Of all the Christmassy design related things I’ve seen recently, these would have to be my favourites. They’ve been created by some of Vancouver’s top architects and designers and each will be auctioned for charity. More info here (and you can click on the images to see more pics). Yum.
I’ve been meaning to share this tutorial from Go Media for ages. It covers, in detail, how to transform your sketches and drawings to into slick linework using photoshop and illustrator. It’s one of the best, most comprehensive guides I think I’ve ever seen. It covers all the ‘I wonder how I do that bit’ questions like:
1. Sketching – How detailed to get in your sketch
2. What resolution to scan your sketch
3. How to set up your Illustrator file
4. Tips and techniques for digitally inking your sketch using vector lines
5. Tips and techniques for coloring your vector illustration
Thought someone might find it handy …
A little inspiration from Mr Burton. His exhibition at MoMA in New York opens in a few days. A great interview in which he talks about stripey socks, movies he loves and his love of drawing. Enjoy! :)
A couple of weeks ago (which seems like a lifetime online) we messed around with an idea called RedBubble Pirate Radio. People posted short recordings of their voices, dedicated their favourite tracks in tribute to other bubblers, read their poetry and grappled with basic sound recording technology. Since I last posted we’ve had more recordings including:
The main motivation behind it was so I could get to know bubblers a little better and to hear the voices of the people I speak to every day on the site. I’m keen to hear more … so I’m proposing we go for a round two.
So we’re looking for as m…
I don’t get to peer inside the minds of t-shirt designers quite as often as I’d like to so as a small step towards righting this wrong, I bring you the secret thoughts of Naf4d (aka Nathan – I hope I’m allowed to reveal that classified piece of information). He was kind enough to let me raid his photo album and subject him to questioning so we could get to know him a little better. So without further ado, let’s enjoy a quick brain milkshake with the winner of the recent Music Machines comp, scalpel lover and all round talented dude … Naf4d.
Show us a childhood photo of yourself.
Okay – you’ve got it. I’m about three years old in this photo, the year is about 1977 and I’m hiding behind a peacock feather (I’ve stopped doing this now…
Another day, another little snippet of inspiration in the form of a talented guy who makes robots and other characters out of found objects and retro parts. Nemo Gould collects junk and sees faces in found objects. Enjoy …
RedBubble Pirate Radio Flag by Danny
Morning/Evening all …
An update from radioland … we’ve got a few new offerings from Mel Brackstone, RavenSoul and Matt Penfold. Matt has given RB Pirate Radio a twist buy reading some of his written work which is an absolutely brilliant idea. I hope we see some more writers doing the same (nudge nudge).
So far we have recordings from the following bubblers:
Keep them coming folks!
(The backstory is here if you’ve got no idea what we’re banging on about)
RedBubble Pirate Radio Flag by Danny
Hold the phone. RedBubble Pirate Radio has gone televisual with a video from Simon Gladwin. His children appear to be murdering each other in the background but I won’t be calling social services because I’m far too busy rocking out to Iggy Pop. To recap for those who aren’t paying attention in the back, the backstory is here and yesterday’s update is here.
So far we have recordings from:
We’d love to hear some more voices so if you haven’t shouted into a microphone yet, we’re tapping our feet impatiently and looking in your general direction. We also need people to spread the word so don’t forget to tag your…
You may have missed the monumental brainstorming session and the beginnings of a minor RB revolution yesterday. If so, you can catch up on the back story here. If you can figure out how to put together an audio clip then we want to hear your voices. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just staggered home from the pub or if you cock up the intro to your dedication. The more shambolic the better.
Paul McClintock is on hand to help with technical advice and we’ve had tips from pros like Diesel Laws and MuscularTeeth like adding intros, playing a backing track while you’re rambling and other bits.
So far we have four editions of RedBubble Pirate Radio:
We need more. Oh … and if anyone’s in a designing mood we should probably h…
If this works I promise to fine tune the delivery, technology and sound issues. It’s just an idea … that may spark other ideas.
