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Tuesday, March 31
In honor of this grand holiday, let us celebrate classic jokes, humor, and internet awesomes. I can think of no better way to usher in April Fools Day than with Ceiling Cat.
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.
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Monday, March 30
Every illustration begins with a single line on paper. That moment is full of possibility, because it could become literally anything imaginable. This design, with lines that transform into peaks and oceans, is a gorgeous visualization of that principle.
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.
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DBH's Music Series has taken an interesting turn- this contest is to design a shirt for Lil Wayne, quite a departure from the rock-inspired contests we've seen previously. It's impossible to predict what type of shirts this will result in, so it should definitely be fun to watch.
Enter before April 19th, 2009 for your chance to win. 1st Place earns $1,500 cash, $250 DBH Credit and 2 Lil Wayne Concert Tickets. 2nd Place wins $750 cash and $250 DBH Store Credit. 3rd Place will receive $500 cash and $250 DBH Store Credit. 4th Place gets $250 cash and $250 DBH Store Credit.
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Sunday, March 29
Use discount code 3JHUYD (expires Thursday, April 2) or 4ELCWZ (expires Thursday, April 9) on your next purchase for a 10% discount!
.:SET ME FREE:. by dzeri29 is my favorite shirt this week. What I'm digging is the subtlety of the piece, that the longer you look the more elements you begin to notice. There's some nice play in the way the woman's face becomes skull-like, which gives the bird new significance. Is the bird representing freedom in flying away, or has he come to scavenge from the corpse, the spirit of which is now free? It's neatly concepted and looks awesome when worn.
Japanese Face by hyprokinetic is a great, iconic drawing of a samurai's face. The expression gives the guy a lot of character, despite the fact that we can't see much of him- he's suspicious and guarded. The distressing helps him to feel battle-worn. One thing that kind of throws me for a loop is the presence of the two triangles. Since everything else is so expressive, that geometric precision seems out of place and draws my eye to it.
Paradiso by myargie22 has a really cool concept and shape to it- it feels like a mountain of nature, with a human figure in the midst of it. But that human element, specifically the fact that it's a naked dude, kind of makes it tough to pull off wearing. I like nature and all, but I also like pants. At any rate, if that aspect isn't a deal-breaker for you, it's a solid design. The tree branches top off the illustration nicely and the gradient is both natural-looking and eye-catching.
Halftone Robot by Old30Bastard is a lot more subtle than most of what DBH prints- I think this is simultaneously its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It's awesome because the low-key nature of the look makes it wearable in more situations, since it's not overpowering. But honestly, I'm not sure I'd be willing to shell out $20 for a shirt so low-profile. Since DBH has so many shirts that make a huge impact, for me this would get lost in the shuffle.
Dead nature urban industry by deyaz has artwork that caught me by surprise the first time I saw it. While it's a skull design, it takes a completely different approach to the material than most. The bandanna pattern of the teeth conveys the toughness we associate with industrial areas, but up top it's a different story. Color, silhouettes, and trees show that despite the setting, it's still a place full of life. It's about questioning assumptions and looking deeper.
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.
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Since the last time I checked in with Springleap, they've printed two new contest winners. First up is Take Down the Moon by Trabe. The clean, almost silhouetted style works well and gives the design a classic feel. The one thing I'm not so crazy about is the hook on the moon- it feels odd and unnecessary just floating in space as it is. Why not just have the moon float instead of hooking the moon to nothing?
The newest winner is Cmatos's Ice Cream Factory. This one is just pure fun, with a team of penguins having a blast as they manufacture the treats. Some very skilled halftoning increases the design's effectiveness (check out that penguin frozen into an ice cube) and gives the illusion of more colors. I'm not sure I understand why the design is shown so small on the shirt, though- with details as solidly executed as this, I'd want to see them larger.
Springleap announces a winner every two weeks, with that designer earning R3741.09 cash and R3741.09 in Springleap vouchers. And don't forget, winners also receive R2 per shirt sold.
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Saturday, March 28
In honor of the founder's birthday, Fair & Bare has issued a 28% off coupon code for today. Just type "HAPPYBDAY" for your discount at checkout.
I used the discount to pick up Wotto's excellent Tree Huggin', but there are a lot of great choices available, including the most recent winner Why Witches Don't Go On Vacations by Chris Risse.
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Itself has printed up a new tee, Making Up For Lost Time by Jsheldon. I like the premise of the piece because it ties into that common feeling of wishing there were more hours in the day, or wanting to turn back the clock and try again. For the most part, it's excellently rendered (especially the sand). What I'm less solid on is the character himself, who feels weirdly lumpy and ungainly to me. It's a fairly minor issue, except that the red shirt draws my eyes right to it.
Winners at itself receive $1750 cash and $250 in here itself credits. There is also the possibility of a later reprint for shirts that sell well, doubling the reward.
If you've yet to try shirts from Itself, now is a great time- they're offering 25% off until April 2nd, 2009 with coupon code TLSFSPRING25.
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Friday, March 27
ShirtFight has chosen a new champ, and the victor is Spirit Quest by Zipperking. Here's what I like about this- it's a great take on the theme, Animal People, and it also fills a fairly unique niche in shirts, as Native American imagery is pretty under-represented in my opinion. The illustration gets to the heart of what these kinds of rituals are all about, showcasing the transformative nature of the dance. I think my favorite bit is the level of detail in the dancer. Overall, a very cool piece.
The theme for this coming week is, well, everything on this list. It's a celebration of the founder's birthday, and as such should be especially interesting to watch.
Enter before April 2nd, 2009 for your chance at the $500 prize.
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Inkhound has a new shirt up, Lady of the Snow by MaskofIcarus. This is one of those times where it's a real asset for Inkhound that they print on hoodies in addition to t-shirts, because the subject matter is so well-suited to it. The artwork itself feels a bit stiff, but in some ways that suits the icy mood of the piece.
