TiKZ: "hand-drawn" explosion

Question

Is there an elegant way to simulate a handdrawn explosion as shown in the following image using tikz?

enter image description here

Gonzalo Medina · Accepted Answer · 2015-07-19T00:17:29.710

There's the starburst shape in the shapes.symbols library:

enter image description here

The code:

\documentclass[tikz,border=4pt]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.symbols}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}

\node[starburst, draw, minimum width=3cm, minimum height=2cm,red,fill=orange,line width=1.5pt]
{BOOM!};
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

Or a more colorful version:

enter image description here

\documentclass[tikz,border=4pt]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.symbols,decorations.text}
\usepackage{contour}
\usepackage{fontspec}

\setmainfont{Smartie CAPS}

\definecolor{color1}{RGB}{252,57,0}
\definecolor{color2}{RGB}{252,115,0}
\definecolor{color3}{RGB}{252,173,0}
\definecolor{color4}{RGB}{252,202,0}
\definecolor{color5}{RGB}{252,255,130}
\definecolor{contornoin}{RGB}{255,255,0}
\definecolor{contornoout}{RGB}{228,0,5}

\begin{document}

\contourlength{2pt}
\begin{tikzpicture}

\foreach \Escala [count=\xi] in {1,0.8,...,0.4}
\node[
  starburst,
  scale=\Escala,
  fill=color\xi, 
  minimum width=3cm, 
  minimum height=2cm,
  line width=1.5pt
  ]
  at (0,0) {};
\node[font=\Large] 
  at (0,0) 
  {\contour*{contornoin}{\textcolor{contornoout}{BANG!}}};

\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

Update

Where would the fun be without an animation?

enter image description here

The code:

\documentclass{beamer}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usetikzlibrary{calc,shapes.symbols,shapes.geometric}

\definecolor{color1}{RGB}{252,57,0}
\definecolor{color2}{RGB}{252,115,0}
\definecolor{color3}{RGB}{252,173,0}
\definecolor{color4}{RGB}{252,202,0}
\definecolor{color5}{RGB}{252,255,130}
\definecolor{contornoin}{RGB}{255,255,0}
\definecolor{contornoout}{RGB}{228,0,5}
\definecolor{dinamitadark}{RGB}{205,25,28}
\definecolor{dinamitalight}{RGB}{237,27,38}

\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}

 \tikzset{
  invisible/.style={opacity=0},
  visible on/.style={alt={#1{}{invisible}}},
  alt/.code args={<#1>#2#3}{%
    \alt<#1>{\pgfkeysalso{#2}}{\pgfkeysalso{#3}}
  },
}

\begin{document}

\begin{frame}
\centering
\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=2,transform shape]
\node[
  cylinder,
  draw=red!70!black, 
  minimum height=2cm, 
  minimum width=0.5cm,
  top color=dinamitadark,
  bottom color=dinamitalight!40,
  visible on=<1-12>
  ] (dynamite) {};
\coordinate[visible on=<1->] 
  (start) 
  at ( $ (dynamite.before top)!0.5!(dynamite.after top) $ );  
\draw[
  line width=0.8pt,
  double,
  overlay,
  visible on=<1-12>
  ]
  (start) -- ++ (30pt,0) coordinate (end);
\foreach \Valor in {0,1,2,...,12}
{
    \fill[white,visible on=<\Valor>]  
      ([yshift=10pt,xshift=1pt]end) 
        rectangle 
  ([yshift=-10pt] $ (end)!2pt*\Valor!(start) $ )
  ++(5pt,0) 
    node[
      outer sep=0pt,
      draw,
      fill=contornoin!90!black,
      starburst,
      overlay,
      scale=0.5,
      yshift=18.5pt,
      minimum size=6pt
      ] {}; 
}
\onslide<13-16>{
\foreach \Escala [count=\xi] in {1,0.8,...,0.4}
\node[
  starburst,
  scale=\Escala,
  fill=color\xi, 
  minimum width=3cm, 
  minimum height=2cm,
  line width=1.5pt,
  ]
  at (0,0) {};
\node[font=\Large] 
  at (0,0) 
  {BANG!};
}
\coordinate<15-18>;  
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{frame}