Step 1: Record long winded rambling
Step 2: Save as .wav file cos I can’t figure out how to make it into an mp3
Step 3: Sign up to 4shared as I have nowhere to host it
Step 4: Try and figure out how to make it appear in a browser instead of as a download
Step 5: Give up and link to the download
Step 6: Hope to hell I don’t sound like a complete moron
Check out these amazing robot models from Japanese 3D artist Kazushi Kobayashi. They’re described as something from “a parallel 50s where the robots are the most popular transport system”. Apparently you can buy the kits to build your own, but only if you live in Japan. They have so much personality … If I was in the market for a robot I’d definitely invite Chubu 01 to come and live at my house. More info here.
In the last week I’ve come across trailers for two design films which are definitely worth keeping an eye out for. Died Young, Stayed Pretty, a film about rock poster design and Coast Modern, a film about Modernist Architecture …
Died Young, Stayed Pretty is a candid look at the underground poster culture in North America. This unique documentary examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists. The film gives us intimate look at some of the giants of this modern subculture. Outside of their own circle, they’re virtually unknown. But within their ranks they make up an army of bareknuckle brawlers, publicly arguing the aesthetic merits of octopus imagery and hairy 70s porn stars. They’ve created their own visual language for descri…
A little design eye candy and inspiration c/o the intertron …
Skate Study House
Mid Century design meets skateboarding.
SomeRightsReserved
A marketplace selling digital blueprints to a range of different products and objects.
MyPantone Color Library iPhone Application
Calling all t-shirt designers …
The t-shirt revolution group’s “Commissioner” has been contacted by a prospective customer looking for a bespoke t-shirt design. If you’d like to work on a design with the chance of a sale at the end then please read the following carefully. If you’re unfamiliar with The Commisioner there’s some more info here. Please note that the customer is not required to purchase any of the tees put forward but has said they will be willing to purchase a design if someone comes up with one they like.
The Bri…
Holy freaking swearfest. Tell me this doesn’t make you want to design some fresh t-shirts. I know I may be seen as slightly biased on this but RedBubble hat firmly removed – I think that seeing the talents of our t-shirt designers up there on the new homepage layout is inspiring. It just packs a bit more of a punch when you can see all the detailed effort that has gone into a design …
A creative brief is just a quicker way of saying ‘creative project where I’ve been given a set of requirements or guidelines’. It could be a job you’re given by an agency as a designer, a commissioned piece of work from a friend, a task you set yourself … or a challenge. In fact, all the group challenges on RedBubble are mini examples of creative briefs.
I have a loose process for tackling these kind of tasks so I thought I’d write up a journal explaining how I go about things, using the latest Demo t-shirt competition as an example. Hopefully there will be a few tips that you find useful. This method can also be applied to many of the challenges on RB …
Examining the brief
People have different ways of tackling a creative brief or project but for…
Greetings t-shirt designers …
Would you like to help connect buyers with t-shirt artists? If so, then we need your help. This discussion over in the T-shirt Revolution group has prompted the invention of The Commissioner, a profile set up to represent all designers in the group.
The basic idea is that someone who is looking for a particular design can get in touch with the group via The Commissioner, stating what they’re after and artists in the group can have a bash at coming up with something for them. There’s a full explanation on how it works on The Commissioner’s profile page. If you’re not already a member of A T-shirt Revolution then we’d love to have you on board if you’d like to get involved.
Most importantly, we need you to help spread t…
Hello … I’d like to place an order please. I’d like a brand new tee to add to my cart before Mr Baxter flicks the off switch on the t-shirt sale tomorrow. If you need an excuse to work on a new tee and don’t mind a couple of guidelines then read on …
So here’s my order:
Other things:
I’m back on your side of the planet for a couple of weeks so I thought it’s high time I ventured out into the real world and met a few Bubblers. Both Rhana and I will be joining the regular Melbourne meet up on Friday 10th of July so if you’d like to meet the face behind the furry avatar, please feel free to come along for a beverage or two. I have it on good authority that Jo will also be attending and we’re trying to rope in a few other special guests.
The meet up is at Miss Libertine, 34 Franklin Street in the city. They tell me the food is good and cheap. We’ll be there from 5pm-ish onwards. There’s some more info over here.
