Author: Fifth Ace

The smouldering continues, but the fire is still alive; not burning out this time!

Won’t lie, it took some proper downtime this past weekend, but I was able to avoid burning myself out; I was incapacitated for most of Saturday, spending the morning in bed, while rounding out the day by running D&D, and getting my creative mindset back on track. I felt right in doing so by having the remaining pages of January’s Showcase story completed ahead of time, thus keeping the schedule running at least until after the weekend. 

It feels good to be a page or two ahead; by the time of this being posted, I have finished tomorrow’’s page and next Monday’s one as well. There’s an important birthday this weekend, so I’m going to need Saturday free once more, but no other major social obligations are on the table until next week, so I’ll have plenty of time to get more pages done. Also, luckily for my personal productivity, the inverters that were supposedly installed at the day job continue to be non-functional; unfortunate for the office, incredibly helpful to me in getting stuff done. 

Having that little extra wiggle room allows me to be more experimental in my artwork, trying new things and improving on what I’ve done in the past. Last month, I was focusing primarily on lighting techniques, which I am carrying over into February’s story; even from the first page, I’m already pleased with the subtle improvements that it has brought, adding that little extra depth and pop that wouldn’t be there otherwise. This month, I’m focusing on perspective and panel layout; my figure work has been satisfactory for a long time, now I’m going to get my backgrounds up to snuff. My continued experiments with art programs have yielded some fun results; the perspective ruler tools in Clip Studio have been a joy to work with, and you’ll be seeing the benefits of them from the very next Showcase page.

As far as panel layouts go, I’ve been told in the past that I have a good eye for flow and continuity in my storyboarding, but I have noticed that I tended to stick to the grid format a little too rigidly in the past. I’ve been attempting to loosen up my panels a bit more in recent pages, and now with February’s story, I want to go a little more wild. The setting and imagery is meant to be really trippy and weird, and I’d like the panel flow to reflect that; it’s going to be a fun challenge getting everything to look coherent while still giving it a surreal vibe.

All this to say: I am really excited about my own artwork right now, more than I have been for some time. I’m excited to be trying new things, I’m excited for the stuff I’ll be doing in the March hiatus, and I’m excited for the stories to come afterwards.

Plus, if I can pull far enough ahead, and my social media boost functions the way I hope it will, I may even be ready for the next stage of Fifth Ace Comics; keep a close eye out later this year…

Ciao for now.

Okay, I’m not saying I’m burnt out, but there’s some definite smouldering going on right now…

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to get Fifth Ace Comics work done in between the day job and social obligations; even when I do get a free moment, I’m more likely to just try and take a breather. The day job is picking up as more people come out of the holiday malaise, and with the installation of inverters, soon there will be no more taking advantage of the load shedding hours; I’m having to squeeze in artwork wherever I can while attempting not to overdo things. Despite coming across as fairly simple, the day job can sometimes require a lot of concentration (especially when certain people can’t communicate properly), and during the busier parts of the day it gets pretty stressful.

I do plan on taking a break soon, but to maintain the update schedule, I have to keep going uninterrupted through February; that will bring Issue #3 of the Fifth Ace Showcase to a close, and I’d rather not leave it unfinished. I’m ever so slightly ahead of schedule, but social obligations from here to Sunday might throw that off a bit. The plan is to pull ahead in February, maybe get the last week before March free, and then take a break from the Showcase through March itself. Without the Mon-Wed-Fri update schedule, I’ll be able to recuperate a bit and fiddle around with some other things that I don’t currently have the time for. I did want to get in some Blender practice for the February story, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to refine it to the level I want in time; it would make elements of the story more visually distinct, but it’s no great loss if it doesn’t happen.

However, just because the Showcase will be on hiatus in March, doesn’t mean I’m going to be inactive. Magic Beans and Bottom of the Deck will continue as normal, since they are relatively low effort in comparison, and I’m going to take the extra time to try and boost my social media presence. Odds are that you reading this, are someone that I know personally because I’ve happened to tell you about my website; we don’t get as much traffic around here as you might think, and my social media insights leave a lot to be desired. As such, March is going to be my time to upload some eye-catching stuff all over the socials to try and direct more people here; I have an idea or two about how to go about this.

The big thing with a lot of social media these days is that they don’t like external links; putting a link to a different website in your post is almost guaranteed to have it buried. Unfortunately, that’s what most of my posts consist of, because I don’t want to put the artwork displayed on my website directly onto another platform; it kind of defeats the purpose of having a website, y’know? So with that in mind, I want to start uploading more standalone art pieces that I don’t mind having out there in the wild; I’ve also recently learned about Clip Studio’s time-lapse feature, so posting some short videos showing the drawing process will no doubt do wonders for my Instagram, at the very least.

But before all that happens, I’m going to finish powering through Issue #3, so that there’s no chance of leaving it unfinished for a year like I did with Issue #2. Wish me luck!

Ciao for now.

“You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”

That’s from the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, one of the great figures of Stoicism and someone who’s name was often mentioned when I introduced myself, because he’s also one of the most prominent people to have the name. I initially was going to go on a massive rant about opinions and the lack of acknowledgement thereof, but just typing it up was enough to vent the worst of it out, so you’ll be spared the vulgar terminology I used. Instead, maybe we’ll try a few less vitriolic musings on opinions.

