The Perfect Wife

The Perfect Wife: the concept that plagues modern women across the first world. The Ideal Woman is a notion that has been present throughout the history of mankind, or womankind if you prefer (you feminist). The Ideal Woman is an opinion, comprised of the collected and averaged opinions of the masses, on the matter of what a woman should be like. She is a figment, an invention. She is a goddess to men (or so women think) and a nemesis to women (refer to the prior). It evolves throughout time and varies by region. However impermanent the specifics of the standard may be, the one thing that has been consistent is its influence on the culture in which it exists. Once a woman enters domestic bliss and all the joys (chores) that come with it, the Ideal Woman takes on a whole new challenge of becoming The Perfect Wife.

This illustration will be featured with an article in my super-top-not-at-all secret futurezine, and will discuss the pressures and ridiculous expectations that modern women place on themselves to be the whole package. I'm currently extending an invitation to anyone who would like to share their thoughts and opinions on this matter over coffee.

Another one of my more ridiculous ideas.

This past Christmas, I had the idea that I'd like to decorate my hair up like a Christmas tree. I came up with a plan to adhere a styrofoam cone to a head band, then cover it with tracks of hair extensions. I would then clip in some lightweight dollar store ornaments, and a paper star. I even acquired some battery operated multi-colored rice lights, and planned on hollowing out a space on the cone for the 4-AA battery pack.

This was my sketch:

I never got around to doing it, however, due to all the holiday madness. But there is always next year, and hopefully by summer, I'd like to explore some of my costumery ideas.

Dressing up has always been a big part of my life. I've been doing it since I was as young as three, taking every opportunity as a reason to really play. My costumes ranged from Elvira with socks for boobs for a random day in October when I was 5, to one of the observers with a blue rag in a bowl for watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 when I was 7. Maybe it's because I took dance and theater. Maybe it's something that's just in me. I haven't really gotten to enjoy this sort of entertainment recently, save the one time sophomore year of college when my housemates walked in the front door to find me cooking corn in a homemade Indian feather headband. I was very happy this past October that a political rally was held the day before Halloween, which justified my ridiculous enthusiasm as Sweet Sarah P.

Costumery and play is something that's brought me a lot of happiness and laughs with the people around me in my life. I'm hoping that with that in me, I can pursue a side project and potentially make some fun and interesting things. But I don't think I'll ever be a larper.

Zahhhhmbay Zahhhhmbay

She has risen!

The story is that this chick is a groupie for the band I AM THE TRIREME, who died and came back from the grave because the late night groundskeeper at the cemetery was listening to her favorite song, so she killed him and took his mp3 player. And his braaaaaaains.

Here's some shots from the process...


To find out more about I AM THE TRIREME
visit their myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/iattpa


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In your heeead in your heeeead.

I haven't posted in a while, so's I figures it's about time I give an insight into what I'm doing. I've recently had to drop the projects I was working on to start something I need finished by this Thursday 11:59 PM. I started today around noon and am approximately at the 10% mark.

She came back from the grave to kill the late shift graveyard groundskeeper for his mp3 player, because she heard him listening to her favorite band.

Tata Gala 2010

Hey guys, I have some exciting news! A piece of mine was recently selected to show in a juried exhibition that raises money for a really great cause. Sponsored by Juxtapoze Magazine, the Tata Gala is a show of illustrators, painters, designers and photographers, with proceeds benefitting breast cancer research. Each piece in the show is centered around le lovely lady lumps, in effort to draw attention to the need to find a cure and preserve these beautiful things we call boobs.

My piece was selected to be shown along with several other artists, on a 50 inch LCD monitor... that's only 10 inches less than my height! It was also chosen to receive the honor of "Distinguished Merit" which I was thoroughly stoked about, since I feel this is probably my favorite piece I've done to date. Here it is:

The piece is entitled "Verity" and meant to express the moment in the sickness when the realization that this isn't a nightmare finally, truly, sets in with the patient. I used my usual colored pencil, graphite, digital color combo for the figure, and figured out how to utilize some oil, water color, and ink textures for the background. Far more serious, and far more rendered than the majority of the work I've been doing, I'm glad to see that this was such a success.

Yesterday evening was the Florida show at the Sarasota Design Center. The New York "Best of the Breast" show is February 5th-25th at Sacred Gallery on Broadway. I'm not sure if my piece is going to be in that or not, but it's still worth checking out!

