Month: December 2022

Last blog post of 2022; I’ll try to keep it short and sweet.

The end of the year rolls towards us like an inevitable… big… rolling… thing, and it is customary to take stock of one’s past 365 days. Mine, in short, have been a super mixed bag. The majority of the year has been a slow recovery from a creative slump, and overcoming the paranoia that my job might have been on the line at any moment. I don’t know if I can point at any particular day before August/September that I did anything of note. Plenty of other things were happening around me with my friends and loved ones, but I was more or less cruising through life in the slow lane, listening to the weird grinding sounds coming from my car and praying that it wouldn’t explode; I wish that was only a metaphor.

It’s only now, at the end of the year, that my car has been both literally and figuratively repaired. My relationship with my art has greatly improved, I’ve revitalised this website, and I’m maintaining my creative headspace better than ever before. I’m aware of what it’s like to burn out, and I’m keeping a close eye for any signs of doing so; all good so far. That said, it’s time for a break.

Like I said, this will be the last Bottom of the Deck post for the year, and tomorrow will be the final Fifth Ace Showcase page of both the current story, and the month of December. I’m going to be spending the next week kicking back and relaxing, doing as little as possible and appreciating a nice breath of fresh air as we go into 2023; I’ve been working hard the past few months, I think I deserve it.

Coming in January, I’ll be leaping back into action from Wednesday the 4th, when the next Showcase story will have its first page uploaded. Bottom of the Deck posts will continue as usual on Thursdays, uninterrupted; I’ll give a proper breakdown on upcoming stuff then. Finally, Magic Beans will continue the following week from the 10th, in a new update slot on Tuesdays; now that the Showcase has picked up again, shifting Magic Beans to Tuesdays will mean that I’ll be posting something every weekday moving forward. 

That’s all for this year; if I come up with any notable resolutions, you’ll hear about them next week. For now, the only thing I’m resolving to do is relax and spend some time with my friends, family, and fiancee. 

Ciao for now, and Happy New Year!

I feel strange; it’s a feeling that comes and goes, but feels particularly strong as I’m typing this up. What is this…? Feels… productive! That’s it; I’m feeling productive!

It has indeed been a productive time since last week’s blog post; I managed to catch up with the Showcase schedule and am currently holding strong, Magic Beans is still popping in every week without a hitch, and I’ve even found the time to doodle some other art on the side while I’m at it. I’d say I’m very much on a roll, or at least a panini.

I credit this to a combination of satisfaction in my artwork, the entire discography of Disturbed on Spotify, and the occasional bout of load shedding; while having the power off for hours at a time is doing a number on the food in my fridge, it does allow for a few brief breaks during the day job for some personal work on my laptop. Plus, since this has been the last week at work (closed for holidays at last, woo!), the number of jobs coming through the pipeline have been sporadic, meaning there were far fewer potential complaints if I hopped back onto my own stuff here and there to kill time.

Satisfaction in my artwork is something I always strive for, because if I’m not satisfied with the end result, how can I expect anyone else to be? Naturally, it should always be a standard, though I have to say the past few pieces I’ve done have been of particular pride to me. I’ve been having a blast with the Showcase; I’m attempting setpieces and angles that I’ve never tried before, experimenting with new brushes and techniques, and I think the work is all the better for it. Fingers crossed I can maintain the climb in quality for the days to come; there’s still a long way to go. I do want to call attention to another moment of satisfaction that was completely separate, one that put a smile on the face of both myself and another.

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that I mostly just use it to post my links and vent about Mondays, but I do post the occasional bit of art there when I’m feeling inspired; this past week, I was inspired by another creator on the platform, one who posts pictures of his prestigious action figure collection. He was posting some custom figures that he had cobbled together from spare parts to create original characters, and I loved them so much that I had to draw them myself; it was a hell of a way to pass six hours of nothing happening at work, but I got the piece done before closing time and posted it. To say that the original creator of the characters was pleased is an understatement; I could tell that I had made his day, and that in turn made my day too. Incidentally, if you’re not on Twitter, or just missed it, here’s the post of the artwork and the reference: https://twitter.com/fifthacecomics/status/1605178457763315712

This is just one of the reasons I like making art; sure it’s a creative outlet, yes it’s about realising ideas, but best of all is that feeling when someone likes it, and tells you as much, and you appreciate them for saying so. It’s validation and appreciation on both sides of the equation, and when everyone involved is happy with the outcome, where is the downside to anything?

