Ninja Mountain Podcast episode 54. The Economics of Ramen...

Drew, Socar, and Jeremy are left to their own devices this week and the discussion follows the meandering paths of the mountain.

In this episode, three wayward ninjas discuss ramen, job titles, the horrors of life-drawing, the art/illustration dynamic, berets, and skimpy costumes.

Easy listening? Or disturbing? You must decide!

http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/episode_54.mp3

Subscribe to the Ninja Mountain Podcast or be forever stalked by the crawling ramen monster

and its squiggly appendages of evil!

The Visual Artist Podcast network! Check it out!

Escape From Illustration Island

The egg timer widget for the mac!

Ramen--manna of the gods!

Some questions for our fellow ninjas:

What one word comes to mind when you hear the word, "illustration"?

What is the weirdest place where you have found your own work displayed?

What is the weirdest tool in your studio? The kind of item that your peers might be surprised to learn about?

Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to client communication?

Let's hear your "life drawing nightmares"!

Episode 53-Copyright 101 with Linda Kattwinkel ! MacWorld with Mercuralis!

Hoooo Boy! We have an awesome episode for you this week and we hope you learn a lot, folks. 

This week copyright and intellectual property lawyer, Linda Kattwinkel, joins the Ninjas to discuss copyright law.

http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/episode_53.mp3

Subscribe to The Ninja Mountain Podcast on iTunes, or we will sue! I'm sure there's legal precedence for it.... 

Linda works for noted law office Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C. out of San Francisco, California and they work with some of the most important artists and properties in America to provide legal advice and representation.

You can learn more about Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C. at their law firm's website at www.owe.com

We would like to thank Linda for giving so generously of her time to answer our questions.

Understanding of copyright law is an important part of any artist's career and Linda stepped forward to empower our listeners with solid information.

Thank you, Linda!

You may learn more about copyright and intellectual property law through an excellent series of articles that Linda has written in her "Legalities" column published at the law firm's website.

http://www.owe.com/legalities.html

More can be learned about U.S. copyright law at www.copyright.gov

You can learn a bit more about the Berne Convention through Wikipedia  ( how accurate it is...welll...it's Wikipedia...).

PLUS!!!---

Patrick McEvoy returns to the mountain from his journey to Mac World with an interview he shared with the very talented Melissa Findley ( aka Mercuralis).

To learn more about Melissa's work, head over to her blog site at: http://wickedeye.wordpress.com/

Thank you, Patrick, for being our "man on the street".

Hope you enjoy it, folks!

Episode 52-Ohh those peevish Ninjas! Plus a visit from Steve Argyle!

In this episode guest artist Steve Argyle joins Socar Myles, Eric Lofgren, and Jeremy McHugh as  the Ninjas discuss pet peeves and embark on other numerous wanderings along the circuitous paths of the mountain.

Many thanks to our donor as Jeremy test-drives the new microphone headset. 

Rest assured that the weirdness of his voice is not a technical foible, but the remains of our co-host's recent battle with a cold and cough. Poor Jeremy-to be struck down by plague at such a tender age...

http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/episode_52.mp3

We would also like to announce the launch of The Visual Artist Podcast Network. 

VAPN will feature the latest episodes of Ninja Mountain, SideBar, Chris Oatley's Artcast, Escape From Illustration Island, WIP, and The Process Diary.

Many thanks to Thomas James of Escape From Illustration Island for putting together this awesome resource!

Subscribe to the Ninja Mountain Podcast on iTunes or we'll peeve you to death- I swear!

Two things we would like to get your thoughts and questions about this week:

1) What are your artistic pet peeves? Perhaps they are things that you have striven to improve in your own work that always jumps out at you when looking at the work of others.

2) Do you have a question about copyright that next week's special guest, Linda Kattwinkel (Intellectual Property and Arts Attorney at Owen, Wickersham & Erickson) , can answer for your fellow listeners? Post them in the comments section for this episode!

Other links to check out:

The Visual Artist Podcast Network

Camtasia

Gnomon Workshop's Practical Light and Color Theory with Jeremy Vickery

Steve Argyle's most excellent website!

