There’s always material left over when you create something new. Some things have to be cut for time, other are considered too dangerous, and some just don’t fit the vibe or the art direction. Curious? Let’s show off a few rejected ideas for story ideas and promotional materials. Should some of these things have made the cut? Let’s see!
#1: The Original Cover
This was one of the first pieces of artwork I made for this project! Because of this, I had a strong connection to this piece, and I considered it as the cover until the very end! However, once I created the “Victory Pose” cover, I never went back. Was it the right choice?
There’s a stark difference between these two pieces. Tessa looks like a different person!
#2: The Original Super Tess Tee Shirt
I like to wear themed Tee Shirts to promote my book at events. I haven’t made them available to the public yet… but they’re around! Check out Tee Public or Sticker Mule to see what I’m talking about. This was my first attempt to create a design for the series, and I had a great idea! …Or so I thought.
I’m not sure why, but this little image gave me so much trouble! Maybe it was the proportions, or Tessa’s eyes, or the original typefacing. It had everything from the original book, the trees, the glass, the truck and the power worker… even the water bottles! But no, it’s unfortunately not my favorite piece, and though the shirt is still available in the Sticker Mule store, I personally prefer the second version, with the Victory pose. I really like that design! That’s two things now it has usurped… as well as being the piece I used for the cutout… I guess I have a favorite!
#3: Rejected Sticker Designs
I’ve tried to make stickers for a while now. The crowd-favorite sticker is of course the Holographic Super Tess Sticker…though I’m sure if I made a holographic Nick with sunglasses it would probably overtake her… but I’ve had a few rejected designs. Let’s look at them!
Stickers are, of course, really small, and you need to trim down your details into a compact little shape to be effective. Having words makes it easier to know what the sticker is from, but makes it more difficult to print and shape properly. Some of these designs just weren’t up to my standards, and others weren’t visually interesting enough to catch the public eye. Let me know if you disagree! There is one last design that I haven’t made (but I really like) and I debate doing it every year… perhaps next year we’ll finally have this design in stock!
#4 No Outlines Style
Super Tess used to look very different!
This style of artwork is shape-based and a very detailed and fun way of showing the story. I really loved the freedom and whimsy that came from this style, and it has become lost due to the thick outlines of the current version.
I really want to go back to this older style one day… but maybe not with Super Tess. Who knows?
#5 The Dangerous Stuff
When I was younger, my brothers and I were fairly impressionable. We had a real problem with the shows we watched and stories we read. To put it simply, we would imitate what we could see. Once I became more serious about the book and had nailed down the plot, I really had to think about WHAT Super Tess was doing and what that could mean to the impressionable minds reading the book. Here are some of the things that Super Tess used to be doing.
- Punching a bad guy in the face
- Sweeping up broken glass using a big tree as a broom
- Causing a whirlwind to clean up said glass
- Picking up power lines
- Attempting to reconnect power lines
- Stacking trees in a huge pile
- Throwing trees
- Attempting to “fix” a broken house and crushing it
As I’m sharing cut content, here’s a chance to show these crazy ideas to the world! And you may notice that this is using the old no-outline style as well. I do like some of the style choices of this era of Super Tess… one day…
And why was she doing any of that? Earlier drafts of the story were less about the process of hurricane recovery and more of a “No” book where a character does something silly or dangerous and other characters call them out for bad behavior. Given the subject matter, I decided to cut all these dangerous possibilities in favor of the more grounded (well, as grounded as a superhero story can be) storytelling. I want Super Tess to be a role model, not the inspiration behind a story on the evening news.
But, for fans of slapstick, the absurd over-the-top scenarios will return (under far less serious circumstances) in the sequel!
Oh, did I forget to mention this? There’s going to be a Sequel!
…coming soon….
