Shirtheads 

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  Tiny Dutch Pancakes!
  by caanan

  US$23.94

  My first Shirtheads merchandise! Sure to become the catchphrase of a new generation. :oD There’s another Shirtheads tshirt coming too.

• 

  Redbubble is IN
  by caanan

  US$23.94

  More Shirtheads merchandise! Celebrate your love of the weekly strip! Celebrate your love of Redbubble! Heck, celebrate your love of Peanuts! I do. Every day.

• Shirtheads - featuring thickblackoutline
  by caanan

  Does this week’s Shirthead victim, thickblackoutline !http://images-1.redbubble.co…

  Does this week’s Shirthead victim, thickblackoutline really need an introduction? Then again, implying that one’s work is so idiosyncratic and recognisable it doesn’t NEED an introduction, is in fact, an introduction, isn’t it? phew My head hurts. I wasn’t inspired by any one tshirt this week, but more a common thread (get it?) appearing throughout TBO’s tshirts. That’s right… HAIR! :oD What is the appeal of Japanese art? The appeal is the culture, the complex minimalism, the food (!)..... I think its all related to who i was in a past life, I really connect to it on more than just a “i love sushi” sort of level. its more like a i’ve seen this, or i’m meant to be doing this. i think its really been around all my life. From my dad reading the Shogun series and me looking at the front covers in admiration when i was little… to eating sushi from a young age. I’m allergic to seaweed, it gives me crippling migraines, shame it took me 17 years to work that one out! So only the “top shelf, professional, lvl 72 mage” sushi for me! And what about the Thick Black Outline? Where did that come from? Do you ever get the desire to break free from it? Is there another style you’re itching to do, but people may be wanting you to stay in your current style because it’s individualistic and unique? TBO came from art school ~ should I even be saying this? ~ we used to have this injoke of saying “oh, that looks so cool but if you put a thick black out line around it would be 10 times better” lol. that really stuck with me after all these years, b/c it was true… it seems to be around a lot in cartoons, here on The Bub (i LOVE to see other people do it), i’ve seen McDonald’s use it… i’m not claiming to own it, mine is thicker than usual! ;) everyone should try it at least once and see what happens. To be honest i do feel a lot of pressure to stay in my style around here, but its all self inflicted. I don’t do a TBO for pieces that are too complex, it’s just not called for. But when i really want it to pop, i’ll use one… or if i want to get fancy.. 2!! I’d really like to get back into doing a more sketchy scribbly style of my yesteryear. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? It was a pink shirt with Dick Dastardly and Mutley from the Wacky Races on it. It truly was a gem and I begged my mum to buy it for me when i was like 4 or 5. She didn’t want to get it b/c it seemed ‘evil’ and he was the ‘badie’, yet i believe my winning argument was that it was on pink! yay! What did you want to be when you were 6 years old? I wanted to be an architect. I really liked, and still like, looking at buildings, all the design elements, angles, and little parts that go into making it unique. Before that I wanted to be a model on the Price is Right, I’d practice the hand movements in my bedroom!! LOL! Who would you invite to a tea party to make it the most awesomest tea party ever staged? AHHH, well it would look something like The Tea Party for starters, which would be serviced by my fleet of stoned monk ninja sushi chef green tea bearers. We all need them, I have 10. And the guests would include, Jimi Hendrix, Flea, Michael Stipe, Freud, my year 12 Studio Arts teacher, the Dalai Lama, Kermit the Frog, Cookie Monster, and some of my long time fav kids from around these parts, Craig, Jumpy, Webgrrl, Scott, Chris, Lostboy, Sjem, Mikoto, bigfatrobot, onetonshadow, you caanan of course ;).... There’d be sushi and the most decadent cakes my fleet stoned monk ninja sushi chef green tea bearers can prepare, many based around white chocolate, milk chocolate and chili, and coffee… did i mention chocolate? Excellent beverages of course. The musical entertainment would be some smooth jazz cruisey thing, who’d play Tool covers most of the night, but Maynard would still sing. Later, my real imaginary band called Hot Sick, who are a heavy metal thrash covers band, who play Paula Abdul songs…. only! What inspires you? I’m inspired by The Bub a lot, i like it here. I’m inspired by a lot of music, i have a very diverse musical pallet. I love vintage posters, 50s pin ups, the muppet show and sesame street, manga, movies with subtitles, the whole ritual of making a cup of tea, jpop, ethnic arts and cultures, things that remind me of my childhood, heavy metal thrash cover bands who play Paula Abdul songs…. What are you most proud of? I’m proud of identifying my passions. I love passion and really running with something I enjoy like some obsessive compulsive, “we must extract the information!” sort of thing. I LOVE what I do, and I’m so thankful that I can do it with the energy i put into it. Slowly but surely I’m being recognised for that, its a tough gig. I’m proud of surpassing my hair growing aspiration Lara Croft, and now have a new one, Nariko. Goggle her kids! ;) If you could time travel, where would you go, and what would you do? I’d prob go to Woodstock 1969 first, and not take the bad acid by the towers, I think that would be just amazing, I’m always quite memorised when I see footage of it. I was raised on all that music, so I feel a big connection to it. Also, back to the Edo Period in Japan, to really see the culture at it’s purist form, as it was… and then back some more to the height of the Mayan and Egyptian Civilisations, and then way into the future… lets see if Futurama is right! So the next ten years are going to be pretty big, huh? How so? Yeah, its going to be huge. I’ll become a mum, and manufactured crap~pop will still get released to the next generation. They’ll grow meat in test tubes, and we’ll get told about global cooling this time. Robots will do more stuff for us… i like stuff. I hope to be designing fabric for pyjamas or something like that, Peter Alexander is my hero. How did you find the bubble? What made you stay and, well… flourish? I found The Bub via ArtsHub, and joined a week or so after it officially became live. It was such a different community, and I think a few of us from “that time” look back on it with a bit of a twinkle in our eye. Yes I have flourished here (thank you) a great deal. What I think the appeal is you get to know why people like what you do, and you want to give the kids more. You find out what they like, and what they don’t, its all positive feedback and reinforcement, which we all fuel our machines on. Everyone seems to be on the same creative page, or at the very least in the same chapter. Also, i like to look back at what i’ve done, and see how i’ve evolved, its very important as an artist to do that. Thank you Jen! And come back next week for more shirty fun, folks. :o) Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler

• Shirtheads - featuring Natalie Tyler
  by caanan

  This week’s Shirthead victim runs the / Unofficial Redbubble Tshirt Blog !http://images-0.redbubbl…

  This week’s Shirthead victim runs the / Unofficial Redbubble Tshirt Blog and, contrary to her redbubble avatar, Natalie Tyler is not a piece of fruit. Although, like a piece of fruit, peel off a layer or two, and you get something altogether delicious. Let’s eat! This is the tshirt, by the way, folks… :oD So, what is a manchild? I have witnessed two types of manchild in their natural habitat and interestingly, they are almost polar opposites. One has the appearance of a man but displays Peter Pan-like qualities, namely the refusal to act like an adult. Often they will give the impression that they are fully grown adults but scratch the surface and you will find a fourteen year-old. Typical behavior includes: dressing like a teenager, owning one or more games consoles, spending an unhealthy amount of time on said games consoles and eating snickers bars for breakfast. The other variety is more like a man trapped in a child’s body. He has the appearance of someone who is dressed up in his Dad’s clothing. He would like to be seen as a man of the world but his childlike features give the game away. He longs for respect. Type one would probably love a manchild t-shirt and so he should! He’s fighting the good fight. I wish there was a recognised female equivalent to this type of manchild. Manchild type two would probably feel a small part of himself die inside if you gave him a manchild t-shirt. He would much rather a box of cigars. Or perhaps a suit in his size. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? I bought a Faith No More ‘The Real Thing’ tour t-shirt from Brashes in Southland (Melbourne) when I was about 13. They only had extra large but I wanted it so badly I didn’t care that I was only 5ft tall and it was knee length. My mum kindly took it up for me so it resembled an oversized crop top. I still wore it til it was threadbare. Editor’s note – Ha ha! Brashes. :oP If you could handpick the most awesome rock band in the world, who would be in it? Why? What would they, and their first CD, be called? Wow. You sure ask the tough questions. I think I’d go for Mike Patton on lead vocals/percussion. Dave Grohl on drums and guitar (hey – it’s fantasy). Guest vocals from Jack Black and Maynard James Keenan. Bootsy Collins on bass just to mix it up a bit. They would be called Mindbuggery and the first album would be self titled. How did you find the bubble? What made you stick around and take to the tees? I was directed to the site by a friend. I signed up then spent a lot of time staring at amazing work and thinking about uploading some of my own. I faced my demons, acquired a copy of some software I hadn’t used in a while and set myself a few tasks to help me get back into things. One of those first ‘tasks’ happened to be featured and I sold a couple and from then on I was hooked. I’ve thought about uploading art but I like the layout of my profile page better when it’s got nine images in one block. What do you do when you’re not on the bubble? Picture the least creative environment you can possibly imagine. Times that by 10. No prizes for guessing I work at a law firm then. At this point I should stress I’m not a lawyer. I just got caught up with a bad crowd. I’ve deviated massively off the creative path and RedBubble has been my salvation. It’s cleared the cobwebs from the right side of my brain and has paved the way for a brighter future ;) I also sleep and catch public transport. Where do your ideas come from? Often they just come out of the process of trying to learn something new. If I distract myself from the task of creating something then things seem to flow a bit better. It’s getting started that’s the main problem so if I trick myself into it, before I know it I’m working on an idea. Other ideas will simply come from random things I see or hear during the day. I try to actually act on the phrase ‘that would make a cool t-shirt’. What are some of the best ideas you’ve come across so far this year? One of the coolest things I’ve seen this year is Irina Block’s stunning diamond necklace . I also really like little people – a tiny street art project described as ‘little hand painted people, left in London to fend for themselves’. Oh – and Joshua Allen Harris’s Inflatable Sculptures . One of those crazy ideas you admire someone for thinking up … Can you give us a random thought you constantly have but never vocalised before? Unfortunately no. I have plenty of random thoughts but most of them have been vocalised. I vocalise a fair bit. If you could be responsible for one thing, but no-one knew it was you who did it, what would it be? Ross Robinson already said he’d ‘take care’ of Celine Dion didn’t he? I could cover her back catalogue. Not literally, of course (that would be horrific). I mean I would remove every trace of it from our planet. What do you think is the affliction of the modern generation, and how can we eradicate it? Shopping as a leisure activity. It’s one thing to browse a fine internet site for some quality art to enhance your home or a lovely t-shirt to keep you warm but I think it’s scary how some people will spend a day out at a shopping centre for entertainment. Sometimes every weekend. Often alone. People should ask themselves why they don’t spend more time thinking, reading, creating, talking or just being. There’s nothing wrong with a good shop but it might be worth looking at how much time we spend doing it and how we’re really hoping it will make us feel. Can I get an Amen? ;o) Thanks Natalie! And alas, I can only pick one tshirt to feature in the actual strip, but this one also rocks. Seeya next week folks! Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson

• Shirtheads - featuring nofrillsart
  by caanan

  This week we bring you some more nofrillsart! / No, not my comics… this nofrillsart !ht…

