Doug and Ryan had teamed previously on the short story Bad Dog from the 1999 Buffy Annual, where Ryan used a style very similar to his Spike and Dru work. For Ring of Fire he wanted to develop a new look, to work better with Sarah Michelle Gellar's features, and the slightly more upbeat environment of Sunnydale and high school.

The following head shots of Buffy were part of that process. At the same time he was working on different looks for the demon Kelgor and the men in black, as well as goofing around with a Klimt version of Drusilla and a mosh-pit Spike. The purpose of the astronaut is unknown.