compete-tee-tion

To me, shirts like this are what TeeFury is all about- a great design by a great artist that brings something totally new to the table. You don't have to be up on your German fables to enjoy this spooky, atmospheric scene, and the Crow is a great character right down to his billowing, feathery mane. This appeals to that human instinct that there's always something lurking in a dark forest, just out of sight.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

InkHound's hat this week is interesting, as it's a rerun of their launch hat. As a consumer who buys hats much, much less than tees, it's not something that bothers me, but it does make me wonder how much of a draw hats are in the InkHound lineup. The tee, Caffeinated by Olechka, shows a coffee cup that doubles as a nerve cell, branching off in all directions. I could also see it as being roots, as the one-color nature of this drawing leaves some room for interpretation. It's unique stuff, probably likely to be popular with the coffee crowd.

Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.

Labels: inkhound

A complex instrument is an interesting thing because it has all the potential in the world to make beautiful music- but only if you invest the time required to figure out what makes it tick. All that possibility also means it has a lot of potential to disappoint. But visually, at least, beauty is assured- Lehel's style and humor make this piece a lot of fun.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Springleap's big December winner is AV Mouse by Tu, which cleverly uses the bulky plugs we're so familiar with to form Disney's iconic mascot. It's definitely a unique concept, though I admit I probably wouldn't buy- runners up Infinity by mikdog and Wet Dreams by warholbot are more my style.

Springleap announces a winner every two weeks starting in January, with that designer earning R3741.09 cash and R3741.09 in Springleap vouchers. And don't forget, winners also receive R2 per shirt sold.

Labels: springleap

Graphite for your Life by Adam White is pretty much one of the coolest shirts I have ever seen in my life. A snaking, visual study of tubes, it's magic lies in its diversity of objects and the smooth transitions between them. I think my favorite element is how the scaly texture breaks into paisleys in the lower right, but there are a lot of great moments like that in this piece that connect seemingly unrelated things in innovative ways. Another major asset of this design is in the fantastic coloring- it's eight inks, but it feels like more. I was drawn in and enamored by the glowing palette and rich texture.



Hooray for Sarcasm! by Dan Maltzman is a solid slogan- compact, instantly get-able, and with wide appeal. Maybe that's why the text treatment they landed on is so basic, out of a feeling that anything more complex would distract from the words. Regardless of the thinking behind it, it's a decision I disagree with- I feel like it left this shirt devoid of the creativity that makes Threadless, well, Threadless. This is an issue I have with Type Tees fairly often, but on a basic level I see no reason why this line of tees can't all be at the same level of design that tees from the regular competition are.

Death and Colors by Thiago Borges (thiagob) is a neat melding of current trends and antique-style illustration. Instead of just being about ostrich bone structure or whatever, it becomes a drawing about possibility. The strange bird is embellished with brightly painted feathers, which is appealing in an alternate-history kind of way. Overall it's a very cool piece, though I did find myself wondering if it might have also been interesting to play with texture a bit more- for instance, giving the bird scales or applying this concept of feathers to a dinosaur skeleton. Sequel?



Number 10 by Mike Perry & Jim Stoten is this week's Select, with the artwork acting both as an all-over print shirt design and the cover of the newest issue of Faesthetic. What I'm a bit confused by is whether buying the shirt also gets you a copy of the book automatically- I'm guessing not, since getting both for $25 would be a pretty amazing deal. But at the same time, who would buy the shirt without also getting the book? Surely some sort of bundle is in order. At any rate, I love the layering used in this design. There's an interesting technique of using the lack of layering in one area to reveal one crisp focal point, which is neat and not something I've seen before. I'll likely be picking this one up.



The Mouse Tamer by Roni Lagin & Mo Moussa (phillydesigner) is exactly the kind of thing I expect Threadless to print, given their love of both elephants and hidden object designs. It's a well-done design, despite not being centered on a subject that I'm personally too enthralled with (elephants, mice and circuses are great and all, but I feel no real pull to wear them). The mice are nicely drawn and do a good job of forming the larger creature. I think what is holding me back from really being interested in this is the lack of a larger joke- we all know the tradition of elephants being afraid of mice, but to me this doesn't even touch on it. I feel a bit like it's referencing something I'm totally unfamiliar with.

Saturn-Go-Round by Tang Yau Hoong is a shirt where the idea doesn't particularly speak to me- it's kind of funny, but not something that grabs me. Yet I'm still pretty fond of the shirt, a fact that I chalk up wholly to style. With delicate lines and screamingly bright colors, this design feels like a modern take on sixties illustration. It's whimsical and cartoony, but also reads like someone from the past's take on what was then the future. The bold white on black looks awesome.



A Patchwork Wolf by Richard Lee (lofty softy) is definitely among the more interesting shirts printed this week, sort of a more pictoral take on It's So Simple. Both use the same technique of one-color, textural drawings to exactly opposite ends. The various patterns of the wolf are fun to explore, especially the ones that range the farthest away from fur-like textures. Also, placement and size are perfection, so nicely done on the production side.



Origami Turned My Pants Into This Shirt by Hector Mansilla is another of this week's Type Tees. While I think the slogan itself is somewhat weaker than the sarcasm line, the shirt as a whole is a lot better. And again, that's all down to type treatments. Here, the origami styling of the text is funny and well-suited, also injecting some color variation that draws in the eye. It's funny and appealing, even for folks like me who wouldn't necessarily favor the slogan on its own merits. Maybe blame my weakness for purple shirts, but I think I'd actually consider buying this one if the sale was right.

Identifying Flying Objects by Aled Lewis is precisely what you would expect, an infographic showing the various silhouettes of various flying objects and then naming them. I think enjoyment of this shirt can be chalked up to whether or not you're a signs-on-a-shirt sort of person or not. I'm not, because to me it's the wrong medium for it- anything you need an answer key to understand is a poster design, not a shirt. I'd make an exception if the art leaned more towards the artistic than the descriptive, but to me I don't see much concession to aesthetics- it's definitely going hard and fast for the humor. I'd love to see Threadless print designs of this nature as prints right away and bypass the shirt stage altogether.

In closing, I just need to vent my insane frustration at Threadless for waiting until right after their big sale to print my most wanted reprint, =rand( ) [enter] by eskimokiss. Painful! Ah well, at least it was reprinted...

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

Labels: threadless

You just Can't Kill the Beast by jublin is my favorite shirt this week, earning its place with great textures and a fun cartoon style. The squid character is endearingly dopey, with a cheerful demeanor despite his near-dead position. The large print is a nice choice, because it gives the creature a hugeness and makes the entire shirt an ocean for it to exist in. The awesome orange-on-black color palette is just icing on the cake.



Catfish Blues by downslope is a huge gradient fish drawing. As shirt designs go, it's very wearable. But to me, what it isn't is unique. There are some very nice elements to this design- I like the almost textural thin lines used, and the large size of the print was a great choice. Since what I value in t-shirt contests is the level of creativity they produce, though, it's not something I can be too enthusiastic about.