Find out more about the Tata Gala at:

www.tatagala.org

For more on how YOU can help breast cancer research, please visit:

www.nationalbreastcancer.org

Happy Halloween from Kristin Leigh and C.O'D.

I made this as a poster for The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. My original idea for a COD piece was a cartoon of the witchy woman performing sinful acts in ritual worship of the Dark Lord.... but this is a more tasteful option.

I was very excited to see such a great response from the other rally-goers... And I'm sure dressing up like Sarah Palin had something to do with it. So many people were eager to snap a photo of/with me, and those who didn't still chuckled, grinned, gave me thumbs up and even hugs! The hugs were my favorite because it was two cute grampas and a high school punk kid.

Here's a better look at the creepy crawlies in the background of the piece. I plan on eventually turning them into a fabric pattern.

My dearest thanks to Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central, the National Mall, the volunteer workers especially the two who started laughing as soon as I came up the escalator into D.C. en garb, the guy who shared his animal crackers, the Minnesota family who helped me get on camera and raised their tall son to have manners and let me get in front to see, the American flag greenmen for being awesome, anyone who smiled at me, Mandy and Eric for driving, Megan, Greg, Sarah, and Scott for allowing us to stay at their houses, anyone who gave me food, and all the drunk U.D. freshman who provided delightful evening entertainment after the rally.

Lady Gaga's holiday meat dress

Lady Gaga, known for her wonderful fashion sense, is always inspiring fashion trends. So this holiday season, why not take one from Mother Monster herself and deck yourself with boughs of animal flesh... reindeer edition with a deluxe white deer hood, to keep you warm and toasty during the most wonderful time of year. Above, Gaga models the Dasher version of this 9 style designer collection.

I'd rather be part of the Donner Party.

Made this. For funsies.

I'm in the process of making stickers... as promos, for the Tea Party of course. If you want one ask me.

Feel free to use this image on whatever you feel like... and rest assured that my sharing usage of this is totally the Christian kind of sharing, not the pinko socialist kind of sharing.

Go America!

Birbig Time

I recently did an illustration of comedian Mike Birbiglia, for Royal Flush Magazine. I was pretty pleased with it, and really thrilled to find out yesterday that it went over well with Mr. Birbigs himself. Nothing feels better than hearing positive words about your work from a famous person you drew vomiting.

The full page illustration goes alongside an interview with Birbiglia. It, along with some other illustrations of mine (which I will post at a later date) appear in Book 7 of Royal Flush. This book is going to be the best one yet, with a super awesome dual cover– one side featuring Rob Zombie by Ed Repka and the other side featuring, my heroes, the gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia by Pat McQuade. The inside is chocked full of awesomeness that's sure to keep you entertained for hours.

To preorder a copy of Book 7 please visit http://royalflushmagazine.com/merch/

Otherwise it's going to be released October 12th, 2010... but a special lenticular hologram edition will be available exclusively at Barnes & Noble on October 26th, 2010 (limited to 1,000 copies)

Check out more about Mike Birbiglia and his upcoming book Sleepwalk With Me, also to be released October 12th, at http://www.birbigs.com/

Aqua Buddhists for Rand Paul.

My latest sea monster:

Aqua Buddha

What's an Aqua Buddha, you ask?

Let me explain...

This is Dr. Rand Paul, son of Ron Paul, and candidate for the Kentucky U.S. Senate seat. Just like any other good Christian politician, he's got a closet full of non-Christian skeletons. Back in the day, when young Randy was just a lad attending Baylor, he was part of a super fun secret society known as the NoZe Brothers, whose mission was to terrorize the administration, pull all kinds of wacky liberal pranks, and apparently force female students to smoke bongs and worship bizarre deities.

photo: The NoZe Brothers. Rand is the one who could pass for Church Lady dressed as a Vietnamese rice farmer.

A woman who knew Randy and the funky bunch (pictured above) in their glory days reported that one time after trying to convince her to get high with them, the crew blindfolded her, took her to a creek, and forced her to bow down in worship of a god called "Aqua Buddha."

This story is far too good to let slide by. I've given it some very serious thought, and come up with my idea of what this Aqua Buddha fellow looks like. I may even go L. Ron with this one, and start my own religion, and write a whole series of holy books, of course featuring young Randy as prophet number one. Probably not though. I do intend to put this on a shirt though. Let me know if you want one.

Here's the underdrawing: