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Italy - That's Amore

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May 14, 2011
2.4 MB
2016×1512
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:iconginkoflowers:


:bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletorange::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred::bulletred:



A present for my dear :iconartemis-aka-diana:. :hug:

She asked me for a portrait of one of my favorite characters: Howl, from the wonderful movie Howl’s Moving Castle by Studio Ghibli.

I represented him together with his fire demon Calcifer, as I find the bound between them a very interesting and charming part of the movie, being it also a fundamental element of the plot itself. :iconcalciferplz:

For those of you who don’t know the story, as a young boy, Howl sealed a pact with the demon, and basically gave him his very heart up.
Since then, the brilliant and handsome wizard only cared about himself, his magic and his physical aspect, till he met Sophie, the main female character, who will break his curse and give him his heart back.

As you see, Howl’s still blonde here. His hair has a particular meaning for him and plays an interesting role in the movie, as its changes in color stress the evolution of the wizard’s personality: that golden shade coincides with the part of the story when Howl’s still superficial, vain and immature – but, as will become clear, he already knows that Sophie will come to free him from this condition.

So, his gesture in the picture’s not a mere warming his hand at the flames: he’s showing Calcifer the magical ring he’ll give to Sophie as a means to travel in time and discover the truth about his curse.
Both he and the fire creature know what that ring means: I wanted the wizard to exchange an indefinite glance with his demon while staring at the object that symbolizes the impending end of their bound.
There’d be thousand of things to say about the possible affection for a curse one wishes to be freed from, and at the same time has become such a huge part of his life he can’t believe to stay without.

That’s a possible reading. Please let me know yours if you wish, I’ll be happy to know it and discuss the matter! :woohoo:
By the way… damn, what a great movie!!! Watch it if you haven’t already. Seriously, it’s breathtaking (and, of course, it’s much more complex than the extremely simplified version I presented above! ;)).
Hooray for Hayao Miyazaki (director)! :iconcheerplz:

Nearly forgotten: the feathers in background are a reference to Howl’s recurring metamorphosis into an owl – which is, in the end, another aspect of his curse.

:iconowlplz: I really hope you enjoy this picture! :iconowlplz:

:pencil: Inks: [link]


_______________________________________________
Howl, Calcifer and Howl’s Moving Castle © Studio Ghibli
:icon:
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:iconfangirlforlife2:
~Fangirlforlife2 Mar 8, 2012  Student Traditional Artist
omg i love calcifer

--
❒ Taken
❒ Single
✔ Mentally dating a character that doesn't actually exist
Reply
:iconginkoflowers:
~ginkoflowers Mar 9, 2012   Digital Artist
I love him too! thanks for your comment! :)

--
:bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack: Coffee was only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your slightly older self. :bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack:
Terry Pratchett, Thud!
Reply
:iconfangirlforlife2:
~Fangirlforlife2 Mar 9, 2012  Student Traditional Artist
np

--
❒ Taken
❒ Single
✔ Mentally dating a character that doesn't actually exist
Reply
:icondana1999:
Mood: Love ~Dana1999 Nov 27, 2011  Hobbyist
I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE HHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOWL!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
:iconginkoflowers:
~ginkoflowers Nov 27, 2011   Digital Artist
So do I!!!! Definitely!! :love:

--
:bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack: Coffee was only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your slightly older self. :bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack:
Terry Pratchett, Thud!
Reply
:iconhyliangirlyami:
!HylianGirlYami Jun 22, 2011  Hobbyist Artist
My jaw dropped when I saw this
I was like
"No way is that. . . Oh my god it is!!!!"
Fantastic job!
Reply
:iconginkoflowers:
~ginkoflowers Jun 25, 2011   Digital Artist
Eheh, it's Him! :) I'm really glad you like this picture!! thank you very much for your comment and appreciation! :hug:

--
:bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack: Coffee was only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your slightly older self. :bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack:
Terry Pratchett, Thud!
Reply
:iconpurpletwist:
~purpletwist May 31, 2011
I've read the book as well but did you notice that both Sophie and Howl's hair changes colors during the movie

( Sophie started out brunet then at the end it was silver)
Reply
:iconginkoflowers:
~ginkoflowers Jun 6, 2011   Digital Artist
Yes, it's a very interesting fact indeed! Miyazaki's established himself as a genius! :la:
In this image, I decided to show Howl with blonde hair, because I think that, knowing his whole story, the initial part where he's still superficial and immature becomes much more appreciable if you think he's somehow aware of this condition of himself. I mean, he already knew Sophie was about to come, and somehow knew the main way for him to be complete is to get mature and start caring for someone else - Sophie, in this case.
So, well, this is basically the reason why I chose to leave his hair blonde in this picture. :)

--
:bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack: Coffee was only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to your slightly older self. :bulletblack::bulletblack::bulletblack:
Terry Pratchett, Thud!
Reply
:iconpurpletwist:
~purpletwist Jun 6, 2011
ether way it's an excellent movie
Reply
:icon:
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