I'm not a fan of faeries but...

Have you ever heard of that obscure movie released in the early '80s by the mastermind behind The Muppets (my main man Jim Henson) called The Dark Crystal? If not, then It's about time! … Ok, enough soapboxing. If you're honestly not familiar with the film, it is a dark (hence the name) fantasy featuring a host of non-human characters and creatures surrounded by lush scenery, all of which was handcrafted by talented set designers and artists including Henson himself. Of course computer graphics were as primitive as type on a black backdrop at the time, so James Cameron's Avatar-type 99% computerized atrocities were yet out of the question. Oh, I'm soapboxing again. My bad.

Anyway, whether the in-film scenery is handmade and organic, or entirely digital, a large part of the imagery's style and depth is the result of conceptual designers. And in the case of The Dark Crystal, this department is far from lacking. With faerie illustrator Brian Froud — who teamed up with Henson again later for another worthwhile endeavor, Labyrinth (1986) — in charge of conceptual design, costume design, as well as creature design, which amounts to just about everything visually in this particular film save for lighting and post production, the evidence of the spellbinding world of The Dark Crystal is found both on screen and on paper. A myriad of Froud's conceptual works for the production of this film have been archived and published in a hardcover book called The World of the Dark Crystal. I'd share more, but I have yet to get my hands on this book myself, but for now here's a little taste:

Concept illustration for The Dark Crystal by Brian Froud