It took quite a while to figure out how I wanted the Titanwood trees to look. The base was inspired by rainbow eucalyptus trees, but none of the canopies I tried felt quite right. Eventually I settled on the wavy, blobby forms, which I’m pretty happy with.

I also tried a ton of different looks for the base platforms, though most just served to add unneeded detail clutter to the trees.

By this point, I was also getting a handle on the scale of everything here. The Spring Fair proper is only about half as tall as the Titanwoods; the pillar on the top floor only barely reaches into where the canopies start on them!

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

… Huh, still playing around with those modular tree base designs by this point. Well, in any case, as you can see, I figured out a more simple alternative instead. And one I’m proud of! Unfortunately, looking back, I’m becoming aware of so many design elements (like the awning under the tree’s holo-projecter) that I almost certainly completely forgot through the comic proper. I’m gonna have to set up some kind of system for ensuring I don’t forget details like that in the future…

Anyway, we get to see some more of the tree bases here! Obviously by this point, I had decided to add the scene of Leon’s encounter with a paradox bubble before the “food and interview” part of the script, hence the need to design some detailed bathrooms! The tree bases have lots of other fun things to see and explore, but Leon and Luca only really experienced the bathroom before their tree fell. Such a shame.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

FINALLY, the Fair is starting to look like it would in the comic! Though I do admit I am sad I never found a spot to show off the expansive sprinkler system of the Fair, it’s at least worth it to see the other elements of its identity come into play.

The Fair would finally start to get split into six sections, and the walkways would finally start to look the way I like. I wish I had done a few more distant shots to allow for better appreciation of the architecture. At least the tower and the connecting keystone bars (which emit a holo-barrier over the Fair in case of rain or falling branches) get shown off.

Also the weird orbs-in-a-bowl look is strange to look back on; I kind of want to find another place to use it.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

It doesn’t read very well, in hindsight, but I LOVE the top sketch. It gives a view as Leon and Luca walk along one of the tree platforms and looks over to the Fair at the center. By this point, I was also starting to get into the idea of making the Fair multiple floors… but still struggled with what to make it /look like./ I tried a few different looks, but none of these particular ones would stick.

I also started to play around with color for the Fair here! At this point, I only intended it to have one or two major colors, though of course that would change down the line…

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

The Fair is starting to take shape! I reached the point where I aimed to include a bunch of criss-crossing walkways reaching out from the central platform to some HUGE trees… but struggled to figure out a good iconic look for them. Along with that, I needed to figure out what the “bases” along the trees would look like. Ultimately I scrapped the more “clustery” look in favor of the rings due to the former likely being an accessibly hassle. It is, and remains, a major point of intent for me to make sure as much of this future is traversable by people of as many walks of life as possible.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Now we come to one of my FAVORITE things got to design: The Spring Fair! These are the earliest sketches for what I had in mind, and it’s safe to say it shifted drastically. The connections between some HUGE trees were a constant, but at this stage, I don’t even think I had a strong idea for the “central structure” for the Fair.

Also of interest here is the sketch outline I did. Before actually working on the script for this chapter, I didn’t even plan to have Leon’s early encounter with one of the paradox bubbles! Hence why you’ll note the outline goes straight to “arrival and getting food.”
Most of the outline is pretty true to form, though the specific contexts for all of the stuff obviously changed in the final version; the food part showed us differing opinions, the ride how the paradox bubbles can vanish after overtaking something; I didn’t even have a concept for the Quizard or Junk Divers game at this point!
The paradox bubble encounter in the end was (more or less) originally going to be the only encounter Leon and Luca have with them during this chapter… before I realized that I could synchronize the pair of them becoming friends with slowly showing off some of the other aspects of paradox bubbles. Which I’m glad I figured out, because this chapter would have been a lot weaker if I hadn’t.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Another set of designs that I had a blast working on! Notably, there’s a pair of cameos prepped here – Riiser in the bottom center, and the McElroys bottom right. Adapting real people for my story is a fun challenge.

I also made a specific effort to work out some of the NPCs Leon and Luca would end up talking to during the “interview” section of the comic. Most of the others are borrowed from another background fodder page. I’m gonna make use of every asset I make for this heckin’ story!!!

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

(Originally drawn around August 2019)

Looking back, I like how these all turned out (at least in their final incarnations), but I was drawing most of them during a summer vacation where I was EXTREMELY SICK, and just wasn’t feeling it. Still, it did lead to some concepts I really like. The Health And Safety (HAS) Officer in particular is one I like; instead of traditional police, KttFF has professionals trained in community-first conflict resolution and in providing aid to those who need it. Even in the rare instances of things getting heated, they don’t carry anything lethal for ending fights. Most have different specialties, though all are trained in at least a few core medical treatments for emergencies.

I felt kind of iffy about the Japanese-style merchant character, and ultimately decided against including him. I don’t know, something about him just didn’t feel like it’d read right, even if he was only in the background

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

A detail that doesn’t often get explored in (what little there is of) solarpunk media is the question of “What are the winters like?” Solarpunk often has a lot of visual focus, and winter can often be considered a bit drab, since a lot of the nature elements that bring the life to a green city aren’t as apparent.

While some more hardy or genetically-engineered plants may keep spots of green, the real visual feast comes from the lights that fill up the town. Don’t worry, the joy of the stars isn’t lost thanks to some clever design-work. We probably won’t be exploring much of the winter in KttFF, since it takes place in April, but it’s still fun to think of.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Despite how much brainpower it takes to create these environments, it’s easily one of my favorite parts of developing the comic. This is where the real magic happens in terms of developing this world’s identity. This is where I found out what works, and what doesn’t.

This particular set, I’m not all that impressed with, if I’m being honest. I’d wager this one didn’t use many references for inspiration, and it leads to designs that are pretty simplistic and kind of lifeless. Some of the most bare-essential building blocks are being set up, but the pure, unbridled inspiration that fuels the finality of their creation isn’t quite there.

But we /will/ get there.