Hope to see some of you there :)
Nat
No … I haven’t been drinking. Althought Ed tells me it’s ok as long as it’s after 9 am. I’m just so impressed by the response to the type poster mini challenge. After 24 hours they’re still rolling in and they’re awesome. It’s motivating me to want to create even more myself. A massive thanks for embracing the idea and for inspring me!
I feel all warm inside.
Nat :)
Some of my faves … (if you haven’t checked them out then get yourself over there!)
If you’re up for a little typography related funtime … you might want to take a peek over here …
Ingredients:
1. A journal entry
2. Something art or design related that’s inspired you recently
3. A one liner about why you’re sharing it
Here’s mine. This apparently aired recently on the ABC so if you were in Australia you might have spotted it. If not, then hooray for youtube. It’s a little doco about artists Ghostpatrol and Miso. Makes me want to spend the day drawing.
Your turn … link to your journal below if you like.
Hello fine t-shirt people. May I have a moment of your time? I just wanted to alert you to the fact that there’s an ideas and suggestions forum which you may or may not be aware of. You can make a suggestion, people can vote on it and the idea is that if it’s at all doable, your voices could mean it’s pushed higher up the to do list. As an example, people have made the following suggestions:
I haven’t seen too many of the t-shirt crowd commenting on any of these so I thought I’d mention it. This is a good way to get the powers that be to notice what the t-shirt community on RB feel passionate about.
So er … I’m just going to throw that info out there … ;)
My twitter account has just got a whole lot more bubbleicious thanks to recent journals by mingtees and thickblackoutline. I’ve just discovered there are a whole bunch of people who I had no idea were tweeting …
Mine can be found here
And RB HQ has an account here
Some other cool non RB twitter accounts include:
It’s also worth having a snoop around to see who other people are following. You can stumble across some great finds this way.
So if you have a twitter account, let us know …
You may have missed the speed tee challenge yesterday (due to fatigue, work, abdominal pain or just not being damn quick enough) so we’ve decided to do it all over again. This time with some advance warning.
Your topic will be announced over here this Thursday April 2nd at 10am GMT (London), 8pm EDT (Melbourne) or 2am PDT (San Francisco). This time you will have 24 hours to complete your designs.
So clear your schedules, take the day off work, fill the fridge with redbull, booze, instant noodles … whatever it takes. Let’s storm the recent tees tab and show the rest of this site what us tee kids are made of.
Call yourself a t-shirt designer? Then we shall count you in …
Calling all t-shirt designers … a speed tee challenge is imminent. For those who thrive under pressure, the topic will be announced in just under an hour over here. You’ll have three hours to work on a design. Are you in?
… and any other steampunk enthusiasts …
Jake Von Slatt invites us into the alternate universe of Steampunk. As leading figures in the Boston arts community, members of Steampunk combine the power of modern technology with the grace and intricacy of Victorian design. Working with brass, recycled items and found objects, Jake and other Steampunkers party like it’s 1899, bringing old-world, steam engined-inspired touches to everything from computers to flatscreen television.
Is it just me or are these strangely beautiful? Maybe I’m just hungry. Either way it’s proof that people can get artistic inspiration from just about anywhere. Even lunch.
There’s loads more sandwich art at scanwiches.com. If you’re after some slightly more serious inspiration you might want to have a peek over here.
I’ve stolen the keys to the community account and I’ll be posting some bits about inspiration over there more regularly so if you’re at all interested, it might be worth adding community to your watchlist.
Now … where did I put the mayo …
So I thought it was only fair I wrote something for this too – so here you go …
Last year I went to see the Francis Bacon exhibition at the Tate Britain. I don’t go to exhibitions a lot. Mainly because I am lazy but also because a lot of the time, being 5 foot tall, I have to fight to see anything. This exhibition was no different. Being the big ticket exhibition on at the time, we were packed in like sardines. The were pushing people through in hourly shifts just so it wouldn’t be too manic.