Matthew Armstrong

Breaking Into Freelance Illustration by Holly DeWolf--the most excellent book that Jeremy forgot to actually review...;)

Jeremy writes, "It is a very interesting book and talks a bit more about the use of new media and networking to promote your work. It is filled with useful tips, enjoyable quotes, and anecdotes from working illustrators. 

A worthy read for the up-and-coming artist."

Ninja Mountain Archives!

Due to popular demand (one person demanded it, but she's very popular - thanks Rowena!) here are archived Stuffit packages of the first 20 episodes of Ninja Mountain! They are packed in easy-to-use 5-episode packages. (Frankly, zipping the files didn't save any file space, but they are more convenient if you don't mind the long download. But if you just need an individual file, you can still find the episodes in our blog archives, starting with January 2009).

Enjoy!

Episodes 1 - 5

Episodes 6 - 10

Episodes 11 - 15

Episodes 16 - 20

Episode 51 -How Do We Explain Ourselves??!

In this episode Andy ( See?! He's not last this time!), Patrick, Socar, Drew, and Jeremy talk about:

How we explain our profession to non-Ninjas.

The vague line between illustration and fine art.

More about every Ninja's favorite book, "Frankenstein", as beautifully illustrated by none other than the amazing Bernie Wrightson.

The sleeping habits of a certain Ninja.

The disappearing craft of inking and...

The Flying Spaghetti Monster.

http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/episode_51.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes, or the noodly goodness that is the Flying Spaghetti Monster will be consumed by alien factions bent on human conquest...

If you strain your hearing you may even be able to make out Socar's hushed tones.

We think she was in the kitchen preparing dinner while joining in our conversation, but we will let you be the judge.

Points will be awarded for the best explanation of her microphone's poor sound quality! :)

Ninja Mountain 50 - ONE YEAR WASTED!!

Yes, this episode marks Ninja Mountain's one year anniversary. On hand to chat (and to keep the conversation as free from actual educational content as possible) we have Andy Hepworth, Anne Stokes, Socar Myles, Jeremy McHugh, Drew Baker and Patrick McEvoy! It's a fun, slightly crazy, and gloriously unfocused look at the last year, the year to come, and a number of topics that are sure to be of interest to someone. Somewhere. Maybe.

http://www.megaflowgraphics.com/NinjaMountain/NinjaMountain050.mp3


Show Notes:
Find out more about the early history of Ninja Mountain on the Escape from Illustration Island podcast episode 8:
http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/2009/10/13/episode-8-ninja-mountain/

Ninjas pride themselves on remaining in the shadows, however...

As of this moment, the Ninja Mountain Scrolls site will be implementing a 'no anonymous postings' ruling. 

Anonymous posting will no longer be allowed and all such posts, regardless of content, will be deleted.

This is to encourage open discussion while simultaneously holding each participant clearly accountable for their own statements and behavior. 

We believe that this will engender self-moderation during debates, and offset the requirement for a more formal arrangement. 

Internet handles are acceptable ( and often entertaining), but a real name or link to a real site must appear somewhere in your posts or profile to engender professional discourse and accountability.

Those associated with the Ninja Mountain Podcast have willingly and necessarily adopted complete openness in their weekly recorded discussions. We are all identified by our real names ( or widely known pen names) and our URLs are prominently displayed.

We take full responsibility for our statements and invite others to weigh the advice we offer by visiting our sites and learning more about our careers.

We believe that those who make use of the show blog should be held to the same standards and that such will add to the enjoyment of all who visit the site.

Thank you to all of our fellow Ninjas and we look forward to your continued enjoyment of the show and accompanying blog.

Jeremy McHugh

Ninja Mountain Podcast Co-Host

Ninja Mountain Episode 49 - “I don’t think the Pirates have a Mountain.”