Deep Blue Sea by xiaobaosg succeeds largely because of the sense of motion it conveys. Everything, from the rough waters to the angle of the drawing, communicates a ship in trouble and a beast intent on the kill. I'm very drawn to the style used in illustrating the waves, which is nicely stylized. Part of me wishes the ship itself had been done in a style that meshed better with the waves, but the contrast is a nice choice as well.

Design By Humans is an on-going t-shirt design contest that prints new shirts every weekday. Prints are chosen from the shirts submitted by and voted on by DBH members. Shirt of the Day winners receive $500 cash and $250 DBH credit. Shirt of the Week winners get $1000 cash. Shirt of the Month gets $1500 cash and $250 credit. Winners also have an opportunity to earn residuals through the Rockstar Awards Program.

Labels: design by humans

Red is White has released several new designs since I last checked in with them. For my money, the most appealing of the bunch is Night and Day Prayer by Zadok44, which looks more like a shirt promoting a band than a religious tee. The one-color circle and halftones are a nice choice, as they could represent either day or night depending on your outlook. That said, it feels pretty similar to DBH's Black Hole Sun to me, which keeps me from being too enthusiastic. I'll Fly Away by Enthos is interesting in that it has flying fish intermingling with angels. The entire design is tilted towards the unexpected and bizarre, with woodcut style imagery alongside sketchy and watercolor elements. I'm digging this experimentation. Consider by Gabbott is the new addition that I'm not really sold on- maybe this is the literal side of me taking over, but the fact that I can't tell what that writing says drives me nuts. What's the point of having a slogan if no one can read it?

Printed designers earn $400 cash, $100 in Red is White credit, and $2 per shirt sold (once the initial run of 250 shirts is completed).

Labels: red is white

Springleap, South Africa's answer to Threadless, is growing by leaps and bounds. You can see it in the rapid progression of quality work being entered in their contests, of which November's grand prize winner (Summerai by RobbieLee, pictured above) is a great example.

Recognizing this upswing in highly printable tees, Springleap has decided that starting January 1st, 2009, the contest is evolving. Instead of just one monthly contest, there will now be two, both with one winner earning R3741.09 cash and R3741.09 in Springleap vouchers. And don't forget, winners also receive R2 per shirt sold.

Labels: springleap

Chimpogo recently released some new tees, my favorite of which is Beetle by Doran. Here's what I like- it's classy, understated, and feels fresh. In a tee competition world that is often full of complexity, bright colors and humor, it stands out to me. Eye Hands by XTOTL is another shirt that feels unlike what other sites produce, combining cartoon grotesque with a surprising amount of art- look at the level of detail in the hair. Take Time by Doran is for me the least successful print- but even that is due entirely to the production (it printed far too small for my tastes). Overall a great crop of shirts, marking Chimpogo as a site well worth keeping an eye on.

Chimpogo is an on-going shirt design contest, where winning shirt designs earn £500 and printed slogans receive £100.

Labels: chimpogo

Abstraction and weirdness are vastly undervalued in this world. Too often the value in things is based on how quickly they can be explained, and how easily they can be understood. But in life, most of the best moments take a bit of work, and the most valuable discoveries are the ones that aren't handed to us.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Shirt.Woot has announced a new derby built around the theme Cabin Fever. Here is the description from Woot:

You're penned in, cooped up, locked down. It's cold outside, it's boring inside. And there's a long winter stretching out before you. Maybe it's you and eighteen in-laws, maybe it's just you and your cats and your Lean Cuisines. Either way, cabin fever is setting in, and you're longing for release. Use this week's Derby as an outlet for your claustrophobe tendencies - or your claustrophile tendencies, if you're into that sort of thing.

No text this week.

Labels: derby, shirt.woot

A Better Tomorrow's newest winner is Smile Please by Elia. It's a bit of an oddball design, which I find enjoyable- the style is one I haven't seen used much in tees. It definitely communicates a lot about the character, especially in the way the sweater seems to frazzle before your eyes. You can see the nervous anticipation of the photographer, who is charged with documenting a moment that he can't control. Very nice.

A Better Tomorrow chooses winners from the shirt designs submitted and voted on by site users. Although the site is in German, designers from all over the world can enter and win. Winners earn 500 euros when printed.

Labels: a better tomorrow

It is now Christmas Day, one of the few days in the year when most people settle in to spend time just being with their families and the people who are most important to them. With that in mind, today's TeeFury is a piece from Furyous Omnibus, commemorating the first time that this community joined together in celebration. The colors make it a great holiday tee, but the style ensures that it is just as at home any other time of year.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Loiter Ink is looking to attract some new tee designs, and this contest ought to do the trick. They're offering a whopping $1000 to the winner, but that's not all- every shirt designer who is printed receives 20% of the profits from their design (with no cap!).

Enter before January 31st, 2009 for your shot at the big prize.

Labels: loiter ink

I'm a bit loathe to mention the same site on consecutive days, but in this case the deal is so good I can't ignore it. Uneetee's Mystery Gift Certificates are back, and the discount potential is better than ever. A $20 purchase gets you a gift certificate worth at least $25, and possibly as much as $500. I used my gift certificate from the last promotion to buy a new one, making it an even better deal.

Labels: uneetee

TV favorite The Office has set up a new t-shirt design competition, aiming to get fans to submit their Office-related tee designs. Show producers will be chooseing the winner, which will be sold on the official NBC website.

Enter before January 31st, 2009 for your chance at the Grand Prize, which includes 10 free T-shirts, your choice of any three t-shirts from NBCstore.com, Dunderize Your Cube, DM Shot Glass (four pack), Lunch Bag, Exclusive Dwight Bobblehead Golf Balls (3), and a Star Mug Set. Two Runner-Up prizes will also be awarded.

Labels: the office

Uneetee's 12 Random Deal Days of Christmas continue with today's intriguing offer- two blank shirts for just $10. While it's a bit of an odd deal for a site that sells screen-printed tees to be selling a plain shirt, it's definitely a good deal.

And of course the $3000 Design Contest is still underway, so designers should act fast if they plan to enter- the submission deadline is December 31st, 2008.

Labels: uneetee

Bird Migration by Alex Solis (alexmdc) is an ideal winner for the Threadless Loves Travel contest- not only is the design a great implementation of the theme, it's also the first print for an artist who has submitted a lot of high-quality work. The illustration has a great texture to it, evoking the feelings of the materials involved. And the concept itself is a lot of fun, especially with nice touches like the suitcase full of leaves. I'd easily rate it as the best shirt of the week.



I Love Sushi by Chow Hon Lam is this week's Select, a character sketch that succeeds in large part due to its large size. Standing in stark contrast to the depressingly small prints of some of Threadless's other designs in this style, this is a design where the character fills the canvas well. The scale helps give the fish dude a feeling of personhood, and even better lets you appreciate the rough, sketchy lines of the piece. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely a charming tee.

Bubble Maker by Niel Quisaba is kind of a perplexing print choice to me. It's not terrible by any means, but I don't see it as being up to the standard of other Threadless prints. I think the general idea is decent, but the sloppy faces (different sized eyes and spacing look more like mistakes than by design) and copy-pasted non-sensical highlights are disappointing. The printing placement is well-chosen, though, and arguably the most appealing thing about this piece.



