Anime World Chicago, a brand-spankin' new anime convention premiering August 19th, held a contest to design the convention's mascot for next year. This was my entry. I gave her the name "Kiku," the Japanese word for Chrysanthemum, as it is the official flower of Chicago. I tried to carry the chrysanthemum motif across in the mini-kimono print, used it to replace the star in the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star logo, mimicked the shape of the petals in her hair style (evident in the puff/tuft and her bangs), and of course, added the actual flower tucked behind her ear :)
I shortened and stylized the kimono a little bit and added the skinny jeans and Chucks in an attempt to blend together traditional Japanese and modern American styles. As an additional nod to Chicago, I used the city's flag design in Kiku's obi (the wide belt), and repeated the 6-point stars from the flag in her hair accessories.
In the end I didn't win. Honestly, I would have been more surprised if I had. I really didn't expect to win because I didn't get a chance to work on the design or even come up with a concept until the very last minute. As in, mere hours before the deadline. In fact, in order to be able to submit a design at all, I had to send it in unfinished (bleh, I'm embarrassed, hahaha). The version that the judges received had flat colors. I only added in the gradients and the shading later on for my own satisfaction, though I am entertaining the idea of further polishing it up just for kicks.
If I had more time to work on the design, I would have come up with a stronger concept and more dynamic pose. Eh well. At least I got another drawing done!
Congratulations to the contest winners!
