SPN J2 Big Bang 2021 - SOS Red - Artpost

[aomasade]

Warning: Spoilers in art!

Fic title: SOS Red

Author name: wastetheyears [wastetheyears on AO3]

Artist name: aomasade [AomaSade on AO3]

Genre: RPF

Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki

Rating: R

Word Count: 47,591

Warnings: Character death (temporary), explicit grief, zombie-like virus, swearing

Summary: When people begin to inexplicably return from the dead, Jensen is overjoyed to count his dead fiance among the living. When bodies begin piling up in their wake, however, the focus shifts from joy to fear and Jensen has to wonder: is it really Jared that came back? Or is it something far more sinister?

Masterpost on SPN J2 Big Bang

Fic Links: LJ | AO3

Art Link: AO3

Click on the pictures for view in original size.

There are theories that viruses can mutate and cause new diseases. The virus envelopes symbolize empty speech bubbles, since no evidence is available.

Theories and rumors are increasing.

Conjectures are raised that the theories may be true.

Rumors make the rounds that there is a new virus that revives the dead.

People die violently and the suspicion is confirmed. A virus is the cause.

The virus is rampant and claims its victims.

Tests, vaccinations and therapies are effective. A cure is possible.

The virus is contained and under control. There are many theories and starting points to prevent a new outbreak.

This pandemic is over. But theoretically, new viral mutations can occur anywhere, anytime.

A virus specially designed for the story

Jensen's tattoo

Happy ending for Jared and Jensen

Of the stories submitted, four made my shortlist. I made sketches and then decided on the order of claim. My favorite was awarded the contract.

The Cover idea with the open mantle and interwoven images immediately came to mind when I read the story summary of "SOS Red". Jensen is alone in the foreground, surrounded by darkness because he has lost his fiancé Jared and is deeply grieving for him. Loss, heartbreak and longing define his daily life. Then the impossible happens and Jared returns from the dead. Everything is wonderful until the corpses start piling up around them. Is it really Jared who has returned from the dead? This is symbolically depicted by Jared steps out of the unearthly light, his body remains somewhat blurred.

According to the title "SOS Red" I chose red as the predominant color. In "SOS", the proverbial alarm bells also light up red. Red symbolizes fear, threat and danger. The second color is black and represents sadness, darkness, death and eeriness. The letters of the title and chapter numbers are brittle, Jensen's world was broken and the cracks healed by Jared's return threaten to break apart again if he calls "SOS Red".

Viruses play an essential role in the story. That's why I specially designed a new virus, similar to the Coronavirus. Viruses of all sizes and colors complement the cover. They almost merge with the darkness, sneaking up from behind to strike insidiously.

For the chapter headings, I used elements from the cover to create a consistent design and cohesiveness. The chapter numbers have the same font and color as the title. The viruses are in black and red.

The chapter headings show the progression of the virus pandemic. At first, they are just virus outlines similar to empty speech bubbles. There are only theories and guesses about new virus mutations. But the hints strengthen until concrete results are available. There are tests and vaccinations. The disease breaks out. Eventually, the therapies kick in and this virus is contained. But theoretically, new viruses could cause infections and new diseases in the future.

The first drafts of the title and chapter heading looked too demonic.

Cover picture with Jensen against smoke background

The black font, though more contrasty, also didn't fit properly.

As a bonus, I created a happy ending banner that is in complete contrast to the other artwork. White stands for joy, green for hope, blue for confidence and security. The font and Jensen have remained the same. Jared is standing by a lake with Sadie, looking up at Jensen with a happy smile. The light bright colors, the white font color, the green meadow, the blue lake convey the happiness and joy that both have been given a second chance at a life together.

I created or edited the artwork with GIMP.


I hope you enjoyed my art post.

Comments

[junkerin.livejournal.com]

Wie immer wunderschön!

[aomasade.livejournal.com]

Dankeschön. Wie du weißt, mag ich schöne und zur Geschichte passende Fan-Kunst und gebe mir große Mühe, selbst solche zu erstellen. Ich bin schon sehr gespannt auf deine diesjährige BigBang-Geschichte.

[junkerin.livejournal.com]

Meine Geschichte kommt am 2.7. raus. Zur Zeit bin ich sie am überarbeiten (furchtbar langweilig). Bin mal gespannt was meine Artist zaubern wird.

[beelikej.livejournal.com]

You put so much thought into all the elements of the graphics and it shows; that is an excellent and thorough virus design! Great to read all about your reasoning and process. I love the intriguing design of the banner, how you positioned Jared within Jensen <3 Good stuff.

[aomasade.livejournal.com]

It is very important to me that history and art form a unity. And "SOS Red" had many good starting points that I could implement and use. It all started with a little pencil sketch for the story summary. After reading the story, it was clear that the virus was an essential component and a great stylistic device to show the plot progression. I had a lot of fun developing everything.

[dun.livejournal.com]

I very much like the art you've created for the story; as I was reading it I felt the chapter-heads especially supported the story progression really well :)

[aomasade.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your praise. As I read the draft of the story, I found many parallels to the current Corona crisis. Then I thought about how we visually perceive pandemics. Everyone is familiar with pictures of pathogens under the microscope. Few are good, many are bad. So I came up with the idea of subtly depicting the pandemic progression with the chapter headings with the virus spread. The larger, darker and more numerous the viruses become, the more dangerous they are.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i lovelovelove when artists explain their thinking like this. it's so cool to see the process, especially your thoughts behind the shape of the virus and its appearance in the various chapter headers. also the cover is kind of creepy, with jared under the red light light that, and just really good.

[aomasade.livejournal.com]

I had the cover immediately in mind when I read the challenge. The idea with the viruses came to me only when reading the story. But to do that, I first had to design a virus. So it took hours of research on the Internet. I looked at many known viruses and created a new virus from them. Then I read all the chapters again and made notes on the virus development and the course of the whole pandemic. I like to read myself how artists create their fan art and why they did this or that. It gives me a much deeper insight into the art and the history. With my fan art, I also thought about everything for a long time and every single detail is connected to the story. That's what I wanted to share.

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2021 Masterlist

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