They Might Be T-Shirts

When Woot decided to give us a lyrics-inspired derby, I knew two things: that people would illustrate song titles without attempting to look at the lyrics, and that I would be in my glory. I had already created designs based on songs, so it was pretty much a given that I was going to have plenty of ideas. I simply wish I'd gotten more pumped out than I managed to... there are about 5 other ideas that could have made good shirts that I simply never finished or started.

Of course, the danger of such a derby is one of dual popularity... you could have the best design ever, but coupled with a song no one knows, your success will be lesser. Even so, one of the most widely used band ideas this derby was They Might Be Giants, and no surprise really on a site that was an offshoot from a discount electronics site to see the world's dorkiest indie band.

The great thing about TMBG, of course, is how surreal and evocative their lyrics are. I went a bit shallower here than in other areas, trying to work with two titles. Firstly, we'll see Dr. Worm, a cartoony little shirt featuring the titular drumming invertebrate. I tried to capture what I pictured Dr. Worm would look like, drumstick in tail, stupid grin on his face while he's twirling the sticks. In contrast to this, there's the nonexistent Shoehorn With Teeth. It grins with a lot more polish, despite there being no such thing (as I tried to intimate by creating it as little more than a dotted outline and a creepy smile). It was a quick idea that managed to come out as I envisioned it despite such a brief brainstorm and creation period, and for that I'm happy with my cheshire horn. I'm also happy that I was able to use rarer colours for them, the designs gracing Orange and Red respectively. You may see them below.

***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.***

2-4-2sday: For Your Plesiosaur

Is there anything more representative of young boys than a dino-shaped innertube? Probably lots. Still, the image of the majestic sea-monster's horse-like head cropping up from a flotation device is rather iconic for those simpler times, specifically ones spent in a pool during the summer. Ol' Nessie probably didn't get taken out much for sledding, after all. It leads one to wonder... what would young dinosaurs use?

Ideally, I'd wanted to use a more plesiosaur-esque dinosaur, but I think this guy is charming in his own right, and a lot easier to work with than the long-bodied water-dinos. Also, I count myself lucky regarding the theme, as it allows the human to be cartoony... he's a toy, after all. Ironically, this simple thing wasted more sketch paper than ANY other shirt, to my memory. Hope y'all find him worth the time.

***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.***

2-4-2sday: Spring Forward, Fall Behind

I've been rather unavailable and forgetful as late about keeping this ol' blog updated. As such, perhaps two entries today?

The first one is something I very much fell behind on, an entry from the "Leap Year" derby. Yes, for those if any of you following along who aren't in the woot fold, there was a leap year derby. Three shirts were sold representing leap years. Most of us didn't get it either. I was planning to use the derby as a chance to finally do some non-theme constrained work, since I'd suddenly have a week to myself, but last minute I thought I might do a bit of a silly entry. The derby prior had been "Trompe L'Oeil," which, again, is a sort of hyper-realistic art. During this derby, a bunch of stick figures placed in the top 10. I figured I'd test the theory.

Needless to say, the theory was correct, and I spent so much time hotness-watching that I didn't have time to work on anything after Friday night. It garnered me my second top-10 finish, not to mention my highest vote tally at well over 200, which, while exciting, is also a bit embarrassing. I make no claims to being an incredible artist, but even I have more to work with than stick figures. It really hammers home many sad truths about the voters on the site.

This is not to imply I'm not happy with the design. I have submit a few items which I felt could have been put together better, but I've never been unhappy with something I've entered... it wouldn't even get to vectorized state if I was unhappy with it. What the design lacks in art, I feel it makes up for in creativity, especially as compared to some entries that week. I'm proud of it for reasons other than the cheap composition, and would have been happy to see it printed. After all, it's a shirt you can wear approximately once every four years... who am I to be overly picky? That said of course, expect this fine specimen to hit a print-on-demand store some time in 2012. Buy it then, just in case the Aztecs are right.

As always, it is featured below. As always, literate critique or fawning praise is welcome. Preferably literate fawning praise.

***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.***