Catastrophe by Matheus Lopes (mathiole) is another favorite this week, celebrating the beauty that can result from a mistake. From a realistically drawn ink bottle spills the iconic Japanese wave, an ink wash branch, fire and colored birds. It's gorgeous and thoughtful. The placement (at least on smaller shirts) is ideal, filling the length of the shirt and still leaving plenty of negative space.



I Bought This Shirt and All I Got Was This Shirt by Mike Mitchell is the kind of slogan that's good for a glance, but not really worthwhile afterwards. It's the nature of most Type Tees, though some are lucky enough to be elevated with a style that gives them more of a future. I'm a bit at a loss as to what could be done with this phrase, though- not every phrase lends itself to more than a few seconds of consideration.

E.x.ecutioner by Matheus Lopes (mathiole) interests me because it feels almost experimental. There's a neat melding of splatter, stripe and illustration. It helps the design to escape from the twee concept (birds and a broken tv, yikes) and find more original ground. This is another case where I really have to compliment the printing choice- having one of the birds on the shoulder is a great touch, definitely adding value and uniqueness.



The Dinosaurs Deserved It by Zachary Briggs is another favorite this week. Yup, I just called a slogan shirt a favorite. And here's why- the slogan itself is great, because it is a launching point for the imagination. You ask yourself what the dinosaurs have done to deserve extinction, and picture the shirt's wearer as causing it. That's a great set up. The text treatment also has a cool graphic, a long dinosaur neck wrapping around the text and ending in knots. It does well because it takes advantage of the unique elements of dinosaurs, while injecting some extra humor. Awesome treatment.



I'm Like a Bird! by Lim Heng Swee (ilovedoodle) is a slick visual gag, something I probably would have named a favorite if I hadn't been feeling some giraffe fatigue recently. The giraffe's head is compared to the shape of birds, a nice utilization of the animal's height that takes a more studied approach than most designs focused on the creature. I'm a huge fan of the color palette, which looks really fresh and warm. One quibble I have is that I feel like there's a missed opportunity to mirror the bird-giraffe visual similarity with another animal or tree pairing in the background. While the current jungle scene looks fine, it would have been neat to have a bit of an extra element for people to find. Definitely great work regardless, though.

Television Made Me Do It by Aled Lewis (fatheed) is something that I regret to say I don't dig at all. Let me rephrase that- the concept is reasonably funny and the drawing is well done. But I have no idea why this is printed on a shirt. The shape of the design is a square, which looks odd just hanging in space on a t-shirt. The diagram is complicated enough to require you to see all the steps to get the idea, which makes it unsuited to the way most people see tees. I'd say this sort of work is much better suited to a poster print, so I hope that is in its future.

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

Labels: loves threadless, threadless, travel

Enchanted Nightmares by torakamikaze is my shirt of the week because of the way it combines so much of what I love about t-shirt design- complex lines, interesting characters, a unique color palette and a perfectly-sized print. I'm especially impressed with the slumped posture and elongated hands of the figures, giving the impression that they're being weighed down by those ghostly nightmares. Very unique and very wearable.



Mona Lisa SLIME by zipperking is interesting to me because it uses humor, a bit of a rarity for DBH. The concept is a play on the Mona Lisa smile, imagining a snail as a fine artist. It's a cool idea to me because of how nature is creating the art, which geekily reminded me that nature is the origin for most art, when you think about it. Despite my enjoyment of the idea, I'm not sure that it really works for me as a shirt. I think the problem is that it doesn't make enough sense to truly be funny to me- the snail isn't quite realistically drawn enough to make you do a double-take, and I've never seen a snail climbing on a person like that. I guess I'd be more charmed by it as a floor covering. That said, I think the ink use (giving the snail trail a realistic shimmer) is really clever.

Green Schmeen by LukeLukeLuke appears to be an incredibly detailed illustration- it's just a bit hard to make out those details due to the similarity in ink color and shirt color. I missed this in scoring so I can't say how intentional it is, but it's kind of off-putting to me that only the white ink (plumes of smoke?) have any real visibility. From what I can tell, it looks like a cool scene (human figures inside a huge robot) and done in a heavily-lined style I very much enjoy. But the subtlety of the print takes it right off my buy list- $24 is too much to risk on a tee with potential problems.



Wild Things by DCAY is a neat, kind of patterned design. Richly detailed drawings of forest creatures and huge leaves intermingle, like a nature book whose contents have gotten jumbled. The size difference is what draws me in, because it inspires thoughts of miniature animals or trees the size of a country. It's a nice looking shirt, with a natural vintage style and an appropriately large print.

Know Looking Back by kennybanzai is odd in that it feels like two designs to me- the top half and bottom half don't relate, to me. I'm actually pretty fond of the top half, which gives the central eye kind of a headdress of colorful elements. I can see an attempt to unite the halves in the use of the repeating eye motif, but I think the huge black area takes away from that. In the end, I think for most buyers the unity of the piece won't be an issue- I think most will find a few individual elements in the piece that speak to them, and buy based on that. For me, the best element is the corndog- its face cracks me up, and I want to know what he's saying!

Design By Humans is an on-going t-shirt design contest that prints new shirts every weekday. Prints are chosen from the shirts submitted by and voted on by DBH members. Shirt of the Day winners receive $500 cash and $250 DBH credit. Shirt of the Week winners get $1000 cash. Shirt of the Month gets $1500 cash and $250 credit. Winners also have an opportunity to earn residuals through the Rockstar Awards Program.

Labels: design by humans

I got tired of all the orange and decided to try a new look for Compete-tee-tion. I haven't checked it on all browsers and operating systems, so if something is acting a bit wonky here for you please leave a comment and I'll get on fixing it. Thanks!

Labels: site update

Ink Hound has a new hat up for sale, and I made it! This means I'm going to be basically gloating about it instead of doing a proper review. Because frankly, I have always wanted a hat with a platypus on it and I think the embroidery looks super-hot. If you'd like to pick up a copy of the Professor Von Plat Hat, it will be up for sale for about another 9 days.

Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.

Labels: hats, inkhound

Edgar is one of my favorite shirt artists, and one of the reasons I dig his work so much is that it always catches me by surprise. Coming off the success of a recent print at Woot, he shifted his style 180 degrees and delivered up a thoughtful, artistic work that shows just how unafraid he is to take chances. Take a close look at this one, there is a lot to discover.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

RED by Kneil Melicano (roadkill3d) is definitely a standout in this week's batch of shirts. The illustration rebrands Red Ridinghood as confident killer instead of a clever child, packing heat in her picnic basket- implying that she's set the trap for the wolf instead of simply reacting to the situation. I love that the wolf's skin is her new hood, painting the hunt as a transformative experience. The style is the major selling point though, mixing watercolor technique with some great patterning (houndstooth! ha ha ha!). The result is deep and dreamy, and very wearable.



Impossible City by Brett Weber and Evan Ferstenfeld (bsweber) is exactly what it sounds like, but with a great gimmick that increases its value. One tower cuts through the fabric of the shirt- and even better, that section appears on the back shoulder. This is the kind of thing that I wish Threadless would do more, as it gives the shirt more uniqueness and makes the less-than-exciting concept feel very fresh.