The hat is Fresh by mathiole, which I've reviewed previously. I remain impressed by the all-over print, even though I'm not digging the specific imagery.
Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.
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Thursday, March 26
The newest derby theme at Shirt.Woot has been announced, and it is Music. Here's the info direct from Woot:
You've listened to the soundtrack...you've been served the summons...now wear the t-shirt! This week we're looking for visual depictions, investigations, commentaries, and triumphant riffs on music in all its permutations. Except a tree shaped like a guitar shaped like a tree. It's been done.
Obviously, avoid using the names and likenesses of any actual musicians, unless they're, like, some old composers or something who are too dead and European to sue us.
No text. Thank you! Good night!
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Wednesday, March 25
Looking at nature fills anyone with wonder, and for a certain brand of artist it can also fill you with extreme envy. Imagine painting something that takes on its own life right before your eyes...
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.
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A Better Tomorrow's newest winner is Oh No I Am K by Creeze. I have to say, I'm kind of torn on this one. I think the illustration is really well-done, and with a style that is both unique and attractive. The problem I run into here is that it feels really niche. In order to get the joke of the shirt, you have to be reasonably well-versed in print production. I'm also a little unclear on why being one color would be bad, exactly. Of course, knowing that this was a winner in ABT's one-color minimalism contest does give it more context and make it funnier. It's just too bad that most people who see the shirt won't know that!
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.
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Tuesday, March 24
Two flowers, each standing only by leaning on the other, try to maintain their footing even as death swirls behind them, waiting to pounce. Symbolic, meaningful, and most importantly a great-looking shirt.
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.
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Uneetee's newest winner is Temple of the Fireflies by spacemonkeydr. It makes a good first impression, because the temple sits really nicely on the shirt. The diagonal of the roofs cuts a cool diagonal across the fabric. It's really the firefly aspect that I'm less fond of- the linear streaks don't look like any fireflies I've ever seen, and instead remind me of power lines. Still a decent shirt, though I think some time spent actually looking at fireflies could have made it even cooler.
Uneetee chooses winners from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners receive $1500, with the chance to earn more through reprints.
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Monday, March 23
Choose Your Own Adventure! by Edgar R. McHerly is an awesome shirt, harking back to the days when you'd make a choice, flip the page... and then die in some insane way no one could have predicted. If you were lucky, you'd remembered to keep the last choice bookmarked with your finger and you could soldier on in search of a happier ending. The nostalgia is strong, and the style is a great fit- the sketches feel like a particularly talented kid's attempt to clone the books he loves. And of course, the bear-mauling scene just plain looks hysterical. While part of me questions whether there might have been a more shirt-friendly way to lay out the design, it's still a definite buy for me.
The Shower by AJ Dimarucot (the110) is a cool idea, but looks odd to me on the shirt. I feel that the city and the rain feel like two unrelated areas, maybe because the lines are at opposing angles. I like the concept of this meteor storm about to rain down on an unsuspecting cityscape, but to me the lines don't convey that as well at they could. The abrupt, blocky line endings seem more representative of beams of light than chunks of falling rock.
Self Serve/Surf by Jimmy Tan W. H. appeals to me in an absurdist way. The idea of this huge, awkward creature cutting his way through waves is funny and gets the imagination moving. Style is another plus, as the clash between the realism of the elephant and his drawn surroundings makes it feel like a crazy dream the pachyderm is having. It's a solid piece, if anything I'd just want it to fill up more of the shirt.
The Capital by Lim Heng Swee (ilovedoodle) has an amazing look, one that caught me by surprise and made me instantly covet it. As a poster print. I am so bummed by the shirt, which makes the print seem super-short (longer art would have helped to mitigate the rectangle issue). I think part of this is just a template problem- Threadless shirts seem to be kind of ridiculously long, so designers don't realize how tall their art would have to be to fill more of the shirt. At any rate, for now at least I have to pass on the shirt, but I'm hoping for a print to happen very soon as the artwork is perfect for that.
Panda 2K by Michelle Li (littleclyde) is a solid piece of character design, giving a shy, peaceful creature the stance and power of a mighty robot. His portrayal is that of a reluctant hero, protecting a city his size disallows him from living in as he stares upwards with drippy eyes, seeming to question his fate. While it's not the kind of thing I would personally buy, I for sure admire the artistry.
Fashion Faux Pas by Andy Gonsalves (andyg) is another character piece, but probably one with more mass appeal. The fashion cannibalism of the raccoon is instantly funny, and something people of any age and background will react to (which makes it odd that there's no kids version). I love the raccoon's empty eyes, and his sleek lines back up the fact that this is an animal with more style than common sense. Excellent work.
The definition of suspense is... by Andrew Gregory is a solid slogan. The style of the type is a throwback to those shocking proclamations in the trailers for old movies, hinting at action, danger and adventure that they probably never managed to deliver. Pretty fun, but for me there's not enough added value in the look of the shirt to make it worth paying the full $15 price.
Soul Sister by Pietari Posti is this week's Select. It has some elements I definitely like, as the drawing is skilled and the colors are well-chosen. I'm not really feeling this shirt as a whole, though- that huge mass of black hair looks kind of gross sitting on the stomach as it does. Even worse, is that armpit hair? Not really digging this.
My creative juices may contain pulp by Caleb Edmondson is a pretty nifty slogan, hinging on the multiple definitions of the word pulp. The text treatment reinforces the dual-meaning well, and makes for a good-looking orange shirt. While there's nothing I particularly dislike, I also am not very drawn to it. Like a lot of Type Tees, it comes off a bit bland.
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.
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Sunday, March 22
Use discount code 3JHUYD on your next purchase for a 10% discount! (expires Thursday, April 2)
Vulpes by stumpyhorse is my pick for shirt of the week. The foxes are great characters, with a style that stands out. I love the strange drippyness, which lends a mysterious, slinky quality to the animals. Add in some layering and solid color choices (I'm digging the purple on pale blue) and it becomes one of my favorite recent prints from DBH. It's also very unique, which I love to see.
