To celebrate the launch of the new IAMTHETREND we will be giving away a $100 Johnny Cupcakes Gift Card as well as a $25 Threadless Gift Card to two lucky winners! And if that isn’t enough I will be giving away tees to random tweeters ALL DAY TODAY!

How to Win:

Either Tweet or Facebook one or ALL of the following messages by copying and pasting them into either site!

The new IAMTHETREND.COM launched and giving away a $100 @JohnnyCupcakes Gift card! RT for a chance to win & visit their site! #IATT

The new IAMTHETREND.COM launched and giving away a $25 @threadless Gift card! RT for a chance to win & visit their site! #IATT

The new IAMTHETREND.COM launched and giving away a T-Shirts all day! Just RT this to enter and visit www.iamthetrend.com #IATT

Winners will be picked at random and announced all day Friday!

Spice up any game of beer pong with this set of 50 water/beerproof playing cards. Cards are divided into two categories “Action” and “Drinking” and are drawn after a shot is made. Cards range from slamming drinks, to performing no look shots, hook shots, underhand shots and many more. Spice that up along with lose a turn cards, extra re-rack cards and safety cards and yes sir you have just made beer pong that much more fun! If your tired of the same old shooting ping pong balls in cups, or looking for a new drinking game this game is perfect for you.

Perfect For: College Students, Beer Pong Enthusiasts, Anyone looking to have a good time
Price: $9.99    Buy at: www.pongdeck.com

Alex Pardee Mini Prints

MAN LAW: If you have graduated college it’s time to take down your unframed movie posters and show some class and sophistication. But no worries I have you covered, Alex Pardee creates art that appeals to our inner boyhood yet shows off our taste for great art and horror movies. Alex has a wide variety of prints from horror movies such as Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St., The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and many more. The best part is that these mini prints (5″ x 7″) sell for only $10 a piece! I own a few of these prints and they are beautiful.

Perfect For: Horror Movie Fans, Guys looking to expand their art horizons.
Price: $10 per print Buy at: www.zerofriends.com

Threadless Book

Threadless is a company that has singlehandedly changed the t-shirt world. For 10 years Threadless has been giving both artists and t-shirt lovers of the world a place to unite, exchange love for art and of course provide some incredible t-shirts. Just recently Threadless released their first book that takes a look back on their ten year history while showcasing some of their most memorable designs and artists. This book is a must have coffee table book and at $15 is an absolute steal.

Perfect for:: T-shirt lovers, Art lovers, Entrepreneurs
Price:$15 Buy at:www.threadless.com

Yava Glass

Tired of the same old beer glass? Why not try some glasses actually made out of beer bottles themselves? Yava Glass has made beer drinking that much more awesome with the introduction of bottle glasses. These glasses are reused from old beer and pop bottles, so not only are they awesome they are also green! Bottle brands range from Corona, The Arrogant Bastard Ale, Red Stripe, Dad’s Root Beer and even Bawls energy drinks.

Perfect For: Beer Drinkers, Hipsters, Going Green
Price:$8 and up Buy at: www.etsy.com/shop/YAVAglass

Throwboy Pillows

Honestly I never really thought of pillows as something that could be cool, but Throwboy has completely proved me wrong. Their line of custom shaped pillows range from Apple icons to various internet chat memes. Having personally seen these pillows I can safely say they are awesome and look great as an alternate to your lame old same old throw pillows.

Perfect For:Apple Fanboys, CPU Nerds, (we mean that in most flattering way possible)
Price:$15 and up Purchase at: www.throwboy.com

Geeksoap

Let me ask you something. Would you rather wash your body with soap shaped in normal bar form or soap shaped like a Nintendo Cartridge? That’s what I thought. Geeksoap has taken the fine art of soap making and turned it on it’s head. From soap ranging from Nintendo Cartridges and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Star Trek and Batman logos Geeksoap has it all!

Perfect For: Geeks, Nerds and Video game nuts looking to stay clean!
Price: $5 to $7 Buy at: www.geeksoap.net

Padfoot for iPad

Having an iPad myself I have been on the hunt to find a effective and versatile stand that matches the iPad’s sexiness. Well that search has finally ended with the discovery of the Padfoot! The Padfoot is a a very elegant and versatile solution for positioning your iPad in 3 different ways. Whether your looking to prop up your iPad and use it for a stand or are laying it down to type on it, the Padfoot had you covered. Available in four different colors.

Perfect For: Apple Fan Boys, Tech Junkies
Price: $25 Buy at: www.michielcornelissen.com

Johnny Cupcakes Ties

There is just something awesome about wearing a tie laced with cupcakes and crossbones into the office. Johnny Cupcakes the entrepreneurial mastermind has been hard at work expanding his clothing past just tees and hoodies and has been releasing some really nice threads that you can rock during your work day. With five different ties to choose from everyday in the office can be a Johnny Cupcakes day.

Perfect For: T-Shirt Lovers, Office Rebels, Johnny Cupcake Fanboys
Price: $24.99 Buy at: www.johnnycupcakes.com

Phoneballs

Need to protect your iPhone from everyday cuts and scrapes? Have a soft spot in your heart for testicles? Just feel like your iPhone needs betesticling? Well then Phoneballs has you covered! You can also feel good about buying your phone balls case knowing that 10% of proceeds go to Sean Kimerling Testicular Cancer Foudation.

Perfect For: Apple Fanboys, Practical Jokesters,
Price: $15 Buy at: www.phoneballs.com

Bacon Wallet

The bacon wallet gives new meaning to the term “bringing home the bacon”! This bacon inspired wallet is a great gift for the bacon lover on your list. Includes 6 credit card slots, 3 small pockets, & 2 bill pockets. Faux leather material.

Perfect For: Bacon Lovers,
Price: $16 Buy at: www.fredflare.com

Threadless Mr. TEE

I really tried avoiding including any t-shirts in this list but this beauty by Phil Jones was just too good to pass up. I pity the fool that can say that a Mr. T t-shirt made up of tees isn’t genius!

Perfect For: T-shirt Lovers, Mr. T Fans
Price: $15 Buy at: www.threadless.com

Beer Is Proof God Loves Us Book

Most men enjoy the occasional mug of beer but tend to not know much about it’s orgins or how it’s made. Charles W. Bamfort’s book looks into beer production, some history on beer and many facts about beer that you may not know!

Perfect For: Home Brewers, Beer Fans, Readers
Price: $17.15 Buy at: www.amazon.com

Infectious Decals and Skins

Think of Infectious as the Threadless of decals and skins. On their site artists from around the world submit their designs to be considered for wall decals, device skins, car decals, skateboards and yes t-shirts. They have hundreds of skins that work on laptops, iPads, iPhones, Blackberrys, and more. For less than twenty bucks you can transform your same old electronic device into a work of art. Skins also peel off without leaving any marks or residue.

Perfect For: Anyone that has a cellphone or laptop, artist types
Price: $19.99 and under Buy at: www.infectious.com

Dick Towel

Straight from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” comes the dick towel! The towel comes in both white and black styles, with supposedly anatomically correct depictions of….. well…. you know. Definitely makes a great gag gift for any guy. Try slapping on one of these bad boys in the morning after a one night fling.

Perfect For: Guys, Fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Practical Jokers
Price: $19.95 Buy at: www.dicktowel.com

Dots iPhone Gloves

The number one problem with winter has been solved! Having to take off your gloves to answer a incoming text or phone call on your iPhone! With these gloves by Dots you can pound and peck away at that keyboard all while keeping your fingers toasty warm! Even if you do not have a touch screen phone these gloves are pretty stylish and reasonably affordable.

Perfect For: Touch screen phone owners, Guys looking to keep warm
Price: $20 Buy at: www.dotsgloves.com

Pop Chart – The Very Many Varieties of Beer Poster

Think of the Pop Chart’s beer poster as a very effective and esthetically pleasing what to see the whole family tree of beer! Ever wondered the exact origins Guiness Stout lie this poster has the answer! Ever wanted to play the six degrees of Budweiser? Well that is now possible!

Perfect For: Beer Drinkers, College Students
Price: $25 Buy at: www.popchartlab.com

The Glif

The iPhone 4 has one of the best if not the best camera of any cell phone out there so why not get more out of your camera with The Glif. The Glif allows you to attach your iPhone 4 to a tripod in both landscape and vertical modes. The Glif also works well as a kick stand propping up your iPhone to a perfect angle for movie watching, reading or facetiming. The Glif is pretty much pure magic.

Perfect For: iPhone 4 Owners, Photographers
Price: $20 Buy at: www.theglif.com

36 Shot Bandolier

You gotta fight, for your right, TO PARTY!!!! So strap on this 36-shot-glass bandolier for a guaranteed good time. Two crossing nylon shoulder straps and an adjustable belt hold 36 bullet-shaped, one-ounce shot glasses complete with locking caps. You just thought you liked to party, but with this 36-shot party bandolier, you know.

Perfect For: College Students, Party People
Price: $9.99 Buy at:www.budk.com

True Clean Towel

The True Clean Towel has solved a problem that I didn’t realize existed until now. That problem, potentially wiping my face with a part of a towel that I have wiped my ass with! The geniuses behind the towel have sectioned off the towel so that you know exactly where to wipe what and in turn possibly avoiding ass to mouth towelage!

Perfect for: Clean Freaks, College Students, Anyone looking to now wipe their face on a towel they just wiped their ass with!
Price: $19 Buy at: www.truecleantowel.com

Handlebar Bottle Opener

Anytime you can combine mustaches with drinking tools you have a win situation on your hands. The “Handlebar” does just that, combining mustache goodness with a bottle opener and wine opener, in other words a triple threat of awesomeness.

Perfect For: Bartenders, Mustache Lovers
Price: $14 Buy at: www.fredflare.com

Ugmonk And Then I Woke Up Coffee Mug

Ugmonk’s best selling t-shirt design has been reinvented in time for holidays in the form of a coffee mug! This stylish mug brands an ampersand on one side and the motto “then I woke up”. This is the perfect coffee mug for early morning awesomeness.

Perfect for: Coffee Drinkers,
Price: $14 Buy at: www.ugmonk.com

HEX Watches

It’s truly amazing how far technology has come in such a short amount of time. I remember rocking a sweet calculator watch on the playground thinking I was the baddest dude around. The watch was cutting edge and almost seemed magical at the time, fast forward to present day and Apple’s new iPod Nano. The new Nano teamed up with the Hex Watch wristband basically transforms your wrist watch into a mini computer.

Perfect for: iPod Nano Owners
Price: $24.95 Buy at: www.shophex.com

Shot in the Pint Drinking Glass

This shot and beer glass combo gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “a shot and a beer”. This glass had done the unthinkable and combined a pint glass and a shot glass meaning less clean up and is just overall more cool than having a shot glass and a pint glass separate.

Perfect For: Alcohol Drinkers
Price:$19.95 Buy at: www.homewetbar.com

Get Bombed Beer Pong Kit

Get Bombed makes getting a beer pong game set up as simple as possible. The kit includes two Cup Racks, twenty 16oz Translucent Beer Pong Cups with printed Fill Lines, two Wash Cups, three 40mm Seamless BP PRO Beer Pong Balls and of course a Rule Sheet, basically everything you need to dominate a game of beer pong.

Perfect For: College Students, Beer Drinkers, Drinking Games
Price: $14.99 Buy At: www.getbombed.com

3DD

Here is a little known fact… Guys like boobs! 3DD has taken that fact and combined it with the 3D craze and bam you have an 86 page book of eye pooping awesomeness. The book also comes complete with avaiator style 3D glasses! And yes I realize that this is a few bucks outside of the $25 dollar price limit, but who can put a price on awesome boobs?!

Perfect for: MEN
Price: $29.99 Buy at: www.three-dd.com

1. Johnny Cupcakes

$35.99

2. Seventh.Ink

$24.00

3. Akumu Ink

$21.99

4. Disturbia Clothing

£22.00

5. Threadless

$10 On Sale!

6. Randr

$20

7. Kill Brand

$21

8. Fright Rags

$19.95

9. 8 Bit Zombie

$20

10. Electric Zombie

11. Suck!

$30

12. Miles To Go

$22.99

13. Fresh Prints

$15

Check them out them out here: Threadless.com

Seems like a great time to load up on some great new Threadless tees for summer!
Head on over to Threadless.com to check out the stock!