Like a red lazor blast to the forebrain the Ninja Mountaineers are back, once again attempting to scale the dizzy heights of the fabled Ninja Mountain by sitting around chatting!  This week we take your questions from Twitter and run off with them into the middle distance: Bounced checks? Setting up a business? Palettes? Websites for licensing? Self publishing sketchbooks?


http://www.megaflowgraphics.com/NinjaMountain/NinjaMountain049.mp3



Subscribe on iTunes, for free. Or we'll make you wear the muppet suit at Gencon. Squeal like a pig, Muppet.

On this show: Anne, Jeremy, Jon and Socar


** Special note to the world, especially Canada! **
For some reason, iTunes did not add this episode everywhere worldwide. The one country we've found for sure that doesn't seem to be working is Canada. We're trying to fix this problem without knowing exactly what's going on. It may be something weird on Apple's end, or we may fix it at any point unexpectedly. Life is full of surprises!

Thank you, please drive through.

Ninja Mountain 48-Back to the Bull Session.

Hey there, folks.
It is a small gathering around Ninja Mountain's water cooler this week as Drew, Socar, and Jeremy hang out and discuss a medley of various topics. This week, the Ninjas discuss regrets, personal growth, geography, watercolors, digital art, questions from a new publisher, the delicate balance between art and illustration ( with our usual ham-fisted grace) , and even make a DVD recommendation!
A little something for every sensibility! :)

http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/nm_episode48.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes, for free. Or we'll throw a scalpel at your cuirass.

Links of note:

Automated Painting
Retrievr
In answer to Socar's last question...

Question for our fellow Ninjas---
What regrets do you have from your past in relation to your artwork and what are you doing to correct it? Open them closets and let us watch the dessicated skeletons tumble out!
Also---What are your goals for the year ahead? C'mon, folks! The year is still young! :)

Ninja Mountain 47-Critique These!

All right, folks.
In this episode, the Ninjas get caught up on the last of the artwork put forth for critique by the brave and bold.
Join Patrick, Socar, Drew, Ralph, and Jeremy as they learn why the word "cuirass" is ripe with comedic potential.

http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/episode47.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes, for free. Or we'll throw a scalpel at your cuirass.

Many thanks to Drew Baker and Ralph Horsley for their helpful paint-overs.

Here are the entries along with the paint-overs offered as suggestions to the artists.
Thank you all for participating!

Angela Sasser ( aka "Angelic Shades" )


To see a paint-over by Drew, check out the following link.

Chris Griffin (aka "Quickreaver")


To see a paint-over by Drew Baker, check out the following link.

Seth Rutledge ( aka "eldritch 48" on twitter)


To see Drew's paint-over, check out the following link.

Simon Anderson-Carr (aka "Scarrart")


To see Drew's paint-over, check out the following link.

Marjon ( aka "sirithduriel")


To see Drew's paint-over, check out the following link.

Elin Joseffson


To see a paint-over by Drew, check out the following link.

To see a paint-over by Ralph Horsley, check out the following link.

Drew has also made available his paint-overs with layer information intact as Photoshop files for download in zip format at the following link.

Ninja Mountain 46 - Critique That!

This week several unusually foolhardy Ninja Mountain listeners have volunteered to be critiqued by out squad of Ninja Critique Commandos: Socar, Drew, Patrick and (of course) Jeremy!

This week's victims are: Mick Collins, Jeff Johnson, Melissa Hitchcock, Chris Burdett and Nick Egberts. We didn't want to rush it too much, so we split this into two episodes, with Angela Sasser, Chris Griffin, Seth Rutledge and Simon Anderson-Carr getting their turns next week.

And, if you hurry you can get in on next week's fun too - just leave your name and a link to the piece you want critiqued in the comments to this week's episode, and we'll add you to next week's list -- BUT ONLY THE FIRST TWO RESPONDENTS. So first come, first severed.. er, served.

http://www.megaflowgraphics.com/NinjaMountain/NinjaMountain046.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes, for free. Or we'll be forced to come to your house and critique you in front of your family. 'Cause we straight up COLD like that.


The Pictures!



Mick Collins



Jeff Lee Johnson



Melissa Hitchcock



Christopher Burdett



Nick Egberts

As we were doing the episode, the ever-busy Drew was doing some paintovers to help illustrate his thoughts, plus some extra ideas he had for Chris's piece. Here they are, presented for your edification:

Mick
Jeff
Melissa
Chris
Nick

See you all next time for more critiques!