SPACE JUNK! by kristenhoward is attention-getting and fun. I love that the entire front of the shirt has a subtle pattern of galaxies and star systems, which also has a neat side effect of adding depth to the piece. I'm enjoying the gradient effect on the junk, but am not hugely enthused about the junk itself. I can't tell what most of it is, because it's so sketch, and I think some refining in style and item type could have leveled up this design as a whole. I'd still wear it as-is, but it feels like a missed opportunity.
V is for vanity by radiomode is an interesting shirt for me, because I really respect the art but at the same time, can't really imagine who would wear it. The issue for me is that the peacock has an ugly brown body. It's an odd choice since the birds are actually a brilliant shade of blue in every picture I've seen. As much as I love the overlapping and color that has been done with the feathers, it all emanates from this kind of gross looking bird. For me, it's a deal breaker.
De-pollute by ikeniru is a huge splash of white wings and small, colored doodles on a black shirt. I suspect this is the kind of thing that you either love or hate, and unfortunately I'm not loving it. Looking at it, I can't tell what it is. It doesn't communicate an emotion or story, and since the art itself doesn't grab me, I'm left without anything to latch onto that could assign this value.
Primordial Duel by samanpwbb is a bold and fun piece of character design, with colors that immediately got my attention and won my favor. The robot, in contrast with traditional robot depictions, feels alive with emotion (mainly fear and rage). His wild pose gives the impression of a creature who is truly fighting for his life. It's an awesome design, and I love that DBH printed something with this level of cartoon cool instead of sticking to the paint splatter stuff they're most well-known for.
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.
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Inkhound's newest shirt design is Cronikas by Tobefonseca, a design that combines neatly penned textures with soft explosions of color. It's the sort of design where I don't know what it's about, and that's part of why I like it- it feels like a strange fairy tale from another land.
The hat design is a returning favorite, Mustache Casanova Underground by j3concepts. It's a cool looking all-over print that is definitely worth picking up if you missed its previous runs.
Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.
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Saturday, March 21
Cameesa is the only site on the internet where you can directly support artists and designs you like by pledging money to get them printed. While the cost of entry was formerly $20, the site's increased success lately has given them the ability to bump the price of supporting down to just $10- impressively low, since it gives you both a free copy of the shirt and the opportunity to earn $0.02 every time someone buys the design you supported.
That's not the only change on the horizon- Cameesa is also promising to add new products (including hoodies) for artists to submit work on, and a site redesign. Stay tuned!
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I previewed this design from A Better Tomorrow last week, but now that it's up for sale it's time for a full review. The Art of Letting Go by Myargie22 is a great piece, using color to illustrate the swooping motion of birds. The face nested in the chaos lends a moral to the design- despite the pain of releasing things, watching them leave can be a beautiful and meaningful experience. My only concern is with the shirt color- I initially though it was a light shade of blue, which is a great fit. But the silver color of the actual print is somewhat less effective to me. Still a badass shirt regardless.
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.
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Friday, March 20
ShirtFight's debut contest has just ended, and the big winner is Evanimal with You Might Need More Than a Nightlight This Time. It's a great choice, with three unique (and excellently textured) monsters rising up from below an unfortunate kid's bed. I love the glee on the faces of the monsters, and the way this embodies common childhood fears while mocking their unreality.
The theme for this coming week is Animal People: "Animal People?! What the?! Use your imagination...Animals acting like people? People acting like animals? Animals with people heads? Centaurs? Minotaurs? Dogs walking people? It's COMPLETELY up to you to decide how to interpret this Shirt Fight!"
Enter before March 27th, 2009 for your chance at the $500 prize.
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Thursday, March 19
Probably the coolest thing about a peacock is the color, and the way it seems to shift and shimmer as the light hits its feathers. I love the way this design captures that effect perfectly, bringing the color to the forefront as the bird itself is a supporting element.
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.
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Shirt.Woot has decided to try a style instead of a traditional theme for their derby this week, and they're asking for Art Deco entries. Can the typically unfriendly to art Woot masses adjust to this derby's arty slant and propel some real masterpieces to the fog? I guess we'll find out on Friday! Here's the theme description in Woot's words:
The streamlined, futuristic glamour of the Art Deco movement inspired some of the 20th century's most iconic pieces of architecture and design, from the Chrysler Building to Miami's South Beach streetscape to the Gotham depicted in Tim Burton's Batman. Now it's your turn. Splash some stylized geometrical cool onto a t-shirt that embodies all the aerodynamic modernism of the '20s and '30s. The subject matter is up to you, but please keep in mind that Nintendo hadn't been invented yet.
No text this week.
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Wednesday, March 18
Imagine a world where creatures frolic in an environment of their own creation. I love all the beautiful and funny details, like the fellows who have hitched a ride on a duck to draw the sky and the little eyes peering out from inside tree trunks. Not only do I want to wear the design, I want to visit the place in it!
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.
Every year, T-Shirt Forums holds a contest to commemorate their anniversary. Since the forum is packed with professionals, the yearly competition tends to result in some pretty excellent design (here's last year's winner).
This year's theme is Potential, because as a forum poster put it, "Everyone here has great ideas and has the potential to be really successful in this industry if they stick with it and do the work."
The contest is open to anyone who has made 5 or more posts on T-Shirt Forums.
Enter before April 30th, 2009 for your chance to win. First place will win $1000 cash, 5 shirts of the winning design, and a unique forum avatar color of their choice. Second place receives $100 cash and a custom TSF Flip Mino HD Camcorder. Third place gets $50 cash and an orange Flip Mino Camcorder.
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Tuesday, March 17
Threadless has, after a long break, finally debuted another Loves contest- and this one has a very timely Green theme. If your design has something to do with the ideals behind Earth Day, then this is your contest to win. They're intending to print the winning design on an American Apparel Organic tee, so make sure you take a look at the available colors.
