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.

Think I might need a different brand of coffee, the half-price knockoff version I’ve been drinking doesn’t seem to be kicking so hard anymore…

Well, it was bound to happen: my buffer slipped and the most recent Showcase page was a day late. There were outside factors that contributed (lack of wifi, load shedding etc.) but the fact remains that I didn’t get the artwork done in time. This is hardly the first time such a thing has happened on this site, and I doubt it’ll be the last; sometimes life just gets in the way, but I’ll keep on truckin’ and keep the pages coming.

It’s been a busy month, and with the end of the year just around the corner, things are no doubt going to get even busier. As work starts to wind down for the holidays, the amount of personal and social obligations grow in response; I have no idea how much free time I’ll have over the Christmas break, but I intend to make the most of it. Comic updates should continue unabated over December and New Year’s, barring any holiday feast food comas, and come 2023 there may be even more content to launch. That will of course depend on what my schedule looks like; taking advantage of all the extra hours when not at the day job makes me feel so productive, right until the day job returns and I can no longer keep up with all the stuff I want to do.

This may or may not be affected by a potential shift in locale; fingers crossed, by the New Year, my partner and I will have finalized a new living space. We’ve been in the same spot for two-and-a-half years now, and while we’ve made it work for us, it is a small space that is only getting smaller as our lives become fuller. We’re hoping that by the end of Q1 2023, we’ll be in a bigger home, with ample room to breathe and practice our crafts. A change of scenery also brings up a bunch of other questions, like whether or not my current day job is still within a feasible travel distance, or if there should be a new breakdown of financial responsibilities. Long story short, it is no small decision to make, and we’re not jumping straight onto the first place we find.

Fortunately, life-affecting obligations aside, I can confidently say that I’m moving a lot faster with my art; I put it down to my new drawing tablet that was acquired at Comic Con back in September. The larger drawing area is much more accommodating for my massive hands, and the decreased strain on my wrist means I feel inclined to draw digitally more often, and for longer periods. While I will always appreciate the look and feel of a comic page drawn and inked by hand, the fact remains that digital art is so convenient in so many ways, which means that any dips in the schedule should not be too extreme (fingers crossed).

Anywho, back to the grindstone; with only two pages left on this month’s story, I’d better make sure the script for December’s one is properly outlined soon.

Ciao for now.

“But each of us is so much more than we once were. Do you not feel with all your soul how we have become like gods? And as such, are we not indivisible? As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion…”

Anyone familiar with the Legacy of Kain series might recognise that quote, referencing the quasi-divine nature of immortal vampires and the simultaneous gift and burden of knowing a wide range of possible futures. But it recently came back into my thoughts as something of a commentary on creativity and the purveyors thereof. A somewhat more philosophical blog post this week, then.

As a creator, there is the paradoxical requirement of needing to be both incredibly humble and massively egotistical. One has to accept that not everything they create is something that everyone will enjoy, there will be criticism, and there are many, many others out there that might be doing something that is perceived as “better” than one’s own stuff; the sooner you accept that you’re not the best, the less pressure there is and the less likely your sensitivities are going to be hurt. At the same time, the mere act of creating something and showing it to the world is an expression of self-importance; you’re out there saying: “I made this, I’m super proud of it, and I’m putting it in front of your face so that you can appreciate it!” To even consider sending out something for others to witness on a large scale and hoping for something in return (whether that be praise, money, love or anything else), is a display of confidence that most people wouldn’t dream of displaying outside their own social circle. It’s why you’ll find a lot of creators don’t show their work to the world immediately, sourcing their close friends or relatives as a litmus test before going bigger.

I think this is why the online art community is so large, and why there are so many different ways to put art out there. A smaller creator finds their niche, and shows off their stuff to like-minded people, and gets back some appreciation from people they know will like it. Some might say that doing so might be the equivalent of living in an echo chamber, and that if the creator showed off their stuff on a larger scale, they would receive far less praise, and the fact that their sticking to their niche means they’re too scared to face “real” criticism. But the mere fact that all these niches exist is because creators have found the one that appeals to them, they’re enjoying themselves with like-minded people, and there is nothing wrong with that; some creators thrive in niches, because trying to appeal to the mass market means they lose the spark that makes what they create special to them.