Brief History
The t-shirt can be traced back to origins as far back as the late 1800′s when both miners and dock workers adopted them into their uniform! But really when the t-shirt started gaining popularity and traction was in the early 1900′s when the US Military started issuing t-shirts to be worn under their uniforms. In the next couple decades t-shirts also began to gain popularity in the workforce with many factory and farm workers adopting t-shirts for their comfortability, and rather low expense.

Up until this point tees were really not thought of as a fashion item, but more of a useful garment. It wasn’t until the 1950′s and 60′s when screen printing and tees really started to start to gain mainstream appeal. Since that time t-shirts have absolutely exploded with countless t-shirt variations on tees such as the v-neck, ringer, raglan, long sleeve and many more. But was has really made the impact on the t-shirt culture isn’t so much the shirt itself but the artwork and messages that are printed on these cotton wonders!

Versatility
When thinking to myself what makes t-shirts so awesome the first thing that pops in my mind is versatility! There is not one other single piece of clothing that can be worn in so many different applications and with such great variation. From going to concerts, working, sleeping, visiting family, vacationing, sports, and self expression to name a few the t-shirt is the single item that is so versatile that you can wear it to basically any occasion imaginable. Yes even formal events, haven’t you seen the Tuxedo T-Shirt?! Well that might be going a step to far but you get the point.

What makes the t-shirt so versatile is the fact that it is basically a blank canvas for a artist, company or individual to express themselves. When you sit back and think about the infinite number of t-shirt styles, art and graphics that are available to you its pretty crazy to think that the one thing that remains the same is the fact that no matter what is printed on it, it is still just a regular t-shirt underneath.

Expression
Pretty much since the t-shirt came into the mainstream the t-shirt has been used for many as a walking billboard. This walking billboard ranges from companies promoting themselves, to political expressions, humorous phrases or even straight advertisements. The t-shirt is the single item of clothing that can be manipulated so many different ways and mean so many different things to many different people.

Just take a stroll around your local mall, concert or public area I would take a guess that 90% or more of people are wearing a t-shirt or various form of a t-shirt. T-shirts really have become an extension of whom we are and what we want people to portray about us when they view us. Take for example the simple concert tee. The concert tee is an extremely easy way for a fan to show his love for his favorite band while giving people around him an immediate insight as to what the persons interests might be. By wearing a part of yourself literally on your shirt you also can be accepted or rejected by various cliques and groups.

Let’s take it one step further, and I will say that the t-shirt is the only item of clothing that can spark immediate emotions such as humor, happiness, sadness and even anger. It’s truly remarkable that one piece of clothing can be viewed so many different ways.

Comfort
Is there anything truly more comfortable than lounging around in your favorite worn tee? I think not. To me the comfort and quality factor of tees has really come along way in the last ten years. Yes your typical Hanes, Gildan and Fruit of the Loom tees are inheritable comfortable but the huge rise in popularity of tees made from brands such as American Apparel, Alternative Apparel, Alstyle and others have taken tee comfortability to a whole new level while keeping prices affordable.

Affordability
Speaking of affordability t-shirts are an item of clothing that can be purchased extremely cheaply. T-shirts are literally affordable to anyone that wants to purchase them. T-shirts to me are the single most cheap way to express yourself and your love for art, music, culture or life in general. Art on t-shirts has grown leaps and bounds over the past couple decades and very recently with the help of sites such as Threadless. Threadless was the first site that allowed artists and t-shirt lovers to come together to pick which art they would like to see printed on a t-shirt at an incredibly affordable price. Aside from Threadless there are countless indie clothing and t-shirt startups out there that offer incredible designs at far cheaper prices than what you would find in your local mall.

Timeless
When combining the affordability, versatility, comfort and ability to express yourself all through your t-shirt it’s not hard to see that the t-shirt is indeed timeless. I really cant ever imagine a point in which t-shirts will not be common wear.

In closing, I’m sure you didn’t need much convincing for me to sell you on how awesome t-shirts are but I really thought it would be great to take a second to pay homage to the tee! There are literally thousands of indie clothing brands out there that bust their ass to put out some incredible clothing for us to wear, live and love make sure to check out iamthetrend.com often so I can keep you up to date on all t-shirt awesomeness!

I would love to see in the comments what you love most about t-shirts!

While this seems on the surface to be nothing major, it really is. When you can offer your customers as many options as possible when shopping online it’s always a bonus. Also people generally trust PayPal, convenience + trust = WIN SAUCE.

Head on over to Threadless.com to pick some new threads and remember to use those coupon codes!

Shrimp Sauce New Line Release: Check out their promo video at: http://vimeo.com/10926001 Its flipping awesome

Finalists of the Dizzy Bat Contest:
Erik Gundersen, Jannsen Quin Dunn, Samuel Castonguay

Miles To Go New Line has launched: Designs by Keaton Henson, Godmachine, Dave Quiggle, Dan Mumford

Sales:
Crooked Jaw: 25% off with Code: EGGS
Lead And Light: $15 and $12 Shirts
Regan Smith Clarke: 10% off everything, became a facebook fan for more savings (free shipping)
Threadless $12 Nature Tees, and $1 goes to planting trees

Show Me Your Tee Tees:
Alrightok. www.alrightok.com $23.00 “IATT” for 25%
Crooked Jaw: http://www.crookedjaw.net/ $19.95
Goodie Two Sleeves: http://www.goodietwosleeves.com/
8 – Bit Zombie Mini Release: 8bitzombie.bigcartel.com/ Bill and Ted, My Pet Monster hats only $15!

Very Nice:
Adam: Shrimp Sauce: Symbols – $28

Beau: Ript Apparel- Red Kite 666

Bo: Paperrootclothing.com: The Economy Tee

Author: Joe Carr

When approaching this article, I wanted to do something specific and informative. I wanted to dig up some really good insights to make for a solid read. I knew off the bat that I wanted to focus on something near and dear to my heart, namely traditionally illustration methods in t-shirt design. I also knew in order to get really solid information on my awesome subject I would need to talk to folks who knew what they were talking about. So I harassed four of the most amazing illustrators in the business, and lucky for you all they agreed to share some insights. If you notice a consistent theme of Threadless, it is because that’s how we all know each other and threadless rules. Instead of discussing different issues with everyone, We did roundtable Q&A where everyone got a shot at the same questions.

