WOE_>>>___ne.

Off-BEAT.

2012-01-12T23:17:00.003-06:00

Fate took me off the map. So I talked to fate, and I was like.. listen..
Anyways, it's time to update my website with new work, it'll be up tomorrow re-organised and I'll be pimping it here and there. But in the mean time I'm throwing in an art remix, because.. I've been getting into that.


Nashville Horrors

The Original

One of my last assignments for my Drawing and Painting for Illustrators class was a three figure pose, and complete freedom in execution. So naturally, I gathered three purdy ladies and told them to lay on my bed. AS ONE DOES.

I had fun painting this; painting in class had been unnecessarily difficult and it wasn't until this painting that I realised that I had been trying to print. By "print" I mean that somewhere along the lines of being awesome, I changed my printing method.

From building up a 3D form -------> to trying to paint perfection* straight onto the canvas
*Hyper-realist painters paint this way; they work area by area.. like a printer.

AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT THIS WAS WEIRD
/caps

So apparently, somewhere I forgot how to paint, which is interesting because that means that I've changed the way I process things mentally. On another note: this year I've been exhibiting behaviours that I never understood in other people. It's even worse experiencing it than I thought it would be.

Mistakes aside, I'm super excited to keep you updated on future projects and collaborations. I want to attempt some form of progess blogging and keep anyone who cares (...) up to date.

K?!?!?!

Let's get down to business 2

2011-10-20T14:43:00.000-05:00

Redesigned business cards!

Nouveauuuuu

2011-10-12T00:39:00.003-05:00

A little preview for an idea that swarmed my head and prevented me from sleeping last week. I don't have photoshop on my laptop anymore so I've been taking advantage of the SUPER SWEET&GIANT Wacom tablets (you know, the one's you can draw straight onto the screen with... yeah).

I've been pretty excited about this project. It's for my Digital Printmaking class, which definitely isn't what I was expecting.. in fact it's x13 cooler because we're directly dealing with the digital prototype machines that lazercut wood/plexiglass/paper or 3D scans or BUILD 3D OBJECTS WOAH-woah. OCADU's rollin' in secrets. The longer I stay, the more I realise it's a little like Hogwarts.. only not really/that's just the coffee speaking.

So the processsssss: I've sketched this baby out, I will then take it to the laser lab to laser it into plexiglass, WHICH I WILL THEN PRINT INTAGLIO STYLE...and then suicide lino layers onto that. frap frap.

------------- UP-COMING EXHIBITION NEWS!------------

Beautiful people

THAT'S RIGHT! The Florence exhibition is THIS THURSDAY 6-10pm, be there and maybe I'll spike your punch. I'll be displaying my 'Les Trois Femmes Fatales' that looks nothing like it's picture so don't get lazy, but if you do the show is up until the 25th October minus everyone/bakedgoods/spikedjuice.

Here's some pictures of the darling babes (Ania Stypulkowski, Alli Melanson, Marsal Be*) that helped me build the over 8ftx4ft stretcher and laugh about carrying 3 2"x4"x10ft planks of wood on my shoulder from the lumber yard to spadina..where I collapsed and Marsal forced a Taxi to give us a 2 second ride:

Team Work.

Sheer Determination.

Pure Lunacy.

Peace x

A curious choice of words

2011-10-02T18:23:00.003-05:00

"On most afternoons, the only way I can keep my armour on is to take my clothes off. I’m heartbroken but I have perfect tits, isn’t that enough? When is nudity not naked? Perhaps when the body appears as a mask, a mask that refuses to be taken off, but is slowly shapeshifting nonetheless, slowly dying."

- Mike Hoolboom on the work of Rita Lino

"The instant something appears to be possible, a new possibility appears, and finally these phantasmagoria follow one another in such rapid succession that it seems as if everything were possible, and this is exactly the final moment, the point at which the individual himself becomes a mirage."
- Soren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death
-
I think Kierkegaard just described my life.
Time to give projects the time to develop past the initial stage..
Time to stop "being able to be" and actually be something.
TIME TIME TYME.
(on steak)
*

DrumBoi

2011-07-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

Preview

Finally came up with a story line (or at least the beginning of one) and characters for my next comic :o
The image above is just a preview of the first panel, you can see the comic page here.

