My fifth SPN J2 Big Bang! And finally, I got to work with the wonderful author jdl71/Jld71 because I claimed her great fan fiction Second Chances. Her romantic love story will delight every fan's heart. Happiness, pain, separation, pregnancy, courtship, reconciliation, birth, and children—it's all there. Thank you, dear jdl71/Jld71, for the great collaboration. Your trust in my art has inspired my muse. Enjoy viewing the artwork and reading the story!

Fic title: Second Chances

Author name:

jdl71 [Jld71 on AO3]

Artist name:

aomasade [AomaSade on AO3]

Genre: Supernatural RPF

Pairing: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 66,977

Warnings: Established Relationship, Editor Jensen Ackles, Veterinarian Jared Padalecki, Hurt Jensen Ackles, Foster Care, Mpreg, Morning Sickness, Adoption, Marriage, Breakups, Separation, Reconciliations, Heartbreak, Doctor Appointments, Shopping, Eating, Driving, NonCon - Not Between Jensen/Jared, Top Jared Padalecki, Bottom Jensen Ackles, Bottom Jensen Ackles/Top Jared Padalecki, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Sex While Pregnant, Coffee Shops, Past Child Abuse, Past Child Neglect

Summary: After surviving the foster care system, Jensen finds love with Jared. Jensen hopes to start a family of his own with the man he wants to spend the rest of his life with; that dream ends abruptly when Jensen returns home after yet another disappointing doctor appointment to discover that Jared is leaving him. Little does Jensen know that a chance encounter he has at a coffee shop nearly seven months later sets in motion changes to his life he hadn’t expected, making him realize that second chances are possible.

Masterpost on SPN J2 Big Bang

Art Link: AO3
Fic Link: AO3

Click on the pictures for view in original size.

Second Chances - Cover

Cover Second Chances

Second Chances - Banner

Banner Second Chances

Second Chances - Jensen and Jared

A Jensen Jared photo from happy days

Second Chances - Jared

Veterinarian Jared Padalecki

Second Chances - Jensen

Editor Jensen Ackles

Second Chances - J2 Photo 1

Photo: Happy couple - Jensen and Jared

Second Chances - J2 Photo 2

Photo: Separation - Jensen and Jared

Second Chances - J2 Photo 3

Photo: Reconciliation - Jensen and Jared

Second Chances - Chapter 1

Second Chances - Chapter 2

Second Chances - Chapter 3

Second Chances - Chapter 4

Second Chances - Chapter 5

Second Chances - Chapter 6

Second Chances - Chapter 7

Second Chances - Chapter 8

Second Chances - Chapter 9

Second Changes - Aaron

Baby Aaron

Second Chances - Photo Aaron

Photo: Baby Aaron

Second Chances - Drafts and ideas

This time it was different. No ideas in advance. I just really wanted to read this story because the summary promised a great read. Fortunately, I was able to claim it. After reading it, I was totally thrilled. My muse now had so many ideas. It was about separation, pregnancy and a happy reunion. In the end, I wanted the cover to reflect the theme of separation. A torn photo of a once happy couple says it all. The relationship is over, they are going their separate ways. So I created three images: a happy couple, a separated couple and a reunited couple. Pregnancy and parenthood are symbolized by the pacifier and pacifier chain. And the highlight of the reunion is a baby together with Jensen's green eyes and Jared's birthmark and hair.
It's a feel-good story - funny, happy, light. So I chose the comic style for the artwork with warm cheerful colors. Of course, as always, everything was hand-drawn with Procreate. I love this program.

First I sketched out my ideas in order to visualize them. What should be on the cover? J2 with separation flash and baby? Torn photo, pacifier, baby drinking bottle, broken hearts? The cover shouldn't give too much away, but it should arouse the reader's interest. So I decided on the torn photo without hearts.

The first idea was a torn Polaroid photo with a thick white bottom border, which I wanted to use to name the author and artist. But then the main characters would be very small on the cover. So a “normal” photo with a white border would be better. The idea with the three photos also looked good on the paper. And a baby picture as a bonus.

Second Chances - Drafts

So I needed a “photo” of Jensen and Jared smiling happily into the camera. They are both leaning their heads towards each other. Their hair and shoulders are touching. I started to draw, adjusting the proportions and scale. Suits were too stiff and formal. Shirts with an open neckline were more appropriate and casual.

Second Chances - Drafts

Now I created the final artwork with sharp, clear contours in a realistic comic style. The most time-consuming part was again the hair. Whether short or long, it was a Sisyphean task. The snapshot was supposed to show a happy J2 couple in love. The photo should be radiant. So I tested bright, vibrant colors, pastel shades for the shirts and various azure blues for the sky. In the end, I colored the picture, adding color nuances and shading. Of course, Jensen's (nose bump, freckles) and Jared's (birthmark, brown hair) trademarks couldn't be missing.

Have you ever torn photos? They do not tear smoothly. The edge of the tear is uneven. On one half of the photo there is usually a white edge from the bottom layer of paper, on the other half there is only tiny damage. This is why the tear edge remains visible when the photos are glued back together. I designed the tear so that each J2 has a lock of the other's hair on their half of the photo. Each retains a piece of the former partner.

Second Chances - Drafts

The three photos still needed a nice background. I imagined a table, sideboard or side table with a wood grain on which the photo would lie. So I tried to draw a wooden surface in comic style. First I designed the wood grain, then I colored it with different wood tones. Finally, I added light and shadow to create a little 3D effect to increase the depth. I also drew the background large enough so that I could use six different image sections for the photos as well as for the cover and banner.

Second Chances - Drafts

Rainbow. The idea came to me spontaneously when I thought of bright, friendly colors. Rainbows can often be found in children's rooms. They have also been an important religious symbol for thousands of years. A rainbow is a symbol of hope, peace and diversity. In the mythologies of the world, it is the connection between earth and sky, people and gods. The rainbow flag also stands for the diversity of gays and lesbians all over the world. In the original eight-color version from 1978, pink stands for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, blue for harmony and purple for the soul.
A rainbow “only” has seven colors. But as the story contains nine chapters, I added pink and light green. I chose pastel colors to match the plot and the “photo”. For the cover and the chapter headings, I found a humorous font that also goes well with the comic style. The story is about the desire to have a baby, pregnancy and the birth of a baby. All of this is symbolized by the pacifier.

Second Chances - Drafts

Of course, a pacifier also needs a pacifier chain, which is ideal as a divider. I colored the individual pacifier chains to match the chapter headings. Once in shades of a single color and once in rainbow colors.

To top it all off, I drew a picture of baby Aaron. He has inherited Jensen's green eyes and freckles and Jared's birthmark and brown hair.
Babies are rarely born with freckles. They only form over time when the skin comes into contact with UV radiation. This is why the cute spots are usually found in the middle of the face and on the shoulders and forearms in the first few years of life. Baby Aaron is the exception to the rule and was born with freckles, especially on his face. A little artistic license because it fits in well with the story.
I also picked up on the rainbow theme again for this picture. The stars on the baby blanket are drawn in the same nine colors as the chapter headings. The sky with the white clouds in the window is also similar to the background in the J2 photo. So everything fits together nicely and I have achieved my goal of creating a uniform art set.

Second Chances - Divider colorful

I hope you enjoyed my art post. I would be delighted to receive feedback.

Second Chances - Pacifier

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