So without further delay I give you the fantastic four.

Julia Sonmi Heglund: www.sonmisonmi.com Madison Wisconsin – Illustrator / Musician / Master of space and time

Alvaro Arteaga Sabaini: www.alvarejo.com Chile – Illustrator / Photographer / Classic Gearhead

Priscilla Wilson – www.valorandvellum.com California – Illustrator / award winning tutorial creator / wine aficionado

Photo by Randy Aquilazan

Alex Solis – www.oddworx.com Madison Wisconsin – Illustrator / Breakdancer / world traveler

The best place to start is your roots. How do you look back on your path to where you are now.. in regards to your artistic beginnings and milestones?

Julia:
I’ve been drawing all my life. When I was younger, we had a distinct brown drawing table that my sister and I would work every day on. I had a lot of art phases and subjects I drew growing up that all sort of influenced where I am now:
1.) American cartoons
2.) Sailor Moon
3.) Modern artists like Warhol, Pollock
4.) “Classical” artists like Michelangelo, Caravaggio
5.) Urban graphic designers like Graphic Havoc.

Most recently, I find myself influenced and motivated by my peers. I took lots of life drawing and graphic design courses in college that also aided in my development as an artist, though a lot of what I do has been accomplished through trial and error and relentless experimenting.

Alvaro:
I had a very keen interest in drawing since i was a child, and luckily my parents always saw that i was good at it, so i felt very encouraged. When i look back since the moment I considered myself a somewhat professional illustrator, i think that I’ve become better at it,thanks to the community of bloggers in Threadless, place that helped me in making myself noticeable in the artistic community.

Priscilla:
I’ve been drawing ever since I learned how to hold a crayon. That was two years ago. Nah, in all seriousness, I started my art career by drawing things I saw in Disney movies when I was a toddler. So I guess I’ve been drawing as long as I can remember. I took some classes here and there as I was growing up and then focused more on it in high school. I kept taking classes when I got to junior college and then decided to pursue Graphic Design as a career choice. Towards the end of college I got into Threadless and I think that really helped me hone in on a more specific style and help me try to push myself to get better.

Alex:
I’ve always been into art 100% since I could hold a pencil, I never really knew exactly where I would go with it but I knew that it would always be apart of my life, right now Im doing Graphic Design and Web Development, and before threadless I would do tons of paintings and big illustration work mostly for personal work and art shows, I think after finding threadless I just became a bit more diverse and have been expanding my mind a lot more. I think I’m at a decent place with my work right now but not yet where I want to be, I want to someday be drawing 24/7 for a living.

You all have a very unique and confident style. I can spot your linework, your styles from a mile away and it seeps into everything you guys do. Like you are playing a tune you have played many times before. How did you all get so good? Is it skill? Practice? Benevolent peace and confidence? what’s that all about?

Alvaro:
All of that mixed. You can be good at it, but if you don’t practice enough you are never gonna be very good at what you do. I’m a graphic designer, so my way to relax when I’m not working is being an illustrator. It’s what I consider I’m best at, so you have to be very confident and be able to recognize your own achievements. I personally dislike people who have false modesty when they know that they are good at something. Years ago i wasn’t as good as I am know at what i do now, and I’ve become better by knowing what your faults are at Illustrating as well as your specific skills. You have to identify those points and work harder on them, it’s the only way you are gonna improve at what you do.

Priscilla:
Haha, I’m not sure how to answer this. I feel like I still have a long ways to go and need to keep trying to learn something new or master something new even if it’s small. I used to actually be pretty impatient with my artwork and would try to rush through as quickly as I could. When I started getting more into line work and textures, I learned how to be more patient. I have no idea where that patience came from. Perhaps it came from old age or slowing of the brain.

Alex:
I think it’s just my love for the arts that has always kept me going, I think Im good but always room for improvement I still see a lot of flaws in my work that I try to improve all the time. As far as my linework it is mostly about being confident with the linework and just losing yourself and putting everything into what you’re doing, it will always reflect in your work when you’re doing something rushed, so even tho I work fast I tend to always put my all into whatever Im doing at the moment.

Julia:
Thank you! And you kind of nailed it with the “playing a tune” analogy. Basically, when I am working on my free-hand doodles, it IS all imagery I have drawn before. I repeat lots of forms in my work, but rearrange them in new ways. One decision influences another. It’s a very peaceful process, and I can get pretty lost in the work.

How important is classic illustration technique and history in your development as an artist and your current style methodology?

Priscilla:
I think that everything an artist sees will have some sort of influence. Any artist that has gone to school for it has had to take art history classes at one point. I believe that would influence artists, including myself, whether we like it or not. I don’t typically pour through history books so I’m not sure how much of an impact it has on my artwork, but I’m sure there are some subliminal things I’ve picked up on and have used in my own designs.

Alex:
I think it’s very important, I always start my sketches with traditional tools, I’ve been trying out more and more all digital work, but always go back and try to do a few with all traitional styles, I think its almost impossible to get that same feel digitally.
Julia:
(at this point Sonmi broke out in an impromptu theremin serenade that spoke volumes on the subject, it was quite touching and meaningful)

Alvaro:
I’m glad you asked that. Knowing about the classic techniques and knowing about art history and history itself helps you enormously , because you can make easier connections on your mind. the more you things you know about, the larger the amount of brain connections and new stuff you are gonna come up with.
Knowing a lot of art history also developed a keen knowledge about what (for me at least) works visually or not. Notions about how to create an overall sketch that conveys the general idea you are trying to communicate, proportions, techniques used in the past, what are the visuals relations that can make the eye of the public go “oh, that’s a reference to this or that”.
I strongly recommend to build an interest in art history, specially if you wanna be a good illustrator.

I want some meat and potatoes, Like your favorite pencil, pen, paper type, paper size, drawing surface… lets hear the specs of your old school tools

Alex:
I don’t really have a favorite usually whatever is available, I draw and doodle all the time, so maybe lose white paper, and some regular pencils and pens.