I decided the layering style of the previous comic Huff isn't suitable for this strip; the sketchy lines make the characters flat and non-integrated into the picture.. which defeats the concept.
I'll save that style for painting.

Enjoy!

Back 2 da future//

2011-07-13T16:07:00.001-05:00

I took some exciting pictures recently that I've been eger to turn into a new strip. The original idea followed the same stream as the previous photoillustrations I've done, but I want to develop this into something else.
So I tried to come up with something on the spot; the result is some kind of deathmask wearing wizard-boy accompanied by a weird raccoonthing but uhhhhh...

I didn't want to reveal the photo just yet so I techni-coloured and scribbled on it, but I want the characters I incorporate to have that same strange/silent/curious and integrated quality that my favourite examples have.

Like this one doess///only more dream-like and surreal


(hey ...2007)

Back 2 da drawing board.

Weighs heavy on my souuuwwll.

2011-07-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

One away from complition! Check website for most recent panels :)

I've been thinking about the gap between what people think you are/
and what you percieve yourself to be.
When the difference is too large/
too small?
.

Where do we exit the highway?

2011-07-01T14:48:00.002-05:00

Highway being a metaphor for life, and destination being multiple.

Last post I mentioned the 'awkward phase'; I'm going to elaborate on it with a simple time line:
Florence -----> horrible 4 month lul where life is on hold and you're even perhaps living in the past ----> Toronto.
The start phase is the birth place of my new ideals and goals for the future and the most anticipated phase is Toronto. Right now Toronto symbolises the beginning of my goals and ideals excecution. Execution being somewhat of a pun as my return to Toronto symbolises the potential death of the old ideals and growth of the new.

I fabulously just told you everything about everything without actually telling you.. anything.

Present: I'm working, living with family in the last country I want to be in, trying to figure out my Illustration Thesis year at OCADU... but I'm finding that every decision related to my return is perhaps A LITTLE MORE IMPORTANT THEN IT IS because each decision reflects whether I'm following my new pro-active ideals or reverting to my old ways. I've made two cross-road decisions that have plagued my sleep and in both cases, each choice was perhaps a complete opposite of the other with equal amount of plus&minus.

So the question I ask is: How do you make a choice when both choices ARE VALID OPPOSITES?!?!?

I get it, I strayed off the path and now I must find my way back onto a new metaphor.

Oh, second panel

2011-06-17T13:03:00.000-05:00

Previewww!

The new panel has been uploaded to the webpage! I think next time I'll wait till I have several panels before I update.. for a more fluid story, no?

THIS IS THE POST-FLORENCE TRIAL

2011-06-15T17:35:00.004-05:00

LEONE MCCOMAS: ILLUSTRATOR/ARTIST/PROFESSIONAL?
(huff puff!)

I spent the first month of my post-awesome period making myself look digitally fabulous:
>> www.leonemccomas.com <<
complete with:
WITFULL TITLES
(ooooooooooo)

However, I'm in this really awkward phase. Seperation from my florentine lovers combined with work&noplay = null creativity and bad drawings and muddy oils and shetty everything.
It's developed into/////a fully-fledged Artist-pation.
Like constip-

New comic project!

In highschool I used to make comics. They were a brilliant way to procrastinate, claim community service hours, and producing a page every two days meant I got some serious Adobe Photoshop practise.
I think this is a good way to un-plug my creative butthole.

I'll be updating the panels as often as possible! I'm still experimenting with the combination of photography/illustration and keeping to my love of energy retention soooooo I'll say so on my facebook page and you can see them on my website under "Strips".

Do enjoy//

Fin.

2011-04-04T14:25:00.002-05:00

Setting up for the exhibition.

Lets get down to business

2011-03-27T15:22:00.001-05:00

Business cards for the Bologna Childrens Book Fair & other such occations!

You could print them and invent some kind of trade-based game, if you waaant.

Huzzah!

OCADU Florence program 2011//Vestiges: French for a couple genius' under the sun//

2011-03-12T15:47:00.009-06:00

"Vestiges"

(Visible traces, evidence, or signs of something that once existed but exists or appears no more.)