And on one final note of happiness, here’s wishing all of you and yours a very Happy Holidays, and whether you’re celebrating this season or not, be safe out there; I’ll keep the art coming all the way up to the New Year, and beyond.

Ciao for now.

Feels like forever since I last typed up a blog post; but then I did have the last one done almost a week in advance, so…

Barely halfway into December’s Showcase story, and I’m already suffering a schedule slip. Lots of factors, yada yada, broken record; I have been pulled in several directions this past week, and will continue to be pulled in several more for the next one, so finding the time to draw has been tough. Not to mention with load shedding on top of everything else, I’m often limited by the battery power of my laptop, which while impressive, can only take so much. I am going to make a concerted effort to get three pages out before next week, so that the schedule isn’t disrupted too much; the public holiday tomorrow will help with that.

Speaking of next week, the day job will finally be closing for the holidays on Wednesday, so that will be a nice injection of some spare time into my life. I’ll likely stick to my regular wake up routine (I don’t think my cat would let me do anything else), but since I won’t have to leave the house at 7am, I can knuckle down and pump out some artwork right after breakfast if I so wish. It’s the kind of momentum I need to get a lot done throughout the day, because I know that if I don’t get an early start, I get lazy, and then even less will get done.

I’m still trying to figure out a way to make a different style of page for the website, one that doesn’t follow a webcomic format and is more of a traditional gallery, where I can display miscellaneous portfolio pieces. I don’t know if my site theme can support a page like that, though it would be very convenient if it can; I’d like a space where I can put my favourite artworks that are under my full creative control. This has arisen out of the fact that I recently deleted my DeviantArt account; no doubt those in the creative sector are aware of why: the integration of AI art into the platform.

Speaking as someone with a very small platform of my own, I view AI art as incredibly detrimental to artists everywhere, especially those who are trying to grow their presence online from next to nothing. It’s hard enough to have your work seen without it being scalped by search engines and used to fuel a lifeless, assembly line form of media that seems specifically designed to rob artists of work and make cheap people feel a sense of false accomplishment; because why should anything made with passion and determination have any place in an efficient, corporate, capitalist society? I’m always pleased when I see artists online protesting and giving the figurative (and literal) middle finger to those who push AI as the future of artwork, which is ironic since most AI programs can’t formulate a picture of a middle finger despite all the algorithms in the world.

I’m in support of AI as an assistive tool when it comes to art; a lot of art programs have AI elements in them that make the artistic process easier, like reducing noise on hand-drawn lines, or mapping out colours on a highly detailed render. But to churn out “complete” artworks that have done nothing but mash together the hard work of real artists for the benefit of skinflint techbros, is just downright insulting. 

Anyway, enough venting from me, time to get back to work and make some real art.

Ciao for now.

It is the nature of a thing that matters. Not its form.

If ever there were words I would want tattooed on my skin, those just might be the ones. Especially when you imagine them carved in Viking runes and being spoken by Christopher Judge.

That quote has been on my mind a lot lately, mostly since I fell off my exercise regime. Yes, it’s true, I failed the 60 day challenge; I stuck with it for a full 37 days, which is more than I’ve managed in the past when it comes to workout schedules. There were a number of contributing factors (space, time, energy, a few other things that aren’t Infinity Stones…), so perhaps next month I’ll give it another try, or at least when we eventually have our new home and I’m not tripping over all sorts of stuff while trying to do jumping squats.

But as far as that initial quote goes, it helped to remind me that just because I didn’t finish the workout challenge, I shouldn’t think any less of myself. Putting myself down for such a thing isn’t going to inspire me to do any better next time; if anything, it would prevent there from ever being a next time. It’s a lesson I’ve constantly had to relearn for several years, especially when it comes to the art world.

One of the big things that they tell you when entering the artist community, is that you should never compare yourself to others, nor should you compare others to anyone else. Every piece of art should be allowed to speak for itself; sure, you can have preferences, but comparing two artists of professional skill and trying to define one as “better” is an exercise in futility. Different artists have different strengths, use different techniques, tell different stories, and they should be judged for what they do well, not what they do in comparison to others. Even if by all definitions one artist is better than another, that should not invalidate anything the other does, and they should be recognised for their own accomplishments. 