Playin' In The Sprinkler by Jason Bergsieker (NomadSlim) has at its core a brilliantly simple and Threadless-y idea. It appeals to anyone who hasn't outgrown a fondness for playing with their food. But while I'm digging the idea, I'm less keen on the execution. Compared to level of art Threadless has been printing lately, it comes up short for me. The way the arms and legs are drawn isn't resolved well enough for my taste.



The Stepping Stone by Brian Cook (Chengui) is a nice contrast-based design, balancing an innocent childhood scene with danger lurking below. The silhouetting is key, as it renders the child fairly anonymous (even its gender is somewhat ambiguous) and puts the visual emphasis on the creature. Its fangs and patient glare pop right off the tee, and details like the skeletons and wagon support the idea while adding interest. I'm also enjoying the vintage style, which I think gives the concept more epic scope- I found myself wondering just how long the monster had been waiting for another meal.

The Silence On Neptune by Derek Ballard is this week's Select. It's one of those shirts that I find myself really enjoying, not because of anything concrete but just because the style feels so fresh. It's a mixture of odd shapes and line weights that I find incredibly interesting to look at. Best of all, the shape of the art is perfect for the tee.

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

Labels: sale, threadless

Half man, half horse, all awesome. That's the basic recipe for a centaur. The greatest thing about them is that their magic is so hard to explain. Why are centaurs the greatest of all mythological creatures? No one can put it into words. It transcends logic. It barrels through your ability to communicate and plunges right into your soul, so you're just left with your jaw hanging open and with one thought on your mind: CENTAURS ROCK!

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Shirt.Woot's newest derby is rare in that it has an artistic bent instead of a theme. For the One Continuous Line derby, all entries must be made of a single line. Here's the full description:

Everything in your design should be part of the same continuous line. We should only be able to see two ends to your line. Any other line endings sticking out somewhere will be cause for rejection. And no autonomous little design elements away from the main one. Your continuous line should render everything on the shirt.

No retracing the same path. The line should always be distinct from itself, if that makes sense. Don't fill in a space and try to tell us it's just one line that overlaps itself. Don't try multiple line endings on the grounds that the line turns back on itself.

One color only. No changing the color mid-line or using gradients.

Text is permitted as long as the treatment meets all the rules above. If you can draw text with one unbroken line with no retracing, knock yourself out.

Moderating this Derby might involve some judgment calls on our part, so if your design even comes close to breaking any of these rules, back away or risk rejection.

Labels: derby, shirt.woot

Shredded A by Brock Davis (Laser Bread) is deeply refreshing. In a sea of cartoons and illustrations, the clean and photographic monotone of the A is striking. It's the sort of shirt that only evolves when the artist looks beyond what has already been done in the medium, and ventures out into uncharted territory. It makes me wonder what could be achieved if all artists took the same leap, going back to basics and away from what is expected of them. Inspiring. I won't be buying this shirt (mainly due to what I feel is a minorly botched placement- I think the print ended up too high and too far on the left by an inch or two), but it definitely has my full respect.



Freaks In The Fun House by Aled Lewis (fatheed) is a very funny concept, capitalizing on the oddness of the folks you meet at carnivals as well as the specific amusements those places boast. I love the idea of Bendy-Dude and Mr Tall Skull having this one moment in their life staring into a fun house mirror, when they no longer have to feel strange or awkward- they're just another anonymous face in the crowd. It's a great drawing that will stick with you. But even though I love the art, I question whether a shirt was the best medium for it- it doesn't take advantage of the shirt in any way that I see, and it's not tremendously flattering due to the shape of the art. I'd rate it better as art than as a tee.

Sketchbook Life by Luke Wisner (Luke...) imagines drawings escaping from their home in a sketchbook. The watercolor effect was a great choice, because it makes the illustrations feel a bit like sunny, well-mannered ghosts- things that captured a specific moment but continue to live on as a reminder. To me, it gets to the heart of what sketches are, and does it in an attractive and interesting way. I have to admit, though, that I feel a bit letdown by the size of the print- in the product photos it looks too small to me, because to me it dulls the impact of the design (this only applies to the men's shirt I think, as the female version looks appropriately sized).



Friday, I'm In Love! by Loy Valera (kaloyster) is an interesting shirt to review because it's one of those times when I'm pretty sure I'm voicing a very minority opinion. Basically, it's not my kinda thing- it's just street sign folks acting out an old song to me. Not something I consider particularly clever or attractive. I understand that this is a song that may people really love, but even taking that into consideration I don't see the shirt as a great medium for it- it would have been a much better fit for a poster.

Eating Brains, Throwing Shapes by Aled Lewis (fatheed) is a moment-by-moment guide to the Thriller dance in the iconic Michael Jackson video. Oddly, it's actually the second shirt of this kind that I've seen (the first being a Woot design that I hated). My feeling on nostalgia is this- I'm fairly bored by it when it strikes me as simple regurgitation of something already popular in its own right. For me to be intrigued and excited, I want to see a twist of some kind, something that makes me see it all in a new light. So while I admire the work that went into this, I'm not really digging the shirt.

As with last week, the sale produced a ton of new designs so I'll be breaking it up over several days. More updates to come!

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

Labels: sale, threadless

Uneetee is the midst of a unique promotion, the 12 Random Deal Days of Christmas. Today is day number three of the event, with a deal that Uneetee fans are sure to enjoy- the always exciting $6 Mystery Shirt.

And of course the $3000 Design Contest is still underway, so designers best hop to it if they plan to enter- the submission deadline is December 31st, 2008.

Labels: sale, uneetee

Quit Howling at Me by Ross Zietz (arzie13) is, for me, the best shirt of the week. It's not just about the art, although the art is fantastic- there's a great mix of photographic realism and charming cartoon accents, and a deliciously subtle color palette. It's also one of the best toeing of the lines between artistry and humor that I've seen recently. I'm especially glad to see that it's a design by Ross Zeitz, whose earlier designs are among my favorites (Pandamonium and A Fathom Farewell in particular), but whose recent prints have tended to be too gimmicky for my tastes (The Great Animal Hunt and Un Censored). I love seeing an artist do work that meets their potential.



The Squid vs. The Whale by Brandon Ancone (Bancone Illustration) is a great example of how skill can overcome even the most done-to-death concept. I have seen a huge, insane amount of squid/whale battles, and this one still feels fresh to me. This is mainly due to the rendering itself, which has a soft, monotone ambiance that gives it the feeling of a drawing right out of scientific text. I caught this when it was in voting (rare for me) and was initially skeptical of how it would look on a shirt, so I have to give huge props to Threadless for really nailing the shirt placement. By placing the whale tail high on the shoulder, the entire composition is nicely grounded on the tee, and it looks fantastic.