I’ve always had trouble expressing my opinions; I often felt that I wasn’t allowed to when I was younger, so when I became an adult and was suddenly expected to express my feelings on things, I wasn’t sure how to do it. To this day, I still get the feeling that my opinion doesn’t matter most of the time, which is why I usually just go with the flow when anything happens. As the quote says, getting worked up over something that you can’t control is pointless, so why bother?

It’s different when you’re asked for an opinion that is implied to actually matter; your choices, your decisions, are going to make a difference that may affect your life. But then it turns out that they don’t; you’re just going to get overruled anyway, and this thing that you could have just glossed over and let happen has now gotten you worked up. That kind of thing can put me in a bad mood very quickly, especially if I’ve been inconvenienced in the process, because being thrown out of my habitual cycle can be jarring, even when I know it’s coming.

I have a great deal of admiration for Stoicism, but I don’t think it’s something I could ever fully embrace; I’m far too much of an emotional person, despite the front I try to put up. I come across as relaxed, carefree, oblivious at times, but underneath is a roiling mass of anxiety and fear of failure. I try not to form opinions about things I can’t control, and to get on with my life, but the truth is that I often care too much, especially about things that don’t really matter. And when things do matter… Well, then I’m just straight up paralyzed, because I don’t know if my opinion is going to be correct, or if anyone will even care, and we’re right back to the beginning again.

I guess what I’m trying to say is: I just want to be right about something, to have the correct opinion, and know that my life will be better for it. Heaven knows I’ve had incorrect opinions before, and I’ve changed my point of view many times to be a better person. But even after all that, it’s still nice when people listen, you know?

All this rambling about being heard and acknowledged, when I’m pretty sure the number of people who will read it is pretty minimal; at least I’m getting out of my system. Back to the creative stuff next week.

Ciao for now.

It’s 2023! Hopefully the first five days have been up to your standards, because I know I’ve already got plenty of stuff to talk about; strap in folks, this is a long one.

The newest Fifth Ace Showcase story began yesterday, featuring the new young hero Sable, though it was not the first thing to be uploaded this year. If anyone has been poking around the site since the calendar rolled over, you might have noticed a few new things around here. Right up there at the top, the main menu bar has been redone for a more streamlined experience; now instead of redundant links to the individual comics, they all have a dedicated landing page with links to the archives and some swanky new cast pages. There’s also an About page for a brief commentary on what this site is all about (I may jazz that up with a profile picture at some point), and a Gallery page with some miscellaneous artworks from the past few years that I’m particularly proud of.

The biggest update came through on Monday, which involved uploading 150 comic pages, plus thumbnails to match, so please look grateful; the entirety of Elements of Eve, all 9 issues, is now readable on this site. The first three issues were some of the first things uploaded here, and I fully intended to include the rest in short order, but I never got around to it. I was going to space them out over time, and somehow that extended into nearly two years; I took the plunge and just threw all of it up over the course of a day, just to get it over with. Feel free to check them out and marvel at what a mess my artwork was like ten years ago; I am still rather pleased with the writing, enough that I may even revisit it someday in the future.

As far as resolutions go, I’ve got all the standard ones lined up: exercise, healthy eating, etc. and boy do I need them, I’ve got holiday weight to shed. Additionally, something I’ve been trying for the last couple of years is a single tarot card draw for the year; I don’t necessarily believe in tarot as a mystical practice, rather as a means of organising the mind and drawing focus to what needs to be done. The draw for this year was the Seven of Cups.

The Seven of Cups represents a world of fantasy and imagination; it cautions against becoming lost in the idea of things, and dwelling on dreams instead of acting. Thus, it falls to me to be decisive, put things down on paper and make choices instead of just going with the flow like I always do. I’ve already made a start by getting my upload schedule back on track, but there was another choice that I made yesterday; it’s a decision I’ve been sitting on for five years, but the opportunity arose yesterday and I jumped on it.

Yes, that is a tattoo, and it is on my arm. I know that tattoos aren’t everyone’s thing, and may even be outrageous to some folks reading this, but rest assured that this is not something I have done lightly. I’ve been contemplating getting a tattoo ever since I left high school, but I held off because I wanted it to be something meaningful; it’s a big commitment, and I wasn’t about to spend money on something I would regret within a few months. It was several years ago that I finally settled on this design, and a lot of thought went into it; going into some heavy stuff in this next bit, so content warning.

The semicolon has long been a symbol for raising awareness about attempted suicide and suicidal thoughts; it represents moments where you could have put a fullstop on your life story, but instead of coming to an end, you came to a pause instead, and continued on. As someone who has battled depression for most of my life, there have been times when I wanted to give up. Thankfully, I’ve had a good support system of friends and family that have kept me grounded when things have gotten bad, and this is where the other part comes in. The icosahedron, or 20-sided Platonic solid, is the primary die used in Dungeons and Dragons; I truly believe that the friendships, creativity and experiences that I have found through role-playing games have saved my life more than once. Thus, this design incorporates some of the biggest aspects of who I am, and I’m proud that I can show it to the world. 

So, with a year ahead that is bound to be filled with choices, I intend to make them decisively and confidently, and now I’ve got a reminder that I’m capable of doing so right there on my skin. Best foot forward for 2023, let’s kick this pig!

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.