Note: I’m not saying that bad artists don’t exist, because they certainly do. If an artist is bad, you don’t need to directly compare them to anyone to recognise that; this also doesn’t preclude them from improving their craft in the future, so be nice either way.

The thought of comparison came up when I was reading a review done by a friend of mine who specialises in movies and TV; as an independent filmmaker, he knows his stuff and I respect his opinions on things. However, he mentioned the performance of an actor that did not live up to the portrayal of the same character, by another actor who passed many years ago, and that got me thinking. I felt like saying that the phrase “Actor X is okay, but they’re not Actor Y”, is a completely pointless statement, especially if Actor Y is dead. Actor X is up there, doing their own thing, working under a different director, different script, different interpretation; trying to compare them to Actor Y is useless, because if Actor X tried to do the same thing as Actor Y, it would be a poor imitation at best, and completely out of place with the tone at worst. If the director had wanted Actor Y, they would have got them; if Actor Y is dead, then they can’t get them anyway, so there’s no point in pining for them. Again, there’s nothing wrong with preferring Actor Y, that’s called having an opinion which is everyone’s right, but Actor X shouldn’t be compared to Actor Y just because they’re doing something different, especially if their own performance still fits the role as intended.

So bringing this back to the initial quote once again, when I take stock of myself, what do I see? A mediocre artist? An unfit slob? An underpaid wage slave in a dead-end job that I hate? Maybe I can be described as all these things, but that’s only the form that can be seen and judged, stuff that can be compared to other people. But the nature of all these traits is something far different; I am growing as an artist, I’m still working towards habits to boost my physical health, and I’m earning what money I can to keep my head above water until my situation gets better. It doesn’t matter what my skill, or my physique, or my lifestyle are like; none of those define who I am. I can always work to improve these aspects of myself, but until they do improve, I am worth no less than the person I will be once they do. In the meantime, I’m still as worthy as anyone else; I just need to remind myself of that every now and then.

Ciao for now.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christ… on a bike, it’s December already?

I’m kicking off the holiday season with a nice seasonal bout of flu, but fortunately I’ve been moderating it quite well. Previous rounds of flu, I’ve tried all sorts of medication to fight it off; this time I’m just chugging Vitamin C boosters and having more-or-less better results than usual. The only symptoms I have left to fight are the sniffles, and killing every cell in my nose with menthol spray is sorting that right out. At this rate, I’ll have it kicked by Saturday so that I can help my folks out with their Christmas decorations, and in the meantime, I’ve taken a couple days off work, so bonus!

You’ll have noticed the lack of a Showcase update yesterday, and that’s perfectly normal. With the story done and dusted, the next Showcase piece will be starting on Monday, so that we get a nice, thrice-weekly update schedule running through December; no holiday break for me, that’s just more free time for creating! This will signify the start of Issue #3 of the Showcase, and in keeping with the previous issues, we’ll be seeing some of the previously established characters and some new ones too. I’m looking to formulate a pattern with the three stories per issue: one story involving a new character, one story involving a previous character that introduces a new one, and one story where two previous characters team up. That way I get to show you a bunch of new stuff without completely ignoring that which came before, and establish a sense of continuity.

However, eventually, I am hoping to eventually use the Showcase for other things. Once I’ve got a nice stable of characters in place, I want to give them an ongoing title where I can use the ensemble cast in longer stories with bigger arcs. I’ll still use the Showcase to try out new characters and see if they gel well with audiences and the other cast members, though since it’s an experimental title, I also want to feature some other stories in other genres. I have sci-fi ideas, pulp fantasy ideas, horror ideas… the Showcase may eventually become the space to feature them. If not, I might have to put them under a different anthology title, but then I’d have three titles running concurrently and I simply do NOT have the time for that without quitting my day job; not an option at this moment, sadly.

That’s a little glimpse behind the curtain for all of you; there’s going to be more going on backstage this month, and I’ll be hoping to unveil it at the end of the year. It’s going to be a lot of work, a lot of paper shuffling to organize, but it’ll be worth it. Moving into a new space will help out a lot, but there is still stuff I can do in the meantime, so I’d better get back to it.

See you all next week for the start of Fifth Ace Showcase #3, keep reading Magic Beans, and stay safe out there.

Ciao for now.