Yeah, the program is coming to a conclusion and we're organising the catalogue and exhibition in Floence. The (click)Florence Blog(/click) has a list of everyone involved, a link to their blogs, accompanied with a small taster image of their current work.

If you're in Florence April 8th-9th it is highly recommended that you drop by if not for free wine&cheeses. The Toronto exhibition hosted by OCADU will be shown next fall semester, I'll be sure to mention the dates.

On another note about something about my work rather, I've started another piece. I give you a quote that explains everything about everything and a picture my blue prints.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.” - C.S.Lewis

roughly 2x1m. I know, I know..

>>>>>TO THE DOGS!1!1!

UNISEX Art//Feminine repulsion//Imposed Masculine ideology//Help, I'm a sexist pig//Balance//Thesis development

2011-03-03T14:15:00.005-06:00

Recently I had a brief reflection on the origin and development of ideas, mostly pondering what drives an artist to study a specific theme that often reoccurs in their body of work. Two years learning to create imagery that expanded on random "client's" ideas, jumping from one project to the next every two weeks, focusing on my visual communication skills, developing my style/discovering my visual personality... And then to be forced to think about something interesting enough to spend 8 months contemplating? I was practically stumped, what am I interested in that's worth evaluating?

I remembered something JC mentioned once when describing my work, something along the lines of "Looks like a guy drew this".

Initially my reaction was MWUAHAHAHAHHHH!!!!11!! and then I took a step back and wondered why that was even worth pointing out. When I think about my SELF there's no gender attached to that abstraction. It turned into a Nature vs. Nurture question but really..

I am who I am. Obvly, duh. Whatz genduh got 2 do wiv eet.

The initial realization; for me it illuminated something about myself that I had never consciously thought about.. Brought up a few self-reflective questions too; like hey, have you ever thought about why you imitate clothing you find attractive on men? This could be psychologically explained a little awkwardly.

I recognised that I pay special attention to gender-roles and that I've reacted mostly through defiant behaviour. My favourite example; I must have been roughly 7 when I met a Tom Boy; played football, one of the boys, short hair. I promptly gave away my Barbie collection and skirts (apart from this one skirt that did the wave when I twirled, which my mum threw out anyways because it had a hole in it). Looking like a boy wasn't the goal, but being badass and throwing away all the things that made me uber-feminine was. I'm going to draw a connection with my watching a documentary on the Beatles; the commentators describing the flow of pee as the girls in the front row of a Beatles concert fainted at the slight shake of the hips... Most likely the reason I never got into boy bands.

Realising the relationship between my defiance I decided to produce Unisex Art; against the idea that women and men produce art that is gender specific, I want the audience to be unable to tell whether something is produced by a man or a woman. Deflecting any stereotypical views on gender that the audience has that might affect how they perceive my work. By Unisex I don't mean genderless, just combination of the strengths of feminine intuit and the edginess of masculine art. Think of Unisex hairdressers: "I can do both stylezzzzz!11!1!"

You're probably thinking that this doesn't happen anymore hello it's 2011 and more women graduate than men, but IN ALL HONESTY, even I'm prejudice (with people I'm not personally acquainted with).

To be honest to a greater degree, I hate even talking about this. It's the same uncomfortable feeling people get when someone tells you they're a feminist. You kind of ...glaze over, and expect some spiteful man hating propaganda rebellion to spew from their mouths. No offense. None taken? Actually take offense.

It is offensive, entirely ungrateful... (but still I like joke about enjoying free meals on dates) Aiieeeee I'm a sexist pig, THE IRONY.

So women show men that they (we) can do exactly what they can do; we wear suits, we get PHDs, we body build, we dominate at life, at work, in bed. We do this by assuming the role of men, behaving like they do, adopting masculine ideologies, preferences, and mannerisms. Essentially becoming masculine (while hopefully still retaining our physical feminine features).

Yeah so awesome, we're like wow, men.

We do well, we're independent, we make our own money, and sometimes we get annoyed with sensitive men, we intimidate the ones we want, and we occasionally watch sappy romantic movies.

