A CHILDHOOD exposed to anime and comic books led advertising alumna Rian Gonzales to a career as a cover designer for popular comic books.
The 26-year-old started her career posting fan art on Twitter, eventually catching the attention of the director of book operations and sales for Archie Comics and landing her the opportunity to work on the cover of the relaunched series “Betty and Veronica” in 2016.
“For me, the best thing about being an artist is breathing life into characters and creations. You can put your own flair to anything, while embedding a bit of yourself on your work, for other people to see,” Gonzales told the Varsitarian.
In addition to creating artwork for Archie Comics, the designer has also drawn covers for multiple Marvel comic books including Marvel Rising, X-Men, Hotshots and Venom.
Gonzales obtained her advertising degree from the University’s College of Fine Arts and Design in 2013.
As a budding artist, Gonzales has been invited to participate in multiple comic book conventions such as Komikon, Komiket and AsiaPop. She has also participated in the Japan Comic Art Expo and Doujima Con in Singapore.
Gonzales wants to continue her side project, “90s Candy Cuties,” set up another art exhibit and publish an art book in the future.
