Buut.... its neither a panda nor a fox. Like. I'm looking at it. Its probably a wolf.
.
Haha yeah, that's kinda what I meant by my comment. I actually really like the new look. It had more depth the other way, but I think this fits a tee look more... I dunno, I like it anyways.
I like the halftones, but the circle and cross brushes don't really do it for me.
Too much repetition in them, ditto on the halftones, but with the halftones it blends in better. Although you might be able to get away with the circles if you vary the size up a lot more.
Also the fire doesn't really read as fire when I look at it, especially if I didn't already know it was fire.
I'll play with the texture in the morning. I like the crosses but I planned on revisiting the circles. It doesn't bother me that the fire doesn't read particularly as fire. It will also be refined to, this was a "heaver ink, dual shirt color palette" test.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited July 2009
That's alright, you don't have to listen to me when its your shirt. Also, that newest revision fixes what I was worried about (i.e. the non-pop). So its all good
edit: by shirt i mean pretty much every shirt youve posted. I really like the incubus shirt, I think it has a good chance of winning. Also the cow skull vomiting the mexican patterns is great, you def need to find a way to sell that shirt to me. And the piece in your DA gallery called Nature Round 2 is just epic, love the colors. Thats all the ass kissing for now haha
I'm sorry but all I can think when i see this is new-age Dragon T-Shirt.
And?
Apparently the beach house has internet. Who knew. Thanks for compliments yogurt, I appreciate it. I've started to consider other ways to get these shirts printed, aside from a print on demand site, like Zazzle, I don't have enough cash to get printing at a smaller shop.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited July 2009
I think he was saying that the shirt might actually be a bit cliche...
I don't know enough about "new-age Dragons" or... really dragons at all to agree or disagree. But I guess it's something to think about if s/he's on to something.
Not sure about that last design dude. If I'm brutally honest, it reminds me of something you'd pick up in a big box chain store in the 'boys' section.
That's not to say it isn't a great drawing. I'm just not sure it makes a great t-shirt. I'd be really interested to see you try your content with a different execution... Cleaner lines, less hashed up, less sketchy. The mexican vomit thing was the most 'shirty' design so far, I think.
e: also I missed the last few pages before posting this; I think what srsizzy was saying was spot on. The weight and balance of a design seems particularly important when you're doing t-shirts, especially with the threadless crew. Looking through all the threadless shirts I've purchased, they're really skillfully balanced, without being symmetrical. A lot of them are Moss's designs, so text heavy, very graphic, and lots of little bits and bobs positioned in just the right place to make the design feel whole and complete. I would imagine it's a lot harder to do that with sketchy/non vectorised stuff, I don't envy what your attempting.
I never said srszzy was wrong. I'm going to keep trying new things and its going to take time. Doing clean work, which I tried when I first started because it seemed more "correct" doesn't usually make me very happy. I'm not trying to make this work, you see. I'm constantly looking through the tee shirt sites seeing what I like and what I dont. So maybe some of my shirts are going to be more successful than others, but I'm not going to let it change what I want to produce.
Moss is a pro, design is his field. When I go to school I do story boards and study motion. I'm not going to have crazy balanced tee shirts right out of the gate, but telling myself my tee shirts are bad will only make me stop. I hope I don't seem like I'm brushing off crits, I'm not, I'm just confident that I will work out the kinks in my own way, over time.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited July 2009
Well, its one thing to say "your t-shirts are bad"
its another to say "this is how you can improve" and I think most of us are doing the latter.
You shouldn't remove your style from the shirt just to please people (because then it wouldn't have what makes the shirts yours), but you should take what we say and work it into your style (which is what I think you're trying to do... but i'm not completely sure yet)
I do. Dont worry. It may not always leap out, because I'm not redrawing the same shirt over and over.
you might not like this idea, but maybe you should try to refine some of the shirts from scratch while making improvements right from the core of the idea.
For the most part, I tend to like to give ideas plenty of space before I decide to revisit them, I do this with my illustrations too. I like to come back with both a fresh perspective and a expanded tool kit if I can. This is part of the reason the shirts are vary in style one to the next, so I can cycle through different interests. I don't see much of a reason to revisit shirts that are still in a voting cycle, but I had started to re sketch some of my older threadless submissions.
Anyways, I for the most part like to push people to say different things, rather than reiterate other peoples point. I take crits to heart, very quickly, even if it isn't immediately apparent.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited July 2009
I can definately understand why you'd want to put certain projects behind you for awhile to clear your head but, at the same time working directly on the same shirt will give everyone else a clearer idea of how you're improving and/or what you'd really like to improve. Even if you just do a quick rough sketch to work on balance, placement, or w/e the particular complaint is.
I probably should have made that clearer the in the first post
either way, the quality of the art is always top notch, I think its just a matter of translating that art/style onto a t-shirt and working within the confines of the medium that's main problem.