Enter before April 6th, 2009 for your chance to win a prize package including a Timbuk2 Hacker Daypack bag, a Wacom Intuos 6x8 tablet and a gift bag of Origins Organic goods, which is in addition to the customary prize of a $500 Threadless gift certificate and $2,000 in cash. Prizes donated from the Threadless community (not yet announced) will also be included.
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Uneetee won me over again by printing I'm a Big Tree by radiomode. While it's, you know, another tree, it's also a design that stands out from other tree shirts. The use of negative space to for the tree itself was a great choice, as it gives the sense of a huge tree while using a minimum of ink. Silhouettes show all a variety of ways the tree is bringing happiness, from being a home to the birds to hosting a swing or providing some shade for a picnic. Definitely good stuff.
Uneetee chooses winners from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners receive $1500, with the chance to earn more through reprints.
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New Hairstyle by Lucas de Alcantara (tolagunestro) gets my nod for shirt of the week because it's so well-done and classically Threadless. With a pop culture reference and a strong appeal to the ridiculous, it's the kind of shirt that just about anyone would get a kick out of. Especially neat is the expressions on the characters, with Leia having a blast while Chewy seems confused and verging on grumpy.
Pancakes Mountain by MAPPLE is, for me, the kind of concept so enticing that the execution barely matters. I love the idea of this breakfast plateau existing somewhere in the wilderness, if you can only find it. A delicious oasis, so enticing. For me, the execution itself is definitely capable, but nothing to write home about- there aren't really any neat details to seek out, and the craftsmanship is about average. Frankly, though, I'd have no problem wearing it because the idea is outstanding.
The Fantastic Voyage by Terry Fan (igo2cairo) is a gorgeous piece of art, with exactly one flaw... shirt color. I love the deeper tan the art is displayed on for that vintage quality it conveys so easily. Which is exactly why I'm not too enthused with the cream tee it's been printed on, as it makes the art feel more new that I'd like. Anyway, I am for sure loving the drawing- it's well-made and the idea of a floating aquarium captures my imagination.
How To Celebrate Your First Touchdown by David Soames (davidfromdallas) follows the Threadless trend of the diagram shirt, with several images giving instructions to the viewer. It's a clever idea and nicely drawn, but it still runs into the problem I have with most designs in the category- it just sits oddly on the shirt. As a poster or magazine illustration, this would be great- I'm just not sold on it as a tee.
Hunting Ducks by David Fleck is charming as heck. What's interesting is how much of the ducks' personalities comes from their clothing- with its cozy formality, it adds to the feeling (created by the blank expression on their faces) that they're performing this ritual without really knowing why. I feel like they've heard of duck hunting and figured they ought to give it a go, without really investigating the specifics of what that might entail. 
Signs of End Times by Mikko Walamies is this week's Select, and the only shirt this week to give me that powerful I Must Own This feeling. What I'm reacting to is that it does a few things that I really love (wildlife, doodle style, hand-drawn texture and using color to distinguish layers) and combines them in an excellently wearable fashion. Even better, the shape of the art sits well on the shirt and has a motion that keeps your eyes moving throughout the piece.
Sometimes I Get Bored by Julia Sonmi Heglund is easily among the most intricately drawn pieces that Threadless has ever printed. The concept is to show the crazy flights the imagination can take to escape an utterly dull situation, which it displays very well- there are all kinds of neat things hidden in that complexity, from faces to kittens and more. Style is very nicely done, mimicking ballpoint pen on lined paper (and, in a great touch, even made more realistic with some smudging). The only thing I'm not totally crazy about here is the shape- I feel like it's a bit awkwardly short, which looks somewhat less ideal than a longer composition might have. Still totally wearable, though for me that edged it out of purchase territory (for the time being, at least).
Shoot the Baddies by Olly Moss (Woss) is a seriously tight poster concept, transforming the shooting range silhouette into a serious of villain targets. What I don't get, though, is what about this makes a good shirt. It's a huge white rectangle that you wear, which on a basic level is just not very cool. Meanwhile, if instead Threadless had just taken this directly to the poster print format, it would have been a tremendous choice and one of the better conceptual posters in their arsenal. I can only hope that is still in the works.
Nostalgia was better in the old days by Sam McNally is a pretty clever slogan, invoking nostalgia about the very concept of nostalgia. The shirt itself is pretty bland, but that's in keeping with the grandfatherly sentiment so I can't really complain. It's not a shirt to write home about, but it's the kind of thing I'd maybe buy if it was heavily discounted and I was in a good mood. Solid, but not exceptional.
If history repeats itself, I'm totally getting a dinosaur by Sam McNally suffers from an issue I am going to call Hey That Doesn't Look Like a Dinosaur. Because seriously, it doesn't. I honestly thought it was some kind of malformed crocodile. I like the phrase and the idea of how it was designed, it's just that the actual execution kind of baffles me. I feel like I'm looking at a first draft or something.
Autumn Chameleons by Terry Fan and Eric Fan (igo2cairo) is a ridiculously great drawing. In lesser hands, the chameleons might have looked obvious or tacked on, but here they're subtle and well-formed. Their tails even curve around branches like a vine. It is, though, another shirt where for me it's better as a print than as a tee- the shape of the art doesn't feel tailored to either the shape of the shirt or the body. When art is this well-made, though, that is the kind of thing I am often willing to overlook.
PIZZA PARTY!!! by Pizza Party (collaboration organized by alexmdc) has a slick framing device, using a little Atlas-like Italian chef to anchor the piece. It does, though, still suffer from the classic problem of any collab effort- there are a lot of styles and items in play, and they don't all work that great together. I admire the effort, but can't help but think that a single artist could have used the same concept to make a better final piece.
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.
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Sunday, March 15
10% off coupon code: A26ZKZ (good until March 17th). Feel free to post your own codes in the comments.