To all Ninjas...

We'll be back after the holidays!

We hope you have a fantastic and festive season.

If you're staying up on Christmas Eve in hopes of spotting Santa,

Forget it. 

He's the ultimate Ninja.

Ninja Mountain 45 - Radio Ventriloquism

Started writing this in the style of a foul mouthed pirate. Then completely got over it. Think yourselves lucky.

So! Episode 45! This week the full Ninja Mountaineer Squad were largely indisposed, preparing for something called "Christmas". Nonetheless a plucky team of handpicked idio...panelists managed to get together and record their thoughts on the newly released version 3 of painting software ArtRage.

In true Ninja Mountain style discussion rambles and ranges as you might expect as Andy, Scott and Jon open up their new programs and dive in, live to tape. They share their thoughts and observations on Ambient Design's new baby. Where others may hesitate in presenting a radio show about live use of a graphics program our crack team took no prisoners.


Bit of a special interest episode, we freely admit. But what? You gonna ask for your money back?

http://www.megaflowgraphics.com/NinjaMountain/NinjaMountain045.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes It's free and it feels so good!


Show Notes:
Artrage 3: http://www.artrage.com/

Doh! And now updated with our AR3 doodlings made during the recording of the show!
Jon:



Scott:



Andy:




Have no fear, we'll be back soon with more critique episodes, featuring both the work of the Mountaineers and our respected listeners!

Ninja Mountain 44 - Critique THIS!

We've talked about the power of critique, we've extolled the virtues of giving and getting good crits, and now we step into the crucible ourselves! Each Ninja offers up one piece to be examined and discussed by the panel, and nothing is spared. Patrick, Socar, Jeremy and 2nd-time guest Drew Baker share pictures and opinioins and maybe, just maybe, learn a little bit about love in this very special episode. Oh, and we laugh about yaoi. (A lot).

So come on in! Listen to our idea of good critiques, in this weeks awe-inspiring NINJA ART THUNDERDOME!


http://www.megaflowgraphics.com/NinjaMountain/NinjaMountain044.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes, or we'll be forced into drastic action. And nobody wants that.


The Pictures!



Socar Myles - Mr. Mole in the Wild Woods



Socar Myles - Mr. Mole detail



Jeremy McHugh - Dragonslayer



Drew Baker - Bullywug Attack original

After the critique session, Drew went back and made some changes to the initial piece. Here's his update - see what you think!


Drew Baker - Bullywug Attack after updates



Patrick McEvoy - Blasphemer


We invite you to post your own comments, as well as your own pieces for critique, in the message section below. Let's have some fun!

.

Ninja Mountain 43 - Let's Quickify!

Listener Brian Bowes asked us for ways to "quickify" one's work and that opened up broad discussion amongst our panel of Ninjas this week. We go to extraordinary lengths to unravel the mysteries of particle board, delve deeply into our individual art processes, and make frequent mention of a certain Art Director of whom you may have heard.

http://mchughstudios.com/ninjamountain_podcast/episode43.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes, damn your eyes!!!


Show Notes:
Jon Schindehette

Masonite

Mattias Snygg

Ninjas on this episode:

Ralph Horsley
Anne Stokes
Socar Myles
Patrick McEvoy
Jeremy McHugh

.

Ninja Mountain Episode 42 - Collectors Are People Too

All right!
In this episode the Ninjas meet with Patrick Wilshire, founder of Illuxcon, to learn about the genesis of this popular event and how it was put together.
We also take advantage of Mr Wilshire's long involvement in the genre art collecting market to learn more about what makes collectors tick.
A very cool discussion that we hope you will enjoy.

Episode 42

Show links:
Illuxcon
The Illustration Exchange
Collin Lenzen

The Ninjas this week:
Ralph Horsley
Socar Myles
Patrick McEvoy
Jeremy McHugh

Special Episode 41b - Illuxcon Part 2!

