Episode 3 Nine Minute Ninja

GONG RINGS

Time to get my ninja on...

and my clothes.

To move that fast, an art ninja needs plenty of fuel.

Can't wait to tuck into these doughnuts.

Hi, Ricky.

Word's got around you need some help eating some doughnuts.

You don't even like doughnuts.

I don't...

But Michelle, Matt and Rich do.

You don't mind that I take some for them, do you?

But now there's none left for me.

Probably for the best.

Less a six-pack, more a family pack.

I need to get fit.

I wonder if there's something healthier in the fridge.

WOOF! WOOF!

ROAR!

Don't worry, mate.

It's just an animation!

And I alpha-BET you want to know how to do this one.

So you can make this cool little animation with...

some magnetic letters,

a fridge, or magnetic surface,

and a tablet with animation app.

And you can put it together in just three ninja moves.

Ninja move number one.

So, you need to decide what you want to do.

Now, with my letters, I want to make

a monster out of the word monster.

So, I'm going to use an M, an O, an N, an S, a T, an E and an R.

Well, I could use the...

The two round ones as, like, eyes.

And then, maybe the M and the N

because they've got, like, bits like this, like teeth.

They could join together and make the mouth.

I'm going to use the R to become, like, a little nose.

And then these bits will kind of, I don't know,

they'll kind of just be extra bits on the top,

maybe like little antlers for the monster.

So, you need to work out what you want to do and then

experiment using different letters to make different facial features.

Ninja move number two.

Start shooting.

This is a really quick animation to do, so start with the word

and then transform it into the monster or creature you've designed.

In order to make the mouth look bigger,

I'm using multiples of the same letter.

I'm using Ms, Ws, Ns, Hs

and a couple of Ls for fangs.

And finally, ninja move number three.

Right, here's a really fun trick.

I want to give this more impact

and I'm going to use a technique called screen shake.

So, I'm going to move the tablet each time, just a little bit...

..like this, around, and maybe angle it up and down slightly,

around the actual face, and it will make it look like

the roar is so loud it's making the room shake like an earthquake...

Hopefully.

Hey, dude. I've sliced and diced the animation.

-I've added the extra clips of you, thank you very much.

-No worries.

I think it's time to take a look at our mini masterpiece.

GROWLING

WOOF! WOOF!

ROAR!

HE GROWLS

Wow! Those fridge magnets were magic,

a bit like my local takeaway.

It's a menu for a Chinese takeaway called the Magic Dragon.

It's making me hungry.

Hi, the Magic Dragon?

Yeah, can I get a number three, a number seven

and two portions of 48?

Yeah, and why are you called the Magic Dragon?

Ah...

Your delivery's magic.

Well, should be quick then.

KNOCK ON DOOR

That was magic.

Now, time for some art that's food for thought.

Maybe eating more healthily is the key, like this salad.

CRUNCH Mmm...

I think I can make this even better with a face.

If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion.

Who are you?

I am Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

I was an artist in Italy in the 16th century.

Yeah, but why are you on a lettuce leaf?

Well, if you'd just lettuce explain.

I am most famous for creating realistic portraits out of food -

fruits, vegetables and fish, and flowers, too.

Here's an example of my work now.

Right...

So, I could make a salad face place mat inspired by you, Arcimboldo!

But...

Why do I have to use lettuce?

Just cos.

Ha-ha! Just cos! Good lettuce joke.

I'm...green with envy.

Not as green as this. Ha-ha-ha!

I'm going to start making my salad face

and I'm going to make a self-portrait.

I going to start with some mushrooms -

these are going to be my eyes.

And I've sliced the tops off, so they're flat.

These bits of cucumber

will be my...

my irises.

Mmm, relaxing.

Pop them on.

And then, some black olives...

..halved, will be the pupils.

Boop, boop.

This carved piece of cucumber will be my nose.

Just in there.

And I've hollowed out a tomato to be my mouth.

I'm going to make some eyelids -

these are from little shavings of cucumber.

You can make these with a vegetable peeler.

Going to put a little...

olive in there,

so it's like I'm going...

Now going to tear up some cauliflower

and that's going to become the skin on my face.

Tearing and twisting the cauliflower

breaks it up into nice tiny bits.

I think I'll do the ears next

and I'm going to use a mushroom. Pull out the stalk...

and I'm going to tear it in half.

And each side is going to become an ear.

I'm going to do my ninja headband

with some halves of strawberry.

And now some hair.

I'm going to use some yellow pepper.

Now, just to give the chin a little bit more definition,

I'm going to tear up some little strips of lettuce.

Now it's time for my trademark...

glasses.

For that, I'm going to use a red onion.

Cut it open. All these lovely rings, they're going to be my lenses,

so they should pop out of the middle.

One lens.

I can use one of these larger rings from the onion to do

the rest of the glasses frames.

There we go.

I'm finishing off my place mat with a knife and fork.

Yup, it looks just like me.

That's the first stage, now I need to take a photo.

I'll just print that out.

Ninja skills!

But to make it more like a place mat,

it's going to need a plastic coating.

I'm putting sticky back plastic on,

so, if I drop food on the place mat, I can just wipe it off.

And you need to take your time when you're sticking this on

because it can be quite tricky,

but I don't need to do that because I'm a ninja.

Check that out.

There you go. The Arcimboldo salad face place mat.

And you can make other place mats with similar bite.

So, how about this one,

with some nice carrot eyelids and sweetcorn teeth?

Or an entire carrot face,

with a long carrot nose and green lettuce hair?

Or this one, with a carrot-top beard?

Not only does this salad face look good,

but you can eat it, too.

I'm still a bit peckish...

Now go to the website and get your ninja on.

Art ninja!