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.***

Rejection Hurts: Pt. 1 - Broken Heart-ed

One thing I pride myself on 'round woot is my non-rejected streak. I was rejected once, during my first derby, and proceeded to last 17 derbies without having the hammer come down on me. I'm sure there are many others who have had records that beat this soundly, but I know there are plenty of designers, even regulars, even the top-tier designers, who have had rejects happen often. We can't always prevent them. Still, even if you've only been designing a short time, and haven't been too serious, there's still a feeling of rejection when woot says it prefers the company of other designs to your exclusive company. Or something like that. Anyway, the point is, I broke the streak last week.

The design was "Home is Where the Heart Is," and while it hadn't caught on and blazed the hotness as I'd hoped, it was gathering some good reviews and with a day or so to go, it was just on the cusp of 50, that elusive number to warrant being featured over at "best losers," when it was unceremoniously rejected for being seven colors. Which it wasn't. The seventh color was the shirt itself. It was a bit frustrating, especially as I had discussed the fact that the extra color was the shirt in the entry thread. Especially as I'd discussed that I WISHED I could have used an extra color. Especially since woot had a file which was conveniently transparent in the exact questionable areas, which they could have pulled up and checked out if they'd wanted to. Rejection hurts most when you know the reason isn't true. As such, I was duly peeved.

In an ideal print world, the shirt you're about to see will have a slightly changed palate. I'd love to print it on a Sand or similar, to give the effect of wood a little better, and to hold up the back-print better than creme does. I would also like to improve the perspective on the couch (which might need to be "reupholstered" if the shirt color changes) and the lamp. As I said before, a seventh color would be amazing in general, just to give me a shred more flexibility. Finally, I think I'd probably clean up the "moulding" around the cross of the window frame... it's a bit less wooden and a bit more sloppy than I'd like. But all in all, and as it is, I am very happy with the outcome... if I wasn't, I wouldn't bother trying to fix it up so dramatically. I'm especially happy with how the Heart came out, and feel that while the perspective isn't perfect, the "window inside" concept does create a shred of an illusion. You can weigh in one way or another. How do you feel about it now? Do my changes make sense or not? Other opinions? The floor is yours. Use it wisely.

***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.***

Leapfrog Up For Sale!

Well, here it goes... my first official for-sale shirt. I've decided to try out Bountee for this one, because they seem to have one of the most reliable printshops of the DTG options. They are, ergo, a bit more expensive at around $20 a pop, but learning experiences are better happening now than later.

Almost 12 derbies old, Leapfrog was my first non-seasonal success. If even a fraction of the people who were interested the first time end up buying it this time 'round, I will be ever grateful. The link is below. Tell your friends.

http://www.bountee.com/productview.action?id=175311

Quit the Pack

Ah, the theme of "Quitter"... such a ridiculous theme, yet so many high-quality answers to what was presumed to be a terrible derby. Mine were not necessarily presumed to be as such, but they did get a bit more movement than I'd been used to lately, not to mention being rather happy with both entries.

This, in a twist to my normal posting schedule, is the lower scoring of the two. It's called "Quit the Pack." There was no shortage of Quit-Smoking entries, but this goes a little deeper conceptually... here, we see a cigarette which has decided to quit smoking, or at least to be less smelly and unhealthy. His old friends are shocked and angry at his carefree air-sanitizing. One can presume that, were you to smoke this care-free ciggy, your teeth would brighten, your breath would freshen, and your hair and clothes would smell newly cleaned. I hope that all gets across.

I had originally wanted to surround Smokey with some small animals... rabbits, squirrels, birds running and flying along with him, but at the time it seemed too much effort for the timeframe, and questionably too many colors, so it wasn't worth the risk. I may try to add them if anyone thinks it's worth the effort. Those and other opinions should find themselves here.

***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.***

Curl + Crossbrooms

Winter is on the downswing, but not without a couple last gusts of freezing, it appears. Today was frigid, this morning was snowy, and it was a reminder after a few relatively mild days that we weren't through yet. However, before we ARE through, I'd better finish up my winter entries.

This was a bit of a joke entry, and it broke 50. So it seems to go with joke entries. I'm happy with it, despite being a double-anomaly. It's not only one of the few designs I've done digitally, but it also holds the dubious distinction of being the most memetic entry I've ever submit. It's a celebration of the noble sport of curling. A sport of grace, precision, plunder, high adventure, plank-walking... perhaps the most perfect of sports. It'll be perfect for the curling enthusiast in your household (and lord knows we all have AT LEAST one) and there's no better way to hint to your pirate obsessed teen to go out and exercise. Have other ideas on who to give this to? Want to explain curling to me? Does the angle on the brooms bother you too? Weigh in here!