Death by casajordi is my pick for shirt of the week at DBH. While I'm not typically a huge fan of his collages, to me this one really knocked it out of the park. It's very subtle, with lots of layering that means you have to really search out some of the elements, while others (the skull) are prominent. What I really love, though, is the interaction between individual elements. I see a lot of shape relationships being made, as forms melt into other images, and it's the kind of composition that really draws you in. Excellent work, and it gets better the longer you look.
Monster tree by curvilineo is a shirt I love for what it brings to the catalog- a really fresh vector cartoon style that stands out among DBH's more complex and splatter-y elements. It's a really fun idea, with a monster who is mistaken for a tree taking revenge on a lumberjack. What's really enjoyable is that, though the style is simple, there are still a lot of pieces to enjoy and laugh about (namely the bear marooned in the monster's pocket and the oblivious bird). This is probably the shirt I'm most likely to buy this week, because I always love it when DBH branches out into humor.
L.S.D. by mitelsantiago is a gorgeous piece of illustration. Even as a non-Beatles fan (the design is based on Lucy in the Sky) I think I'd still wear it, because the composition is full of interesting things to look at. The spare color palette works well, particularly in the way that the title is subtly spelled out. The only two strikes against it for me are the wearing-a-face-right-below-my-face issue (which I suspect is something that only bothers me) and the stream of red lips, that don't quite make sense to me (I assume it relates to a song lyric, but to me it doesn't look great). Not for me, but still a great design.
Calculated Ruin by wisseh has colors that I seriously covet, with shades I associate with the early sixties. The pairing of paint splashes with rough, architecture-inspired drawings is interesting, alternately giving the impression of ruins highlighted by a dripping sunset or an abandoned area beset with colorful explosions. Definitely a cool image, though I have to admit that pieces like this aren't quite my bag- I'm more comfortable with designs that have some kind of concept that I can explain, whereas this is almost pure art.
Swing To The Music by mgpg89 is another tee this week that feels different than what I'm used to from DBH. The one-color graphic, leaning heavily on silhouetting, is in direct contrast to the colorful splattering that DBH is so associated with. I like that DBH is expanding their range that way, though the image itself isn't one of my favorites. I think I'm reacting mainly to the cassette tape, which just feels really played out. I'm also having an issue with the placement, because the art doesn't feel anchored to the shirt- I think because of the motion of the swing, that gives the piece an unfinished feeling.
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.
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6 Dollar Shirts has made a name for themselves by providing the cheapest shirts on the net, but even at those low prices there are still plenty of profits to be had. That's why they've set up their own shirt design contest, with the goal of printing 7-10 designs every week.
Since this is on-going, there's no deadline. Submitted designs should be 2 colors or less. Winners receive $250 cash and $100 store credit.
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Saturday, March 14
Loiter Ink is back with another Loitery contest, as the last bought in a lot of interesting work. They're offering $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 April 15th, 2009 for your chance to win.
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InkHound's latest winning shirt is Cashing In by Vo1ture, which pairs a pleasing color palette (love that it's not green, the obvious choice) with elements representing money and finance. I definitely dig the chaos of it, and the vague menace of that dollar sign rising from behind the diamond. Overall, though, I think wish it felt more cohesive- the lines don't feel like a part of the design to me.
Wotto's great hat, Killer Bunny, also returned- it's a favorite of mine, though I do wonder why smaller sizes aren't available (seems like for such a kid-friendly design, it would be a perfect fit!).
Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.
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Friday, March 13
What makes a bonsai tree so special? Is it the small size, or is it instead the attention to detail and the precise way it is shaped and grown? If the latter, imagine the power of a massive tree, every inch of which is planned...
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.
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Thursday, March 12
Admit it, when you watched the Batman tv show you were totally rooting for the villains. While Adam West was kind of a one-dimensional cornball who seems to survive from one episode to the next purely by chance, evil-doers like The Black Widow, The Joker, and Catwoman knuckled down and made elaborate plans for changing their own lives for the better. If nothing else, you have to respect their work ethic- these guys never stopped, even after it should have been clear that the deck was stacked against them in Gotham City. Maybe the best part of this shirt is that looking at it, bad as things seem, I just know the tables were turned five minutes into the next episode and Batman survived to see another day.
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.
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Shirt.Woot has announced the theme of their latest derby, and it's TV Show Titles Reinterpreted. What does that mean? Woot explains:
We did it with song lyrics. We did it with movie titles. We even did it with book titles, although many of you didn't notice. Now turn your Bezier tools toward the boob tube for inspiration. Flip through your collection of TV Guides and visually depict, reinterpret, misinterpret, or remix the name of a TV show. As always, avoid copyright infringement, and keep it PG-13.
As in the past, your entry should be called something like "Inspired By Desperate Housewives." But without the Desperate Housewives part, and including the name of your chosen show. Which might be Desperate Housewives. But we've said enough.
Except for this: no text this week.
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Wednesday, March 11
A Better Tomorrow's newest winning shirt is Big Brother Is Watching, a very special shirt since it is Mike (aka SixSixSix)'s first win since joining the ABT team as an art curator. And if the designs he chooses are anything like his own work, we're in for a treat. This piece is both visually striking and filled with meaning, making a clear statement about technology's ever-watchful eye.
It's a big week, with Metamephisto's Toupet also earning a print. There's so much to like here, from the funny punnage to the clever way that the various animals contribute to this gentleman's impressive mane. I love this guy's style, and he's really gone all-out on the details- check out the cat's expression and the cool flair on the speech balloon. Excellent stuff.
But that's not all! I've also been granted a preview of the next ABT print:
There'll be a full review once it's available in store, but my first impression is that I'm digging the color choices and sense of motion :D
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Artevist's newest contest is the kind of thing you'd never see another site try. But their eco-friendly and activist aims make the big issues a perfect fit for their artists and customers. This latest contest is Tarred & F*ck!d, in which designs should be based on Canada's dirty oil industry (and the energy policies that fuel it). I admit that I have a hard time picturing what sort of designs this will result it, but it definitely sounds interesting.
Enter before May 31, 2009 for your chance to win $700 (for the right to use your work for a period of two years), 7% royalty on all shirts sold, and two free shirts of your design (with additional copies at half price).
