In this week's episode Patrick, Socar, and Jeremy take some time to remember Al Williamson--legendary cartoonist and inker.
The conversation later moves onto the topic of choice of medium and whether more time spent in the studio necessarily makes for better work.
We wrap up with a lengthy discussion on some of the additional costs associated with operating a freelance studio and how late payment and ( Heaven forbid) non-payment can hurt our business.
To publishers who don't realize this already---creativity is not the only outlay that studio artists contribute to your projects...
Of course, more finds its way into the weaving path of conversation, but you'll have to tune in to find out.
http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/episode_69.mp3
Make sure to subscribe to the Ninja Mountain Podcast or you may miss out on all the awesomeness! Each episode totally takes like six weeks to prepare!....Seriously! Why are you laughing??
More awesome shows can be found at the Visual Artist Podcast Network!
More about Al Williamson can be found at the following links
The Word Balloon Podcast
http://grantbridgestreet.blogspot.com/search/label/al%20williamson
http://johnglenntaylor.blogspot.com/2010/06/1968-al-williamsons-success-story.html
Don't hesitate to join in the conversation via the "comments" section of this very blog post, folks! As always, we are seeking your thoughts on these weighty topics.
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13 comments:
The cash flow discussion REALLY resonated with me. I was running a studio with 2 assistants and was stiffed for thousands of dollars when a publisher went out of business...this was compounded by 2 other major clients pushing their growth plans back several months. I incurred several thousands of dollars in debt and had to not only close the studio, but also lost my house. All that and I STILL am saddled with the debt. This is obviously incredibly frustrating, and a serious learning lesson. I will not be funding anyone else's dreams, and I will never use credit cards to keep a business afloat again.
Marshall Dillon
Hello Marshall,
Thank you for sharing what is plainly a very painful story.
I hope the cautionary tale you offer here will serve as a guide for our listeners.
I know I have learned an important lesson from you today.
The economics associated with my studio are only a small fraction of what yours was, but even operating at my current scale can be a right challenge when my clients default on agreements.
Better days ahead, my friend.
Better days ahead.
---Jeremy
Hey ninjas, I'm working on catching up to recent episodes (I'm up to ep 10 so far) and I just wanted to say that I really enjoy the podcast! So much great advice with a lot of useful perspectives and it's a lot of fun listening to you guys poke fun at each other too. Thanks for putting this on!
Thanks Jeremy.
Things are a LOT better, but the debt takes a lot longer to pay off than to acquire, that is for sure.
I think that if I had the advise of others at the time I might have done things differently, you're podcast and the internet in general are great tools for connectivity. Peer interaction is truly invaluable.
Here's to better days!
CHEERS.
MD
Hey Marshall. That is an incredibly awful story, but I'm glad you did share it with everyone here. We can all learn from your hard-won experience and also take some inspiration from the fact that you are still working hard and (having known you for a few years personally) also a really good guy. Thanks VERY much for sharing all of that here.
Hey Mike! Glad to have you on board. Feel free to drop by and join in the conversation (or ask questions) any time. :)
Hey, Socar, which forum was exploring the digital vs. traditional dilema? I'm in the throes of a similar personal crossroads...looking at having to streamline and focus my work due to time and financial constraints. I could benefit from the discussion!
Christine, it was somewhere on Deviant Art, I think. I tried to find it again, and didn't, but I THINK it was a news article that sparked off the discussion.
The focus of the discussion seemed to be perceived value, though, rather than any helpful advice on streamlining your process. I'm not sure how useful that would be to you.
Is there anything I can help you with? Granted, I haven't done any digital art in a while, but I did for years, and I might have a few helpful answers.
Not sure why you guys would be getting lower reviews on Itunes, but on the subject of what you could add to the show, I still think it'd be cool to begin every month with a new illustration challenge. The challenge of the month would then lend itself to a critique episode the following month.
For example: in the first week of July, you announce the "Independence Dragon" challenge. Whoever chooses to participate submits their illustration of, Uncle Sam as a dragon setting off fireworks, before the 4th week of July. Then in the first week of august, the ninja hosts would critique their top choices, then announce the next challenge.
I think this would be a really fun way to get the audience involved.
Well, I vote for your idea, Razwit. I think it could be pretty fun, assuming people did participate. And it would add another dimension to the critique shows--which we've not had in a while, either.
I quite like the challenge/critique idea, reviews by professional peers are not always easy to come by. There it could become a bit of a burden if you get as many entries as some of the art order or CA contests, and you're busy people...
The topic of process came up, it would be nice to hear a little more on that, as well, maybe, as seeing some examples of initial sketches/revisions and signed off final pieces.
what is all the clicking? :D It is killing me!
Just thought of another thing I'd like ninja mountain to do. Interview Alex Ross. The dude's like a rock star of comics.
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