Plot, It Builds Character by Joe Van Wetering is one of this week's slogan shirts, and as a phrase I think it's pretty tight. As a shirt, though, it feels really cheap to me, more like a CafePress special than a designed item from a site of Threadless's caliber. I think the problem is that so many cheaper sites already do this kind of thing, literary puns for the book-lover set. And while this is on par with those, I don't feel that it surpasses them. A more elaborate, less textured style (maybe inspired by illuminated manuscripts) might have saved this for me.



Medieval Special FX by Thomas De Santis (Montro) posits that hand puppet shadows were once a form of entertainment on par with movies, and thus had its own form of special effect. The core of the idea is pretty appealing, with its message that imagination is where real special effects happen. That said, a couple of issues prevent me from fully loving the design. One is simply that I wouldn't have made the connection between shadows and special effects without the benefit of seeing the title (maybe I'm too literal, but my reaction probably would have been "Why don't the shadows look more like the hands?"). The other concern is this- I don't associate shadow puppets with that era, I associate them with cavemen. I'm thinking that might have been a better fit, so I expect to see a sequel.

I Hate Attention Seekers by Evan Ferstenfeld isn't a favorite slogan of mine, but it's pretty solid and has a clear demographic. What it doesn't have is a text treatment that makes any level of sense to me. The entire point of attention seekers is that they're bigger than life, screaming for every scrap of attention that they can get- it's something that calls for hugeness and gaudiness. What the shirt design opted for instead is a real letdown, a boring-looking font in a small frame. I feel like it's way too understated for the attention seekers who must form the shirt's target demographic.

As with last week, the sale produced a ton of new designs so I'll be breaking it up over several days. More updates to come!

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

Labels: sale, threadless

3d VZ Lines by Wesmo is my pick for the best of the week mainly for one reason: it is the only shirt in the bunch that I'd consider wearing. Like many people who shop at online contest sites rather than department stores, I abhor most branding. This shirt gets past that by being more about stripes than it is about the company it promotes, and even better my location (the Midwest, far away from Von Zipper's target audience of surfers) means that pretty much no one I encounter would ever guess what the VZ is supposed to stand for. Of course, even though I think this is the best of the bunch, I still wouldn't buy it- although I think it looks great compared to the rest of the winners, I prefer my tees with a bit more artistry, something that was sadly not a major factor in the Von Zipper contest.



Von Zipper Anti Toxic by del_core is one of two shirts this week that actually seems to have paid attention to the contest's title, Let's Get Weird. But truthfully, the oddness is the only thing I really dig here. On a basic level, I just don't understand why I am supposed to want to wear a shirt with some red gas mask guy on it. A couple of odd choices (the too-long neck, odd striping, and collection of bizarre chunks behind the head) leave me even more confused. Combined with the branding (huge, not integrated into the art at all), it's not appealing to me at all.

Simply Insane by DesignByRyan is very, very heavily branded. I feel like this is the kind of shirt that, if I saw it among other Von Zipper merchandise, I might like. It's colorful and has some nice asymmetry. But honestly, I'm unable to figure out why DBH had to partner with them for a contest in order to get this shirt made. I'd think that giving any merchandise designer a little direction (repeat the logo, use some flourishes and a lot of color) would net a pretty similar result. Why go to DBH, the land of art-based tees, when all you want is your logo?



Splashy Colours by tomburns cracks me up, because it really does prove why Tom Burns is one of the biggest names in shirt design. He wasn't at all fooled by the contest's Let's Get Weird title, and he knew exactly what it was going to take to make bank and win some cash. Huge logo, paint splatter. Of course. Again, I don't know why Von Zipper had to go to DBH to get the design, but since they did I can't fault Tom giving them exactly what they wanted.

Proceed With Caution by campkatie is probably the most clever shirt they printed in this contest. I like the creativity of expressing the VZ through the legs and the crack in the ground, which is at least a bit weird (man did that contest title set me up for disappointment). The one-color artwork gives it a neat punk feel, so it almost feels like a shirt promoting a band than something advertising a big company.

Design By Humans is an on-going t-shirt design contest that prints new shirts every weekday. Prints are chosen from the shirts submitted by and voted on by DBH members. Shirt of the Day winners receive $500 cash and $250 DBH credit. Shirt of the Week winners get $1000 cash. Shirt of the Month gets $1500 cash and $250 credit. Winners also have an opportunity to earn residuals through the Rockstar Awards Program.

Labels: design by humans, vonzipper

Winter is a deeply strange season. While it is often associated with stillness, for my money it's also the most violent season around- it's the only season I know of that actively transforms the environment into an enemy, using weapons like ice, heavy snow and even hail to keep you cowering indoors and dreaming of warmer days. But there's always a silver lining, and winter's saving grace is that as harsh as it is, it is also gorgeous. Vo1ture captures the season's beauty in white and blue tones, even as birds flee to find safer skies.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Case Study #48: Bunny Family Anomalies by Andy Pitts (everything) is a pretty epic concept, exploring genetic mutation through bunnies. In a way, the joke has two layers- one being the mutations themselves (which get progressively more hilarious and extreme as the graphic progresses), and two being the fact that the animals are rabbits, implying a fast breeding cycle and the fact that these mutant rabbits could have appeared only a year into the experiment. I like the fact that the design is heavily weighted to one side, it directs the eye right towards the most amusing rabbits and gives the design a unique look.



Race by Fawn Fruits is far from the first shirt to give a zebra a shot of brilliant color. But what causes it to rise above the competition is the incredible skill and artistry that it is done with. Simulated process printing was an excellent choice, as it gives this artwork the benefit of some amazing gradient work and shadowing. Both the zebra and its stripes really pop off the canvas of the shirt, very nice.

All The Shogun's Men by Terence Mack (viralVISUAL) is an interesting, comic book-ish take on samurai. The main thing I like is that the style sets it apart from the bulk of what Threadless prints- I feel like their amount of diversity has been increasing in the last year or so, and it's a very welcome change. That said, as I compare the photos of the print to the original submission, it looks like they've done away with a lot of the halftone dot effects (I'm wishing for a larger closeup image of this so I could be more certain, but the shadows on the figures seem dot-free). Typically I'd call that an upgrade, but I think here it might actually hurt the comic look that's going on. It's a good shirt still, but a bit less unique than it might have been.



Cat Bait by Christine Newsom (fatal_infection) really baffled me when I saw that it had printed. In the product photos it looked pretty bland, with a bunch of silhouettes just seeming to float in space. Even the spacing seemed off, as the fish didn't look like it was placed well in relation to the cat. So when I clicked the original submission, I was in for a huge shock- as submitted, this shirt was pretty awesome! It was intended as a huge print, with the birds flying right off the sleeve and the cat wrapping around the torso. By sizing these elements so largely, it eliminated the floaty feeling and kept the silhouettes from seeming overly similar or dull. The size downgrade killed the appeal for me, and I'm genuinely bummed that the design was sacrificed like this in favor of cutting costs.

The Crayfish Crush by Owen Davey (mlurb) is soooo classic Threadless. The visual gag is both hilarious and original, and even better the style is on point. There are some really nice touches in the art, like the antennae forming hearts and the adoring eyes of the crustacean. Very solid stuff, and it looks amazing on the gold shirt.

