sister allows me the pleasure of spending my funds on them for her to have them.. I still remember the first two she stole from me! So now, I at least read them, before gifting them! Happy 60th sis!

[Natashya KitchenPuppies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, stunning, magical and inspiring.

[Tim Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful look into the world of Brian Froud

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be reviewed

[Rayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art and storytelling, this book grips the fantastical world of trolls and tells their stories as if you were walking right alongside them. Love this book so much.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book, especially the drawings. It was part fairy tale, part history lesson.

[Rowena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the collaborative illustrations of both Wendy and Brian Froud. Very nice writing and story to enjoy with all the art.