***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.***

...he dreams up a new self for himself...

Last week's theme was Dreams, which actually gave me two designs I was quite happy with. I figure, so long as I'm happy with something, that's better than winning anything. It's a good thing, too, because the public just wasn't feeling these designs.

The one I'd like to discuss is based off a design I'd sketched out long prior, which I titled "I'm Open." It had a nice, dreamy atmosphere, and indeed is similar to dreams I'd had when I was a child. I feel it's one of those designs that just fits as a shirt. 25 other people agreed. A bit less than I'd expected, admittedly. If you're one of those 25, what did you love? If not, what am I missing? This should be a learning experience, and I'm willing to learn if you have anything to suggest.

***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.***

Tiger-Powered Flashlight

Today, I logged in to find my entire front page spammed. To apparelism.com, I thank you for the kind words and the offer, but posting the same thing in an entire page worth of posts is beyond a nuisance. Practice restraint. In response to this, I have re-enabled comment moderation, something I rather didn't like the concept of to start with, and feel is a bit frivolous given the limited readership of this blog, but something which will make this far easier to counteract if there is a next time.

In honor of apparelism's failure to use tact and professionalism in their contact scheme, I've decided the time was ripe for another true failure. Tiger-Powered Flashlight was, admittedly, an exercise in absurdity. It was created on a concept, and the execution shows it. It's not to say I don't find it to have a bit of charm, and it helped cement that I'm not designing for an absurdist crowd, but by and large I knew it'd be little more than a test piece once I saw its final form. But hey, this isn't about my thoughts, it's about yours. Anything you'd like to add?

***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 Quickie: Redundant Graffiti

While I'm waiting for the new derby, let me briefly discuss something from the just-completed one.

This right here is Redundant Graffiti. The concept is simple: A wall with a wall spraypainted on it. I think it's just offbeat enough to be cool, I think the red pops well against the asphalt, and I was glad I used the shirt itself to hold the main wall... I think it made the "graffiti" element much more noticeable. There was another similar entry that was submit shortly after mine which quite literally involved a brick wall and then, just the same wall tilted and pasted over the first wall. I may be biased, but I quite think mine came out better, even if the votes didn't agree.

Anyway, it's worth noting that if this is ever offered, I'd probably try to get it on a somewhat lighter gray... definitely not a heathered one... it wouldn't look right at all... but I think a slate or something would highlight the black outline of the wall a bit better than a dark asphalt in real life.

***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.***

BLAMESTORM!

It's nasty out, and I'm waiting for step two of my current derby process, so what better time to revisit some old work? In honor of the storm of sorts drippin' outside, I think it's about time to discuss Blamestorming.

Blamestorming is pretty much exactly what you'd think it was... when a large group starts pointing the finger at anyone but themselves, usually bearing down on one scapegoat. Also, given the ridiculous nature of the word, people following along with the woot derbies might guess, and correctly, that this entry was for the "Other Words of the Year" derby. In fact, I'd sort of imagine there are wooters out there who might stumble on this blog and not remember this entry at all; while my woodchuck design managed a 6th place finish, this particular design didn't even get a 6th vote.

Conceptually, I was going for a fairly small-scale blamestorm... a fairly common image of a sullen dinner conversation, presumably between a couple, where every bite is deliberate, both parties angry at the other for something they did. The storm clouds were partly a play on the word, but also help the basic concept stand without a title. I was fairly proud of both entries this week, and I'm not 100% sure why this particular entry did nothing vote-wise. It's a fairly bold colour choice all around, I think, but I like how it works. The egotist in me blames the holiday week, which also would explain the poor vote numbers all around. I think it got lost in the shuffle. Agree? Disagree and want to set me straight? Tell me how you feel, and what you feel, and maybe why, even.

***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 Cracking Start/Marshmallows

Heya... happy '08. Here's what's new!

...

There we go. Nothing. The derbying has been a bit slow... I've got nada this week... so without an influx of new work, I didn't really have much motivation to update on time. So here we go for now... updates will follow if and when they come.

Today, we're discussing another winter theme, as it just snowed 'round here lately. Today we're talking hot cocoa, arguably the most wintery of drinks. This design falls firmly into the sketchy column, probably in the "too big" one, as well. I think I was too afraid of the detail being lost, and overcompensated on size. I'm surely not the first man to do that. Anyway, the important idea here was to make up some anthropomorphic marshmallows playing in a cocoa pool. All in all I'm happy with it. There's only so much I could have done with it. Just wish I'd done something about the size. On a shirt, the marshmallows would still be visible at a much smaller size than I gave.

What would you do about the size? Is red a horrible colour? Do you prefer fluff in your cocoa? Discuss this and more in the attached thread! Fun for all! 4serious!

***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.***