\end{document}

The animation was produced thriugh ImageMagick running in a terminal

convert -verbose -delay 12 -loop 0 -density 300 a.pdf a.gif

score 39 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:34

This is a variation on Gonzalo Medina's answer which adds a decoration to simulate hand drawing:

\documentclass[tikz,border=5pt]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.symbols,decorations.pathmorphing}
\usepackage{cabin}
\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}

  \node[starburst, font=\sffamily, draw=red, minimum width=3cm, minimum height=2cm,text=red,fill=orange!80!yellow,line width=1.5pt,decorate,decoration={random steps, segment length=2mm, amplitude=1pt}] {BOOM!};
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

For greater emphasis of the explosive effects, a text decoration is handy:

\documentclass[tikz,border=15pt]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.symbols,decorations.pathmorphing,fit,decorations.text,backgrounds}
\usepackage{cabin}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  {
    \path
      [decoration={
          text effects along path, text={BOOM!},
          text effects/.cd,
          character count=\i,
          character total=\n,
          characters={
            text along path,
            font=\sffamily\Huge\bfseries,
            text=red,
            scale=\i/\n*1.5+.75,
            anchor=center,
          }
        },
        decorate,
        local bounding box=boom
      ] (0,0) coordinate [left] (a) -- (5,0);
  }
  \scoped[on background layer]
  \node[starburst, starburst point height=20mm, draw=red, fill=orange!80!yellow, line width=5pt, decorate, decoration={random steps, segment length=2mm, amplitude=1pt}, fit=(boom)] {};
  ;
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

EDIT

A couple more variations. The first combines a simple shading with the text decoration for the increasing sound of the BOOM!

increasing BOOM!

The second is slightly different. It uses the same text decoration but combines it with a different shading and a different BOOM! border. This is more like a window onto the explosion, but with the explosion tearing through the paper:

BOOM!

\documentclass[tikz,border=50pt,multi]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.symbols,decorations.pathmorphing,fit,decorations.text,backgrounds}
\usepackage{cabin}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  {
    \path
      [decoration={
          text effects along path, text={BOOM!},
          text effects/.cd,
          character count=\i,
          character total=\n,
          characters={
            text along path,
            font=\sffamily\Huge\bfseries,
            text=red,
            scale=\i/\n*1.5+.75,
            anchor=center,
          }
        },
        decorate,
        local bounding box=boom
      ] (0,0) coordinate [left] (a) -- (5,0);
  }
  \scoped[on background layer]
  \node[starburst, starburst point height=20mm, draw=red, inner color=yellow, outer color=orange, line width=5pt, decorate, decoration={random steps, segment length=2mm, amplitude=1pt}, fit=(boom)] {};
  ;
\end{tikzpicture}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  {
    \path
      [decoration={
          text effects along path, text={BOOM!},
          text effects/.cd,
          character count=\i,
          character total=\n,
          characters={
            text along path,
            font=\sffamily\Huge\bfseries,
            text=red,
            scale=\i/\n*1.5+.75,
            anchor=center,
          }
        },
        decorate,
        local bounding box=boom
      ] (0,0) coordinate [left] (a) -- (5,0);
  }
  \scoped[on background layer]
  \node[starburst, starburst point height=20mm, draw=red, ball color=yellow, line width=5pt, double distance=7.5pt, double=yellow, decorate, decoration={random steps, segment length=2mm, amplitude=1pt}, fit=(boom)] {};
  ;
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

EDIT

To start things off...