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Tuesday, March 10
Uneetee's newest shirt is Wear This Tree by Duba... which is also probably the clearest example of the on-going DBH-ification of the site. It's essentially the same shirt as DBH's Green Winter, with a slight color shift on the men's version. Frankly, if the two women's shirts were laying next to each other, I would not be able to discern which version was from which site- they're virtually identical. And to me, this is troubling. While it's a nice enough shirt, there is absolutely no reason for both to exist (and it is especially irritating that this later version made 3x as much money as the first). It is possible that the artist was unaware of the prior shirt, but since Uneetee seems to be headed in such a DBH oriented direction of late I'd be truly shocked if they didn't know. Contests are at their best when they reward originality, and it doesn't feel like that's what happened here.
Uneetee chooses winners from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners receive $1500, with the chance to earn more through reprints.
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Monday, March 9
Saber-toothed Tiger by Tobias Fonseca is my pick for shirt of the week because of how it balances a funny concept with beautiful imagery. The idea of lightsabers as fangs is very fresh, and so hilarious I'm shocked it's never been done. I'm also glad, because it's hard to think of an execution that would have topped this one- skilled use of halftones makes the light look very real, and creates some great shading on the tiger itself.
Healer and Visionary by Alexis Mackenzie is easily one of the most compelling collage-based tees I've ever seen. There is a combination of color, dimension and character work that makes this shirt something you'll want to spend time drinking in. The slight asymmetry contributes the the offbeat feeling, and the vintage photography adds an air of importance and history to the design. It's very solid and original stuff, definitely worth a look for anyone who even halfway likes collages.
The Infinite Struggle by Ksze Min Ker (MINNIM) is a freaking boss all-over print, focusing on an empty triangle- think of it as kind of the polar opposite of all-over print Bermuda Pyramid. I'm digging the pure one-color excess, full of detail and tiny characters. I do kind of wish the triangle was a bit smaller, though- I like the idea of the drawings being even more overwhelming. Still might be a buy, though.
Bitter Teeth by Ibrahim Dilek (idilek) is an interesting print in that it's very thematically similar to last week's Death and Tooth Decay- and more importantly, because it achieves it so differently. Both hinge on realism, but Bitter Teeth is no photograph- it's a rendering so perfect in its dimension and lighting that the skill of the piece outpaces the concept. I admit that part of me wonders whether the average joe will look at this and see chocolate instead of, say, mud, but there's no question that it's a worthy print- I'd love to see this technique applied to more subjects.
The Icecreamator by Heiko Windisch (thestateofthings) does a great job of creating a cool flow down the shirt, using the form of the machine and small bursts of color to move the eye around and keep you entertained. It's taken something just about everyone loves (ice cream) and built a story around it, where the ice cream truck is staffed by snowmen (does that make them cannibals?) and popsicles are made out of rainbows. This captures that feeling of fun, and the sense that anything can happen, that I associate with summer.
Actually, Medicine is the Best Medicine by Tim Alumbaugh is, unfortunately, the kind of slogan I hate to see, because it doesn't feel either original or particularly witty. I've heard the joke repeatedly (and usually from old people, which makes it worse somehow), and while the use of pills in the lettering is fitting, it doesn't really bring anything new to what already feels like a tired concept.
The Meaning of Life by Aled Lewis (fatheed) is the kind of high-concept work that is almost guaranteed to print. Using the instantly recognizable style and format of a vision test chart, the phrase promises to reveal the meaning of life- only to have the lowest and most important lines too blurry to read. The meaning remains just out of reach, allowing each viewer to make their own decision on what that might be. I think this might end up being one of Threadless's most iconic designs.
West Side Rumble by Justin White (jublin) is a takeoff of the gangs of West Side Story, with an airborne shark whaling on a real jet. What makes this gold is the excellent character work on the shark- his face is a great mix of surprise, rage, and idiocy. I think part of the brilliance of this is that it's just fun to picture the battle raging, even for those whom the musical reference is lost on. It's two impressive fighters, crossing paths against all odds. Awesome.
You Say Tomato, I Say Lycopersicon Esculentum by Julie Maier is another slogan I'm not too keen on. While the statement is unique and a nice twist on an existing phrase, I can't really like it because it doesn't make me think well of anyone who would wear it. The problem is, it feels annoyingly elitist because there are so few times when saying the latter is called for (Jeopardy, biology test, and maybe professional labs where such things are studied- though I'd bet most of them would just say tomato). It's not a terrible shirt, just kind of an odd thing to be proud of ("I know the scientific name for tomatoes!" "...congrats?").
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.
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Bang Bang T-Shirts has announced the winner of their The Future design contest, and the honors go to Making Predictions by Wotto. It's a great choice, as the piece has a great concept- each of the little characters delivers its own idea of what lies in the future, from money to love to even death. The result is both funny and attractive, with a fun cartoon style that amuses even if you don't know the theme.
Right now is also a great time to buy from Bang Bang T-Shirts, which has reduced prices on all their tees to just £8 until March 15th.
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Sunday, March 8
10% off coupon codes: QTFZ7E (good until March 13th) and A26ZKZ (good until March 17th). Feel free to post your own codes in the comments.
Deers are the New Birds by troydesh gets my nod as shirt of the week for a few reasons, but one of them is that it's a nice, dark shirt color in a sea of whites and silvers. The patterns were a nice choice, and made me smile because they felt like a kind of camouflage. This is heightened by the way the deer's face is patterned, which struck me as being reminiscent of a gas mask. I'm assuming that's why the deer's nose is a bit cut short (something that still bothers me a bit, but not to the point of rendering it unbuyable).
Upstream by RikkiB is interesting in that I immediately recognized the art- it was also a hat design at InkHound. I do feel it is probably better suited for shirts, though, as the shape of the art sits nicely across the shoulders. While I'm personally finding the shade of blue to be a bit much, I think the idea of the blue splashes was right on- just something a bit more natural looking would have been stronger. Overall, this is a good choice for doodle-lovers.