Julia:
I fail at having any real interesting tools! But I do have a favorite one. It’s just a mechanical pencil. It has the fine tip I need tor intricate doodles, yet you never have to sharpen it! I like drawing on computer paper, because pencils don’t really smudge on there. For a drawing surface, I tend to use one of those half pillow/half table things. Do those have a name? I chill out on my couch and draw with the TV on. Usually “Everyone Loves Raymond” is on when I’m drawing. What’s with that?

Alvaro:
I love working on a normal paper (Bond 24) because when you work with ink lines you don’t want them to start spreading through the fiber of the paper. I usually work on a 11″ x 14″ paper. that way i can draw more details. The pens i like to use are the Snowman fine line ink pens, 0.8, 0.5, 0.3, 0.1.

Priscilla:
Usually I’ll use just a plain ol’ mechanical pencil to sketch things out. I use Micron pens for my line work and I use just about every size they offer. For paper, my favorite is Canson Marker Paper to get that clean look. I switch back and forth between the 9″ x 11″ pad and the 11″ x 14″ pad depending on the complexity of the design I’m working on.

Obviously you have the skillset to work completely in the digital realm, are there some situations where you prefer digital?

Julia:
I tend to prefer digital when I know I’ll have big areas that require color. It’s just a lot easier to come up with the color you want in an immediate fashion!

Alvaro:
Since i bought a decent digital tablet i can work much faster, since i have all the different strokes right there. The line is completely clear, etc. But what i continue doing by hand is the initial sketch. There’s something about the movement of your arm that you can’t get with a digital tablet. I love the tablet to get much more details in my drawing now though.

Priscilla:
Oh, I actually don’t even own a tablet. I don’t think I’ve ever used one before either! I have, however, used Illustrator for some designs in the past (and I use it at my day job all of the time). The only times I’ve worked more digitally for my artwork was when I brought in a sketch and then traced over it with the pen tool.

Alex:
One of the main reasons I started doing more digital is because I lost some of my detail and the hassle of scanning my work etc, I usually draw pretty big and have to scan in pieces etc digital makes a few things easier as far as sizing, and you can always go back and erase.

It is pretty easy for someone who does not know or have a good process to wreck quality inkwork transferring it for digital use. What is a common pitfall that you regularly see?

Alvaro:
I scan my drawings at 300 dpi, and then i clean them up in Photoshop by adjusting the brightness in some part, as well as the contrast. Or i convert the grayscale scaned image into a bitmap so i can separate easily the black from the white and have my line work separated in one layer.

Priscilla:
It’s funny because I see pitfalls in my own work from transferring. It’s still a learning process! For instance, I had to get a new scanner because my old one died and it felt like it changed way my artwork looked digitally. It has different settings so I’m still figuring out how to get the best contrast while still retaining a smooth appearance to the lines. I actually might just get a new scanner altogether because I’m really not pleased with it. It’s an Epson Perfection V300 Photo. Do not buy.
I think the only n00b mistake I ever saw was when someone scanned in their work as black and white instead of grayscale. It came out looking super contrasty and pixelated.

Alex:
I pride myself a lot with the line weight variations I use with my linework, I think a big downfall I see is people relying on technology too much, tracing images etc it starts to lose that artistic flavor in my eyes, even tho the ideas might be great the work starts looking generic

Julia:
I totally agree! I think it’s really easy for character to get lost in one’s lines when making them digital. Especially if livetrace is involved. The charm of lines drawn on paper is that they have very subtle nuances, and especially if they are done with a bigger pen tip, can have varying line weights. I think that’s the biggest culprit for digital lines. If the line weights look slightly unnatural, suddenly the entire illustration can look very cold and digital. It’s a fine line. (Pun?)

When it comes to processing your work into digital format, do you have a favorite aspect or facet? Perhaps even a trick or method that would help other folks?

Priscilla:
I used Photoshop to color my designs and there are a ton of tips and tricks to use for that. I actually have a basic tutorial on the Threadless blogs, and if you read through the comments there are a lot of good tips lurking around. (note to readers, do yourself a favor and check out the tutorial.)

Alex:
Not really drawing it scanning it, trying to stay as clean as possibly with your linework when you put it down on paper, and be ready for some scanning and piecing together if you worked huge like me :/

Julia:
Not really! Usually if I know that my work will eventually have to be accessible in a digital format, I’ll do most of the work right away digitally. In that case, I use my tablet to create the lines in Photoshop. Otherwise, I just use standard scanner settings to scan, and then use the color range tool in Photoshop to isolate the lines in my work.

Alvaro: (was out getting beers and pizza for this question)

Do you feel being a classic illustrator in an industry predominantly populated by vector precision offers you an advantage or disadvantage?

Alex:
I don’t do it for a living right now, but I feel there are disadvantages being a classic illustrator, thats why I try and learn how to do different techniques etc but still trying to apply my own style, so it’s only a disadvantage if you let yourself be one, the more you know the better and in a way will only be an advantage to have over someone that doesn’t have that classic artistic sense.

Julia:
It can definitely be a disadvantage since a lot of commercial work tends to lean more towards clean vectors. But then again, you don’t necessarily need much artistic foundation to create some precise vector piece. I feel like the ability to sketch by hand and with only loose references allows for more creativity and experimenting, and thus can prevail in the end!

Alvaro:
I see it as and advantage (i hope i’m not wrong, jaja), since you work with a technique that can be no as popular as the one used in the moment, but there’s always a niche for it, that will appreciate what you do and will be able to pay for your designs. And i don’t like precise things…

Priscilla:
In my case, I think it’s definitely an advantage because I do know how to use Illustrator – so if need be, I could still fake my way through a cleaner looking design. If that weren’t the case, it’s certainly easier to learn how to use vector programs whereas it’s probably not quite as easy to already know the programs but have to learn how to illustrate in an analog fashion.

T-shirts are pretty commercial things, used to be like soda cans and cereal boxes gimmicks and slogans. How did fine illustration end up making it into the equation?

Julia:
I think fine art sort of became the rebellion to what a t-shirt should be. They don’t need to sell or mean something, instead they can just be there for purely aesthetic purposes.