For me, I work best doing things start to finish and moving on. Its not something I'll understand by drawing one tee shirt over and over again. I don't know how to explain it but I am prone to crippling doubt. Its not just about clearing my head, its more about keeping myself not depressed which can be a major problem, if that makes sense. I'll easily start to think "I cant draw this because I'm bad at drawing." mid process, and shut down. But I don't feel that way when I see mistakes in finished pieces, I feel like I can move on. Posting WIPs can be hard for me. I realize Its a mental disease, but its never gone away.
Plus alot of the way I study it very uninteresting and uncrit-able. I'll, for instance, make thumbnail sketches of others peoples shirts to try and break down the balance, or in small boxes copy other peoples techniques. It doesn't seem worth scanning, and I feel like I will become uneasy if people crit things that i'm just using to think on paper.
I know thats all crazy-talk, and my brain works in weird ways. But I hope that makes sense. You will see improvement over time, I promise. Im working hard, I always do.
I can actually relate to that. I function in almost exactly the same way. I sketch tons of stuff that no one ever sees. Just to practice techniques or copy a certain element of a piece. And usually if I stop a project midway through, or try to rework it, I never want to finish it. It's truly terrible, but I admit it makes sense to me.
I never said srszzy was wrong. I'm going to keep trying new things and its going to take time. Doing clean work, which I tried when I first started because it seemed more "correct" doesn't usually make me very happy. I'm not trying to make this work, you see. I'm constantly looking through the tee shirt sites seeing what I like and what I dont. So maybe some of my shirts are going to be more successful than others, but I'm not going to let it change what I want to produce.
Moss is a pro, design is his field. When I go to school I do story boards and study motion. I'm not going to have crazy balanced tee shirts right out of the gate, but telling myself my tee shirts are bad will only make me stop. I hope I don't seem like I'm brushing off crits, I'm not, I'm just confident that I will work out the kinks in my own way, over time.
I wasn't saying you had brushed srsizzy off, just saying I thought he had a point.
I really don't think you should be emulating other designers, I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. I was using Moss as an example, but all the other shirts I've bought have had a similar strength - really good visual balance.
I was just suggesting that you play around with the execution of your work, not that you do anything that you're not interested in. I mean, yeah, it's probably a redundant suggestion, because it looks like you're experimenting anyway, but I guess I wanted to suggest that working on tees in a more, uh, designy way, could be a valuable exercise. I'm not suggesting it's the best approach or anything, but if the goal is to get a shirt printed it could be useful to approach the tee as a different medium from a canvas or a sketchbook.
'In your own way, in your own time' does sound a little bit like you're not interested in any suggestions, but I'm confident you'll work out your kinks too. However, not being interested in re-working ideas might slow down your progress. Sure, you can stand back and analyse what's wrong with a design after the fact, but I reckon a lot of the best learning and improvement happens when you get in there and try to fix the problem before jumping someplace else.
NappuccinoSurveyor of Things and StuffRegistered Userregular
edited July 2009
I can definately understand where you're coming from, but I think you're being too hard on yourself. I know fixing that is easier said than done (i'm much the same way which is why I haven't posted any actual art on the forums) but I'm glad to hear that you're sketching out other shirts that you like to get a feel for why they work. I bet you could post them if you wanted to- all you'd have to do is tell us exactly what they are- exercises.
In all, I'll keep watching this thread and seeing what you're doing because every bit of artwork you do is awesome and I really want to see how you improve.
'In your own way, in your own time' does sound a little bit like you're not interested in any suggestions, but I'm confident you'll work out your kinks too. However, not being interested in re-working ideas might slow down your progress. Sure, you can stand back and analyse what's wrong with a design after the fact, but I reckon a lot of the best learning and improvement happens when you get in there and try to fix the problem before jumping someplace else.
Or I could be completely wrong. 8-)
In my own way, I just mean that I don't want to just copy whats successful, as you picked up anyway. I like suggestions, and while I may post and disagree with aspects of a suggestion, I always consider it, even if I grumble.
Don't get the wrong impression of my process though, I do a lot do sketches. Like that robot tee I did, it has three versions that are full pencil sketches, I also tried to ink it a few times on my light box, and then twice in photoshop. I just don't post all that, and the idea of posting that freaks me right the fuck out.
I also talk to people about my sketches. like classmates. It makes me more comfortable in person. I donno how to explain that either. IM WEIRD GUYS OKAY IM SORRY.
Posts
Also that Hermit crab tee is up You should give it some 5$s for cuteness.
Which is funny, because firefox was actually modeled after a red panda.
My Portfolio Site
I think I'm just gonna color the outside:
Still in the process of making choices.
Haha yeah, that's kinda what I meant by my comment. I actually really like the new look. It had more depth the other way, but I think this fits a tee look more... I dunno, I like it anyways.
My Portfolio Site
More adjusting and stuff will happen tomorrow.
Too much repetition in them, ditto on the halftones, but with the halftones it blends in better. Although you might be able to get away with the circles if you vary the size up a lot more.
Also the fire doesn't really read as fire when I look at it, especially if I didn't already know it was fire.
Tumblr Behance Carbonmade PAAC on FB
BFBC2
What's it look like on the dark grey if the blobs are tan?
