Sun Kissed

For every comic book convention at which I have a table, I compose a marketing image for a limited edition commemorative print. At least I’ve tied for every show. For WonderCon, Anaheim 2018, I finally brought to completion an idea/ theme floating around for a few years inspired by old orange create label art.

Back in 2014, I had wanted to produce such a piece more based on classic painted advertisements, a la Sunmaid Raisins, Land-O-Lakes Butter and similarly Quaker Oats and 1950’s - 60’s Coke-a-Cola ads. Alas, the project on a whole always seemed to be too complicated to achieve the level of rendered finish I had envisioned. The cartoony style used for Wichita’s stories, allows for the rendering not to approximate photographic lighting and shading.

Go back to my WonderCon 2014 announcement [click here]

Scarlet red pencil on Bristol Board.
27.94 cm x 43.18 cm (11.00 in. x 17.00 in.)

For Heroes Convention 2016 in Charlotte, NC, is did produce a Coca-a-Cola ad inspired piece similar to what the orange crate style would be. Strategically, the image has a flat color field for a background, and it’s sans Wichita. Secretly, with the print image crop to her hips, the digital painting wasn’t completed any further down, and to this day I have yet to finish it.

Black India Ink and scarlet red pencil on Bristol Board.
27.94 cm x 43.18 cm (11.00 in. x 17.00 in.)

The significance of this theme, of course, is that the host city, Anaheim, CA, is nestled in Orange County. Before Disneyland settled in the city, Anaheim was a farm community of orange groves. I usually include neither the convention name nor the host city in the print design, adding those only as small super-imposed type with the “Unstoppable Tuff-Girl” logo. As a rare divergence, “Anaheim” is added to one of the 3 crate labels, which personally means “yes, finally I did this for Anaheim.” Said crates, are more the size of those used for strawberries, with more accurate common designs being much taller with the labels on the short, handle ends and not the long sides. So much for, drawing them by memory.

Digital color at final cropping with white offset for print.

Regarding Tuff-Girl’s costume, it’s consistent with the theme. Tuff-Girl does go through many costume changes. I doubt, however, that she does much monster butt-kicking in this ensemble, even with her practical leather work boots.

The mountain range is modeled after the San Gabriel mountains north of Orange County.