And it is because of niches that art continues to thrive; people find what they like, they join communities, and they share in what they enjoy. They perpetuate the things that make them happy, and in turn those things become eternal; this is how categories form on art sites. A few people create something new, other people enjoy it, and suddenly it becomes a niche that attracts more like-minded artists, who might create off-shoots and spin-offs that become new niches, and so the cycle continues. As such, those who create are immortalized, not by name, but by content, and become as gods, becoming legion as long as there is one person who partakes in that content.

Maybe this is all just on my mind because I’m gaming tonight; I’m taking part in a new tabletop campaign, and we’re using a prologue session to collaboratively create a homebrew world, taking the roles of the gods and shaping said world to our own design, and then we’ll create mortal characters to play in whatever we come up with. I’ve been thinking about it for weeks, but it was only really today that I made the connection between creativity and divinity as concepts. While I’d never equate myself to a deity in real life, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that in the mind of every creator is a tiny bit of ego that makes them a god of their own little world; it’s why we need everyone else to keep us humble.

Ciao for now.

I keep wishing it was Friday, but then that would mean I would have missed posting this, and that would be wrong. My wish will come true tomorrow…

Another week has gone by, and we’re still in motion! The Showcase has resumed uploads, and we’re just getting to the action bits; a fitting way to return, I’d say. I’m going to be using my rare injection of free time over the weekend to keep the buffer up so that we don’t slip behind schedule for the rest of the month; I’ve got a lot of stuff happening towards the end of November that might put a crimp in it, so best to preemptively avoid that.

Those who follow me on socials know that I post the preview thumbnails to Instagram, plus the links, when each comic page goes live. I also used Instagram to post my pics from my attempt at Swordtember earlier this year; it was the most active I’d been on the platform in years. I’ve been considering using it more and more, especially with all the drama unfolding around Twitter, my currently most-used social media. I don’t really have enough followers to be concerned about the whole verification thing (I’m #RatVerified, and that’s enough for me), and even if I did I wouldn’t be coughing up any amount of money to keep it. I’ll likely stick around on Twitter for as long as possible, but when it inevitably goes south, I want to have a decent presence elsewhere too. I’ve been giving Mastodon a look, but it’s a bit technical for me, and Artfol is more for tablet-based stuff; Instagram is shaping up to be my new primary, despite all the spam bots…

I’m also looking into expanding my digital art portfolio by exploring some different techniques. I recently acquired a bunch of new brushes and some instructional stuff for digital painting, which is something I’ve always wanted to give a proper try. I found the resources through Jazza via Drawfee, two content channels on YouTube that I am a big fan of, so anything that they recommend I know I will find useful. I’m also a big fan of Frank Frazetta’s style of painting, so in lieu of using up a lot of space and money on oil paints, I would love to recreate his effects in a digital medium. It’s one more thing on top of everything else, but that’s kind of the point; I need to keep my momentum going, and anything that keeps me busy is good. With any luck, once I start churning out non-comic art on a regular basis again, it’ll end up on the site in a separate gallery before too long.

In terms of things other than art, it’s currently NaNoWriMo season, and I have elected not to partake; all my previous attempts failed dismally, and I just do not have the time or energy to try again this year. It’s a shame, because I did come up with an idea that might have benefitted from some concentrated writing, but I’ve got enough going on right now. At minimum, I have to focus on the scripts for the next Showcase issue, since I’m going to be leaping directly into that in December, so a novel isn’t exactly on the cards. Add it to the list for next year.

Think that covers everything for this week; keep reading the Fifth Ace Showcase, and I’ll see you next time.

Ciao for now.

I’ve been yawning wide enough to swallow the world whole all day, what the actual hell…

It’s another Thursday, my fellow cards, which means it’s time for another update. It’s been a quiet week overall, things are trucking along; progress is being made on some stuff, less so on others, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

The Fifth Ace Showcase is still on track to resume next week, no worries about that. We’ll be back to the regular Mon-Wed-Fri update schedule, all the pages for this first week back will be ready before the weekend; I am determined to stay well ahead on the updates this time around, with a minimum of a three page buffer once the updates begin. I’ve been sitting on this story for a while, and it needs to get done so that I can carry on with all the other ones that have been gathering dust.

