Shirt.Woot

blanked wrote: I'm worried that this will be blurry up close....

The full resolution image is at 300 dpi; it should print fine.

I'm figuring out what gets votes; it's getting frustrating. Drawing realistic animals seems to always lose to Exaggerated Cartoon Animals being Excessively Cute...

Last derby was my first time to reach the Fog, and I thought that I'd managed to get something that was clever, thoughtful, wearable and on-theme with Semper Fido.

It might still print, but the odds don't seem good, based on what took first and second place.

Any advice?

phylumsynthesis wrote:I'm figuring out what gets votes; it's getting frustrating. Drawing realistic animals seems to always lose to Exaggerated Cartoon Animals being Excessively Cute...

There are people who like the cute cartoon animals and then there are people who like more realistic animals. I'm in the later group. And I think realistic animals suit better for this derby. Don't focus what seems to get more votes, do your best job and it will get rewarded.

cfdunbar wrote:For me: I do have (or had - it broke last night) a stylus and tablet, which in derbies like this, it is golden. Mostly though I draw and scan then color and sometimes manipulate clip art. It really depends on what the design is. Thing is, I do not use Adobe Illustrator, I use CorelDRAW and PhotoShop for everything.

Thanks for the tips!

noxandpy wrote:I wanted to hop in here, I know Nox already talked about the fact that the silhouettes were hand drawn, but for for an idea of how we work these derbies - here's a good illustration.

I'm (Py) actually from Lake CDA (the lake that the picture is based on). I have TONS of pictures of sunsets up here. So I took my faves - about 6 in total - and sent them to Nox for color, cloud, and style inspiration. Then, I wrote out exactly what I saw in my head - Lake, silhouetted figures and trees, cloudy, wild sky sunset in the background.

She takes those images and my description and turns them into a submission. Throughout the process we go in and change things, make small tweaks, etc. But everything she does in hand drawn and colored.

Hope that helps.

It does. I'm not part of a team but it does provide a method i can use. Thanks1

purina wrote:There are people who like the cute cartoon animals and then there are people who like more realistic animals. I'm in the later group. And I think realistic animals suit better for this derby. Don't focus what seems to get more votes, do your best job and it will get rewarded.

I had started two designs for this derby, and finished this one before other paying illustration work came in. The other one was slightly less cute and more artistic (and done on a Navy shirt which seems to be more important).

I was really looking forward to this derby, because it seemed kind of cartoon-animal-proof. Looking at the shirts in the fog, and looking at the shirts that won last week and the week before and the week before that...I'm thinking that the winners here will probably be:

Nature's Gardener
Naturestache
Save The Trees

The shirt I've done that printed (Nomcakes) was something I threw out there in about an hour, feeling cynical about the process.

It didn't win the derby, placing 44th. It didn't win the second re-run derby, placing 26th. It printed as an editor's choice...which is nice, but still makes me wonder what the heck I'm doing wrong, aside from Not Enough Cute Cartoon Animals.

Every other design I've put up here represents at least 5-6 hours of work.

phylumsynthesis wrote:The full resolution image is at 300 dpi; it should print fine.

It isn't so much the resolution that made it blurry, it was the halftones over the lines that made up Lassie. Personally I prefer the look of line halftones, but what do I know?

It can be hard to break through to the fog. But changing your style to something you don't like wouldn't really help. <- non-advice yay.

Are some of the proceeds going to The Sierra Club?

I'm noticing a lack of adherence to the derby theme in several of the entries. "Open spaces" was the theme, and a number of entries are simply not open spaces, or spaces at all. They're a character, or two, on a blank background.

tarmawolf wrote:I'm noticing a lack of adherence to the derby theme in several of the entries. "Open spaces" was the theme, and a number of entries are simply not open spaces, or spaces at all. They're a character, or two, on a blank background.

How many derby entries in the last one fit the theme at all in more than a peripheral way?

I'm still appalled that a shirt without an actual animal in it (Star Trek Peeps) made it into the Fog... How do marshmallow bunnies re-enact history?

Seems that they should run a derby called "Turbunguins! Turbunguins! Turbunguins..."

charliesmom4 wrote:Are some of the proceeds going to The Sierra Club?

The last paragraph strongly suggests that, since the club will be choosing a design and giving the winner swag.

I LOVE the concept of the shirt.woot derby, and am SO glad you've partnered with the Sierra Club on this one. But I think, considering the number of poingiant and inspiring designs-and those that are an in-your-face reality check-I would propose that Woot extend the number of shirts offered for sale. Perhaps the top 5, or even the top 10. I understand that there a number of issues that would have to be addressed to accomplish this, but what better cause than Earth?