  This week we bring you some more nofrillsart! / No, not my comics… this nofrillsart And there was lots to choose from, but there was one I found particularly interesting… It is there. See? What would you do, if you had a Stealth-bomber? Well obviously I would be super stealthy! Maybe I would cut a few hot laps round town…try and impress Wonder Woman. Actually, I would probably complain about the cost of fuel and have to pick up an extra paper round or something just to get it out of the driveway. After that I would see the world…South America, China, Egypt are top of my list… really as if it wouldn’t be totally cool, tell me I’m wrong. Ignoring the fact of course that they are purpose built killing machines, they do also look damn sexy! What fuels you to create? How did you end up on the creative path? Hmm…I guess you are not after an answer like a hot Milo late at night to give me a sugar rush?! Well, I guess I am driven by the notion that ‘us’ humans are doing so many things wrong, that with a little introspect and thought we could do so much better. I guess that’s what I try to address the most with the messages in my art. I also tend to get fueled and inspiration to create artworks from a wide variety of areas in pop culture such as from reading the paper or watching the news, documentaries, movies, music and lastly by visiting galleries. I also really like to work with other artists on public art projects as that will always keeps you on your game. As for how I got on the creative path, thankfully I had a very supportive upbringing with lots of access to art supplies being that my mother was an Art teacher. I combine this background with having a bit of an obsessive need to create, which defines and justifies being able to call myself an artist and provide an excuse for being creative and generally making a mess. How did you find your way to the Bubble, and what made you take to the tshirting? I first heard about the Bubble from a good friend of mine Ive Sorocuk (nonstop). But it wasn’t till one Friday night when he rocked round to my joint sporting one of his new RB tees that I went…I’m so there! I had actually done a little screen printing in the past, a few spray stencil tees and a bunch of them using transfer paper for exhibitions. So when I saw the quality and ease of using the bubble I was instantly hooked. I always figured my artwork was graphic enough to sit well on a t-shirt and I like the idea of art being outside the gallery system at street level. And the rest is, as they say, history. (Sorry, I have always wanted to say that line!) What’s your favouritest tshirt ever? Yikes, I knew this question was coming. I have had so many cool tees over the years. But I guess I have the fondest memories of being a young kid and getting a Ghostbusters iron transfer t-shirt from Myer in Melbourne…complete with, cringe… my name on it in felt lettering. I saw it get made while I waited and I loved that shirt. In retrospect I’m not too sure about why I put my name on it, but I think it must have made me feel like part of the Ghostbuster’s crew or something. I’m also pretty partial to sjem’s Rats of the sky t-shirt with the text no pigeons written on it, but I can’t say it is my favorite because I get really uncomfortable stares when I wear it into take away food shops…especially chicken joints?! What did you want to be when you were 12? I always made Art, but back then I wasn’t aware you could actually make a living out of it. So my goal as a child was to be a hunter. But the twist is I wanted to hunt people who hurt animals! As animals were my next great love as a child (Not in the biblical sense). What would you do with a million dollars? You mean after I finished rolling around in it? I would not go back to work that is for sure. Not that I hate my job or anything, but I am not a morning person and truth be told I don’t like clocks and having to work to them. I would probably buy a building to set up as a gallery and art studios. Then put enough in the bank to live off the interest. Following this I would help out my family and a few close friends. And finally set up an art based charity to help change the cliché of the starving artist. War. What is it good for? Not much. But it is often used as an ‘excuse’ for religious, political or social bigotry or economic gain. Who do you admire? I admire so many people for so many reasons. First and foremost it would be my parents and friends for supporting and accepting me. In terms of Art it goes without saying that currently the artists Banksy and Shepard Fairey are favorites. Locally in terms of artists it would be my good friend David Dellafiora (Field Study), who I work with on heaps of projects out in the real world. On Redbubble there are so many great artists. But I guess right now I most look forward to seeing anything by Lucan Industries, Danny Nolan, Scott Robinson and Ruby Red in my activity monitor. Basically anyone who is creative, intuitive, honest and peaceful gets my respect. Who needs to be locked up, away from society? Oh, too easy! Politicians, they do more damage than anyone else. Some may say me because I can be a social menace, but it’s all lies! 20 years in the future! What do you see? Seriously, my eyesight really isn’t that great! Hmm…Thickblackoutline will give me so much grief if I don’t say something positive here. Hopefully, I see myself still making art, happy and having accomplished any goals I set myself. I like just being, plodding along so it is hard to get that wrong. In terms of the world I think there will be some radical changes in environmental aspects because this is about to hit a critical mass. As for issues of violence in the world I think twenty years is two short a time for much reform on this. I would be happy enough if in twenty years I was able to look back and say, ‘Yeah there is still a fair way to go, but we are heading down the right path.’ Skipping all the way… ;o) Thanks Glen! And next week? More Shirtheads. You lucky sods. You lucky, lucky sods. :oP Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Wahl / Shirtheads – featuring Jaywalker / Shirtheads – featuring sparklehen / Shirtheads – featuring jemimalovesbigted / Shirtheads – featuring purelydecorative

• Shirtheads - featuring Chris Richards
  by caanan

  I am waiting for my very own copy of this week’s featured shirt to arrive in the mail. It is Angry Jellyfish...

  I am waiting for my very own copy of this week’s featured shirt to arrive in the mail. It is Angry Jellyfish / / by Chris Richards / / and it is my pleasure to step back this week to shine a spotlight here ... First and foremost! Do you, yourself, have a short attention span? Hmm… well, most who know me probably wouldn’t say so, but I’d say that I do! I don’t see it as a bad thing, though. I think that creative thinking results in sporadic thinking, or constant thinking and exercising of the mind… in peak circumstances, anyway. Not everyone may agree with me, I’m sure, but as far as I’m concerned if you aren’t working away 200% in the mind, then your creativity capacity has not been met. It’s not to say that great things can’t come out, but it’ll probably take longer. Again, personal opinion. Why Angry Jellyfish? In all honesty, it was a combination of a few things before the shirt made it to the final “Angry Jellyfish!” stage. At first I wanted something obscure and random, because obscure and random is often much more amusing than if I’d thrown a dog onto the shirt. The next thing I wanted was something that was not overly complicated to draw, as I am a photographer for a reason. So, once I came to the sudden conclusion that even a platypus was too difficult to draw, I looked for something even simpler. I ran through the animals I knew in my head, and when ‘jellyfish’ came up, nothing else seemed to be made up of simply squiggly lines and a semi-half-circle; simplicity rules all. Then it was just a matter of giving it some facial features, which they don’t have to begin with, so I thought making him angry in the process was the icing on the cake. What is your favourite tshirt you’ve ever worn? Well, I asked around and apparently had a nice shirt with three monkeys on it that would never come off me when I was three, but now, I really can’t say I’ve had a solid favourite shirt. Now, I am the youngest of three, so for a large part of my life anything that was brand new was always a treat, since older brother and, sigh… sister… hand-me-downs were only oh-so-fun and exciting. At the risk of sounding like a typical, cliche teenager, I’m into graphic tees and such, but nothing has come calling my name over anything else yet. I’m also a super warm person, so especially in the summer and even spring and fall, you’d have better luck finding me without a shirt on at all than with one, not that you all needed or wanted to know that ;) Where do you find inspiration? Oh, man. Inspiration? Everywhere… everything. I know I’m being featured here for my shirt, but if you really took a look at both me and other tshirt designers, its no secret that graphic design is second in line to my photography. Now, when it comes to my photos, a lot of what I like to shoot turns out to be the more small, obscure things, granted, they’re not portraits or street photography. I like turning the ordinary and unseen into something worth stopping to take a look at. The image in my folio Keyhole is actually on a chest we’ve had in our basement for years on end, and my entire family has noted how they’d’ve never stopped twice to look at it until they saw my photo. So, I guess it’s about finding the beauty in everything that’s around me, even if it’s not easy. You’re a young’un (17, folks) and already displaying some strong talent. So imagine you’re 40 and looking back over your life –– what are your highlights? Hmm, highlights, eh? Well, in all honesty I see a family in there at some point, but I’m slightly a softie like that… you’ll notice it too in my bio about what fits well in the palm of my hands. But I’d also like to have traveled more or less across the world and back again since there’s so much to see out there. Career wise, a successful freelance/commission business wouldn’t hurt, especially if it’s to National Geographic or some fine photographic establishment that just so happens to pay me to run out to amazing beautiful places to do what I love. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’d also like to make some kind of discovery, although I’ll let that slide past the 40 year mark if I have to. You know, shipwrecks and lost cities and the likes as little side adventures and photo ops on my main journeys. I talk a lot… Is there anything you’ve ever found vastly amusing that nobody else has? Plain and simple. While playing some video games one giddy night early in the morning, I looked down and, to my astonishment, I had feet. Yes, I found that extremely amusing. Why? I have no clue. Have they entertained me since? Not at all… but for 30 seconds, it was magical…. ...so, who’s going to stop reading this/NOT take an interest in my work because of that? ;) If you had the chance to put something in a time capsule to be opened in 100 years, what would you put in there? Frankly I’d like to leave some kind of mass storage of photos however I could, whether electronically or… I dunno, but there’d be a lot. Even looking back at photos of my parents, or grandparents, it looks like such a different time, almost unrealistic, yet the photos are proof. I also think photographs can communicate much more than what meets the eye (again, my bio.. Atwood quote) and, yea… I dunno. I guess ultimately everyone’s greatest fear that comes along with dying is how they’ll be remembered, or what sort of impact they made on the world. If my impact was revealing my world to an entirely different world, than I think I’d have done something amazing and significant. What awaits you in Europe? What are you looking for there? It’s actually nothing overly exciting, I hate to say. It’s a trip planned through the school, buuut I will be able to run around with all of my friends there for 18 days. We’re visiting 16 different cities in France and Italy, so it should be nice, and my apologies to all those in the UK for not stopping by =( For the greatest part, I love traveling and seeing the world – or, I think I will. I’ve always had the itch, and have traveled around parts of Canada on my own, but I want to get out of here and explore someplace new. I know it’s not backpacking, but I think it’ll be a nice crash course on the two countries for later adventures; for now, I have no problem having my stops planned, meals ready, and sights set to see. What do I want to see there? Everything, and I plan on getting as close to that point as I can, so be prepared for super photo uploadage when I get backl =) Aaand cut! Caanan here again, I also recommend Think but, head on over, check it all out ... And bubble on over next Sunday night/monday morning for a new Shirtheads! Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – BigFatRobot

• Shirtheads - featuring Tambatoys
  by caanan

  / “Tambatoys”...

