Eye Quit!

I've been a bit lax in my duties, dear readers, whoever you may be. It has been well over a month since you have last heard from me, and to be honest, this is the fault of laziness more than anything. I've been less enthused about my designs as late, and ergo less enthused about highlighting them. Nevertheless, it has been far too long, and it's just not like me to not shoot my mouth off for this long. I just didn't want anyone to think I'd quit or something.

This little guy, however, has definitely had enough. It was my most successful design in the Quitter derby (which has since been given the green-light for printing, for a sense of how long it's been since I've written), and one of my favorites that I've done this year... I love how it looks on lemon, and I'm charmed with the topic, but it didn't give out huge returns. If (or more aptly, when) I put this up for sale, I expect it'll do a bit better... it's a bit fun, and that, sometimes, is enough. I do, however, want to do a little with the ladder... make it a more natural element. As it is, it's a bit thrown-in... I want to get it more integrated. So what do you think, dear readers?

***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.***

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.***

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.***