It's just seww complicated. What's masculine and what's Feminine? Why is the Feminine so undervalued and despised. Why did I hold so much disdain towards femininity? I'm a woman and no one told me to, but if you think about those feminine qualities.. They're not valued, if anything, it's considered weak. It's submissive. Who wants to be submissive or delicate or dependant? Why is the idea of a woman adopting masculine attire so attractive? Why do we love wearing fake moustaches? Why is armour/androgynous/manwear popular in women's fashion ?

?????

But you know what I've realised? It was never that I wanted to produce art that wasn't gender specific, I wanted to produce masculine art, period. The same way women dominate at life by acting like men. That doesn't inspire equality between the sexes, that just means you have to think like a man to be successful. The same rejection of femininity.

So yeah, about my art. My generation, my friends, unavoidably something about me; post-feminism women who act like ladies (for the most part, kind of) and think like men. If anything, man-loving but entirely satirical and maybe even a little condescending when it comes to behaving like one. This is no single parent business, I can't get a proper job because I'm a woman because that problem doesn't exist anymore.

So like, if you feel otherwise, pitch your 2 cents.

Time to reflect on life, record it, and inspire others not to do as yourself.

2011-01-02T21:03:00.007-06:00

Reflections on this year:

"...When else am I going to live such an easy life? Afternoon wake-ups, cheap brunches bought from neighbourhood bakeries of famed fresh Tuscan flavours, scenic fifteen minute walks through a city so pesto-packed with thee most important Renaissance History that I have to spend 3 hours of every Wednesday learning about it. . To my very own high ceilinged studio space (my only regret being that I must share it with 3 other great Artists [honestly, the room is not big enough for our expanding personalities]), where I sit and contemplate life and perhaps even my next brush stroke... To enjoy my office so that I do overtime, lock up at six in the morning and walk home wax-eyed with a baffled face as I observe other people, awake? At this hour?! ....Can they see I haven't slept? Perhaps they think I'm doing the 'walk of shame'...

Today it hit me; each lazy moment must be savoured, each cappuccino droplet delicately stroked and captured by my eagerly awaiting tongue, each fresh faced, curly haired Italian boy.. Ahhhh gottcha.

But prey, let your mind lead you not down the road of temptation! Return to thy story: free reign and living off borrowed (with interest) governmental monies? Such an experience I shall only really ever achieve when I have retired the paintbrush for old age, but more likely because it doesn't bring in the dough like it used to.. What a thought, it makes me blush.

Diary, or devoted recorder and listener of my most mundane thoughts and embarrassing adventures... It's 2011 and well, I guess my days of mind-waste must end if I am ever to grow up and form opinions of my own. Indeed, this is a late start but please.. Bare with me as I blurt out noted and fav'ed quotes from hand-me-down philosophers, geniuses alike. My goal, as you may have already smelt, is to become more intelligent of the world know-ings and know-hows, know-ins and outs, to keep my brain stimulated and questioning, to be even more sceptical and sarcastic than I already am. I shall end this now because I have no idea what I'm writing about anymore. To answer everything: I blame Stephen Fry and his eloquent writing style. What? No, I only used a thesaurus once and I didn't even use the word! Shut up, you disgust me."

.. you leave wondering where you can buy lost time and perhaps even a cappuccino and/or italian boy.

What do you mean it didn't save...?

2010-02-10T03:35:00.006-06:00

Yeah, you see that beautiful screen print down there in the last post? That is now the only proof I have of that file's existance because I forgot to SAVE THE LAST 5 HOURS OF WORK. I don't want to touch it anymore. Auto-save Photoshop? When you're ready.

Anywayz times, my Illustration 2 prof suggested printmaking methods for the latest assignment of illustrating a book cover for 'Life of Pi'. So I went out, bought $60 worth of stuff, and went to work.Tweeked it a lil on photoshop to bring out it's best qualities ;) Here's the results:

Andddd the end result :

SCRN PRNT

2010-02-09T02:14:00.002-06:00

I haven't added anything to the China Town series since Christmas basically, there's practically no time to work on personal projects between homework and facebook. So I'm slowly slugging away at this one ( you can kind of see the whole photo on the view finder, OMIGOSH cheats)! Sha la la (8)

I forgot how long it takes to make these.. without breaks it's roughly 3 to 4 hours depending on what detail I have to put in. It's all about deciding which shadows go where, what colour values will make the drawings integrate seamlessly, working out perspective and composition etc. Lot's of work considering I'm only drawing two characters...

