Ninja July 28th, 2008

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these.

Q: Hi… I can’t think of a background at all. I’m pretty good at drawing people, but I suck so hard at backgrounds, and it turns out that backgrounds are what my teacher wants to see. So I guess I’m asking you how to actually go about and do a background for a self portrait.

A: Hi Stormie! Ah, backgrounds. Backgrounds can be quite challenging, but they are very important as they set the stage for your narrative and give your image a sense of place. Backgrounds can be either architecture, natural environment, or abstract. In the interest of not having this post run too long, I will provide tutorial links.

A few things to keep in mind as you form your background:

How does your subject inhabit this space?

What objects does your subject interact with to make this place you’ve created seem more believable?

Do your research! Make sure locations, clothing, hairstyles, architecture are accurate for the time and place of your image.

I was originally going to upload work from working illustrators, but instead, I’ve dug through my collection of student art work to give you some inspiration.

Interiors

I’ve provided three examples from different artists who have all chosen bedrooms for their settings. Even though they all have the bedroom setting in common, the lighting, tones, textures, and perspective set a different mood in each image.

Erin McGuire, Ringling College of Art and Design

Megan Inghram, Ringling College of Art and Design

Michelle Lamoreaux, Southern Utah University

Tutorial link
+ Basic linear perspective tutorial

Buildings and the great outdoors

Andrea Rhodes, San Jose University

Mike Burdick, College for Creative Studies

Owen Freeman, Art Center College of Design

Tyler Garrison, Savannah College of Art and Design

Tutorial links
+ Drawing outdoor environments tutorial—video
+ Drawing outdoor environments tutorial—from thumbnail sketch to final

Tones and gradients

Colors and gradients can be used to make your subject stand out in contrast to the background or make your subject recede into the background space.

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Ninja December 7th, 2007

Q My kid brother: How do you draw hair in Illustrator?
A This is how I go about it…

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Ninja November 8th, 2007

Q: Hi, my name is Joseph, and this piece (the NvP First Kiss print—pictured above) stuck in my head from the second I saw it. I’ve been thinking, and I would love to have it stuck to my body as a tattoo. I was wondering if that would be possible. Thanks.

A: Hi Joseph! Thanks for your kind words. If you’re asking for my permission to use my art as a tattoo, you’ve got it. I’m incredibly flattered that you like my illustration so much that you would want it permanently on your body! Please send me a photo of it when it’s done. ^__^

PS. It may be easier to tattoo if you used the negative of the image, so here it is:

Got any more burning questions? Feel free to email me at ninja [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. Penguin is also available to answer questions, too! He can be reached at penguin [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. =)

Related Link:
+ Miami Ink’s Kat’s tips for tattoos

Purchasing Link:
+ Get your own NvP First Kiss litho print

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Ninja October 30th, 2007

Q: Could you recommend an alternative for a groomsman shoe?

A: Sure! I’ve never been a fan of the shiny, patent leather look with a tux. I’m no fashionista, but I’ll give it a stab. Here are some shoes that I think offer style, comfort, & best of all, you wouldn’t feel embarrassed about wearing them out again. (purchasing links after photos)

Slick silhouette with a pointy toe. The comfort of a sneaker with the sleek styling of a designer boot.

A sneaky zip in the back for easy put-on and removal.
+ A lil’ Rock n’ Roll

Brand: Ash
Style#: 40455
Style Name: Seven
Material: Nappa Vintage upper, rubber sole
Color: Black

Love that wood-grain pattern on the top & bottom on the shoes!

+ Tree-lover’s Shoe
Brand: House Industries (yes, the type foundry)
Style Name: The Arborist
Material: Suede upper (laser-etched with subtle wood-grain pattern), cork midsole, rubber sole with wood-grain pattern (leave your mark where ever you walk)
Colors: Black, Tan, Brown

No laces!

+ Classic & Casual

Brand: John Varvatos for Converse
Style Name: Chuck Taylor All Star
Material: Suede upper, rubber sole
Colors: Black

I hope that helps & congrats on your wedding!

Cheers,
Ninja

Got any more burning questions? Feel free to email me at ninja [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. Penguin is also available to answer questions, too! He can be reached at penguin [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. =)

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Ninja September 26th, 2007

Q:
Dear Ninja,
I’m a big fan of your Ask Ninja column and was recently stunned when I found this website, Ask A Ninja. Have you seen it yet?

A:
Haha, yes, I have seen the site before! If you want to know about a ninja’s lifespan + other serious ninja questions, I recommend his site. But if you have other silly questions or design-type questions, you can feel free to send them my way. ^___^

Got any more burning questions? Feel free to email me at ninja [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. Penguin is also available to answer questions, too! He can be reached at penguin [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com.

