Nuclear Destruction

#1

Trying out my 2D skills, please feel free to give your feed back on improvement.

This is based on how the nuclear weapons have and can destroy the peace on earth.

#2

I feel that this topic deserves a more dramatic composition and palette. Try to work with contrasts. Google ā€œatomic explosion videoā€ for references and inspiration.

#3

In my opinion, still images are a better source than videos.

This one for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Redwing_Apache.jpg

See how the bomb is the only light source in that image, and everything else is dark in comparison? That has a strong emotional impact on me.

#4

You could do something really interesting with that painting by making the colors disapear towards the atomic mushrooms, something like a grey wave of destruction and pain is coming towards the viewer. You could add some bunies and squirels runing for their lives :slight_smile:
I think you should work a bit on the mushrooms to make them look more natural and maybe take off the left one and position the right one to the middle.
A less happy tone would match it, less contrast too.

Just some ideas.

#5

A nuclear explosion is so bright that on film and in person, itā€™s the brightest object around, and to the viewer the sky and surrounding area would seem dark - especially on film, as the brightness would overexpose the film.

A bird would also not be dying so far from the mushroom cloud, that would take some time. The shock waves from that distance might be reaching the viewerā€™s location, however. The levels of radiation fall dramatically from the epicenter, so there would be no death from radiation at this distance while the mushroom cloud is still there (the mushroom cloud lasts a short while). Thereā€™s tons of footage online of nuclear tests to see the effects of bombs going off, including the shock wave and the way the mushroom cloud looks, and itā€™s effects on the environment.

#6

Made some changes, I donā€™t want to make it too real, I have actually saturated the explosion a tad more. I am not sure how the smoke will feel its coming towards the Viewer.

#7

The composition and contrasts are still too calmā€¦ you donā€™t need to do it realistic, just intense and exciting.

#8

I think you might want raise down the saturation of those colors, they look too much alive, making it look cartoonish and too much contrastant (it feels like the mushroom is placed there, not part of the scene).
Also, another important thing is the atmosphere, if the explosion is far, then there is going to be some air making the shroom appear dimmer. Things closer are darker, things far are lighter, less saturated and less contrastant.
I would make the dust cloud more transparent also, like it is just getting in the viewer.
Just some more ideas.

#9

Based on the feedback, here another attempt, minor adjustments. I am still not sure about the smoke coming towards the viewer, plus I have also muted the colors on the sky. If I make the smoke more thick and filled up, the center path will lose its purpose?

Let me know if it still serves the purpose?

Thanks!

#10

Iā€™m not so sure about how the smoke should be either. I think itā€™s blocking the image too much the way it is right now. Maybe you could make it far, coming from the path. The sky looks coller now, you mixed a little grey there, you could do that in the grass too, make it look a bit sad. Also, (only if you have the disposition to paint it again) you could make the shockwave coming, indicating it through the grass (tilting the top of the folliage in viewers direction, just like wind would do) it would make it more dramatic, but you might have to do some work to change it.
You could also take a try in tinting some of the far away trees with some pretty faint red/yellow light coming from the mushroom, and maybe do something like a ā€˜spectrumā€™ of light coming from the shroom and iluminating the air around it.

#11

I actually prefer the original version, contrasting a sunny, happy day with nuclear explosions in the background. Itā€™s more interesting in its statement than just simple destruction.

Think about what you really want to convey with the image. Is it irony? Satire? Admonition? You have to have a clear idea of the message intended, or else the image will seem weak in its idea.

And do you want it to look cartoony or realistic? They will have very different tone/feel, depending on which you choose.

#12

This is what I actually had in mind, I didnt want to go to real with it, just wanted to depict a calm environment and show an explosion far off with the sgnature Mashroom cloud for nucs stating that this calmness will fade out sooner or later

Think about what you really want to convey with the image. Is it irony? Satire? Admonition? You have to have a clear idea of the message intended, or else the image will seem weak in its idea.

I did have a clear idea though, but seems it got de-tracked a bit. (as above)

And do you want it to look cartoony or realistic? They will have very different tone/feel, depending on which you choose.

Cartoony.

#13

This thread has been automatically closed as it remained inactive for 12 months. If you wish to continue the discussion, please create a new thread in the appropriate forum.