Alvaro:
Cause people stopped being attracted to t-shirts with a huge logo on it (the 80′s and 90′s), and wanted more original stuff, stuff that the big companies might offer, but multiplied by millions of shirts with the same motif. So when people wanted to be more unique, the niche of more “exclusive ” apparel started to appear, and sold t-shirts that was basically offering the buyer a more exclusive product, assuring he wouldn’t bump with another person wearing the same that easy. For me t-shirt design is an art on it’s own.

Priscilla:
I think it made it into the equation when Andy Warhol entered the scene and showed that anything could be art. Or even Duchamp proved that everyday objects could be art when looked at in the right way. T-shirts could be art or they might just be a billboard for somebody’s logo. It’s all in how you look at it, and what the designer put into it.

Alex:
I think it’s all about the money and the opportunities it brings, stuff like soda and cereal boxes only use illustration to an extend and have relied more on more digital and graphic design techniques, were as in tshirts, everyone wears a t-shirt, yet there is just such a more open market to a ton of different styles and ideas

Do you have a favorite t-shirt that you have done?

Alvaro:
Murphy’s Law is my favorite t-shirt I’ve done, because a lot of people in Threadless helped me and gave me their opinion, suggestions, etc. I loved the idea from the first moment and it was a fun job.
VIEW HERE

Priscilla:
One of my favorites would probably be Seven Swans. It was simulated process so I was able to use lots of colors and gradations!
VIEW HERE

Alex:
My favorite would probably be bird migration, since it was sort of a turning point for me, and it opened opportunities and gave me more attention to be able to showcase my work.
VIEW HERE

Julia:
I think it’s my Threadless select, “Believe It”! It was fun to be able to do what I wanted, both in shirt placement and symbolism within the work. It also served as sort of artistic milestone of aesthetics I was into at the time.
VIEW HERE

In your opinions what does the future hold for traditional illustrators in the apparel world?

Priscilla:
I think there’s a saying that goes, the only constant in fashion is that it always changes. I think there will probably be waves of popularity for traditional looking illustration on shirts. It might be more trendy looking one year and then look dated the next. As long as the artist attempts to evolve with the trends, there will be room for analog media in the apparel world.

Alex:
I think it’s very strong, I just don’t think there is a replacement for that traditional style, but maybe trends will return and traditional work is used more often, not just in the apparel world

Julia:
I think there is definitely a market for traditional illustrations in the apparel world, but it’s all about balance. If there is an abundance of t-shirts with vector graphics, there will be people wanting traditional illustrations. If there are too many shirts with traditional illustrations, people will want more vectors. The only thing that traditional illustrators should keep in mind when designing for shirts, though, is to keep the shirt’s canvas in mind. Often I have seen amazing illustrations that just don’t make sense being placed on a shirt.

Alvaro:
There will always be an space for us, since there are too many people out there, and you’ll always find a huge amount of persons who like having a t.shirt with a classic illustration on it.

Ok, last question: If you guys could communicate with yourselves way back before you started drawing t-shirts and making awesome wearable.. what would you say?

Alex:
I would direct myself to start doing this sooner!

Julia:
I used to be terrible at color theory, often using too many colors in one work and thus ruining it. I would probably just stealthily place the “Hang in there” cat next to my desk.

Alvaro:
In 2000 i would have said to myself “Hey Alvaro, there’s this new site called Threadless”. I would have made a lot of dough.

Priscilla:
I would tell myself, “You’re going to get a ton of free shirts in the future. Buy more pants.”

Episode Guide
BAND OF THE WEEK: 2AM Club

INDUSTRY BS:
Conditions and I Fight Dragons Get Signed!

Typo Shirts, Calling all artists! Get your artwork printed in a book! Read more here!

The “S” Thing Mania is sweeping the nation! Get your T-Shirt HERE!

Artist Greg Abbott Shows Us His Step By Step Process In Creating Great T-Shirt Art: HERE

SALES:
Rockett – $20 hoodies, some $10 tees
Lady Umbrella: 3,333 fans equals 33.33% off! Facebook.com/ladyumbrella

TEE TALK
T Shirt Vault: Sales begin March 1st! 19.99 with free shipping!

Dead Will Rise: 20% off with code TREND £16.00 or 25 USD New line in april/may with new website

DesignKins: $20 Tees plus presale is up for Lose Something Alice in Wonderland Tee

Eraser Tees: Grand Opening Sale $14.95! Printed on Vinyl, erased easily! Use coupon code IATT for 15% off!

8 Bit Zombie: Release their brand new line! Complete with collabs from The Printed Mind, Godmachine and Michael Shantz

VERY NICE:
Adam’s Tee Pick of the Week: Choke On Color – Night Rider $18.99
Beau’s Tee Pick of the Week: Machete Premium Cuts – Bill and Ted are Dead $20 coming soon!

Bo 2.0 Tee Pick of the Week: Threadless – Endless Forms Most Battleful $18

SHO’NUFF:

We hope you dig what we are serving up! If there is a shirt that you believe deserves to be on the list please leave it in the comments below! Also a fair warning I did not include t-shirts from bands, just indie clothing lines! Enjoy, and as always RT’s, Facebook Shares and Diggs are always appreciated!  The links provided go directly to where you can purchase the shirt!

In no particular order we bring you 75 Skull T Shirts That Do Not Suck! (well at least according to us

1. Public Domain Clothing

2. 410BC

3. A Better Tomorrow

4. Mediocore Clothing

5. Malus

6. Threadless

7. The Chop Shop

8. Built for Sin

9. Altru Apparel

10. Disturbia

11. Paper Root Clothing

12. Zombie Liquorice

13. Drop Dead Clothing

14. Shred

15. Threadless

16. To Die For

17. Fullbleed

18. In His Name

19. RANDR

20. Design By Humans

21. Threadless

22. The Printed Mind

23. Akumu Ink

24. Design By Humans

25. Kill Brand

26. Disturbia

27. Paint The Stars

28. Electric Zombie

29. Glamour Kills

30. Design By Humans

31. Rockett

32. Dekay

33. Uneetee

34. Topato Co

35. Threadless Select

36. Miles To Go

37. Dead, Serious! Clothing

38. Design By Humans

39. Altru Apparel

40. Built For Sin

41. Zombie Liquorice

42. Thriving Ink

43. Shred

44. Malus

45. Kill Brand

46. Design By Humans

47. Threadless

48. Heroine Clothing

49. To Die For

50. Enclothe

51. Paint The Stars

52. Rockett

53. Design By Humans

54. RANDR

55. The Horror Project

56. Designed Extreme

57. Dekay

58. Blackbird Clothing

59. Tilteed

60. Skeg

61. Tilteed

62. Akumu Ink

63. Affends

64. Joby Cummings

65. Submit and Remix

66. Arkaik Clothing

67. Fright Rags

68. Hotlife

69. Havok Clothing

70. Iron Fist

71. Crispy Tees

72. Pros and Cons

73. I Came From Nothing

74. Fatal Clothing

75. Dead, Serious! Clothing

When did you first realize you had a talent and passion for art and what drew you to it?