\documentclass[tikz,border=10pt]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{arrows.meta,shadows}
\usepackage{cabin}
\begin{document}
\begin{tikzpicture}
  \draw [ball color=black] circle (50mm);
  \draw [fill=black, fill opacity=.5] circle (50mm);
  \foreach \i in {1,...,9}
  \node (i\i) [shape=circle, minimum size=(10-\i)/9*15mm, circular glow={fill=red!\i0!yellow}, yshift=2.5mm, xshift=-1mm] at (70:80mm) {};
  \draw [line width=2.5mm, draw=gray!50!black, shorten <=-2.5mm, -{Triangle[width=2.5mm,length=2.5mm, color=red]}] (70:65mm) [bend right] to (i4.center);
  \draw [line width=10mm] (75:45mm) [bend left] to (70:65mm);
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{document}

@ cfr This is not a comment but a new question. I want to draw balls and boxes in the problem distributing balls into boxes in 4 cases: both balls and boxes distinct, both balls and boxes identical, balls are distinct and boxes identical, balls are identical and boxes distinct. I can not draw. Please help me. — minthao_2011, Sep 09 '15 at 08:46
@minthao_2011 If you have a new question, please ask it. Include what you have tried and explain what you are trying to achieve. Aside from the fact that I can't answer a new question in a comment ;), I have no idea right now what you are trying to do or what problem you are encountering trying to do it. If you think my answer relevant, you can link to it from your new question. You can also comment here with a link to the new question if you'd like me to take a look, although there are many more expert than I on this site. — cfr, Sep 09 '15 at 11:05

score 24 · Answer 3 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:34

Borrowing ideas from the other answers. For hand-drawn simulation I like @percusse's pencilline decoration – together with the starburst shape this could look like this:

enter image description here

% arara: xelatex: { shell: on }
\documentclass[tikz,border=5pt,convert]{standalone}
\usetikzlibrary{shapes.symbols,decorations.pathmorphing,patterns}
\usepackage{fontspec}

\setmainfont{Augie}

% credits:
% https://tex.stackexchange.com/a/49961/
\pgfdeclaredecoration{pencilline}{initial}{
  \state{initial}[
    width=+\pgfdecoratedinputsegmentremainingdistance,
    auto corner on length=1mm
  ]{
    \pgfpathcurveto%
      {% From
        \pgfqpoint
          {\pgfdecoratedinputsegmentremainingdistance}
          {\pgfdecorationsegmentamplitude}
      }
      {%  Control 1
        \pgfmathrand
        \pgfpointadd
          {\pgfqpoint{\pgfdecoratedinputsegmentremainingdistance}{0pt}}
          {%
            \pgfqpoint
              {-\pgfdecorationsegmentaspect\pgfdecoratedinputsegmentremainingdistance}%
              {\pgfmathresult\pgfdecorationsegmentamplitude}
          }
      }
      {%TO 
        \pgfpointadd
          {\pgfpointdecoratedinputsegmentlast}
          {\pgfpoint{1pt}{1pt}}
      }
  }
  \state{final}{}
}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}

  \node[starburst, font=\huge, draw, minimum width=5cm, minimum height=3.5cm,red,fill=yellow,line width=1pt,decorate,decoration={pencilline}]
{BOOM!};
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}

score 19 · Answer 4 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:36

Here's a way to something similar in Metapost too.

enter image description here

Just by changing the path connector from -- to .. you get the splash-shape shown on the right.

Parameters: n is the number of points (up and down), so n/2 is the number of spikes; r is the amount of randomness; s is the radius of the shape.

prologues := 3;
outputtemplate := "%j%c.eps";

beginfig(1);

n = 40; r = 10; s = 50;

randomseed := 1234;

path explosion, splash;

explosion = for i=1 upto n:
  (s if odd(i): - else: + fi r + uniformdeviate r,0) rotated (i*360/n) --
endfor cycle; 

splash = for i=1 upto n:
  (s if odd(i): - else: + fi r + uniformdeviate r,0) rotated (i*360/n) ..
endfor cycle; 

fill explosion withcolor 1/2 green + red;
draw explosion withpen pencircle scaled 2 withcolor 2/3 red;
label("BOOM!" infont "phvr8r" scaled 2, center explosion) withcolor red;

splash := splash shifted (3s,0);
fill splash withcolor 1/2 green + blue;
draw splash withpen pencircle scaled 2 withcolor 2/3 blue;
label("SPLAT!" infont "phvr8r" scaled 2, center splash) withcolor blue;

endfig;
end.

TiKZ: "hand-drawn" explosion

4 Answers4

Update

EDIT

EDIT

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