All right!
Jeremy has edited and compiled episode 2 of our two-part Illuxcon Special Extravaganza.
In this episode you get to listen in as our traveling Ninja interviews many more of our favorite artists along with a small wrap-up at the end with his friend and illustration student, Joe Acone.

http://mchughstudios.com/episode_41b.mp3

Aritsts in this episode include:
Brom
Justin Gerard
Gary Lippincott
Ian Miller ( who Jeremy foolishly refers to as Ian Williams...sorry Ian. He is being beaten as we write this. He will never do that again...Ever....)
Bob Eggleton
Mark Zug
L.A "Allen" Williams
Volkan Baga
Steve Ellis
Robh Ruppel
Donato Giancola
Don Maitz

Too much awesome to be contained within one meager episode!
Thank you for joining us on our latest voyage away from the misty peak of Ninja Mountain.

We hope you will enjoy the show!

Episode 41 A---Illuxcon Episode 1!!!

Oooh la la! Jeremy here, taking over from Patrick and Jon for the week to do the whole thing on my own from recording to editing!

Too many artists for one episode!
Enjoy all the awesomeness I was able to uncover in the sleepy college town of Altoona, Pennsylvania.

http://mchughstudios.com/episode_41a.mp3

Today's episode compiles the interviews I conducted on Saturday and include:
William O'Connor
Larry Elmore
Matthew Stewart
Michael Whelan
Cynthia Sheppard
Laura Diehl
Chris Burdett
Piya Wannchaiwong
Ryan Yee
and Aaron B Miller

Plus I ask two art collectors, Greg Obaugh and Mike Stubbs, what makes them tick and their thoughts on the world of fantasy art collecting.
There is more to come in episode 41 B which is on its way so stay tuned!

Ninja Mountain 40b - D&D Legends Special

If you are a fan of old-school Dungeons and Dragons, great fantasy illustration, great artists, or all of the above, this may be the best show you hear all year! Join Jeremy as he hosts a special round table of Joseph Goodman, Erol Otus, Jeff Easley and Stefan Poag.

Yeah, we don't need to hype it any more than that. Just listen.

http://www.megaflowgraphics.com/NinjaMountain/NinjaMountain040b.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes for the love of Cthulhu!!

Show Notes
Jeff Easley
Stefan Poag
Erol Otus
Goodman Games


AND... For all the latest in Ninja news and happenings, Twitter-style, be sure to follow http://twitter.com/NinjaMountain (Or "@NinjaMountain" for you hep-cats). You'll be glad you did. Probably.

Ninja Mountain Episode 40 - Cannibals of the Typing Pool

JOIN US! This week the team meet up at the S. Myles typing pool. The audio is absolutely shot to heck by the incessant clatter of brand spanking new imac keyboard keys, but we just like to think of that as edgy and lo-fi. And you can too!

This week the NMeers (enemeers? ew!) form up to make a giant beardless female robot dwarf, blindly marching across a poorly constructed and ill conceived cardboard landscape littered with conversational dead ends and the smoking holes left where we edited out the parts not suitable for the tender ears of our culturally refined and gloriously urbane listeners. Much as a machine built to wage war may find consciousness, nay sentient joy, in the roiling heart of battle, we like to think the kind of people who tune in to our show will find a similar, if tiny, nugget of wondrous enlightenment in the roiling heart of this week's nonsense.

Turn on, form up, fire the lazors, transform into a slightly shapeless robot dinosaur and fall apart wondrously to the strains of NINJA MOUNTAIN EPISODE 40

On this week's slice of heaven we have the towering clacking edifice of Socar Myles, the enormo-dome of Californication Patrick McEvoy, the wonderfully understated yet somehow louche in a Frank-Lloyd-Wright-gone-wrong stylee Andy Hepworth, the fantastically baroque and perspective defying mansion that is Dr Eric Lofgren Laboratories and also little Jonny Hodgson.

http://www.megaflowgraphics.com/NinjaMountain/NinjaMountain040.mp3

Subscribe on iTunes for free!

Show notes?
Don't be stupid!