I have been passionate about art as far back as I can remember. As a child I was never able to really express my feelings vocally so I did it through art. Growing up, school was impossibly hard but for some reason art just came easy. If a teacher told us something was to hard to draw I would stop at nothing to draw that very thing. That passionate disregard for the possible is what still pushes me today. Whether it is art, design or advertising I want to push those same boundaries and always explore new ways of problem solving.

Did you get a formal art education, and if so where did you go and how do you feel it shaped you as an artist?

I went to a state college called Murray State University in Murray, KY. It is not formally recognized as an art institute but it is everything you could ever ask for and then some. What shaped me as an artist began very early with observations in the world and finally manifested itself once I discovered graphic design. My design teacher, Jim Bryant, gave me an incredible fundamental base but nobody can teach drive and passion they can only aid it. He was great in answering my questions and pushing me to find new ways of doing something. He quickly began not accepting mediocre work from me and that helped mold me into who I am today.

I must say you are one of the most creative and unconventional artists that I have seen. Where do you find your creativity and what inspires you?

What an amazing compliment first of all. I was born with a gift to make associates between ordinary things. I say it this way because it is the most exciting part of my being. I love to make myself laugh as well as others. I find myself traveling through life as a stand up comedian that never gets on stage but sends his work up instead. I actually am quite inspired by comedians because they make the very same observations but don’t have the visual arm to it. So the thing that inspire me most is really the world around me and how everyone travels through it. Inspiration shows up always when I least expect it. That is why I travel everywhere with a note card and pen in hand or pocket.

So where did you get your alias MurrayMullet?

Murraymullet is a play on where I went to school. Murray State is in a very very small town and prime area for mullets. Business in the front but always a party going on in the back. I don’t mean to knock Murray at all, I love it there, but after my stent there I am very happy to be in a big city again.

Are you an artist that needs to be in a particular mood when creating, or can you just design at any time?

That is a tricky question. Some inspiration can drive me to create that day but days where it isn’t coming as fast I can usually find an older idea in my notes to work on. Anyone that knows me though knows that I am always creating sometime new. It is my biggest passion in life as well as my career.

What has been your favorite piece that you have done and what did you like most about it?

I try not to have a favorite piece. I find that each piece has its own personality and life. Some are instantly more successful than others but I tend to love all my ideas and projects the same. What I try to do each and every time is let the project develop its own message and language.

Who are some artists that inspired you or that you looked up toover the years?

There are many people that inspire me. One of my biggest idols has always be Stefan Sagmeister. He is an incredible designer, thinker and artist. He has an extreme passion for delivering something different and his ability to inspire people is unlike anyone in the design community. Some other amazing thinkers would be Alex Bogusky, David Droga, James Victore, Milton Glaser, Jay Ryan, and I could go on forever. They all bring so many different talents to the table. I think if we could bring people like this to the table we could solve many of the world’s problems.

What is the most rewarding part about being an artist?

There are so many great things that come from being an artist/designer. I love putting my work out there and getting people excited. Wether inside the art community or outside it is so satisfying to make people laugh, inspire, or even motivate them to think differently. Sometimes I will create something and people I am close to immediately write me back with their new ideas because of what I have done. I could have never imagined how exciting and satisfy that is.

Where do you spend most of your time on the web?

The web can be a dangerous place. When I tumble into the rabbit hole I never know where I am gonna end up. I spend most of my time on places like ffffound, tumblr, flickr, threadless, laughingsquid and tons of others. I try to be careful though because those places can influence who you are as a designer and your own voice. I don’t like to use those for idea generation but they are really great places to see what everyone else is doing.

If someone wanted to contact you about possible work are you for hire and how would they do so?

E-mail me, AIM me, Skype me, Twitter, Facebook, Smoke Signals or your favorite way of communicating. Pretty much every site out there I am on in some way or another under Phildesignart or you can always reach me through my website phildesignart.com

So here are the details grab one or both of the following pictures and visit GetGrossedOut.com, Simply upload the photo, make it gross and save it! To submit your picture simple visit our Facebook Fan Page and post it to our wall!

We will pick 1 winner and announce them live on IAMTHETREND TV Monday February 15th! There is no limit to the amount of times you can enter!

Remember you have to be our a IATT Facebook Fan to enter! So make sure to visit our page and add us! Or Click become a fan in the right hand column of this site!

If you have any questions, post them in the comments below!

Use one of the following images: (right click save as, to save picture)

So after your done drooling over your keyboard take a second and visit these companies stores because everyone on this list aside from having top notch models have top notch tees to offer! Hope you enjoy the list! (in no particular order)

Also feel free to leave a comment on whom is your favorite! If you enjoyed this article please take a second to click the Retweet, Digg or Facebook Share buttons located in the right column!

