(Howl 2011, pen name: chernotrav)
Ahhhh fan art. My opinions on those who do fan art vary. Sometimes they get CRAZY. . . sometimes stupid and then other times I just feel sorry for their lack of talent. So, beyond the crazies out there there are sometimes really great artists inspired by things they watch or read. This watercolor painting is a rare masterful work of art. . . conveniently done by a fan artist.
Now, I looked for information on this person. I do not know who they are, their real name, where they are from, or how old they are. In fact, I know nothing beyond their pen name and one sentence they wrote on their blog.
Just a calm and gloomy person.
All that my works can say about me is “I can find time to draw something for my friends to make them a bit more gladder and almost have no time for myself”.
There you go! That is all I have for you. If you are curious about their blog on devianart you can go to this link HERE ——>LINK to see more of their art. I looked through a lot of their works and frankly I was quite impressed with their skill. Most of their art works are water color paintings and feature prominent anime characters. (Oh anime. . .)
Now why do I like this painting? Firstly, I am a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki-san’s Howl’s Moving Castle (2004). The first time I ever saw the movie about six or so years ago I was spellbound by the gorgeous animation (And you know how I LOVE great animation), dynamic characters and refreshing ending. There is just something utterly enchanting about this film’s visuals from the anthropomorphic moving castle, Howl’s transformation into a raven, Suliman’s spell in her garden and even Sophie’s trip into the past. Here is a LINK ——–> CLICK HERE for my post on the film if you are interested.
Secondly, I love the mature ambiance of this painting. I looked through many fan pictures when looking for film shots for my aforementioned blog post. Many were very cartoony and unimpressive to say the least. This painting, however, caught my attention. The colors showcase Howl’s lively and colorful appearance as well as his mysterious and laid back personality. Overall, it was very true to his nature and its color scheme was beautiful and majestic. I love how it looks like he is flying over the ground with that same calm smile he wears throughout the film.
(Howl and Sophie, 2011 chernotrav)
Finally, this is one of the best realistic depictions of Howl I have seen. The greatest thing about it is that it takes him out of the world of fantasy and animation into a medium where he could easily be mistaken for a real person visually. However, the painting still retains the magical quality he had from the film which makes it all the more brilliant.
The picture shown above is also a personal favorite of mine for basically all the same reasons. I recommend you see the film as I believe it is a masterpiece, if only a forgotten one.
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 