Drink the Sun by Sublevel is a design with great style and a solid, original concept. I really like the idea of this giraffe literally drinking in the sun's rays, as it resonates with the vision I see of Africa in my mind's eye. The textural, watercolor style adds to the feeling that these animals are truly gaining their sustenance and existence from the sun. But what throws me for a bit of a loop is the composition, which has the sun represented in two locations and places two other animals on the body of the giraffe. In a more complex design it probably would have felt more like a collage and made sense for that reason, but because the art is so simple it feels confused.
Evolution of the Koi by mogo is another koi shirt. I have to be totally honest here- I will probably never buy a koi shirt, because to me the animal doesn't live up to the hype. So it's a huge goldfish-looking thing, so what? I'd rather see whales and sharks any day of the week if we have to go aquatic. But despite my trepidation about the theme, this shirt actually looks pretty nice. I like that instead of water, he's swimming through newspaper clippings. The color is also vibrant and attractive. While I'd argue that the world didn't really need another koi shirt, I can't argue with the quality level of this design.
PTERO by spires has amazing color and layering, which is immediately striking when you first see it. To me, it just plain doesn't look like any other shirt I've seen. The name comes from the tiny pterodactyl on the shoulder, which I love just for its oddness- it doesn't seem connected to the rest (save through the lettering right beside it, which is subtly done), which feels right. There's another dino in the tall plant, almost hidden because of how his body melds with the nest/blossom he sits on. It's strong work, and original enough that I'm still deciding whether or not I like it. The layering is so thick and complex it almost comes off as a bit muddy, so I'd love to see it in person.
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.
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Saturday, March 7
Where do ideas come from? For me at least, they always seem to come unexpectedly in a sudden, confused rush of energy. But somewhere in that seething mass is a gem of a concept, it just takes a bit of sorting to find the right one...
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.
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InkHound's latest tee is one of their best, Intricate Details by Afromation. I'm really drawn to the patterns used, and the way the woman seems to transform into a bird. It's the kind of design that keeps you looking, and with every glance you see some new detail to enjoy.
They've also brought back a hat design, Eyes & Ooze by AtomicChild. It's definitely one of the stranger hats I've seen, but I'm betting that the gore fans love it.
Artists at Ink Hound earn $2 per item sold, with no cap on profits. Even better, artists maintain full rights to their designs.
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Friday, March 6
What does hope look like? For most of western history, it has taken the form of angels- winged creatures who play the role of the hand of fate. I love this design's more modern take on that classic imagery, a tip of the hat towards the beautiful chaos that makes life so interesting.
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.
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ShirtFight, the latest addition to the internet tee contest world, just went live last night at midnight and things are already hopping. Mailing list members got the theme, Eating Junk Food Before Bed, five days early, which means that almost immediately after launch there were already entries to vote and comment on.
Since this is their first contest, there's a super-sized prize of $2009 to the winner and a longer length to the competition, which ends March 20th, 2009.
Typical ShirtFight bouts will last one week and have a $500 prize.
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Thursday, March 5
A Better Tomorrow's latest print is Adore by Attila. I'll be honest: I pretty much have no clue what is going on in this design. I can see two female characters, that's about it. But, maybe because of the choice color palette and awesome flow, I really find myself digging it anyway. There's some nice texture and pattern that moved my eyes around the composition well, even if my eyes weren't always clear on what they were seeing.
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.
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Wednesday, March 4
Fair & Bare has decided on the winner for their Fairy Tale contest, and it's former Woot Derby favorite Why Witches Don't Go On Vacations by Chris Risse. There's a lot to like about this one, but I think my favorite bit is the very round Hansel and Gretel making their escape through the trees. The concept is very charming, as it causes you to sympathize with the so-called villain of the story, opening up the possibility that she did nothing wrong and was just eaten out of house and home by hooligans. Funny stuff, and it makes for an attractive shirt.
Winners at Fair & Bare earn £200 when their work is printed. Even better, when Fair and Bare increases the payments, all past artists will be bumped up to the increased payment as well.
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Tuesday, March 3
Yes, you read that right- it is now possible to buy a shirt from Design By Humans for just $10. This is incredible, considering that the high-quality print techniques (which can include stuff like all-over prints and even embroidery) kick the typical pricing into the 20-25 range. The gamble here is that the Serendipitee could be literally any shirt they've ever printed.
If you're looking to pick up some DBH tees, here's a 10% discount code that will work until March 13th: QTFZ7E
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Uneetee's newest winner is Human Map by XLR8. As will probably come as no surprise to frequent readers, I am distinctly not in favor. The entire trend of displaying the placement of organs on a t-shirt totally escapes me. I mean really, what's the point? At any rate, while I hate the concept I have to admit that the artwork itself is well-done. The color choices are pleasing, and I like the choice to represent the organs with vague shapes created from lines instead of just lines (as predecessor GI Metro did). If you really need an organ mapping tee for some reason, I'd say Uneetee's is a good one to go with.
Uneetee chooses winners from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners receive $1500, with the chance to earn more through reprints.
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Monday, March 2
Death and Tooth Decay by Marco Angeles (ivejustquitsmoking) was an easy choice for shirt of the week- it's a shirt that truly does something new with the medium. The very fact that it's so photographic makes it striking, but the concept itself is just as solid. A great update to the sugar skull, it implies all the harm that chasing and empty but enticing rush can result in.
Sweet Tooth by Brian Walline (thunderpeel) is a hilarious look at the carnage of dinosaurs through the eyes of a child, with candy prizes for their kills instead of a bloody meal. Some really nice color choices help it to pop off the fabric (especially interesting since they're not traditional dinosaur colors). I really question why this wasn't printed in kids sizes, though- it seems to me like it would be a perfect fit!