I think the newest revision is tops, the hollow halftones and crosshatching mesh much better. Yellow accents really helped too. :^:
My Portfolio Site
INSTAGRAM
So is the purple hair pattern one.
Im off to the beach. I'll probably come back with drawings.
EDIT: Actually, I should be able to get a debit card now. Woo!
edit: by shirt i mean pretty much every shirt youve posted. I really like the incubus shirt, I think it has a good chance of winning. Also the cow skull vomiting the mexican patterns is great, you def need to find a way to sell that shirt to me. And the piece in your DA gallery called Nature Round 2 is just epic, love the colors. Thats all the ass kissing for now haha
http://kvitella.carbonmade.com
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=91454
And?
Apparently the beach house has internet. Who knew. Thanks for compliments yogurt, I appreciate it. I've started to consider other ways to get these shirts printed, aside from a print on demand site, like Zazzle, I don't have enough cash to get printing at a smaller shop.
I don't know enough about "new-age Dragons" or... really dragons at all to agree or disagree. But I guess it's something to think about if s/he's on to something.
That's not to say it isn't a great drawing. I'm just not sure it makes a great t-shirt. I'd be really interested to see you try your content with a different execution... Cleaner lines, less hashed up, less sketchy. The mexican vomit thing was the most 'shirty' design so far, I think.
e: also I missed the last few pages before posting this; I think what srsizzy was saying was spot on. The weight and balance of a design seems particularly important when you're doing t-shirts, especially with the threadless crew. Looking through all the threadless shirts I've purchased, they're really skillfully balanced, without being symmetrical. A lot of them are Moss's designs, so text heavy, very graphic, and lots of little bits and bobs positioned in just the right place to make the design feel whole and complete. I would imagine it's a lot harder to do that with sketchy/non vectorised stuff, I don't envy what your attempting.
Moss is a pro, design is his field. When I go to school I do story boards and study motion. I'm not going to have crazy balanced tee shirts right out of the gate, but telling myself my tee shirts are bad will only make me stop. I hope I don't seem like I'm brushing off crits, I'm not, I'm just confident that I will work out the kinks in my own way, over time.
its another to say "this is how you can improve" and I think most of us are doing the latter.
You shouldn't remove your style from the shirt just to please people (because then it wouldn't have what makes the shirts yours), but you should take what we say and work it into your style (which is what I think you're trying to do... but i'm not completely sure yet)
edited because i forgot the "n't"
For some reason I stopped reading there.
you might not like this idea, but maybe you should try to refine some of the shirts from scratch while making improvements right from the core of the idea.
Anyways, I for the most part like to push people to say different things, rather than reiterate other peoples point. I take crits to heart, very quickly, even if it isn't immediately apparent.
I probably should have made that clearer the in the first post
either way, the quality of the art is always top notch, I think its just a matter of translating that art/style onto a t-shirt and working within the confines of the medium that's main problem.
Plus alot of the way I study it very uninteresting and uncrit-able. I'll, for instance, make thumbnail sketches of others peoples shirts to try and break down the balance, or in small boxes copy other peoples techniques. It doesn't seem worth scanning, and I feel like I will become uneasy if people crit things that i'm just using to think on paper.
I know thats all crazy-talk, and my brain works in weird ways. But I hope that makes sense. You will see improvement over time, I promise. Im working hard, I always do.
I really don't think you should be emulating other designers, I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. I was using Moss as an example, but all the other shirts I've bought have had a similar strength - really good visual balance.
I was just suggesting that you play around with the execution of your work, not that you do anything that you're not interested in. I mean, yeah, it's probably a redundant suggestion, because it looks like you're experimenting anyway, but I guess I wanted to suggest that working on tees in a more, uh, designy way, could be a valuable exercise. I'm not suggesting it's the best approach or anything, but if the goal is to get a shirt printed it could be useful to approach the tee as a different medium from a canvas or a sketchbook.
'In your own way, in your own time' does sound a little bit like you're not interested in any suggestions, but I'm confident you'll work out your kinks too. However, not being interested in re-working ideas might slow down your progress. Sure, you can stand back and analyse what's wrong with a design after the fact, but I reckon a lot of the best learning and improvement happens when you get in there and try to fix the problem before jumping someplace else.
Or I could be completely wrong. 8-)
In all, I'll keep watching this thread and seeing what you're doing because every bit of artwork you do is awesome and I really want to see how you improve.
In my own way, I just mean that I don't want to just copy whats successful, as you picked up anyway. I like suggestions, and while I may post and disagree with aspects of a suggestion, I always consider it, even if I grumble.
Don't get the wrong impression of my process though, I do a lot do sketches. Like that robot tee I did, it has three versions that are full pencil sketches, I also tried to ink it a few times on my light box, and then twice in photoshop. I just don't post all that, and the idea of posting that freaks me right the fuck out.
I also talk to people about my sketches. like classmates. It makes me more comfortable in person. I donno how to explain that either. IM WEIRD GUYS OKAY IM SORRY.