  / Tambatoys plays in the sandbox this week! I have ordered my own print of this tee to wear til it fades, or I rip it on something (I’m too lazy to avoid sharp objects) and I love it! for two reasons… 1. It celebrates a carnival/sideshow industry stalwart and b) because sometimes I feel like I too, am helpless against a higher power. Whether it’s fate, or the claw, let me go, dammit! The Claw / What is the attraction of the claw machine? I will admit I was super in love with these arcade games when I was a kid, and I spent many hours and 20c coins trying to win myself toys. When I was 20 though I remember taking my 7 year-old cousin to the movies and there was a claw machine there she begged me for a $1 to play. I gently explained that they were rigged and a waste of money and time etc and she looked so disheartened I felt too guilty of depriving her of that hope of winning something so I gave her a dollar and off she went for her one try. And can you believe it, she came back grinning from ear to ear with her stuffed toy. I had to restrain myself from jealously ripping it off her! There is no doubting your style as instantly recognisable. Where does it come from? I have always loved to draw and it’s really the only thing I ever did well in at school. I studied ceramics at art school because I thought it may be easier to make a living from than other artistic pursuits. I did ceramics for a while but my interest in illustration and painting never went away. I became inspired by modern Japanese art and I’m a huge fan of cartoons in general, so after I stopped doing ceramics a few years ago, I decided to concentrate on drawing. What did you love playing with most as a kid? Why? I was a mega fan of Lego and had dreams of being an architect but I also loved board games especially when they were interactive games like ‘Mouse trap’ or ‘Operation’. I was also a serious roller-skater and BMX gal. What do you love playing with most as an adult? Why? These days I love playing with paint, or my Mac and Photoshop, or my newest toy, a Wacom board which I am still getting the hang of, men can be quite fun too :) What has been your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? When I was a kid I had a white tee with a glitter transfer of three trees which I loooved! I recently bought a tee by illustrator Jen Corace which I love and a couple of favs from RB are ’Robot with victim noir style’ by BigFatRobot and ‘Coffy rabbit’ by your fine self will be my next purchase! You just had the perfect day. What did you get up to? Ok, to me the perfect day involves breakfast at a café, a visit to the MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) a stroll along the Sydney Harbour foreshore, a yummy lunch and bottle of wine in a great pub, a spot of shopping, and a gorgeous man to do it with, the day I mean, lol. What scares you? There are many, many things that scare me but recently I have decided to try and live with less fear, although dusk still makes me really anxious! Is there anything you’ve ever found entirely hilarious that no-one else has? Yes, me! I constantly crack myself up. Seriously, I laugh a lot of the time, usually at my own silliness. Someone hands you a bunch of primary school kids and says ‘Entertain them. Seeya at five.’ What do you do? Get the paints and brushes out and let their imaginations run wild. If that doesn’t work, panic and run away! What are your minor and/or major goals right now? My minor goals at the moment are to keep creating, get my art selling in more outlets, and have another solo painting exhibition, and just to appreciate and enjoy all the great people and things in my life. My major goal (dream) is to start my own kids tee label and own a print gallery that stocks affordable art. applause :oD And remember, folks, come back next week, for more t-shirty goodness. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie

• Shirtheads - featuring Ross Robinson
  by caanan

  It’s the age old question… quantity or quality? / In the case of Ross Robinson / !http://imag…

  It’s the age old question… quantity or quality? / In the case of Ross Robinson / / what happens if you have both? I had a virtual smorgasbord of designs / to pick from, but this one / / screamed to me with a very simple gag, so let’s get to it! If a robot and a monkey had a child in this day and age, map out that unfortunate love child’s life for us… I actually think a robot/monkey hybrid would be a very lucky child in this day and age. People love robots; people love monkeys, so a combination of the two would be insanely popular. He would be the cool kid in class, the one who always got picked first when choosing teams and the first one to get laid. Later on, he would be the singer/songwriter/lead guitarist in a kickass insanely popular indie band that never loses its credibility despite outselling Mariah Carey and the Beatles combined. After a brief stint as a leading man in many blockbusters and acclaimed arthouse films about gay robot cowboy monkeys, he would turn his talents to politics becoming first the governor of Wyoming and later the first non-American, non-human President of the United States of America (let’s face it, he’s got a better chance of winning than a woman or a black man). In his two, four-year terms he would end war, eradicate poverty, solve the global warming crisis and invent not one, but two new flavours of twinkie. After retiring he would write a series of books so bloody good that James Patterson and Dan Brown would hang themselves to the overwhelming relief of the literary world. What is the best toy ever invented? Mego dolls. (Check out www.megomuseum.com) I had a Batman and Robin from the age of 4 and along with my Six Million Dollar Man were my favourite toys in the world. Unfortunately my mother gave them away when I moved out of home and I have spent quite a bit of money and time replacing them on eBay. Mego were great. They did Superheroes, TV Shows, Movies, you name it. They were wonderfully crap with their odd ‘real hair’ and ‘real clothes’ but the amount of love kids had for them was undeniable. The company went bust in 1983 after turning down the offer of making the Star Wars figures. Stupid stupid stupid. Your work has a strong satirical edge to it. Why all the satire? Art Buchwald said ‘You can’t make up anything anymore. The world itself is a satire. All you’re doing is recording it.’ Which unfortunately is true. Satire used to be about holding up a distorted mirror to society to exaggerate things to make a point. These days however you don’t need the mirror to be distorted, you just need to get people to thinking past their attenuated attention spans. That is the difficult part. This is not something new however; the extremely talented satirist and musician Tom Lehrer said in 1973 when Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize, “It was at that moment that satire died,” says Lehrer, “There was nothing more to say after that.” I was one year old at the time. I think satire has survived – I was raised on Pickering, Paul Rigby and Patrick Cook cartoons, not to mention Kenny Everett, D-Generation and Fast Forward which has influenced the way I look at the world. When you look at the public figures today – politicians and celebrities alike, they are humourless, gormless hollow men (and women). That’s why we need humour. And gorm. Lots and lots of gorm. If you could be responsible for one big thing, but no-one knew it was you, what would it be? The assassination of Céline Dion. I don’t think I need to explain this one. I know though, if I pulled it off I wouldn’t be able to help myself at parties. / “You know that shooting of Céline Dion?” / “Yeah! Wasn’t it brilliant?” / “That was me.” What are you stark-raving passionate about? I am not a naturally passionate person. I get quite angry at stupidity and hypocrisy and am well on my way to becoming the ranting old curmudgeon I wish to be when I’m 80ish. A friend of mine has called me ‘the angriest man in Stanmore’ (a la Nick Hornby’s ‘How To Be Good’). What are you guilty of? Technically, nothing. I was acquitted on all charges. I didn’t do it, nobody saw me do it, you can’t prove anything. More generally though, I would say the big 7 – pride, envy, greed, wrath with an emphasis on lust, gluttony and sloth. Those last three are definitely the best. Especially if you can combine them. Rather like the Romans did. The vomitorium didn’t just invent itself you know. How did you find the bubble? What made you stick around? What made you take to tshirting? I was introduced to RedBubble by my good friend David Gilliver who has his photographs on here. (Please go and check out his work now. Well, not right now obviously – finish reading about me, and then go and check out him.) I took to making shirts like a duck to knitting. Seriously – I have been a graphic designer for years but a very lazy one. It was only last year when I came across a one colour t-shirt design contest that I did my first shirt (the decidedly unpopular ‘Robot Monkey Love’). It didn’t win and it wasn’t until RB that I did my second shirt ‘Evil Naked Dolls’. I sold one within a week (much to the chagrin of Mr Gilliver) and have been hooked ever since. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? It was a shirt I got for my birthday back in 1998 – there was a drawing of a cow floating in a tank with bubbles emerging from its rear end with the words “Arty Farty” underneath. I assume it was taking the piss out of Damian Hirst which was great because I think he is one of the biggest frauds ever to inflict themselves on the art world. Unfortunately it is now quite worn and full of holes. I have never been able to find a replacement. If anyone sees one and wants to send it to me, I take an XL. My other all-time favourite shirt I had when I was five. It was free dress day at school and my mother made for me a Batfink shirt which was basically just a big red “B” on a yellow shirt. I was in heaven. Say it with me now, “My wings are like a shield of steel!” Where and when do you get your ideas? A combination of 30+ years of absorbing popular culture like a large ADHD sponge and an intrinsic need to create new stuff all the time. The ideas usually come to me when I should be doing something else – e.g. paid work, sleeping, driving which is bloody inconvenient. I think I need to trade in my muse for one with a better sense of timing. If you could resurrect one person from history to have a day time talk show, who would it be? I’m going to have to say Caligula. Not only was he mad as a hat full of badgers stirred with a crazy stick, but his carrying ons would be a perfect match for the sort of guests you get on Jerry Springer. “So you slept with your brother’s wife and are now going to have a sex change to be her lesbian lover? Big deal! I’m a god who had sex with three of his sisters and made my horse a consul and a priest! You’re going to have to lift your game mate.” The Tom Cruise interview would be television gold. Thanks Ross :o) Ok. Now you can go check out David Gilliver folks Leave a message here first though, if you like, and do come back next week. Caanan. :oD Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry

• Shirtheads - featuring Chris Wahl
  by caanan

  Eerily enough, I think this is the look most people get when I send them their Shirthead questions. / !http://images-2.redbubble.com/img/u…

  Eerily enough, I think this is the look most people get when I send them their Shirthead questions. / Chris Wahl is another one of those unstoppable bubblers who had a lot of funky tshirts to choose from / / but it was Paper Rock Scissors / / that ended up inspiring in me yet another simple, (and kinda nasty) gag. Think of it as a no-budget Curiosity Show. :oP Enjoy! What do you think are the decisions people use this game most for? What should be solved using Rock Paper Scissors? Usually, I think it’s used to decide who gets the short end of the straw. Like who’s gonna do the dishes, or who’s gonna climb the fence to retrieve the ball from Old Man Cooper’s haunted mansion, things like that. / Soccer matches should definitely use them on 0-0 draws. Definitely makes more sense than those stupid penalty shootouts. Maybe in the boxing ring as well, although the gloves might pose a problem. What inspires you, day by day? Creatively, the internet is a bottomless source of inspiration. The amount and array of fantastic art and artists inspires me to no end. Actually using the ‘stumble’ button on my Firefox browser is also a great source of inspiration. You never know what little gems you’re going to find. What do you enjoy drawing the most. Why? Besides women and monsters and the usual nerdish fare, I enjoy drawing the human face- eyes and mouths especially. You can convey so much emotion and character when those two features are drawn well. That’s one of the reasons why I enjoy drawing caricatures as well. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? Back when I used to work at Disney Australia, I used to think I was some big rebel walking around the Disney corridors in a ‘Mickey Rat’ t-shirt. Most likely they just thought I was some big smartarse (and they were right). / Some honourable mentions though would go to my DC Vertigo Chris Bachalo Death shirt, My Cure Disintegration shirt and when I was younger, my Ghostbusters shirt. All faves. Who should come back from the dead as a zombie, and what would happen? Maybe the late actor, Jack Palance? His bone structure and villainous ham acting would be perfectly suited to the task. He’d be the best one-handed pushup zombie around. What did you want to be when you were 6? Unsurprisingly, I wanted to be a comicbook artist, since collecting comic books were a big part of my life growing up. I eventually realised I didn’t have the patience to do so and just stuck to illustration instead. I think I also wanted to be a puppeteer at one stage as well. What’s the funniest thing ever? A toss up between my 4 year old dancing, Bert and Ernie and cartoon gags on the internet involving airline safety art. If you were asked to create a new law for Australia, what would it be, and how would it be enforced? A no mullet law, especially on young children. Ever seen a 3 year old with a full-on chullet half way down their back? Very tragic. It’s a form of child abuse I tells ya! Under the new laws, asking for some ‘business in the front, party in the back’, ‘hockey hair’, a ‘chicago neckwarmer’ or a ‘MacGyver style’ cut at the local hairdressers will be a punishable offense. As much as I love David Bowie’s music, he’s to blame for this scourge of bad hair. Damn you Ziggy Stardust! How did you find the bubble? What makes you stick around? Fellow Aussie comic artist and previous Shirthead, Simon Sherry brought RedBubble to my attention via the Pulp Faction forums. Ever since then my paid work output has dropped considerably. Thanks again, mate! / I had a little break from the Bubble recently as I sometimes go through shifts in creative direction (meaning I have a short attention span) but dammit, t-shirt design is the coolest fun. I just couldn’t stay away! What will happen in the next five years? Most likely I’ll be frantically trying to justify my existence, both personally and creatively, since at the end of those five years I’ll be turning 40! Eep. Thanks Chris! Now get that worried look off your face… ;oP And I hate to be a broken record folks, but this is the last time I’ll mention it, I swear… Seeing as how it’s the final week and all… but Celadore is still struggling to keep the top spot over at Zudacomics.com so if you haven’t voted, there’s one week left to get me sailing over the finish line and finally be a legitimately paid comic artist. :oD Joy! Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson

• Shirtheads - a comic
  by caanan

  Well, this was a little comic I was sort of informally asked to do, and I’m not sure if it’s ever going to take off, or what, but here’s …

  Well, this was a little comic I was sort of informally asked to do, and I’m not sure if it’s ever going to take off, or what, but here’s the first one anyway. Basically, the premise is that the strip focuses on tshirt vendors, Abilene (or just Abi), and Matt, (yes, Mattman, he’s modeled after you, in recognition of my first buyer (that I know of) who run a stall at a local craft market called Shirtheads. The idea was that I would seek out tshirt designs that I like, and feature them in the strip, and get a bit of background from the artist to go along with it, as well as post a link direct to the tee, etc. If anyone would like to see more, let me know, and I’ll try to make it a semi-regular thing! Keep bubbling over, folks! / Caanan.

• Introducing Caanan
  by jemimalovesbigted

  I had the absolute pleasure of meeting with the talented, modest, witty, patient Caanan yesterda…

  I had the absolute pleasure of meeting with the talented, modest, witty, patient Caanan yesterday / (meant to take a photo yesterday but forgot… der!) . I was picking up my very own original Shirthead strip, which I might add is my most prized possession… (stay tuned in future for photo) I have to give him credit for his patience as when I met up with him and we sat down for lunch my gorgeous 10 month old decided to go completely feral (due to it being way past nap time) and it took me about half an hour to get the little darling to sleep. So sorry again about that Caanan =/ Anyway seeing as though Caanan spends all his time creating questions and interviewing others, not to mention inventing a new strip of Shirtheads every week (which, why is it not featured every week any more RB?), I thought it was about time to turn the spotlight back on him… So please read on as we delve into the mind of a wonderfully creative man =D ____________ What were your favourite comics growing up? That implies I HAVE grown up! Um, well, if we’re going to go with the traditional growing up time of, say, the ages of 0-12, I was always reading Archie comics, Disney comics and Peanuts. They’re my three main influences, and they remain so to this day. Archie is just brilliant, and iconic – you can’t see any stories these days involving a love triangle that can’t be compared to Archie, Betty and Veronica. It’s timeless. And it’s Betty. It’s totally all about Betty. Stupid Archie. And Peanuts is the greatest comic strip ever. Hands down. Its simplicity invites readers to engage their imaginations on a level not seen in any other newspaper strip. It really makes you think. If I ever get stuck creatively, I sit and read a chunk of Peanuts strips. It gets my creative juices flowing all the time. And how can you go past the Carl Barks adventures of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge? I learned more about South America from those comics than I ever could have from my whole 12 years of schooling. (I just hope it’s MOSTLY factual ;o) I could look really silly in conversation at a Peruvian Banquet Dinner, otherwise… How did you choose the name Celadore? Is there a Donnie Darko reference there? As much as I love Donnie Darko, (everyone has a different take on what it’s about) it never entered my mind when creating Celadore. Tolkien, of course, was the one who coined the ‘beautiful’ phrase, and also suggested that if you take ‘cellar door’ and twist it into a name, you’d end up with a name so evocative, the story would practically write itself. And it did, and boy am I glad I did it. The character came first – the centuries old monster hunter, and from there, the world grew around her, and now she is a very small, but integral, piece of the puzzle. The world buzzing around inside my head is frighteningly big. I’d write it all down, but then I’d never get the actual story done! What inspired you to start creating Shirtheads? I was asked by the Bubble, actually. They were interested in incorporating comics somehow, and my name got thrown out there as a viable option. (It was either Chris Wahl or Simon Sherry who dobbed me in – I forget who now… I think Simon). The idea of the shirt stall came to me immediately, and if there’s one thing I learned from my three years of an advertising degree, is that you can come up with a HUNDRED ideas for any one thing, but inevitably, the first is usually the best. It was also good timing for them to contact me, as I was preparing my Zuda comic at the time. I thought if I started Shirtheads up, after ten weeks or so, the comp would start and I could get a small following of people to help me out when the voting craziness began! (It worked! ;o) That’s only a small bonus reason, though – I will continue doing the strips, because I love showing my appreciation for the boundless talent on the Bub. I wish I could do it in sales, but I’m a poor starving artist, so this way works better for me at the moment. Who are your characters based on? Matt is based on Mattman who was the first buyer of one of my shirts. It was when I sold that first one, I realised I could stick around and maybe earn a little pocket money, so Simon brought me to the site, but Matt made me stick around. He posted a photo of him in his Coffy Rabbit shirt, and he just seemed like the perfect fit for the main character. I’d never met him, but he says I captured his personality pretty well, and have created way too many other uncanny coincidences regarding his good self. I’d like to take this time to say I have never dabbled in spy cameras. ;o) Abi, on the other hand, is loosely based on one of my greatest friends, Kat. A more super bubbly, friendly, artistic, and beautiful soul you will never meet. It didn’t really translate unfortunately, as Abi ended up the sarcastic foil to Matt’s kind-of-doofus role, but the intention was there. If you’re reading, Kat, I love you, Sunshine! ;oP How did you find the Redbubble and what made you stick around? I’ve ALWAYS wanted to try my hand at tshirts. I love tshirts. I’m proud to wear my brain on my chest (the perfect example would be my Bbbrm tshirt – that is me ;o) and when I was pointed to the bubble, I realised I sucked at it! So, I looked around, saw what people were doing, and looked at design patterns, etc. then decided to make myself better at it. Simon Sherry posted a link AGES ago on the Aussie comickers Pulp Faction forum boards, which is where I first found it. All blame lies with him. Angry letters let fly. :oD If you could have created any comic strip, which one would it be & why? I recently discovered a GEM of a strip called Hey James! (Google it, seriously) and was blown away! It’s SO spare in the art, and so damn hilarious. Honestly, that that strip could be made so late in the game was amazing. It is SO simple, it’s astonishing. But, I am very happy with my own creations too. The Middle Ages is slowly coming into fruition as the comic version of Degrassi Junior High I’ve always wanted to do (without the teen pregnancy and drugs ;o) and Squirrels and Pigeons could well be the best representation of my cynical, yet childish and optimistic view of the world, yet to hit the page from me. I need more time to work on it, but it could be the big one for me. Squirrels are funny creatures and largely overlooked in society. I AM a squirrel! ;o) If you were granted one wish what would you wish for? That’s a tough one. I want to say money. Lots of money. Not for me, but because we have to exist in the world around us, and make it work in our favour. I want it to give it away, because money talks, money helps. I’m happy to scrape by myself (with a comic allowance, of course) and I’d love to bring a wave of people along with me, who aren’t even on that level yet. Give it out randomly and anonymously. True giving is not standing around waiting to be pat on the back for it. Where will you be, and what will you be doing, in 10 years? I really want to be in a position where I can work comfortably at my own pace a few months on, a few months off. It’s hard to be creative 9-5. It’s an organic process, and if you force it, that can be even more detrimental than good. I would also love to have a big studio where other comickers can come and work, and they just pay a monthly fee. Like a gym membership but for an artists studio, for those small timers who can’t afford their own space, and find it hard to work 2 feet from their bed and TV. Like me. If you could visit any time in the past or future, when would it be? A visit? As in not permanently? Like a camping trip? Back to the age of dinosaurs, for sure. I’d love to see these gigantic creatures roaming around, and crazy nature and foliage, and the conspicuous absence of people. Not that I hate people, but society? Well, it’s not the dinosaurs destroying the planet now is it? Can the old man next door please stop cleaning his front path with a high pressure hose? Cheers, ta, thanks very much. If you weren’t Caanan, who would you be? I would probably be someone who had the constant nagging thought that they weren’t who they’re supposed to be. How would I ever get anything done?! ;o) Thanks again Caanan it was a pleasure =D

• Shirtheads - featuring Simon Sherry
  by caanan

  This week’s blockbuster, widescreen, now in technicolour edition of Shirtheads features – dun dun DUN – The Killbots...

  This week’s blockbuster, widescreen, now in technicolour edition of Shirtheads features – dun dun DUN – The Killbots / So grab some popcorn, turn off your mobiles, and get your feet off the seats! do you do that at home?! (Yes sir) as we say ‘howdy’ to Simon Sherry / / ( Lord of the Aussie comickers’ Pulp Faction group ) Explain the process of Killbots. Where did they come from and how do you make them? The killbots series pretty much started as an experiment in Adobe Illustrator – I had stumbled on a couple of techniques in the process of working on some other pieces, and as is usually the case, I take that new discovery and get sidetracked! To be a little more specific, I tend to approach each bot in as freeform a method as possible, just laying down shapes (and sometimes components from previous bots) to see what comes of it. The best example of this would be KB 4 + 4.5 ‘Psiclops and CRABS’, which went through all manner of changes before the version you guys have seen. In fact, CRABS simply started off as kb 4’s jaw, and kind of sprouted from there. If you could build a robot, what would it be? What would it do? Aside from helping me conquer the world? Probably make a mean cheesecake,. Where do you find inspiration? Cartoons, comics (Mike Mignola, Sam Keith and Ted McKeever, in particular), the army of action figures populating my office, all manner of ‘found objects’ I stumble upon in my internet travels (particularly here on the Bubble), the many and varied cute and strange things my 23-month-old daughter does… I try to make a point of soaking my brain as much as possible with stimulus from the world around me, and let it spew out through my drawing arm in a random fashion. So far it’s worked out pretty well for me :) What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? Probably the ‘Fantasy Island’ shirt I picked up for 10 bucks at Dimmeys in Richmond many years ago. It had a great pic of tattoo on it and the airplane from the show on the back. If you’ve never heard of the show, Google it – you won’t be dissapointed ;) What did you want to be when you were 6 years old? A paleontologist – although secretly I wanted to be some sort of weird mix of Doctor Who and He-Man. What took up most of your time growing up? Drawing, reading, Dungeons & Dragons – all the typical nerdlinger activities. Is there anything you’ve ever found vastly amusing no-one else has? Probably the aforementioned Fantasy Island t-shirt and accompanying ‘Tattoo on my chest’ jokes that came with it – there’s a reason that that particular shirt was plentiful in a store like Dimmeys. What’s the worst thing the internet has to offer? Endless distraction… and really, really bad YouTube videos. What have you been proud of most thus far in your life? My lovely and amazing children. My son Samuel was stillborn in 2004, and while I’ve not got to watch him grow, his memory still inspires and drives me to make the most out of life. My daughter, Olivia, who is an unstoppable juggernaut of cuteness, and our little WIP, soon to be released into the big, wide world. I know it sounds sappy, but truth be told, there’s nothing else that I could acheive that’s going to top them. How does the world end? Well, after that robot of mine whips up an awesome baked chocolate cheesecake, the onslaught BEGINS! Thanks Simon! And as always, folks, come back next week for a new victim. maniacal laughter Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys

• Shirtheads - featuring sparklehen
  by caanan

  A picture tells a thousand words / as do these tshirts !http://images-3.redbubble.com/img/clothing/bodycolor:teal/size:small/style:wome…

  A picture tells a thousand words / as do these tshirts by sparklehen Open yourselves to a little illumination this week, as we gather some more thoughts from sparklehen – take it away ‘Sparky’! ;o) Any first date experiences you can share with us? Disastrous or no? When I first started dating I seemed to be asked out by “bad boys ” which some girls might be attracted to, but I was really a goodie two shoes….. / Wait a minute, I think I might be getting mixed up with the storyline from Grease! No, I really can’t think of any disastrous first dates, but my mind would wander (really badly!) if the conversation wasn’t going well or they didn’t make me laugh. Hence this series, but I wanted Jane and Keith to actually like each other. It would have been a cheap shot for Jane to be nasty about Keith (Or maybe I’m subliminaly trying to correct my past!) I just have to state that my first date with my husband was obviously very successful and there was no mind wandering going on what so ever! What are some everyday random thoughts you’ve never vocalised before but can share with us now? Hmmm, I suppose swearing, I love swearing in my head. Oh yes, I can say what I like to whom I like. You see I have two pre-school aged boys, I have to watch what I say now. Thing is I didn’t swear very much before having children. I think it’s when you are forbidden to do something the temptation becomes greater! Who do you think should be put into a locked room together and not let out until they’re the best of friends? I could easily say certain political leaders for obvious reasons. Instead I’m going to say my head and my guts (ok I know that’s a what not a who, please bare with me) But they are in conflict an awful lot, and I’m fed up with being indecisive. We all know to go with your “gut feeling” but to be honest I sometimes don’t know which is which. I’m becoming a ditherer. Any advice on how to tune in on my digestive tract is welcome! What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? This is a tough question, because you’re asking me to choose and you have all just found out how bad I am at making decisions! (10 minutes later) Ok I’m back. Based on the number of times they have been washed. My favouritest tee is Dendoo’s So Not Sophisticated however, I’m due to buy another RB Tee so I’m afraid that will be my next new best tee. What do you remember most from your childhood? Why? I was watching a programme about diets through the different ages and last night’s one was about the 1970’s. I was born in 1974 so I do remember some of it. It’s hard to pin it down to one thing, as your childhood is made up of so many things good and bad. Sweeties (Lollies or Candy) being one of them. / There seemed to be a lot of fizzy stuff around like sherbet dabs, flying saucers refreshers and wham bars. Sorry to be uncouth, but I could empty a room eating all that stuff. All those chemicals must have really upset my insides something awful! What are the most important lessons children need to learn ASAP? As a mother this is something I ask myself a lot, and of course the answer changes a lot. We need to teach our children to be positive, and approach life and all its challenges with a positive outlook. All I see in the media is doom and gloom and I sometimes despair and wonder what kind of world I have brought my children into. However this is not helpful or constructive to think this way, so a more positive attitude has to be adopted or what’s the point in going on? Each generation has had to face adversity in one form or another, obviously some worse (a lot worse) than others, but we are still here! If you were Prime Minister for a day, what new law would you create and how would it be enforced? I would ban all celebrity gossip magazines. I know it would be an unpopular law. I have found myself, on occasion, reading them and getting sucked in. When I have finished I feel absolutely filthy, and promise never to indulge or encourage this dirty and evil pastime again, until the next time! So they would all be taken off the shelves and Doctors waiting rooms tables, easy! What would you like to happen every day for the rest of your life? I want to be able to laugh everyday for the rest of my life, even on my death bed. See the humour in everything! Because laughing (I’m talking about a hearty belly laugh that leaves your sides and jaw aching) is so much better than moaning and it means you’re fearless! What are some inspirational things you’ve seen in ‘08 thus far? Well it’s more like inspirational people. I’ve come across a few this year. / My sons are my biggest inspiration, their innocence, the way they ask questions all the time and the way they use their imaginations are wonderful! This year I have come across some, actually many, amazing artists. Karin Taylor her joyful, colourful and energetic characters always make me feel happy. Jemimalovesbigted and talianadesign create the most funky and sunny retro patterns. Not forgetting purelydecorative who does the most beautiful vintage inspired collages. How did you find the Bubble? What made you stick around? It was purely by accident, just browsing really, and I thought that I would give it a try. I never thought for one minute people would be interested let alone buy my t-shirts. I’ve stuck around because of the above mentioned artists (of course they are but a few who are inspirational and wonderful) You can easily spend hours being awe inspired; This is a fantastic place to be! I would like to thank everyone who has looked at my work and thought it was worth commenting on, favouriting and buying. But not forgetting Caanan for his fantastic creations, I’m honoured! And thank YOU, Sparky! Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Wahl / Shirtheads – featuring Jaywalker On a side note, I will be in Sydney this weekend, and was hoping to have a big group catch up with any Sydney-side readers but I don’t know anything about the place. If anyone knows of a great cafe or pub – where it’s quiet enough to talk, and clean enough to maybe break out the pencils and have a little fun, can you bubblemail me with some suggestions, and I’ll post a more formal call to action in the next couple of days. (Oh, and preferably close in the city, as I will probably be staying at some cheap centrally located hostel). Cheerio! Bubblemail me, Sydneysiders! Do it. Do it now…

• Where oh where has my Shirtheads gone?
  by caanan

  Howdy folks. Shirtheads (and me) will be enjoying a brief two week hiatus. Obviously, there was none today – this is due to my flight …

  Howdy folks. Shirtheads (and me) will be enjoying a brief two week hiatus. Obviously, there was none today – this is due to my flight back to Canada that crammed 26 hours seemingly into 12. I’m tired. Plain and simple.’ And next week, I will be in San Diego at the big Comic-Con and I expect it’s going to be NUTS. Be back in two weeks as we pick up where I left off. Thanks! / Caanan.

• Shirtheads - featuring BigFatRobot
  by caanan

  Howdy Bubblers! I’m pleased to announce the guinea pig has been put through his paces, and found to be healthy. So, here be the first …

  Howdy Bubblers! I’m pleased to announce the guinea pig has been put through his paces, and found to be healthy. So, here be the first ‘Official’ shirtheads strip, featuring BigFatRobot / – followed by a brief interview. Enjoy! The shirt featured is Zombie Waitress. Why do you think zombies are so cool right now? They’ve always been cool. Afterall, monsters that my gran can outrun are funnier than a clown drowning in an ocean of cream pies. However, we are now getting those uppity new zombies like the ones from “I Am Legend” – fast zombies with rudimentary smarts, like bogans rushing to the bar for Happy Hour priced Jim Beam and Cokes. / (For our non Oz chums reading, bogans are Australian rednecks.) How much thought goes into your tshirts? Are you just doodling, and going ‘hey, neat!’ or is there more process to it than that? I’m a mad doodler and note taker. In fact, I constantly carry around a battered note book and scribble down ideas even in the middle of conversations. I’m still working my way through ideas from 10 years ago! What was your favourite tshirt you’ve ever owned? It was a black tshirt with an old illustration of Bettie Page that my drunk, wayward uncle gave me when I was about 13. She was in a classic pin-up pose, and my mum was horrified by it, which, of course made it cooler. It was one of those shirts that literally disintegrated with all the wearing. Prior to that it was a white tshirt with navy blue sleeves, and C3P0 with his metallic hand resting on R2D2’s dustbin head. Inspirations start young, I’m still mashing pinups with Star War characters to this day. Have you ever found anything amusing that no one else has? / / This joke… a duck walks into a chemist and asks for some chapstick. The duck then said put it on my bill. What stirs your creative juices? Pop surrealist/ low-brow art from people like Mark Ryden, Audrey Kawasaki, Tara McPherson, Mike Giant, Shepard Fairey, Lori Earley, Tokidoki to name a few. Finding romance and scifi comics from the 50s and 60s. Tattoos – I mean good tattoos with stories, done by artists. My confreres on the Bubble. Walking through big city, graffiti-covered, streets. Reasonably priced domestic red. If there was one thing you could do to make this world a better place, what would it be? Excuse my heart jerkiness … I would create a perfect little family unit. Hopefully that will emanate a little to this kooky world of ours. What did you want to be when you were five? A loyal soldier – the kind that would lie on the ground wounded and tell his buddies to leave without him, and he will cover them. Now, I would want them to stay and give me cuddles, because bullets are hurty! What’s a common design mistake you see that annoys you? If anything. Not adhering to the simple basics like the Rule of Thirds (it’s not that hard guys, grrr). Plus, the old pop some garish filter over a photo and call it art. You are only impressing your mum! I see you’re a Trek fan. Looking forward to the new ‘revisioned’ film? Anything to see Captain Kirk’s large, arthritic frame bulging in his jump suit. However, apparently he’s not allowed to play in the Federation sandbox anymore. Besides marvelling at Shatner’s growing girth, the Star Trek movies (with the notable exception of Wrath of Khan) were mere watery soups compared to the meaty feast of the TV series. Having said that, I will see it gleefully. Aaaaand scene. Thanks for reading, folks. Until next week, keep bubblin’ over. :oD Caanan.