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

Labels: sale, threadless

InkHound's newest hat is Up by RikkiB, and if you've seen the artist's other work then you know what to expect here. It's a doodle-style swath of white ink on a black hat, nicely framed with some piping. I have to say, given the level of detail on the print I would have loved to see a more close up view of how it printed, particularly since some of the current photos make it look like the detail ended up getting a bit blotchy.

The shirt print, The Bird House by metaKEHN is interesting in that it was given a very high placement- which, on the comp at least, seems to only cover the top half of the shirt. It's a bit of a strange cut-off for me, which is too bad because I do enjoy the art. There's some nice motion and I love the look of that huge bird in the background, looming over the house.

Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.

Labels: inkhound

I grew up with a weeping willow tree in my backyard, which has lead me to believe that it is the superior form of tree. Unlike other trees, its very existence is cloaked in secrecy- leaves hang in long lines that skim the grass, providing a natural fort or playhouse for anyone small enough to see the world as a series of places to play. If I saw that tree today, I'm sure it would seem much smaller than the towering tree I still see in my mind's eye... but I'll never forget the awe I felt as a kid. This design reminds me of both the hope and fear of growing up- wishing to be bigger, but at the same time wondering if the world will still seem quite this awesome when it's less new and fresh.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Wooshka is having a huge holiday sale- all tees are marked down to $15. Even better, site members can save an additional 40% with the code XMAS.

I'm a big fan of a.mar.illo's La Dolce Vida, and for anyone looking to pick up a copy this is probably the best deal yet!

Labels: sale, wooshka

This week's Derby at Shirt.Woot has an Optimism theme. Which should be interesting. Here's Woot's description of their intentions:

Anybody who's spent ten minutes watching the news knows: we could all use some tidings of comfort and joy right about now. In the interest of starting 2009 on a positive note, we're looking for your cheeriest, twinkliest, upbeatest shirt designs. We want to see t-shirts that will make us feel like everything's gonna be swell, just swell. We want designs that fill us with the confidence to face all the challenges each new day presents. We're pessimistic that any t-shirt can turn us into cockeyed optimists, especially since we don't know what "cockeyed" means. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try!

No text this week.

Labels: derby, shirt.woot

Marshmallow Mayhem by Daniel Abensour (Aphte) is a real gem, with a host of funny-faced creatures and objects that are a lot of fun to discover. It's a bit like peering directly in to a cartoon-soaked kid's imagination. I like the cheery undertone to the fighting, which gives the impression of this all being the result of sugary hyperactivity rather than anything underhanded. It's good stuff all around, with the possible exception of the shape the design creates on the tee- it feels a bit like a rectangle with two larger corners, while something more chaotic might have reinforced the concept more strongly.



Monster Mash Collaboration of HORROR by Monster Mob (ISABOA) is a huge collaboration. So I feel like before I discuss my opinion on this design, I probably ought to get something out in the open. I really tend to dislike large collaborations. I mean, in theory I like them- I think it's always cool to get more people participating and all. But in practice, most collaborations turn into huge rectangles of tiny illustrations, which to me is not terrifically attractive. And yeah, this design didn't really manage to escape from that rectangular fate. But all is not lost, because it does a couple of things very, very well- namely the colors. The colors were well-selected, and look pretty tremendous on the shirt. But what I'm really impressed with is the balance created- it's really common on collab shirts to have heavier areas, especially when lots of colors are involved, but this one is well-dispersed. Apart from the shape, it's a nice tee.

It's A Jam Mr. Police by Budi Satria Kwan (radiomode) depicts a horrible amount of traffic, and the poor guy trying to sort this mess out. The spare style of the cars is really nicely done, conveying the feeling of an overwhelming situation but still focusing all attention on the police officer. But, as much as I am annoying myself by harping on composition shape for the third shirt in a row... it really is an issue here. Cars fade out oddly, and for no apparent reason. The shape of the illustration is differently proportioned than the space available on the shirt, which makes it feel as though it is floating oddly. I think this is a good shirt that fell short of greatness because of it.



Start Walking Behind Me We Can Start a Parade by Kevin Ireland is one of this week's slogans. I don't really get the appeal here, honestly. Pretty much the only time it would be amusing to me is at an actual parade, and even then... eh. The text treatment is alright, doing its job of implying motion and marching, but not really anything inspiring or worth writing home about. I miss the slogan shirts from a few months ago, when more illustrative type treatments had their day in the sun.

I Feel All Warm and Fuzzy Inside, Like I Swallowed a Kitten by Kate Zimmerman is a truly great slogan- it plays off a familiar phrase so well that it almost feels like a movie quote or something. It just has that kind of power. The text treatment is pretty decent, with some nice drawn fur. But it also displays exactly why I'm not happy with the Type Tee segregation- how awesome would this shirt have been with a fuzzy ink? Seriously. I want Threadless to go the extra mile, and I feel like the exclusive slogan site and consistent price point give them an excuse to do this half-assed. I'd rather see the slogans raised to the level of the rest of the collection than be allowed to flounder on their own site (hopefully the newest Loves competition will help make this happen).

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

More updates on Threadless's new tees will follow later this week- they've released so much, I couldn't quite keep up!

Labels: sale, threadless

There's a new contest on at Bang Bang T-Shirts, and all you need to do to win is to design a tee linked to your view of the future. It's pretty wide open as themes go, so I hope people really have fun with this one.

Enter before March 2nd, 2009 for your chance to win £125 or the equivalent in your currency.

Labels: bang bang t-shirts, future

The Threadless Loves the Joy of Text competition is looking for designs that "manipulate text in a way that it becomes the design, rather than just being a part of it." This should be an interesting opportunity for text-based designs, which usually having scoring trouble.

Enter before January 9th, 2009 for your chance to win a prize package including the opportunity to design two upcoming Typetees, a Wacom Intuos 6x8 tablet, Typography by Veer wall graphics courtesy of Blik, a $250 Blik gift certificate, every issue of every in print Stop Smiling back issue, and prizes from the Threadless community- all in addition to the customary Threadless prize of $2000 and a $500 Threadless gift certificate.

Labels: joy of text, loves threadless, threadless

Cameesa, my favorite not-quite-a-contest, is shaking up their investment-based model with a new tactic. From now on, investors have the option of hedging their bets by placing the same $20 investment on multiple designs. It's a great addition for people like me who favor several tees there, but are unwilling to pour money into the system.

In order to make this new system work, all the designs were set back to zero. So if your favorite designs were swirling the drain at the bottom of the pile before, take another look. With the new system you can vote both on those overlooked favorites and the powerhouse designs that are storming their way towards a print. Whichever design prints first is the shirt you'll get.

Bravo to Cameesa for taking a chance with this- I think it's exactly the change the site needed to give some of those lower ranked entries a shot at competing.

Labels: cameesa

Positive Influence by Mikko Walamies (henrillo) is my favorite shirt this week for its oddness- I like the concept of this one crazy creature infecting the crowd around him with zaniness. The geometric elements also catch my interest and direct the eye nicely- although they also immediately remind me of Shapeshifters Are Us by the same artist. Apart from that they're very different, so it's not a problem so much as interesting- I feel like the two shirts are cousins because the style is otherwise so uncommon.