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Ninja August 31st, 2007

Q: Do you know how to change a Pantone spot colour to CMYK in Adobe Illustrator?
A: Yes, I do. Huh, that was an easy question. Just kidding. ~___^ Here are the steps:

So you’ve chosen your spot colors. For this example, I picked PMS 550, PMS 3395, PMS 344, PMS 374, + PMS 389. Open your Swatches Palette (Window > Swatches) to view all the colors.

Click on the arrow in the upper right corner to bring up an additional drop down menu. Scroll + highlight the option “Select All Unused.”

Click on the trash can icon in the lower right of the palette. Whew, feels nice + tidy, huh? Now only the used colors are shown. In this case, they’re all Pantone colors.

Double-click on the name of the color in the Swatches Palette. A Swatch Options box will appear. Change the Color Mode from “Book Color” to “CMYK.” And change the Color Type from “Spot Color” to “Process Color.”

Continue down the list of colors + do the same.

After you’ve converted your colors to 4C (4-color process or CMYK), you’ll notice that the lil’ spot/dot next to the color’s name is gone. In it’s place is a small grey box. This means that you’ve succesffully converted your spot colors to 4-color process.

To revert back to your Pantone colors, simply double-click on the color in your Swatches Palette + change the settings back to the original settings. The small dot will reappear, indicating that they are now spot colors again.

Good luck,
Ninja

Got any more burning questions? Feel free to email me at ninja [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. Penguin is also available to answer questions, too! He can be reached at penguin [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. =)

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Ninja August 17th, 2007

You know the drill. Ok, then again, you may not. So here goes… every once in a while I get emails with questions, & I decided to answer a few of ‘em on the site. They’re normally design-type questions or questions about Penguin & me. Sometimes they’re just silly, like this one:

Q: What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
A: What do you mean? An African or European swallow?

Now, I wouldn’t leave ya hanging! Jonathan Corum (New York Times graphics editor) actually did some caculations & figured out that the average cruising airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour.

Link:
+ Read it for yourself (Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow—Hashing out the classic question with Strouhal numbers and simplified flight waveforms)

Got any more burning questions? Feel free to email me at ninja [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. Penguin is also available to answer questions, too! He can be reached at penguin [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com. =)

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Ninja August 1st, 2007

Q: This is for a project I’m working on. What’s the typeface being used by the New York Times?

A: Ed Benguiat drew the masthead. As of 2003, the NY Times decided to give the paper a typographical “facelift” (pun intended) + set all the headlines using a single font family, Cheltenham (designed by Matthew Carter specifically for the NY Times). The body text remains Imperial (designed by Edwin W. Shaar).

Other faces from the NY Times past include Latin Extra Condensed, Century Bold Italic, + Bookman.

Cheers + good luck,
Ninja =)

Link:
+ Purchase Imperial

If you’ve got questions, hopefully, I’ve got answers for you! As you can see, I’m pretty open to all sorts of questions. Feel free to drop me a line at ninja [at] ninjavspenguin [dot] com.

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Ninja July 20th, 2007

Someone at SVA saw my The One Trick Rip-Off peeking out of my tote bag + asked…

Q: Could you recommend some books? (This was after some conversation; he didn’t just launch into it)
A: You betcha! (I’m going to give you a longer list than I gave him). You can click on the titles + it’ll bring you to the various online stores if you’re interested in getting your own copy.

For your reading + viewing pleasure (in no particular order):

Peter Hall + Stefan Sagmeister

+ Sagmeister: Made You Look

This book has a transparent, red slipcover, which when removed it reveals an alternate message. It showcases all of Sagmeister’s work (even the “bad” stuff, which honestly isn’t even that bad). It’s honest, creative, + humourous.

Deanne Y. Cheuk
+ Mushroom Girls Virus: A Guide to the Identification and Study of Our Commoner Fungi with Special Emphasis on the Edible Varieties

I think this is sold out, but there are a few copies floating around out there. It’s completely gorgeous!!! Yes, the cover is really embroidered! My gosh, Deanne’s so talented (drool).

Ninja July 12th, 2007

The most asked question is…

Q: How do you draw hair?

A: I approach it as a study of value + texture. I draw the head, the basic shape/direction of the hair strands, block in the shadows, + fill in the rest. Take a looksy.

I use a 2B pencil for my looser areas + a regular No.2 Bic mechanical pencil for the thinner strands. Sketch the head.

Draw in the basic shape of the hair.

Start blocking in the shadows.

Be mindful of wear the highlights fall + shade around those areas.

Lightly sketch in the direction of where the hair is pulled.

Continue blocking in the shadows.

I noticed the top of the head looked a little lop-sided, so I added in the curved top section. I also take a soft-leaded pencil (like a 6B) and go over certain sections to add a deeper shadow.

Here’s the final.

Happy drawing,

Ninja =)

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