So why did I bother? Because of this. Some time late in 2007 the Guardian newspaper in London printed a series of ‘Greatest Interviews of the 20th Century’ so for two weeks I had some decent reading material on the train into work. This morning in particular I was …
Today is Chuck Norris’s Birthday. If you’re bored, why not celebrate with a (non copyright infringing) Chuck Norris tribute t-shirt … (or you could just roundhouse someone).
Chuck Norris Facts:
I’m feeling a little distracted today. I’m tempted to spend hours trawling through blogs, design sites and the recent art/t-shirts pages in search of inspiration but this is dangerous. I have lost days doing this before.
So I’m going to throw out a challenge instead. I would like you to teach me about art. Tell about something or someone that inspires you, an image, an artist, a designer or illustrator … anything goes as long as it’s art related. You could even research something you know nothing about and impart your new found knowledge. Three guidelines:
1) It has to be in journal form
2) Once written, you need to link to it in this thread
3) Only new journals will be in the running
You have 24 hours (til 10.30 GMT tomorrow) to pull something together. The person who writes the most inspi…
Tip: If you are leaving the sunny southern hemisphere to return to the depths of winter in the UK, time a t-shirt delivery to arrive four days after you get back, just as the jetlag is wearing off. It’ll do you the world of good. I’m seriously considering a new camera purchase soon (and the old one doesn’t do these justice), but in the meantime …
Please join special guests Jonathan Ive, Marc Newson, Alice Rawsthorn, and director Gary Hustwit for a special screening and post-film discussion in London at the Chelsea Cinema. Tickets are very limited for this special event. They are only available through the Objectified website, and will go on sale tomorrow, Thursday, February 26 at noon GMT.
London Special Screening
Thursday, April 16, 7pm
Curzon Chelsea Cinema
206 King’s Road
London SW3 5XP
Thursday, February 26 at noon GMT.
So this is going to be extremely difficult to get tickets to but I was thinking … if a bunch of us manage to get their paws on some then I think a bit of a London RedBubble Design Appreciation meet up might be in order.
Let me know if you’ll be attempting to get tickets …
Back in the day, when one Justin French was still working at RB, I asked him why I didn’t see more comments from him on people’s tees. He told me he liked to ‘comment with his wallet’. As I was running through the Sound entries last night I remembered his wise words.
So without further ado … here are my top 3 personal favourites and soon to be new additions to my wardrobe. Kudos to the designers behind these fine tees and good luck to everyone who made the final cut.
I am possibly the most inexperienced (aka crap) photographer on RedBubble so please be gentle with me. I’ve been wanting to take some pics of my favourite RB tees for ages so today I bit the bullet. I’m in Melbourne at the moment … hence the gum trees. Would be interested to hear which ones you think may be buyers booth worthy.
And of course, kudos to the talented artists behind these shirts (Natalie Perkins, DesignbySolo and pindanootje). These tees have been worn to death …
September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day so we would like to mark the occasion with a blog post featuring 40 of the best pirate flavoured designs on the bubble. But the piratey goodness doesn’t stop there! The person who suggests the most inventive collective noun for a group of pirates will win all 40 pirate stickers.
Our tees got an awesome review on hideyourarms.com today. Worth a read if you have a spare few minutes … particularly this bit:
RedBubble have got a lot of great artists using their services, so you can find a lot of great tees and pieces of art (they do prints) just by using the browse function, or by looking at the best selling products for that week/month/all time, in fact one of the reasons why it took me so long to make an order was because I was struggling to pick which artists I should treat myself to …
I just wanted to plug a little chestnut of a thread that’s tucked away under general discussions on the main forums (just in case you don’t hang out there regularly for a bit of chit chat).
It’s entitled: If You Could Do Homepage For A Day Which 8 Would You Choose?
The best thing is that the homepage selectors regularly keep their eyes on it for suggestions they can use so there’s a strong possibility you could get some of your favourite artists and works on the homepage.
If you fancy collating a few examples, then head on over …
(It would be great to see some more tees in the selections ;p)
Attention design geeks. Hot off the er … press: the Objectified film trailer.
If you don’t know what Objectified is, check this out.
Enjoy :)