And You Don't Stop by Paul O'Sullivan is this week's Select, a heavily textured mass of creatures anchored on the bottom hem of the shirt. I'm definitely digging the style, which feels influenced by graffiti and pattern in a pleasing way. I have to say, though, that the height of the art gives me pause- there doesn't seem to be a good reason for it to be as low on the shirt as it is, and I feel that makes it look awkward when worn.
Jet-Pack for the Future, Today! by Jesse Jacobs is one of those designs that I love in theory... but the production revealed some issues that lessen the appeal. Namely, that in the product pictures of the shirt being worn you can't tell what the design is. There's not enough contrast between the flyer and the gumball circles to make him stand out, which sucks since he's such a great character. This might also be the result of not-so-great photography, but at any rate I think I'd need to see it in person to be sure before I'd be willing to risk it.
Bat & Rob by Dina Prasetyawan (kooky love) is such a classic idea that I almost can't believe that no one has done it before. Yes, it's a bat with a Batman mask and a bird dressed as Robin. But what makes this so slick and wearable is the style, which is done with the kind of realism you might see in an older nature book. Definitely a classy way to show your fandom, though I'm not sure if the idea is wide-ranging enough to appeal to folks who aren't huge into Batman already (presumably these people exist).
The Red by Dina Prasetyawan (kooky love) is the best Red Riding Hood shirt I've seen lately... though that does raise the question of why I've seen so many shirts with that theme printed these days. At any rate, it's a great use of the shirt, transforming the red fabric into a bloodbath. The idea of the protagonist causing all this chaos and then standing serenely outside the blood is effective because it causes you to imagine the chain of events that led to this result. There is one thing I'm not so fond of, though- the way the pattern is shown on Red's skirt. It's the only area of the tee that uses that style (the rest is more realistic about shadow), so it stands out too much in my opinion. This is of course pretty minor, and does not hurt the overall wearability.
Royal Bluff by Lehel Kovacs (lehel) is a card hand using face cards to spell out BLUFF instead of the usual KQJ combination. It's a crackup because it exemplifies the true perfect hand, a collection of cards that no one else could ever or has ever had. Part of the fun for me is in imagining what those letters could possibly stand for (Usurper? Forefather? Legionnaire?). I think the artwork on the cards is top-notch, looking a bit antique. I'm torn on the inclusion of the hands, though- it looks a bit odd to me to have these detached hands floating on the shirt, although having them does support the theme better than their absence would.
Feel Free to Feel Me by Eduardo de Moura is, to me, barely a functional slogan. There's no real cleverness to the phrase, it's just a rhyme. I think it only even makes sense if there's some kind of effect on the ink (I wish this was noted somewhere on the page, because it looks like the ink has a texture of some kind...). I like the lettering, but overall the shirt doesn't excite me.
If Rainbows Are So Cheerful, Why Are They Always Frowning? by Evan Ferstenfeld is a great slogan. It takes something you've always taken for granted (rainbows are happy) and flips it brilliantly. The drawing makes it even funnier, and gives it a certain amount of faux-vintage flair. I'm typically a slogan hater, but this is something I'd consider wearing.
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.
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Teextile is a new competitor in the daily shirt market, and their launch shirt is a logo tee with a throwback arcade look, designed by the always excellent Fat Mouse. While I question the wisdom of making the first shirt a logo tee (no one knows enough about Teextile to want it yet!) but there is one element that makes me really excited for the future of the site- buyers can select their preferred ink color, literally any shade in the rainbow. Now that is just plain cool.
Designers at Teextile earn $4 per shirt sold, and voters who chose that design get free shipping on their purchase.
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Sunday, March 1
I love the way Aman draws birds- their poses suggest kindness, as their wings reach out to give you hug (or maybe just shake hands, if it's a more formal occasion). His empty eyes convey his inherent bird-brained outlook, like a flaky relative who can't ever seem to get your age or name right. I'm also digging the ribbon-y tail, which looks pretty awesome as it twists and sways in the air- I'd love to see a bird like this in motion.
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.
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If you're looking to pick up some DBH tees, here's a code that will work until March 13th: QTFZ7E
Dino Frenzy by Mr-Nicolo gets my nod for shirt of the week because it's the most immediately striking imagery I've seen in awhile. What works for me is how menacing the dinosaur is, face stuffed with more teeth than you'd think possible. The strength of that is humorously flipped in the pink coloring, which makes the beast seem more like a bit of a sweetheart. I also dig the size and placement, a perfect showcase for the artwork.
Urban Animal v.2 by Fat-Mouse is a cool image of a tiger formed over layers of pastels. But for me, where it really sings is in the closeup- that's where you see that these layers are crossed by layer upon layer of parallel lines, giving texture and also a great contrast to the tiger's more organic striping. Clever and attractive.
Running with the Devil by ninthWHEEL is humor done DBH-style, with the focus more on the skilled drawing than the comedy. I like the way the racers run from seam to seam, giving the impression of a huge mass without having to actually show them all. The sparse color is pure class, putting attention on the devil in a low-key and good-looking way. It's a great example of how much can be done with just two colors.
Unknown Species by dzeri29 is an intricately lined fish, made of water-like swirls and backed with splashes of watercolor. The result is a colorful and very aquatic side print. And for me, the side print is one of the things put it into the realm of unwearability- there's just not enough content on the front of the shirt (the side most people see) for me to shell out cash for it. Given the constraints of the design (there's nothing to it beyond the shape of the fish, meaning it would be a boring chest print) this was the right choice, but it doesn't make me want to wear it.
Stay on Target by tastyhills is another design where placement kills it. That joystick's highly suggestive placement makes this shirt pretty ridiculous to wear for about half the population (and more than half the buyers, since it isn't available in women's sizes yet). I'm honestly bummed about it, since the art is killer. I think a great solution would have been to flip the content, placing that art on the back and vice versa. Let's hope that if there's a reprint they'll consider that. At any rate, I love the two-sidedness of the design- it does a good job of portraying a complex scene in a way that is inviting and exciting to look at.
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.
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