Pumpky the Gourdman

Pumpky the Gourdman was a creepy, haunting soul
With a corn-cob pipe and a cut-out nose and two eyes made out of empty voids.
Pumpky the Gourdman is a fairy tale they say
He was made of gourd, but the kids all swore'd that he came to life that day

There must've been black magic in that candle they put in
For when they stuck it in his head, he began to lurch and grin.
Oh Pumpky the Gourdman was alive as he could be
And the children pray he won't hack and slay their extended family.

Unlike my previous two posts, Pumpky here never resonated with the public. He may have been a bit too simple... no real detail, a little too cutesy, or it might have been a case of a poor thumbnail, or it could just be the story of so many designs... an "OK" design lost in the shuffle of a number of much better ones. Whatever the reason, though, I like him. Feel free to weigh in on him yourself, and Happy Halloween. I'll continue with the regularly scheduled failures this weekend.

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

Rated "C" For Candy

In honor of Halloween, I've decided to put all my derby #13 designs up now, while it's still timely. First, however, a word from our sponsors: I've submitted my designs to the inimitable "best losers" site, in hopes of keeping some light on them, and also getting a little more exposure for this still-humble blog. In return, in case you stumbled upon my blog outside of woot, or are a member who HASN'T seen the site, there is a link to it on this page. It's a great resource for some excellent shirt designs and designers who just weren't excellent enough each week. Check it out at www.bestlosers.com

Now, back to our regularly scheduled blog. Tonight's feature, a little ditty called "rated c for candy". I'm not normally big on text designs, mostly because I grew up in the era of "can't sleep, clowns will eat me" and "you're just jealous because the voices talk to me." Uninspired text with an uninspired design, if there is indeed a design at all. Yet I made one. What I liked about this conceptually when it was born inside my head is this: It was more than just the words. It has a simple design element, but a definite one all the same. The design needed text, and the text needed the design... lots of text designs rely on the text itself to sell the shirt, or, barring that, add unnecessary text to an otherwise passable shirt. Not to sound cocky, but I liked this design because I felt the text was appropriate and tasteful. If you felt the same, please do tell... that's what the blog is for!

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

A Friendly Ghost Is All I Need

So, in this last derby, I managed to net 125 votes for the following design, putting it somewhere like 36th place, just shy of the top 10%. This was a huge victory for me... it made me feel as though my particular style had a shot in hell of someday breaking through, or at least an off chance of marketability somewhere down the road. I had been holding off on bringing this blog public until seeing how that one did, and knowing it had so much support makes now a great time to put a little more promotion behind this little blog... I can't get input if no one's even seeing it.

Also, since I've actually got successful designs this time around, I'm going to look into bestlosers.com, a site devoted to keeping exposure on the best shirts that didn't make the grade. It's a step I'm hesitant to make as a novice, as my "triumph" may never be duplicated, but the design more than meets the site's requirements vote-wise. If I end up submitting there, it should hopefully bring more exposure onto the blog, so it can only be a win situation, right? I'll update the blog if I find myself there. Until then, onto the design itself.

The design below is called "Unexspookted." I had toyed with "unexspectered," but ultimately decided specter was not a familiar enough term. The concept is simple... a ghost tries to trick or treat with some kids. I like that it's not an immediate gag, and am pretty in love with how the drawing came out and how the colours came out. If you were one of the 124 people who also loved it, let me know! If you hated it, and can form an eloquent critique of why, I'd like to hear from you too.

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

Another Night

While my last design was more popular than I expected, this one hurt for votes throughout the "night" derby. It's an understandably limited audience shirt, what with the downer material and dour character, but I was very content with how it came out. Artistically, it was a triumph for me, perhaps less so design-wise.

So why post it at all? Besides myself, it did garner a small handful of votes, which leads me to believe someone out there might want it. It should appeal to people who would be Neil Young fans if he were a bit chunkier and more depressive. If that sounds like you, tell me... if there's an untapped market for this design, I scarcely wish to let you down. To the same degree, posting a failure allows for discussion... what makes it fail? What is strong, what is weak, what would it take to plaster this on your chest? Constructive criticism can only make us stronger.

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

The Herd Crawls Along

This was an entry from the cryptozoology derby, #11. This was my first derby, but this was my third entry, and as of right now, the highest scoring with 44 votes. It was also my first Inkscape drawing. I think it came out well, and people seemed to like it then. Still like it now? Want to buy it? Chat about it here... I'd love to hear some feedback.

***Disclaimer: All images in this post are for display only. No design herein is currently for sale. Any changes to this status will be noted in a separate post.***

The shirt itself:


Detail:

Because Someone Wanted Them...

Let's be honest... for those of us who enter the derbies over at shirt.woot, there's a certain rush watching your entries get votes. All your entries. The fact that ten, twenty, forty people claim to want your design is not only flattering, it's inspiring in and of itself. I'm not much of an artist, but in my first derby, I was proud of how I did... both my entries were in the top half, and one was comfortably in the top 100 designs. It made me feel that my designs had a chance, and while my newer ideas this week are less well-received, I still wonder who out there is interested in my work. I know also, as a voter, there's a joy at seeing a shirt you can say "I'd buy this" to, and a pain in knowing you can't.

Therein lies the point of this blog... it's the idea that someone out there might actually have voted for a design of mine because they wanted to wear it. I'll be posting past designs, possibly reworkings, sometimes previously unseen work if I so desire. My hope is this: if you or someone you love wanted my work before, or stumble upon it now for the first time, please leave me a comment that you'd want to purchase it. If I seem to be getting demands for a shirt, I'll look into printing it. Simple as that... you show continued interest, I sell you a shirt.

Please note, however, that all images previously submitted for a woot contest WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR AT LEAST 60 DAYS AFTER POSTING. This blog is a showcase only, as per the woot terms and conditions. I encourage you to talk about the designs if you wish, but they simply won't be sold until I have the rights again, and I likely won't comment further once the design is posted. Ergo, it'd be great if you, if you're interested, either kept tabs on the site or left a way to be contacted if you want a design.

Frivolous? Sure, but that's why I want your feedback! I may never print a shirt, but I'd rather that then withhold something with a fanbase I wasn't aware of.