Inspiration from the Art of Miyazaki – ART

What makes art magical?

For me, art is magical when it tells a story. It can be heartwarming, fantasy-like, breathtaking, sad, or even show emotions of frustration.

When art tells a story, it draws you in, intriguing you to search for an understanding of what is happening.

Hayao Miyazaki is an amazing Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter, producer, author, and manga artist. I have seen all of his anime movies, and each one of them is a masterpiece that takes you on an incredible journey. There is so much love, and emotion that goes into each story.

Grave of the Fireflies – This is one of my favourite anime movies of all time. It takes you on a journey about two siblings who are orphaned, and go through many struggles as a result of the aftermath of a World War II bombing. This movie is extremely sad, so do prepare to have your heart broken when watching. The hardships, and tragedy really make you appreciate life more.

Laputa Castle in the Sky – This movie incorporates an element of steam punk, and fantasy. It is about a young boy who goes on a quest to find the castle in the sky (everyone believes that the floating island Laputa in the sky is a myth). As always the artwork is beautiful, and the journey is so much fun to follow. The fantasy, and steam punk element really inspires me.

Howl’s Moving Castle – This movie revolves around a young teenage girl named Sophie, who gets cursed by a witch, turning her into a 90-year-old woman. This story takes you on an incredible journey when Sophie moves into Howl’s moving castle as she seeks refuge. It involves magic, demons, and mystery. I love the dark, and light elements in this movie.

Spirited Away – This is another favourite movie of mine. It is about a girl named Chihiro, who is 10-years-old. As she is travelling by car with her parents, they get lost, and pull over to park. She gets out of the car and walks through a tunnel with her parents. Chihiro then enters a secret world of spirits. Where she must take on certain tasks to make it back to the human world. This is my number one favourite movie from Miyazaki. It is so beautiful to watch. The artwork is stunning.

The Art of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away – This book is a collection of artwork from the movie Spirited Away. It contains sketches, drafts, character drawings, scenes, and scripts. I purchased this book as the movie is so inspiring for me, and I really appreciate the artwork. It is a wonderful portfolio of pictures that give me ideas of how to draft out stories, characters, scenes, and put together a script. It really does show just how much work goes into bringing a story to life.

Here is a sketch of Chihiro, with her parents eating in the background. It is a draft sketch for one of the scenes in the movie. I really love how the art book has both sketches and completed anime art.

Miyazaki is one of my favourite manga artist. His stories and art inspire me each time I look at them. I watch anime weekly, and read manga daily, as it is my most favourite type of art to draw. As an artist it is important to have other artist to learn from, though of course you must ensure that you keep your own style.

Thank you so much for reading. Have a wonderful day, and get inspired to be creative.

Capili Jiron x x