I've got a bit of a dilemma with this photo though and it's all because I used flash; it's given it high exposure, meaning the characters will have to have over exposed colours and dramatic shadows. Can't seem to do it without making it look super obvious in a tacky way :(

Hmmm, on another note: today I was told I fall into the ~~Hipster~~ category, naturally I was slightly offended. But I was shown the description on Urban Dictionary (the one obviously written by a hipster) and I've come to terms with that fact. I can just honestly say I'm not a douche, I don't wear plaid, and I'm trying to cut down on music snobbery. I'm just a non-conforming art student with obscure taste in.. media. I've always been this way though so bla-bla-bla!

/live journal.

"I got cuteness implanted in my eyes"

2010-01-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

Hoot Hoot.

Wasn't sure what to write on this one so I just left it blank.. sha la la! Currently building up my portfolio for OCAD's Florence program. Only 25 students get in ahhhh. I haven't done a lot of interviews so I'm a little nerrrrrvous... OH NO CLAMMY HANDS!

Anyways, the title comes from that comic Purple Pussy. Best comic of all time and a real influence to me while I was a teener (but I'm not anymore, because I'm tweenty boohoo). >> fanniest page << *badampshhh* Anyways, it's a crude, rude, and graphic comic so warning... and no, it's not a porn website. Lots of toilet jokes and female menstuation references though hah-hah-hah.

TO THE DOGS!

P.S Love how they have Helvetica as a basic web font. So good.

Neuron explosion!

2010-01-19T21:18:00.004-06:00

Today I was just messing with photoshop when BAM I changed the hues. T'was then I realised that in changing the hues I could magically change the colour combinations... magical, I know.

So here's the original VS the I'm a changed man version.

I suppose it depends on your colour preference...

NEW SHIZZA

2010-01-18T16:14:00.001-06:00

Two pieces that I magaically drew over the christmas break, being the wizard that I am. Watching Discovery Channel and National Geographic = the best.

I thought I'd experiment with type/composition.

Sha la la (8)

Water colour project

2009-12-29T17:33:00.001-06:00

Gosh when you study Illustration you realise how many crazy talented people there are out there, and how many of them are in your class. A lot of people already have instantly recognisable styles and that's exactly what you need when you're in the business of illustration, you've got to be careful though because styles can be imitated.

Actually, a lot of people are influenced by the same style, which is cool if you plan on developing your own style from it. There's a real fine line between influence and immitation. plaaagerism.

So here's what I've come up with, it's still in the works, I've got to personalise it more.. it's cool stuff but it's not really the stuff I do. Lotsa fun though, real simple a.k.a elegant. It's hard for me to tell when to stop; often I feel like it too simple and needs something more, and then I ruin it!

The old man meets the Rat

2009-12-29T14:33:00.001-06:00

I think they'll be 4 characters; the old chinese man, the raccoon, the rat, and the last "character" will be a group of bedbugs. All the characters I run into regularly HAH. Actually, we got rid of those bedbugs... but the roaches, everyone knows that's something else. But shuuuush, I love living in China Town, for reals.

Anyways, glad I finally started this project again. I did something similar for my final pieces in high school, that's when I came up with this idea, and after that I started a couple side projects but they lacked a certain quality that the first project had. I've got it again with this project though; this urban persona. A good series relies on both the drawing and the photo. Plus, for once I did the photography and no, you haven't seen the best ones yet.

4AM in Chinatown Series

2009-12-24T07:34:00.002-06:00

I'm starting a photography/illustration project based in the area I live in (chinatown/Toronto). The adventures of several characters I frequently bump into.Introducing the drunk Chinese old man and the raccoon! These are just introductions to the characters, I just finished the first of the series.

WOE_____________>>>_______________ne.