Leonieblog

I have a small exhibition in Middlesbrough next week:

I'm showing some pages from SFP, Monstrum and two illustrations.
I went back to Ireland for a few days last week, they've started tearing up the harbour where I grew up to build an ugly and unnecessary new marina. There was a real public outcry against it and a lot of protests, but it still managed to get the go ahead.
How the harbour used to look:

How it currently looks:

And how it will apparently look when finished:

(It may look all lovely and modern in this sunny picture but imagine it in the pouring rain, because that's how Greystones looks for most of the year.)

Posted by Leonie at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

My business cards were old and a bit annoying. I hate the font (what was I thinking? Did I choose it with my eyes closed?) and the printer resized the design without asking and did a bad job of it, so they've never quite looked right.
So I decided to get some Moo cards (since I can't afford the amazingly elaborate ones I've designed in my head), which have turned out pretty good. There are 9 designs, some have cropped better than others (one is pictured, above). I also have some Moo stickers on the way so I can stick little squids on the back of each one. Obviously, this is more to keep me entertained than to entice potential clients.

Posted by Leonie at 05:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I did this for an anthology, but they don't want to use it now so I thought I'd just post it up here instead.

Posted by Leonie at 08:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Saw this on Flickr, looks like they've used my drawing for the Caption flyers. Sweet!

Posted by Leonie at 07:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Hey all!
What's with Manga? I'm running some comic projects at the moment and many kids want to do Manga, without reading it or being in to comics. Is it television? Is it advertising? When I look back, the comics I liked best as a kid were tie-ins to cartoons (a lot of the Marvel UK stuff) and none of my friends were in to comics. I guess it's a bit similar for children these days, but Manga is such a trend you can be interested in it without ever reading any.
So from comics based on cartoons to cartoons based on comics...(aah..another lovely, seamless link) I'd like to recommend Tekkonkinkreet and New Frontier. Neither are half as good as the comics, but both are great in their own way. Tekkonkinkreet takes the essence and feel of Matsumoto's work and creates a new and stunning take on the book. It's really beautiful and every bit as unique as the book. New Frontier is a good effort, but the animation doesn't do justice to Cooke's original artwork. But I'm a harsh critic, I love Cooke's work way too much. It's a good cartoon and it has some lovely touches.
And, speaking yet again of critics, I thought I'd mention Contraband, a book I reviewed recently for Comics International magazine. I enjoyed the book (although there were a lot of typos, hopefully this is just a kink that'll be worked out in a new edition), but I found the dialogue a bit clunky. However, it seemed deliberately written in this way and the rest of the book seemed very carefully planned so there was clearly a reason for it. I assumed it was part of the social commentary of the book and asked the writer about it. He said (not in these exact words) that it was based on research he had done in to mobile social networking channels and it reflected the way people use these to put their opinions across (just like I am doing now, in a long rambling monologue.)
Unfortunately, not all reviewers will pick up on this and will just take the dialogue at face value. Reviewers like this.
Has he ever got anything good to say? Does he even like comics? Anyway, don't let that put you off the book . And I really liked Phil Elliotts artwork.

Posted by Leonie at 07:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About half way through the pencils for issue 4 of Monstrum! There will be a new web page to go with it. I might run issues 4 and 5 together.
On to some reviews:
Michael Burness says this about 'The creator' (Art by me, story by Tony Hitchman, for 'Zombies' anthology published by Accent UK:
"Not great art wise but a cracking read with an excellent twist at the end."