One of the big differences with this current story is that the art is 100% digital; all the previous Showcase stories were penciled and inked by hand before being digitally coloured. I made the shift to full digital for Agents of A.R.M.O.R. because there were a number of things I wanted to include that are easier to do digitally. I don’t know if this will be a new standard for future Showcase stories; I do enjoy working on paper a lot, but with my new graphics tablet, digital is looking a lot more feasible. We’ll see what happens; I do know there are certain stories that will work better without digital techniques, if I get the practice in.

I mentioned in passing last week about some additional things I want to do to elevate my site and my work a little more; that’s the kind of stuff that won’t be seeing some progress for a little while, most likely not until 2023. For a start, I want to get back to streaming again; I had a lot of fun streaming my art, and it kept me focused on the work, which is always a benefit. I’m still debating over which platforms to stream on; I’ve heard Twitch hasn’t been too nice to their affiliates lately, and TikTok doesn’t play nice with ReStream, so I might go YouTube exclusive, but nothing definite yet. I’ll figure it out once I find time in my schedule, probably Saturdays, will keep you posted.

The plan is audience building, spreading the brand far and wide to bring in as many people as possible. The kind of job and life that I want depends greatly on other people, and I have to do my best to make a good impression on a large scale. But again, that’s still a ways off; come next year, we can flesh that out a little more.

That said, if you want to support me in the meantime, I have a Ko-Fi account for tips (button is over on the right), and I take art commissions too, so PM me for that. Which reminds me, I’d better update my price list on Twitter, that thing is so out of date…

See you back here on Monday for the return of the Fifth Ace Showcase!

Ciao for now.

Alrighty, I’ve officially been back on this site for two weeks now, what have we got to show for it? To be honest, more than I expected, which wasn’t much.

As I mentioned last week, we kicked off Fifth Ace Comics’ new weekly strip, Magic Beans; while the audience is still small, the few people I’ve been able to get direct feedback from were very positive about it, which makes me happy. Might have to actually work on a sizable buffer if it takes off the way I want it to…

The new miscellaneous gallery that I theorized about previously, will likely materialize sometime next month; between the day job and keeping myself functioning, my projects tend to move a little slowly. This was to be expected; I’m still building up momentum again, after all. Somewhere along the way, we’ll get up to the level of production that I’ve always dreamed of, though in order to do that, I’m going to have to lay out a plan of both space and time. By which I mean I need to clean up my nightmare of a desk, and draw up a proper timetable.

One thing I have been managing to work into my schedule quite seamlessly has been a workout regime that fits neatly into my morning routine; I started it the day after I put up my returning blog post in a fit of revived optimism, and I’m proud to say that after two weeks I haven’t skimped on it yet. It’s a 60 challenge from darebee.com called The Hero’s Journey, so naturally I was attracted to the literary reference when deciding on what program to choose. What I like most about it is that the exercises are different day to day; one of my biggest obstacles in the past when it comes to exercise is the mundanity of a boring routine. With this program, I’m doing something different every day, with a fun fantasy flavour on top, so I’m never bored. Out of breath, collapsing to the floor and feeling like my heart is about to burst, sure, but never bored. In a total of 60 days, I’m on track to finish the challenge before Christmas, and come 2023, I’ll be ready to try something different (or even start over with a higher challenge level).

All this to say that I think I’m on the up and up. Won’t lie, there have been a few bad days here and there; the day job can really grind my gears at times. More than ever, it makes me think about how much I want to be a content creator, someone who produces what they want, and puts it out there with the hope that others will enjoy it and want more. But that’s never going to happen if I don’t actually put in the work. Sure I could be doing more, but more will come soon. Step by step, I’m rebuilding my power base and slowly bringing myself back to where I was, and hopefully further beyond. I’ve certainly got a couple of ideas about how to do just that…

More on that next week; keep reading Magic Beans, you bunch of cards.
Ciao for now.