• Shirtheads - featuring Paul McClintock
  by caanan

  This week, folks, dust off your cerebellum, grab a spot by the roaring fire of your own hypothalamus, and open your mind to the universal…

  This week, folks, dust off your cerebellum, grab a spot by the roaring fire of your own hypothalamus, and open your mind to the universal language of… Rawr! by Paul McClintock Do you believe in monsters? Monsters absolutely exist. Have you seen any of the crazy shit that lives at the bottom of the sea? Not just disgusting blobby things with a million eyes, but even cute stuff that you wish you’d invented like Kiwa hirsut, a weird crab thing with luscious blonde fur. Seriously, nature is awesome… so much better than Lord of the Rings. Do designs come naturally to you? Do you scribble stuff down and everything’s gold, or do you rework and rework until you’re mad? I can’t stand to see a blank piece of paper. It must be drawn on! I spend about 27 hours a day doodling or thinking about doodling, and have done so ever since my thumbs developed enough to allow me to hold a pencil… having said that, about 95% of everything I produce is absolute junk. I use to sit in our lounge room as a small child and completely cover the carpet with a layer of scrunched up paper that people had to wade through. I also have such a horribly short attention span so that I abandon projects very quickly… so yes, anything that gets finished needs to have been almost complete within a couple of minutes of starting, otherwise I’m on to something else and it will never see the light of day. I would not recommend this process at all. You should probably do the exact opposite of anything I do, and you’ll probably succeed. And when you do succeed please give me spare change when you see me on the street. Where do you find inspiration? Insomnia. My inspiration comes to me when I should be asleep, when everyone else is asleep. This causes problems when I have to leave for work at 8.30 in the morning and I’m still awake at 3am. Of course, when daytime comes around my brain refuses to recall any of the brilliant ideas it had the night before. This makes for perfect tragic irony. What are the main messages you like to communicate when you commit your work to paper/cloth/video? For the most part I absorb opinions from people I respect and regurgitate them in my own way, which results in something that is less poignant and/or thought provoking than the initial source. I think of it as my personal contribution to mediocrity. Occasionally I come up with something on my own, and it usually has something to do with one or more of the following: / a) Life is absurd and pretty meaningless and awful… but fun anyway. / b) Robots kick arse… and monsters do too. / c) God doesn’t exist, but if he did he’d be agnostic (and a yeti). What has been your favourite tshirt you’ve ever worn? I have a new favourite shirt every six months or so. I usually wear something until it falls apart and then replace it. For the immediate future I will be wearing a Tambatoys shirt of a boy riding an armadillo. It’s yellow. What are some random thoughts you’ve had but never vocalised, that you could vocalise for us right now? I get more junk mail offering carpet cleaning than anything else. Is there anything you’ve ever found supremely hilarious that nobody else has? Religious people are so cute with their totally random beliefs. It’s like they’ve figured out a way to stay children forever with their clubhouses and in many cases, superhero costumes and secret handshakes and passwords and arbitrary rules that they all must abide by so sayeth Garlak teh Destroyer. (typo deliberate) My favourite religious person is currently Tom Cruise, simply because he has picked the most utterly silly fantasy world you could possibly imagine. He actually thinks that Scientology will give him SUPER POWERS. It’s true! / DISCLAIMER: For those who may be offended by the above statements, please grow a sense of humour, smiley face. If you could pick six people to rocket away to a new planet and start civilisation over again while we all die screaming, who would you pick? Well, I wouldn’t be among them… so I guess I’d send a bunch of genetically superior jerks that I don’t get along with. They’d have to be good at farming and building robots and fighting off the wildlife of this new planet, which I’m not very good at. I’d also force them to wear lycra jumpsuits and send transmissions back to Earth so we’d have some entertainment during the end times. Meanwhile, I’d spend the rest of Earth’s existence living it up. First, I’d quit my job and go visit Nepal. What does your future hold? Years of menial labour, followed by my getting old, my hair receding and my mind atrophying. FUN! Seriously though, I hope I can work creatively in some capacity. I have so many interests, if I can get paid to do any of them I think I’d be happy … this is a very subtle hint at the universe. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards And tune in next sunday for the next Shirtheads! Will it be you? Only you know for sure. ;o)

• Shirtheads - featuring rubyred
  by caanan

  It was a tough choice on which tshirt to feature this week, as there were so many to choose from / !http://images-0.redbubble.com/img/clot…

  It was a tough choice on which tshirt to feature this week, as there were so many to choose from / / but I finally settled on this one / What was a no-brainer though, / was the choice of rubyred / Fast becoming one of the most prolific bubblers at the moment, the man has uploaded more gold in the past month than I think I’ve done in the whole time I’ve been here! It’s boomtime! ;o) So, what do you like about Earth? It’s my home, and I always enjoy coming back!! I think growing up I was guilty of being fairly blinkered to wider global issues. But now, having two young children, it’s very clichéd, but you can’t help but think about their futures and their children’s futures. What we do or don’t do now is going to have a massive effect on what they have to deal with in the not too distant future. They are young but I’ll make sure my girls are more aware of the impact they have on their ‘home’ than I did (and most of the kids of my generation did) when I was growing up. Where do you think you fit into the grand scheme of things? Centre-left right at the back. I know I’m a very insignificant part of the overall picture but I still hope that there is something inside of me that may touch and affect a few people in the future. Who knows? Tough one second question in, c’mon caanan cut me some slack, ask me what my favourite colour is!!! (Deep blue verging on purple, for anyone interested) How did you find the bubble and what made you stick around? I found it with a straightforward Google search. I’ll be honest, I was looking for a way to make a little cash away from the day job and I came across Redbubble. I had a look around the site for a couple of days to see what it was all about before taking the plunge and joining up. I’ve been a graphic designer for around 15 years and felt that I’d become stuck in a rut creatively for a while now. Although I’ve only been a member of the site for 3 months, RedBubble and its members have given me a shot in the arm of renewed enthusiasm, and making sales is just a nice but secondary benefit. I still feel I’m finding my feet within the site, as my collection of varied work will testify, but I hope to be a part of the community for a long time to come and continue to benefit creatively in my day job from the feedback and interaction from some truly talented people. There are many other art sites out there but the Bubble feels somehow special. Even after this relatively short period of time, I think it’d feel odd to sign-up to another community. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? When I was small (child of the seventy’s) I had a t-shirt with Animal from the Muppets and I loved it! It became one of those comfort things that you need all the time. I remember it wearing really thin and losing its shape (it couldn’t have been an American Apparel quality number) but insisted on wearing it all the time. I remember my mum hiding it to try and wean me off it. Is it just me or do other people remember t-shirts they wore at significant moments in their life? I remember my ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ tee I wore the first time I flew on a plane – made me feel like I was Steve Austin. What have been your highlights so far? RedBubble highlights: the first time somebody added me to their watchlist or getting my first comment (thanks Jen Cannella), to think that people ‘get’ your work and want to be told when you add more is a bit of a buzz. And of course, those little yellow messages telling you somebody has spent some hard earned on your ideas. Outside world: I did win a Paddington Bear colouring competition when I was 6, he did make me cry though when I went on stage to pick up my prize. Marmalade sandwiches still send a shiver down my spine to this day – damn that bear. Where, when, why, and how do your tshirt ideas come? They can come at anytime, and as you can see I have a fairly eclectic collection of designs. I travel to work on the train so I have a lot of time just to think, read and sketch. I might read something in the paper that sparks an idea that I can’t stop thinking about until I’ve sketched it down. Or, sometimes I drift off in meetings and picture ideas when I should be concentrating on marketing plans. I’m a graphic designer by trade so I’m used to looking at logos and branding and for whatever reason, I often see something else not meant, hidden beneath a design. I do like putting a twist on well known branding especially if it gives a few people a giggle. I can go through long periods with my serious head on but sometimes you just need to have a laugh and do something purely to raise a smile. What would you like to see make a comeback? Common sense, there are a lot of very intelligent people in the world but most seriously lacking in the common sense department. Oh, and spandex. I think spandex has received really bad press over the last few years. Have you ever found anything highly amusing that no-one else has? Apart from myself do you mean? I have been known to laugh at funerals, you know that nervous infectious laugh you get at really inappropriate moments. If Jesus came back today, what do you think would happen? He’d probably be invited to join Celebrity Big Brother, where he would eventually be voted out and then offered a 2-album lame recording contract and any of his worth or usefulness will be absorbed into the greyness of celebrity land. There are a lot of messages in your tshirts. What are you here to teach us? I’m not here to teach or be worthy. I just pick up on political/social issues and hope somebody else sees the same thing that I do. It’s not a conscious thing where I’m looking for the t-shirt in every circumstance or event, but sometimes a piece of news will stick with me and I’ll do a design to start a bit of dialogue with like minded people. For example my ‘Vote Death’ t-shirt based on the current events in Zimbabwe and other rigged ‘democratic’ elections around the world, is not expected to be a commercial success but if it generates a bit of thought around the subject then I’ve achieved something. thinking music The end! Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline Sorry this week’s Shirtheads was up a little later than usual folks, I was at Toronto Zoo all day which is in the middle of nowhere! so I got home late. Also, if you haven’t yet, my comic, Celadore, is still up at zuda.com for the rest of May. Please help me win by clicking on my little banner / / reading, registering, favouriting, five starring and most importantly VOTING! :oD Help me achieve my goal of being an actual paid comic artist! And if I win, don’t worry, Shirtheads ain’t going anywhere. This is my baby. Redbubble is my second home. Which also brings me to send a big old THANK YOU to Redbubble for my own redbubble! Yay! I hear it is good for your posture. :o) See ya next week folks! Caanan.

• Shirtheads - featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson
  by caanan

  It’s not easy to pull off ‘sweet but sinister’... / Unless you’re Liesl Yvette Wilson that is….

  It’s not easy to pull off ‘sweet but sinister’... / Unless you’re Liesl Yvette Wilson that is. ;o) / This shirt in particular, and this one / / is what inspired me this week, but also the general scampiness of Liesl’s Tullulah. break out your evil grins folks, and smile with me ;o) So, what can you tell us about Tullulah? Is she based on anyone? What’s the story? What are the books you’re working on and when/where can we see them? Hmmmmm….Well as so often is the case, I don’t know where Tullulah came from, she kinda just showed up one day…she didn’t even bring any treats with her, not even a jar of Marmite, Tulluala’s really rude that way…at least Paddington brought his own suitcase. But no, she just landed on me…I’ve had to look after her ever since and it hasn’t been easy, cos she is such a little freak. Tullulah is a little bit me, a little bit my niece. I wrote a kid’s story called “Around the Corner and on the Left”, it was a quirky little piece about a kid that lived in a creepy house and was always fleeing from spooky things. My niece who was about five at the time, posed for the illustrations. She had her hair in bunches and it looked really cute. Much later when I was just tinkering around, with a simple character design for a grown-up fairy story, I worked from the basic illos of my niece…. And suddenly ‘T’ appeared. / There are quite a few stories featuring Tullulah, which is why she is so arrogant! The first to be printed is more for grandma and kiddies, unfortunately for all you ghouls out there. It is called a balloon and a bear. Printing is being organised and hopefully by the time my website is up and running, they will be ready to go! What were some of your favourite kids books growing up, and now? Wow, I have sooooo many fav books. As a very little kid I liked “Bread and Jam for Francis” and I have no idea who wrote that! I also loved Maurice Sendak ( Where the Wild Things Are.) Anything with beautiful illustrations, Richard Scarey etc. When I could read properly I loved “The Famous Five” and I still do…all that adventure and running unsupervised around the moors chased by circus people and jewel thieves, how could you not like it? What really influenced me was Alan Garner (“The Owl Service”,”Elidor”, “Red Shift”) I loved how weird it was and how not everything made sense, leaving you going “Hmmmmm, what was that about?”. What prompted the move from Aus to the UK? What are the differences? I moved here from Oz about five years ago…I had always wanted to try living in the UK and although it was really difficult, I’m glad that I have. It is a huge community of artistic people and it seems like everyone is an actor, writer, poet, singer. Amazing! I had sold work pretty consistently in Australia but it was usually wildlife photorealistic stuff and I couldn’t seem to break out of that with any real success, so I thought a move might just do that. If we took two cute furry animals, and cross bred them, which ones would they be, and what would we end up with? Well my absolute favourite animal is a ring-tailed lemur and I also love gliders, probably flying foxes would be the fav (yes I know they smell but so would you if you had to pee whilst hanging upside down! There is a bit of a design flaw there…) So I guess my little animal would be a lemur that could fly….how completely cool! How did you find the bubble? What made you join and stick around? Do you know what? I can’t remember how I found Red Bubble, I think I was just looking for artists and writer’s communities…I really don’t remember… What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? HmmmI don’t know about the fav shirt….I did have one that had a pig on it and it said…”Piggy Wiggy – Don’t eat me I’m a friendly animal!” I used to wear that to BBQs. What did you want to be when you were 6 years old? When I was six I wanted to be a writer…or a gymnastics instructor… What are you most proud of? I don’t know what I’m most proud of…I don’t really think that way…If I had to pick something I would say that I don’t give up easily. What are your minor and major goals right now? My major goals would be to sell Tullulah books online, and prove it can be done! I would love to work at my art and writing full time, but I am realistic about the possibilities of that – still every one needs a dream to motivate them! What do you think the world would be like if children were running things instead of the politicians? It depends how old the kids are…if they were all three year olds the world would be one big Baskin and Robbins! Better go buy some shares in sprinkles. Thanks Liesl! Don’t forget to come back next week, folks, for our next victim, but in the meantime, here’s some more art Liesl graciously supplied, just ‘cos I think it’s aces! :oD Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred

• Shirtheads - featuring purelydecorative
  by caanan

  This week’s strip is inspired by purelydecorative !http://images-0.redbubble.net…

  This week’s strip is inspired by purelydecorative and this fantastic design… but also partly inspired by the multitude of journal entries that pop up on the bubble from disillusioned artists who can’t make a sale and are thusly calling it quits. They seem to be a regular weekly (or more) occurence. Here’s to you! Why do you take photos? I’ve always done this memory thing all my life, even when I was a little girl, of forcing myself to stop and really impress the moment on my memory when I’m doing something, or am somewhere that is really significant to me. These significant moments aren’t always beautiful ones either, but I guess I feel like I’m trying to store them up to help my future self remember something significant. So taking photographs is a way to do that in solid form, and a lot more reliable than my memory too. Plus, sometimes things are just so heart-breakingly beautiful to me I just want to keep them forever…hence the photo. My partner Ben is a musician and he once wrote a song that described it this way : “taking pictures of the things that you love to have in two dimensions in your hand, so you can remember…” What has inspired you throughout your life that has brought you to this creative existence? Why do you do what you do? Wow, these are big questions and to be honest I’m not even sure I know the answers. Can I get away with putting on a goofy face, shrugging and saying “ I dunno”? My love of nature has to be a big part of it. I was drawn to textile design, which is the first paid creative work I did, partly through a love of clothes and fabrics, and partly through a love of pattern…inspired by Nature. I was always mesmerized by the amazing patterns in Nature- the tiny stripes on a flower petal or the random splattering of clouds in the sky, it’s all so perfect. That’s also why I call myself “Purely Decorative” because it’s a kind of statement in favour of allowing art to be just decorative and beautiful and joyful, without necessarily having to be deeply conceptual and/or minimalist. Not that I am against those things but I am against the current tyranny of those things in art. I guess I do what I do- not really sure what that is right now- but anyway, I do that because while I’m drawing, painting, photographing or whatever, I lose a sense of myself and time and just drift along happily in a little creative bubble…hmm, is that where Red Bubble comes from? Now I get it. I like that feeling of being so absorbed in creating that everything else fades away. It’s probably similar to the effect of meditating I guess. Of course when things aren’t going so well it’s just plain frustrating, but that just spurs you on . How did you find the bubble, and what made you stick around and create? I was lying in bed one morning- something I’m very good at, and listening to Melbourne’s Triple R community radio station, when one of the announcers did a spiel on Red Bubble and made it sound irresistible. She’s the person behind Clemformation, and her tshirt designs are very simple and clever. So, that day I checked it out, loved it and off I went. Kitsmumma was one of the first people to comment on my work, and she is such a lovely supportive and inspiring artist that I’d have to say she really made me keen to stick around. Then of course other people also came along like Tambatoys , Sparklehen and Jemimalovesbigted to name but a few, and the community aspect of Red Bubble has been just so lovely for someone like me who works alone most of the time. What do people overlook? How incredibly, microscopically short our lives are, and how our time is our only true wealth. Honesty. And of course, the benefits of full-cream milk and real butter. Yum. What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn? This is tough because even though I have some favourite tshirts that I’ve actually worn, I have many more that I don’t own….yet. / To be strictly correct in answering this question (rare for me) I’ll stick with ones I have actually worn; this one Eat Money? from the New Internationalist organization, the back says: / Only when the last tree has died / and the last river been poisoned / and the last fish been caught / will we realise we cannot eat money. and this one from Tambatoys and this one from Jesus and Pablo Diablo. What did you want to be when you were six? An air-hostess with a pale blue 1960’s style suit with matching pumps and flight case, or an archaeologist- no, maybe that came later, around 12-ish I’d say….or an artist. When did you last laugh til you cried? Why? Looking at a silly email someone sent me of one of those poor cats with the “lion cut”-it just looked so incredibly embarrassed to be made to look like that, and the cut is ridiculous. I love silliness. If you could give everyone in this world one thing, what would it be? Why? The chance to experience someone else’s life for just a day- might help make us all a bit more tolerant of each other. Or the ability to see the Earth in 50 years time- might make us all stop being so blasé about the oxygen we breathe. A block of Lindt chocolate may not hurt either. Where would you like to go? Why? Kyoto in Japan, because it’s a repository of all that is magnificent in Japanese design and craft and I think Japanese design is the best I’ve ever seen. New York- for the art museums and zeitgeist and because it’s New York. New Zealand to just walk and walk and walk in stunning wilderness. Canada for the same reason. Great Barrier Reef- because it’s incredible and won’t be here too much longer. / There are many, many other places- these just popped into my head first. Got dreams? I dream of one day building my own stone and wood house on a bit of land by the sea, with the mountains behind it and a stream and a huge orchard and vege garden…and a little separate studio where I create my world renown masterpieces just for the sheer joy of it. Down the road -not too close, but within walking distance is a lovely little village full of creative and compasionate people, and a fabulous pub with a beer garden-that’s about it. You did say “dream” right? I certainly did Thanks Rebecca! And don’t forget to come back next week, folks! for more shirty goodness. ;o) Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Wahl / Shirtheads – featuring Jaywalker / Shirtheads – featuring sparklehen / Shirtheads – featuring jemimalovesbigted (Sorry for the lateness this weeks folks, I’ve had the flu this past weekend. Gah!)

• Shirtheads - featuring Rhys McDonald
  by caanan

  Sometimes I like to pick shirts merely because I’d like to have a go at drawing my own rendition of some funky designs, and I really like…

  Sometimes I like to pick shirts merely because I’d like to have a go at drawing my own rendition of some funky designs, and I really liked this little guy… / / by Rhys McDonald / (I had to resist REALLY HARD to do a strip based on this one ;o) / What do you think the differences are between the lives of someone who’s ugly, and someone who’s beautiful? (By standard definitions of course. It’s all subjective) I never get whenever you see those gossip rags with the headline ‘celebrities caught without make up’ or something and you look at them and they’re just average joes, no better than the guy over there with the pot belly or the homely woman at the petrol station – if someone is even remotely okay looking they’re instantly distinguished from the rest of us schleps. If you’re only looking at someone at face value you’re selling yourself and them short. Fugly people try harder I think, sometimes. Look at Donald Trump – guy’s got a head like a shoe box yet he’s married to a supermodel, it boggles the mind, I’m sure she didn’t go out with him because he’s funny and does great impressions. Beautiful people are like exotic birds, there to be studied and observed for their vibrant colours and peculiar fashions and often shapely features. It works both ways, look at Steve Buscemi, he’s a sex symbol for god sake. If you’re ugly, offset it – knowledge is sexy, did you know 8 out of every 10 rocket scientists is married to a playboy bunny? No joke. Uggers be proud, you CAN lead a normal beautiful life, you can!....if not, thats what plastic surgery is for. (if you cant afford that, buy the t shirt) What kind of robot would you like to see invented? Crumping, booty dancing ones. I don’t need to explain why….picture it, how hot is that. It’d be like NYC Mech, only better! What did you want to be when you were 7? I think when I was seven, I wanted to be a Ghostbuster – because I was clearly grounded in reality and focused on something. I always wanted to be one of those people who said ‘I only ever wanted to draw’ but I think I was 20 before I finally figured out what i wanted to be. I was a strange, solitary child. Who turned into a strange solitary fellow What’s your favouritest tshirt you’ve ever worn/seen? My favouritest shirt I’ve ever seen was from the webcomic Dead Days, it was a take off of the old ‘No Fat Chicks’ tshirt that just read ‘Yes Fat Chicks’ it tickled my fancy to no end. Can you give us the lowdown on the Plastic Age? What’s it about? The Plastic Age is my webcomic and online home, I started it 3 years ago and there’s currently 193 strips archive. 5 of those are funny. I started the site in 2005 basically because I was really enjoying drawing and webcomics appealed a great deal to me, I had no idea what I was doing and only in the last 18 months or so have I really taken a look at everything in the broader scope and started to try and polish it, and take it more seriously. It’s basically a collection of gag comics, intending to be funny, with some sting in them, hopefully. I’m working on longform and story driven, I’ve got it in me somewhere – but some irrelevant humour is always top order. 4 panel funnies appeal to me a great deal. And no, I’m not a Buggles fan. If you could switch the minds and bodies of two people around, who would they be, and what would happen? Oh man, thats a good one. Actually thats very mid 80’s teen comedy almost. “Eric and Tiffany are two BEST friends, Eric’s home computer fuses out and these two somehow switch bodies because due to 1980’s ignorance about how computers are insanely powerful mysterious machines that control everything. UH OH! Now what will we do!” You know the type of movie where the computers are the size of small sedans and everything is set to synth and keyboards with a dash of day glow neon sweatpants, and they’d have to overcome awkward things like Eric would have to avoid kissing a boy while he’s switched and wacky stuff like that…I kind of want to see that movie now, in my head it’s really vivid and you know in the end Eric and Tiffany learn important life lessons but they can never tell their parents about their ZANY adventure!...or something like that. Please take us through your creative process. Idea to finished art? Where does it come from? How long does it take? What do you use? etc. I work pretty much all digitally, I either draw straight into Photoshop or loosely sketch the image(s) and scan it in and ink/colour over the top of that. I have a Cintiq now and I’ve gone completely apesh!t over it and I also use a Mac. That covers the what, don’t ask me what pens or paper to use, besides the wacom i only use a .5mm mechanical pencil. The ideas come from everywhere – what I’m currently reading, what books are on my desk, something I just saw, a name, it generally just sparks and snowballs into something, I’m really easily influenced by things around me and really enjoy certain subjects but I really dig new things too, as they say variety is the spice of life. I’d feel like less of an artist if I didn’t say ‘I draw because I’m compelled to, its all I know how to do’ – which is true, I just never announce it. The time I take depends on what it is I’m doing, I can sketch up a comic pretty quick now and finish it up in a few hours, but I still revise and re work the hell out of other things. Like, the Hellboy image in my gallery came together in two sittings really easily, because I had a good idea of how it would look. I’m horrible for having a good concept of what something is going to look like, what’s in my head invariably changes when I put pen to paper, usually for the better but I like happy accidents. I spend the most amount of time on colour, because I love that stage more than any other, I don’t always plan an image in my head but I always have colour in mind, one way or the other. What are you digging right now? I’m really digging podcasts right now, how cool am I. I can’t seem to get enough of them, Webcomics Weekly have been the flavour of the month, and I just stumbled onto a new one called Sidebar which is pretty good too, actually if anyone is listening to any good podcasts give me some url’s to check out! What’s the best thing about girls? What kind of question is this! Thats like asking what’s the best thing about this delicious cheeseburger? Its delicious and that’s the hook. Girls, you’re awesome. No seriously, you’re rad. You’re also insanely hard to draw (but drawing your girlfriend makes for good foreplay) and a pretty big inspiration to me, I don’t think I could say ‘this is the best thing about girls’ it’s the overall package, and a cute package is something that translates well into a drawing. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say ‘boobs’ somewhere in this answer. If I asked you this question sir, what would your answer be? C’mon, lets just chat about how awesome girls are… This isn’t about me… ... cough... ;o) Who would you like to see show down in the ultimate wrestling match? Now you’re talking my lingo. I’d like to see ‘The Real Man’s Man’ Steven Regal Vs Hillybilly Jim – just to see if they cancel each other out, if not I’m sure they could squeeze oranges to make juice in a series of horrible vignettes. Failing your ability to secure and book both those talents I’d like to see Dink the Clown Vs Cheetum the one eyed evil midget – preferably in a light tube match, OR a Taipei Death Match. I guarantee there’s going to be 4 people googling ‘Cheetum’ and ‘Taipei Death Match’ now. Thanks Rhys! For all your entertainment needs, here’s the Plastic Age – Check it out! :o) (And lastly, for any previous Shirthead victims who wanted to purchase their original art, I have one week left in Australia, then after that it’s gonna be much more expensive to send them out, so… let me know!) Caanan. Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Wahl / Shirtheads – featuring Jaywalker / Shirtheads – featuring sparklehen / Shirtheads – featuring jemimalovesbigted / Shirtheads – featuring purelydecorative / Shirtheads – featuring nofrillsart