Glad to say that I will be teaming up again with Tony in the future, he writes good stuff and supplies nice layouts with the script (he has a good visual eye too so it's fun to draw)

Stephen Holland had this to say about 'Green' (the charity comic I blogged recently):

"Do You Want To Kiss It Better #1 (£2-50) by various. Published in support of the World Land Trust - and printed on recycled paper using vegetable oil-based inks on presses run on 100% local wind power by people eating dandelions and non-dairy buttercups grown free-range in their gardens - this is, like many a worthy endeavour, a mixed bag of Quorn. "Cause And Effect" by Shiro (not Matsumune) may well be lifted from - sorry inspired by - USAGI YOJIMBO or some other Buddhist tract but even if so, elevated it has been into a wonderfully fluid series of panels with some fabulous curves, superb brush flourishes and unusual and dynamic camera angles. It's an anthropomorphic life lesson whose figures Mike Kunkel (HEROBEAR AND THE KID) wouldn't have been disappointed in. "Introducing The Opossum Shrimp" by Leonie O'Moore was commendable succinct and bang on-target, whilst the rest... the rest of the people mean well and are therefore saved from my usual range of heartless, caustic witherisms. Details of how to make your purchase can be found at the link."

Yep...I was quite surprised at how well I came off in that review.

Posted by Leonie at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Pencilling is underway on Issue 3 of Monstrum. And this time I might actually finish it. Yay.
I am having quite a few problems with this blog, sorry if you encounter any spam or have difficulties leaving a message, I'm trying to sort it out!

Posted by Leonie at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Part three of 'Job Search' - the webcomic I'm doing for Indie Review - Is now up :
Job Search 3

You may have seen Philip Pullmans new comic in the newspaper at the weekend. It's a little bit Monstrum - esque (you know Monstrum Horrendum right? The comic book I managed to do two issues of many years ago and I keep threatening to do the next two issues any day now...) Obviously this was going to happen at some point, since it's a pretty straight forward formula and an easy to write premise. I'd probably enjoy another comic about sea monsters but I'm not really in to his writing. Clearly a lot of people are, what with his best sellers and all that, but I just find that his books are full of stuff that I know I should like but I just don't connect with them. As much as I love self-publishing, monstrum was one of the few pieces that I hoped would be picked up by a publisher some day, and the artwork and writing has come on loads recently so I was hoping that day would be soon. But I doubt anyone will look twice at it now. And lord help anyone who asks me if I was influenced by his comic! It's awesome that they're trying to revive comics for children, something I'm a great supporter of, but the way the papers are going on you'd swear he was the first person to ever write one!
Anyway, I'm struggling at the moment to do any drawing. I'm working two big jobs at the moment which don't allow me any time for my own comics, or anything else for that matter! I'm missing out on a lot of my martial arts training too. But, I have bills and debts and an expensive chocolate habit to pay for, so I have to work hard.
I do have a renewed determination to do an awesome comic though, so I've pulled out that dusty old script for Monstrum 3 and for a graphic novel idea I had years ago. I'm going to try to get both on the go.
Also, it looks like I might be able to bring out my own range of t-shirts afterall (you may remember I was having trouble finding a way to do it that wouldn't end in me becoming bankrupt)
I went to Leeds at the weekend and I would recommend a visit to the Royal Armouries (if you like that sort of thing.)
I thought this weapon was particularly impressive, it's a knuckle-duster/gun/knife.

It could do with a flame thrower / harpoon attachment.

Posted by Leonie at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I had a diving lesson this week. I was pretty rubbish at it, as I'm a terrible swimmer. The instructors were great, really patient with me! They had to put weights in my diving vest to keep me underwater, and then, while everyone else was swimming about gracefully I was muppeting about so much that I've put my back out a bit. But by the end of the class I was splishing about like a large unco-ordinated fish. One step closer to my great shark adventure!

Here's a picture of me to explain all the technical terms of diving:

Posted by Leonie at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I haven't blogged in a while because I'm ridiculously busy right now. Not with anything too interesting, just busy with stuff.
FLOOD, the charity comic for the Red Cross is now available to download, it features one page of fishy goodness by me, and a bunch of stuff by other people. But most importantly there's a page by me. With fish.
FLOOD at Lulu
And the original artwork in all its full colour painted glory is available to buy. E-mail me if you are interested.
I will be teaming up with Tony Hitchman again to work on another short comic piece, you may have seen our previous collaborations in Accent UK books and in Tag Team. I'm looking forward to it!
I should also be attending Caption this year, hooray!

Posted by Leonie at 09:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Part two of my Free Web Comic 'Job Search' over at Indie Review.

Posted by Leonie at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)