The Power-Object Necklace by Lettie Jane Rennekamp is this week's Select, doing basically exactly what the title implies. It's an interesting collection of objects, with a lot of repetition- what really makes me keep looking is the intermediaries between kinds, like the peacock feather that bridges the feather and eye object types or the jumble of lines that at first looks like a flower. The inclusion of random pins is a cool gimmick- I like that it adds dimension and texture, something usual absent on shirts. Overall it's a bit plain for my tastes, but I think it has a lot of merit.

Wolken by moki (mioke) is kind of an interesting piece for me, since I don't fully understand the concept at first glance (usually I at least think I do). I could kind of see it going two ways, either the character is being blown around in the wind (hanging on to a cloud for stability) or she's in the sky, sleepily creating the clouds. Given the shirt color I lean towards the first interpretation, but the lumpy construction of the girl implies that she IS wind. Definitely a cool drawing. Where it falls a bit short for me is... well, literally in how short it looks on the shirt. It's too bad that it couldn't cover the length of the shirt a bit better, as that would have had a lot more impact.



Thou Shalt Not Steal by Craig Watkins (wotto) centers around a character with inkblot hair, which is both a neat visual effect and an indicator of what this guy is- something sticky that gets everywhere. The assortment of stolen items finds its humor by being varied and unlikely (I'd rate the Mona Lisa and ghosts as being about equally probable in terms of a heist). Definitely a nice tee, though I have to say I think a colored shirt instead of boring cream might have made it even better.

The Birdhouse Thief by Jim Mitchell (jrmasm) is shirt that really took me by surprise. The concept of trees actively wanting to be populated with birds is kind of heart-warming, and I like the ridiculousness of it. The skill of the drawing (I'm especially impressed by how the knots of the tree form joints) makes this a winner.

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

More updates on Threadless's new tees will follow later this week- they've released so much, I couldn't quite keep up!

Labels: sale, threadless

Change isn't always for the better, as this design indicates. It's a good principle to always bear in mind the costs of advancement, and how history might look upon the change. But a clash of attitudes is always interesting, regardless of which side you fall in with, and this shirt is both beautiful and thought-provoking.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Thrillin' Bear by siXsiXsiX is my shirt of the week, as it's a striking design that I've been hoping to see printed for awhile now. As a huge fan of bears, lightning, and pink on grey, I'm pretty much the exact target audience for this kind of thing. But I think it has a lot to offer even for less strident fans of those types of imagery, from its great use of layering to the well-rendered fur of the bear.



Unleashed Freedom by GoonHand is a really gorgeous and thoughtful drawing, with soft lines and patterning that set a quiet, enlightened mood. The man's expression broadcasts his sacrifice, that in freeing the bird he will personally lose something valuable, while overall the bird's release is for the greater good. It's a great message. As a shirt, my opinion is somewhat less favorable- I feel that the bottom-heavy imagery doesn't really do people wearing it any favors, even though the artwork is great. I just feel it's better suited for a poster.

UNITY by aliadotony is another favorite this week- it's a strong vision of propaganda style, but done in a way that puts art and design first. The solid dark shapes and geometry pulled me right in, and the details held my interest (from the workers up top to the art implements near the head). The head itself is something I have mixed feelings on, as it's definitely a major focal point but the perfectly round eyes freak me out- it's a bit cyborg, which I'm not sure was intentional. The branding (as this is a print of something from the Unity Through Art contest) works well, due mainly to the subtlety and the fact that this style almost requires some symbols and slogans. It's a solid shirt, and very wearable.



Vintage v.2 by si-ajidz is kind of an interesting shirt, since I like the stripe motif but otherwise I don't really get it. I mean, I understand that there's a fighter pilot. I just don't see the relation between that and the stripes, the paint splatter... it's odd. I feel like the design is missing something, because as-is it doesn't stand out to me.

Gather Ye Rosebuds by jimiyo is freaking awesome. It's an epic piece of visual storytelling, which is emphasized by it's huge print size on the shirt. But the print size is both an asset and a demerit- it's great because the size lets you appreciate the linework and the sword looks even more impressive because it covers the entire width of the chest. But, unfortunately, that size also puts the text "Gather Ye Rosebuds" directly over the crotch, which is... not so good. Since this fact has been mentioned to me by several people, I think it might be a dealbreaker. Which is to bad, because the artwork is amazing.

Design By Humans is an on-going t-shirt design contest that prints new shirts every weekday. Prints are chosen from the shirts submitted by and voted on by DBH members. Shirt of the Day winners receive $500 cash and $250 DBH credit. Shirt of the Week winners get $1000 cash. Shirt of the Month gets $1500 cash and $250 credit. Winners also have an opportunity to earn residuals through the Rockstar Awards Program.

Labels: design by humans

From the moment I saw Crushem post this in the forums, I knew it would be a great print. His drawing style is fresh and the concept is totally original. Even better, it has an expressive quality that I think all artists can relate to.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury

Bad As Hell has announced the winners of their recent Pin-Up contest, with the honors going to Starlet by a.mar.illo and B.A.D. Girl by Aliadotony. While there was some strong competition, I think these two were the best choices. B.A.D. Girl really nails that vintage styling, and Starlet is drawn with incredible charm (both pose and expression are perfect). Now is a great time to pick them up, as there's a store-wide holiday sale that knocks all prices down to just $14.95.



And just as the Pin-Up contest closes, Bad As Hell have announced a new one: they've teamed up with the up-and-coming band No Talent (currently boasting 11k MySpace fans). In this contest, designers are asked to create a shirt based on their music. A winner will be chosen on December 31st, 2008, earning $200 and 50 cents residual for each shirt sold in the first month of sales.

Labels: badashell, no talent, pin-up girls

Ink Hound's selection this week include Climatebird by a.mar.illo, a hat with a great look. I'm drawn in both by how the design wraps across the panels of the hat and by the textural element of the embroidery, which is a great value-adder. Calm Before by herman is the shirt offering, and has a nice sense of motion to it. The splatter effects and unflattering placement, though, make it a no-go for me.

Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.

Labels: inkhound

Red Is White, a Christian-themed shirt design competition, has announced three new winners, the best of which is undoubtedly Down Your House by radiomode. It's a very classy design, using metallic ink and a church window inspired framing to broadcast both style and reverence. The other two winners were Instinct by emosamurai and Many Sparrows by Kirki Jennifer. What's interesting to me about both those choices is that I wouldn't have pegged either as having any religious significance. I find the designs wearable, but not particularly interesting in any way, which makes me wonder why the site didn't capitalize on the spirituality that sets them apart from the competition by printing some works that more obviously fit that tone.

Printed designers earn $400 cash, $100 in Red is White credit, and $2 per shirt sold (once the initial run of 250 shirts is completed).

Labels: red is white

This week A Better Tomorrow released two tees, both parodying Star Wars. Snow Wars by Anger depicts snowmen who use their carrot noses as light sabers, while I'm Your Father by Edgar... I think is making a joke about how cassettes kind of look like Darth Vader's helmet? I admit, I don't quite understand that one. As a non-Star Wars fan, neither really grabs me (though I love the color choices in Snow Wars). But I love that they printed two shirts, and I think releasing a themed pair is a cool idea that I hope they'll be repeating in the future.