1. Exclusive Entertainment

2. Live to Love Apparel

3. Rip N Dip Apparel

4. To Die For Clothing

5. Prestigious

6. Lady Umbrella

7. Takeover Clothing

8. Threadless

9. Skeg

10. KKBB Apparel

11. Dead Serious Clothing

12. Johnny Cupcakes

13. Alumni Clothing

14. Alumni Clothing

15. Cherry Sauce Clothing

16. Coastal City

17. Panic Pop

18. Pyknic

19. Shrimp Sauce

20. Heroine Clothing

21. Byeline Apparel

22. Hide And Seek

23. Holebrain

24. Glory

25. Glamour Kills

26. Built For Sin

27. Babycakes Clothing

28. Ugmonk

29. Metal Ink

30. FAQ

31. Skilla Fashion

32. Kill Brand

33. Pause Designs

34. Miles To Go

35. Toi Creative

36. Arkaik Clothing

37. Pyknic

38. Kill Brand

39. Iron Fist

40. Dead Serious

41. Glamour Kills

42. Electric Zombie

43. Cottonmouth

44. Ceerius Apparel

45. Altru Apparel

46. 410BC

47. The Printed Mind

48. Shirtfight

49. Karmaloop

50. ShockerTees

Well folks the day has come where someone decided they could handle both of these business models on one site. And yes you probably have guessed it already, that site is Tilteed.com. Tilteed.com launched roughly six months ago with the idea of holding a tee shirt contest that crowned a new winner every three days which has worked extremely well for them, but they decided to venture out further and introduce tee’s selected by Tilteed Curators.

The Curator selected tees are only available on the site for 3 days before they are gone forever, giving you even more reason to check tilteed.com on a daily basis. The move to me only makes sense, why not have the best of both worlds if your site can handle it?

Aside from adding curators to help select tees to be printed, Tilteed now accepts paypal, which the hope will make it much easier on their customers when purchasing tees!

Check out tilteed.com daily to see what is new!

Also if you are an artist that would like to be considered for getting your artwork printed email Iamthetrend.com’s very own guest author Bo M at: dunz0@tilteed.com

Anyways the design is not available for sale yet, but you can help this get printed by going to Threadless and rating this design a 5!

I can’t see this not ending up being printed!

1. Made With Awesome – “Red Means Go”
VIEW | BUY $20

2. Design By Humans – “Interstella Astronaut”
VIEW | BUY $19

3. Rockett – “Rainbow Drips”
VIEW | BUY $30

4. GOLD COIN – “Bit Map Bombers”
VIEW | BUY $30

5. SEIBEI – “Mutant Uprising”
VIEW | BUY $22

6. Threadless – “King of the Arctic”
VIEW | BUY $18

7. Linty Fresh – “Davy Bunyan”
VIEW | BUY $20

8. Regal Clothing Co. – “I Love the Weekend”
VIEW | BUY £17.50

9. Tilteed – “Koi Twins”
VIEW | BUY $18

10. Dance Party Massacre – “All Work and No Play”
VIEW | BUY $12.45

11. Shirt Fight – “A Glimpse of the End of Days”
VIEW | BUY $18

12. Assault Shirts – “Fatal Justice”
VIEW | BUY $19.99

13. Lowdtown – “Slipscript”
VIEW | BUY $18

14. Snakes & Suits – “Create New. Destroy Old”
VIEW | BUY $19.99

15. ReThink Clothing – “Fortune Cookie!”
VIEW | BUY $17.99

16. Skullastic – “Plaid to the Bone”
VIEW | BUY $28

17. 2012 Threads – “Corn God”
VIEW | BUY $18

18. The Last Fathom – “Jack Off”
VIEW | BUY $30

19. Suck Clothing – “Don’t Stop”
VIEW | BUY €20

20. Forty Sixty Photo – “Watercolor Crossbones”
VIEW | BUY $15

21. Monsieur Eureka – “Lavosaure”
VIEW | BUY $26.99

22. Paper Root – “The Window”
VIEW | BUY $20

23. Ugmonk – “One Hundred”
VIEW | BUY $24

24. Cavata Clothing – “Audio Maze”
VIEW | BUY $19.99

25. Hello, Brute – “Boy Germs”
VIEW | BUY $19

Do you have a favorite? Leave a comment below for your chance to win a FREE TEE! (free tee winner will be announced on IATT.TV LIVE Monday December 21st at 8PM Central!)

1. Johnny Cupcakes – Crossbones Classic $35.99

2. Electric Zombie – Badge $18

3. Linty Fresh – Rebel Bowels $22.00

4. Holebrian – Pull My Fin(ger)£9.35 GBP

5. Forty Sixty Photo – Crossbones $15.00

6. Sharpshirter – Rhino Hunter Tee $22.00

7. SEIBEI – Make Me a Sandwich – $22

8. Ugmonk – And Then I Woke Up $24.00

9. Omunky – Harry Hippo $21.00

10. Dekay – Predator and Prey – $20

11. Miles To Go – Poison Tree $19.99

12. Hotlife – Crime Dont Pay $20.00

13. The Printed Mind – The Printed Mind $17.99

14. Deez Teez – Team Ramrod $14.99

15. Shirtfight – Beautiful Outlaw $13 On Sale

16. Stheart Clothing – Classic Tee $18.95

17. Akumu Ink – The Ripper $21.99

18. Suffoca – Pops of Tea £ 15.00

19. Shrimp Sauce – Instincts $28.00

20. Rockett – Devil Lock Biggie $24.00

21. 410BC – AD ASTRA $26.00

22. Heroine Clothing – Boats $18.95

23. ReThink Clothing – Super Soaker – $17.99

24. Pandy Cane – Faceless $10

25. Mediocore Clothing – Missing Turtle $20

26. Paint the Stars – Skulls

27. Turn Nocturnal – Exclaim $20.00

28. Chop Shop – WeRobot $20.00

29. Origin 68 – Human Being £18.00

30. Mr Tastees – Knockout $22.00

31. RANDR Tees – Shrine $22.00

32. RetroCampaigns – Abraham Lincoln $29.95

33. Paper Root Clothing – Youth $20.00

34. The Hundreds – Electrical $30

35. Crispy Tees – I Heart Cake $18

36. Make Beats Not Beatdowns – MBNBD $16.00

37. Skilla Fashion – Music $23.00

38. Glamour Kills – Hip To Be Kind Too $26.99

39. Crywolf Clothing – Hipster Werewolf CAD $28.00

40. Threadless – The Last Day of Pegasus $20 on sale for $10

41. Blonde. – The Head Logo $25.00

42. Future Clothing – Grenade $28.00

43. Okoto – On A Limb $15.00

44. AltruApparel- Helvetica> $32

45. Boston Knucklehead – BKH Face Logo $29.00

46. IMU – Logo $20.00

47. Cavata – Breakbeat – $19.99

48. GoFourward – Follow Your Heart $24

49. Arkaik – Mammoth $20

50. Milk & Eggs Co – DIY – $18