• Shirtheads - featuring David J Cunning
  by caanan

  So, there were two reasons for my featured choice this week… One, because this man / ...

  So, there were two reasons for my featured choice this week… One, because this man / / runs what is essentially the Image Comics of Australia, Local Act Comics, and deserves as much international love as he already has from us Aussie comic artists, and Two, because I wanted to have a go at drawing my own versions of what are some truly funky designs, The Lady and the Gimp ;o) Where did the idea come from? I was doing a cartooning course and one of the assignments was to create a picture using some elements provided by the tutor. One of these elements was a picture of a farm girl with an ogre on a leash who had a banjo strapped to his back. So I decided to flip the idea around a bit and go a bit bondagey on it. Do you generally work quickly, or rework images over and over until they’re just right? What’s your process? I’m a scribbler. Scribble once. Ink once. Colour once. Then I don’t look at the work again for a long time. Once I finally look at it again it’s a review process, but I almost never re-do anything. I try to learn from my mistakes and evolve rather than trying to get every single picture perfect. I managed to work myself into a position where I have a lot of work on the go at any one time so I don’t give myself the luxury of reworking images. For those who don’t know, what is Local Act Comics? What is its function? Its history? Local Act Comics (LAC) is a comic publishing company that supports and represents artists from all over Australia. Originally started to print my own material, however the opportunity to help others out came up early and I haven’t looked back since. In under 2 years we’ve managed to publish more than any other Aussie comic publisher has in years. I’m pretty proud of everybody’s efforts and support to help LAC and each other. Local Act Comics for those interested. :) Why are comics important to our society? What do comics give us that nothing else can? Social commentary, young kids getting into reading, a foundation for debate, a ripe source of ideas for hollywood, but above all its a chance for people like me to tell stories in a format that we enjoy ourselves. Its a craft and an art form, plus its a real blast. Comics let us explore ideas for any audience. They can be the silent film or the latest blockbuster. They can be poetry or bordering on the completely bizzare. Regardless of style, intention or quality, comics have the ability to hold their own value for each of us. What did you want to be when you were five years old? Comic book artist…No joke What’s your favourite tshirt you’ve ever worn? I used to have a bright yellow tee that had ‘Grandchildren are all of the fun and none of the work’ across the chest in red letters. Did I mention it was really tight? I used to be so much thinner :P Is there anything you’ve found incredibly hilarious no-one else has? I think the funniest thing in the world is people falling over. Its the best. As far as something that others might not find funny…A Clockwork Orange What are you absolutely fanatical about these days? Like, crazy for? Cheap 2 min noodles If we caught you on a street corner with a sign, what might it say? “I’ve gone 3 days without a coffee and now I can’t find my shoes. Wait…what day is it?” (Life is generally a blur for me) Who (or what) would you like to put on a remote island and watch fight to the death? 2 star wars cos-players…jedi ones..any two…they’re all the same to me. What are five things you hope to achieve in the next five years? Take a week off / Learn how to play something decent on the guitar / Get through my 5 box sets of The Saint / Teach my child how to draw a cowboy / Did I say a week off?...Make it two Can we call you Helldave yet? ;o) Hell yes! Thanks Dave! And tune in next sunday night/monday morning as we find out where my swinging spotlight of shirty doom lands next… :o) Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock

• Shirtheads - featuring jemimalovesbigted
  by caanan

  Let’s get funky this week with / jemimalovesbigted / !http://images-1.redbubble.com/img…

  Let’s get funky this week with / jemimalovesbigted / and some Jello Cups / Mm. Tasty. :o) Are these in fact jello cups, or was it a pattern first that you named after the fact? What inspires your designs? Is it random discovery or do you set yourself goals? I was born in the late 70’s so by the time I was old enough to realise what was going on we had hit the 80’s, the era of bad hair and fluorescent socks (oh and don’t think it looks good now kids just cause its being re-hashed)… It never sat well with me. Bell bottoms, short skirts, peace, love and mung beans kept calling me back to the 70’s where the patterns were big and lairy and the polyester revolution was born. I love the fashion, the music, the energy of that time, so when I go to design a pattern, inevitably I get lulled back to those over the top styles and especially the colours. That is where my main inspiration comes from. As for the name Jello cups, well when that pattern evolved on screen, that is what popped into my head… I usually enjoy naming them all after creation, and it is part of the fun… I try and make sure the name reflects my inspirations for example Bond Lounge and Setting Sail on the Seas of Retropolis / / What have been some patterns you’ve noticed over your lifetime? Ooooh many patterns occur throughout life, like the pattern of being eternally broke, or the pattern of idiocy that keeps bringing shows like Big Brother and Today Tonight on to the telly… Or what about the pattern of apathy that stops us from moving forward in trying to undo some of the wrongs that we have committed towards the environment and humanity… I should stop there, I am getting all excited. How did you find the bubble? What made you stick around and get active? I was surfing the web one day and I can’t remember exactly which site I was on, but an advert popped up, or was there, about this new site launching in the near future for artists called RedBubble and all you had to do was promise them your first born son – no actually it was just my email address to be notified of when the site was up and running… So I received an email telling me RedBubble was live and I signed up. I think it was the first day. I stuck around because I was really excited by Peter’s vision and thought it was an absolutely marvellous idea for artists to be able to peddle their wares, and help to get a name for themselves. When I signed up I think there were like 15 people and I was immediately sucked in by “Paul Vanzellas”: http://www.redbubble.com/people/paul beautiful photography. His urban landscapes blew my mind. I know its cliché but it is so true. He and so many other people on this site are such an inspiration… like Sparklehen who you will all be so familiar with by now, Natalie Perkins who creates the most gorgeous curvy women integrated with heavenly patterns and wonderful paisleys, the best you will EVER see. “Juilee Pryor”: http://www.redbubble.com/people/juileep who has a way with a camera and film unlike any other (like a camera whisperer or something) and Chelsgus who is an amazing painter and she uses the most delicious pallets around. Why would I go anywhere else?? P.S. there are so many more I wish I could fit you all in. / / What’s your favouritest t-shirt you’ve ever worn? Haha Favouritest is the best word ever by the way =) …. Ummm it is now a toss-up between this one, this one and “this one”: http://www.redbubble.com/people/stuartm65/clothing/766511-2-i-fuckin-love-colouring-uk-spelling that made my partner and I laugh so hard and for so long, I just had to get it! And everyone here loves gratuitous RedBubble advertising right?! …It is actually true, I was not much of a t-shirt wearer before this lil’ community started up, and there are so many more that I want to get… For example this one is next on the list =P What did you want to be when you were 5 years old? Why? I don’t know, 6 years old… But from about 8 on I was addicted to drawing. I used to copy the characters out of Archie comics. So for as long as I do remember I wanted to be something creative, but that changed as I grew from being just an “artist” to a photographer, then to a film director. I didn’t end up being a world famous film director but I am pretty happy I have pursued my passion for photography and drawing, just now I draw on a computer instead. / What are the most inspiring things you’ve seen/heard of this year thus far? I find inspiration all the time from many people and situations, but I would have to say the MOST inspiring thing I have heard/seen this year hands down is Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Native people of Australia. I think that a collective exhalation of breath happened on 13 Feb. It was a very long time coming and it really made me feel excited about living in Australia again, it seems that I did not feel comfortable here under the rule of the short man with big eyebrows. How’s the next ten years looking? Busy, Busy, Busy! I really wonder what I used to do with my time before I had a child… I plan on finishing my degree – FINALLY and hopefully getting my design business really up and running. It only plods along at the moment (through choice) I have a few little plans up my sleeve on how to make some extra cash through being creative as well, but I am not giving all my secrets away…* Note see question 9 =) How could a sunny Sunday afternoon become the most awesome sunny Sunday afternoon ever? Ooooh a live band or ten somewhere outside with all my friends sitting back enjoying the sunshine, the music and the company… Oh and there should be loads of yummy food and nice wine included with that scenario. Or Jesus, Moses, Mohamud, Hubbard, Bealzebub, Shiva/Visnuet al, Krisna and etc …. all together in a jello ring battling it out for world supremacy and domination. My money is on Buddha, he could give some major belly bumps with that gut! Can you invent something for us the world might need? I actually already have but I really can’t tell cause then someone might steal the idea. Sorry! / / Got heroes? Yeah! The whole first and second series…. I can’t wait till series 3 starts. =P Me either. Me either… :oP Thanks Jemima! As always, tune in next week folks for more shirty goodness! Previous Shirtheads Shirtheads – Issue Zero / Shirtheads – featuring BigFatRobot / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Richards / Shirtheads – featuring Paul McClintock / Shirtheads – featuring David J Cunning / Shirtheads – featuring Johdie / Shirtheads – featuring Tambatoys / Shirtheads – featuring Simon Sherry / Shirtheads – featuring Ross Robinson / Shirtheads – featuring Natalie Tyler / Shirtheads – featuring thickblackoutline / Shirtheads – featuring rubyred / Shirtheads – featuring Liesl Yvette Wilson / Shirtheads – featuring Chris Wahl / Shirtheads – featuring Jaywalker / Shirtheads –