A Better Tomorrow chooses winners from the shirt designs submitted and voted on by site users. Although the site is in German, designers from all over the world can enter and win. Winners earn 500 euros when printed.

Labels: a better tomorrow

If you missed the recent sale, or maybe if supporting charities gets you more excited that saving cash, now is a great time to buy from Design By Humans. For each shirt that you purchase before Christmas, DBH will be donating $1 to Toys for Tots.

Labels: charity, design by humans

Uneetee is kicking off the year with a big bang, and that means a super-sized prize for the first winner of 2009. All you have to do to be eligible for the $3000 jackpot is to enter a design before December 31st, 2008. A winner will be chosen based on quality, number of votes, and comments.

And of course, the Uneetee Winter Sale is underway. So if you've been eyeing some of their wares, this is your opportunity to nab a tee for as little as $13.

Labels: $3000, sale, uneetee

The Sailor and the Sea Serpent by Jason Urban is this week's Select, and also by far my favorite of the new tees. The all-over striped look definitely stands out from most shirts, and even better it's essential to the concept. The swirling snake has almost a hypnotic appearance hidden in those stripes. It's an iconic kind of shirt, because it's a strong look that I'm sure will be imitated a lot in the years to come.



Squeeze by Dale Edwin Murray is a neat mix of realism and cartoon- the hand is a halftoned photograph, but the little character is 100% fantasy. What makes the tee for me is the creature's confused face- he seems as confused by this predicament as the viewer presumably is.

The Seven Ages Of Mandelion by Jonathan Turner (BaronVonMonkey) kind of rules. It reminds me of an evolution design done in a scientific drawing style, but the surreal nature of it is what really makes it shine. That said, the repeating nature of the design (that it begins and ends with a seed) makes me really sad that there's no wraparound. Even a trail of seeds across the back shoulders would go a long way towards completing the idea.



Larry The Fox Doesn't Feel So Clever Anymore by Paul Odders (Johnny Baboon) shows a lonely red fox amidst a monotone forest- at least at first glance. The real fun happens when you start to notice all the hidden black and white creatures squeezed into the scene. There's a nice mix of things that you'll see almost instantly (the zebra) and stuff that takes a little longer to notice (the lemur, perched on a branch)- it's enough to make the concept pretty clear even to a casual glance, but also with enough depth to support a sustained look.

The Big Catch by William Chua (xiaobaosg) is a snapshot of an epic battle in progress, with a housecat determined to land a monster fish. Expressions are the main asset here, with the fish's look somewhere between confusion and "bitch please," and the cat's look a portrait of unwavering grit. It's a really great drawing. The shirt color, though, feels really overpowering to me. I think because it's so strong, a lot of the delicate lines get a bit lost. A lighter shirt color would have resulted in a nicer final product, in my opinion.



Don't Trust In Cute Bunnies by Matheus Lopes Castro (mathiole) is another favorite this week, earning its spot with it's hilarious use of UV inks. Even without the inks, I think the concept stands up pretty well- I got the impression that the magician had somehow managed to disappear himself, leaving only a trail of his magical implements and rabbits. The UV puts a neat twist on it, depicting those bunnies as his adorable killers.



Shelf Life by Richard Lee (lofty softy) is like a sneak peek into the closet of a mad scientist. It's a cool concept, though the boxy execution means that I'm of two minds about the design- it's a great image, but the shape isn't exactly doing great things for the person wearing it. I'd say that a larger print might have helped, or better yet a more erratic shelving system with some wraparound or elements on back. As-is it's great art and would make a great print, but I'm not totally sold on it as a shirt.

Photo Finish by Neil Gregory (NGee) has a unique approach to the question of which came first, chicken or egg- though I was disappointed to see that the shirt seems to declare a clear winner. At any rate, it's a fairly funny concept. I find it kind of dull as a shirt though, as there isn't really any extra flair, humor or attractiveness here. It doesn't stand out to me at all, which is kind of disappointing.



Zombies Only Want You For Your Brain by Julian Callos is a pretty great slogan- it keys into the very nature of zombies, and also references the classic phrasing of youthful insecurity. The font selection is a good fit, but I really think something hand made would have been more fun- I think a different treatment of the word Brain would have been an attractive and funny touch.

You Can't Spell Random Without Tangerine Swordfish Disco Car by Dan Maltzman is this week's other slogan. And... I hate it. I've tried not to, since I like the text treatment and I'm generally in favor of oddness. But something about this slogan just feels like it's an unfunny attempt to cash in on the magic of Haikus Are Easy. I don't know, I guess this randomness seems too forced.



Invasion by Wenceslao Almazan (walmazan) definitely stands out in this crop of tees, due largely to its use of an interior print. With a host of cute creatures made visible when you life the shirt a bit, it's a perfect kid's tee. Which is, frankly, where the shirt kind of loses me- are there really a lot of adults who want to lift their shirts to show people cartoons? Really? I think this one might have been better off if exclusively offered for kids.



Boynado by Brock Davis (Laser Bread) is a cute look at giving tornadoes some personality. In some ways it's successful- I love the concept (that cow definitely got a giggle out of me) and the style is refreshing. Shirt placement, though, feels pretty arbitrary. It's a bit large and awkward for a chest print, which makes me wish that the tornadoes were much taller (something that would also make them appear more threatening, making the scene funnier).

Musical Chairs by Chris Sharron is the sort of punnage that people expect from Threadless, for good or ill. For me, it's not particularly strong- the joke is a quick laugh, but it's not a good-looking tee. The death metal chair is the only truly strong joke in the bunch, and it's just not enough to build a shirt on.



I Love Pole Dance by Lim Heng Swee (ilovedoodle) is kind of a naive take on the phrase pole dance, which is pretty amusing. I think the animals are fun, but when I look at this shirt the main thing on my mind is "Why did Threadless cheap out on the production?" I mean, this is clearly a shirt that should run from the collar to the hem, and yet... it doesn't. It just floats there. Production can really make a shirt like this, and the lack of effort there torpedoes this one. It's very unfortunate.

We Are The People of The World by Budi Satria Kwan (concreterocket) is an infographic showing the time differences all over the world. I would love this as a print (although I wish it was a bit more accurate). As a shirt... I just think all the data would be too small to be worthwhile. It's also not an interesting shape except at a very close viewing, which for me makes this not a shirt worth investing in.

Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.

Labels: sale, threadless

Propaganda art is strong, bold, and intriguing- it has to be, because its aim is typically to entice or bully people into subscribing to someone else's agenda. What I enjoy about this piece is the way it uses the language of propaganda imagery to create something beautiful and without a subliminal message, letting viewers enjoy the form without the distasteful meaning.

TeeFury is a site that prints exactly one shirt every day. It's a great deal for artists, who earn $1 per shirt sold and maintain full rights to their artwork. If you're interested in being printed at TeeFury, email me and we'll talk.

Labels: teefury