When I was in Junior High (several years ago), there was a fund-raiser selling Earth-conscious shirts. I was amazed at how many people-the same ones who NEVER bought Girl Scout Cookies, etc., that were buying a shirt for each person in their house. One woman, an elderly lady, told me that it was not because of the shirt, or even the school, but the cause. She said that she was saddened by how many of the wide open spaces she knew when she was young that had been taken over by thing much less beautiful. I think a lot of people feel this way. I don't have any shirts entered, really have no ulterior motives for this suggestion. I just feel very strongly for this cause, and think that if Woot wants to really make a statement, make this Derby bigger and better. The shirts will sell, and the artists, Woot, and of course, nature lovers everywhere will all be winners.

That all being said...I was wondering how "green" your shirts are. And, perhaps I missed this info somewhere, but what portion of sales (if any) are going to the Sierra Club?

Thanks again for creating this amazing opportunity, not just for the artists, but for the rest of us, to enjoy something other than what Wal-Mart sells!

If I were a better artist, I'd do this myself, but if anyone's looking for inspiration...how about an image of Mother Earth...remember a few weeks back, the words that were created with images? How about an image of a Maternal Mother Earth made up of images like that. Either cherishing something breathtaking, or weeping(raining) on something terrible...?

phylumsynthesis wrote:...but still makes me wonder what the heck I'm doing wrong, aside from Not Enough Cute Cartoon Animals.

Every other design I've put up here represents at least 5-6 hours of work.

If you want advice on winning, it would probably be best to have a talk with one of the "regular" winners around here like Walmazan, patrickpens, ... etc. Artists seem pretty supportive of each other.

I'm not an artist - I wish I had the skills to draw like that - but here's why I didn't vote for Semper Fido:

-Blocky background: I don't like shirt designs that look like they're limited by the printing space available. For example, Almost Free only has a top "border" (and that border is necessary for the design). Other designs like Emperor Penguin have no background border.

-I'm just not patriotic. Okay, this one doesn't help you too much, but shirt designs need to appeal to a mass audience. Cutsie rabbits, turtles, and penguins might do it, but I sure hope you won't go down that path. "Non-cute" animals work, and so do designs that just plain look stunning.

I'm curious as to how many will stake claim on the inevitable fall out of myspace.com

[quote postid="4955386" user="4khaos"]

First of all, thanks for the feedback. I was excited to get into the Fog, and even more excited to get into the Fog with something that was pretty clearly top-of-the-list for being on-theme...

-Blocky background: I don't like shirt designs that look like they're limited by the printing space available. For example, Almost Free only has a top "border" (and that border is necessary for the design). Other designs like Emperor Penguin have no background border.

Oh, I like doing unbordered designs - see Rabbit at Red Rocks languishing in the current derby. The artistic style we were aiming at for this was a WWII vintage post-card...and even then, I had some work from my pre-submission reviewers about getting rid of the rectangle.

-I'm just not patriotic. Okay, this one doesn't help you too much, but shirt designs need to appeal to a mass audience. Cutsie rabbits, turtles, and penguins might do it, but I sure hope you won't go down that path. "Non-cute" animals work, and so do designs that just plain look stunning.

Understood, about whether or not you're patriotic - what's your take on Rabbit of Red Rocks? (Feel free to post on that shirt's forum entry log) It's not patriotic, it avoids the rectangular design element. It is on cream, which I used to gain an extra color to work with on a more sunlit scene.

It also has a realistically drawn rabbit.

One of my friends has started cross checking "artists" "excessively cute cartoon animals" and "how long before they were reckoned." among the winning shirts.

He's still grinding the numbers - there's a LOT of shirts to check....but his preliminary conclusion is this: (This is me typing what he's saying on the phone.)

Being RamyB beats every other factor, hands down.
Having cute cartoon animals is a distant second.
Star Wars is a close third.
Recognizable Pop Culture (as distinct from Star Wars) is fourth.

Once you remove Nevermore and The Binge,cartoon animal shirts last about 4-5 weeks on average.

Shirts that are "just pretty" last 1-2 weeks, with OmarFeliciano being the person who gets to the two week mark most often. Vanishingly few gorgeous shirts last past 4 weeks. Also, most artists who do "just pretty" shirts seem to leave the community after a while, because they don't seem to print enough shirts to make it worthwhile.

Seems there are no rejections in this derby.
Interesting.

j5 wrote:Seems there are no rejections in this derby.
Interesting.

Indeed. Clearly someone needs to do a Death Star emblazoned with a pine tree making more wide open spaces at Alderaan...just to test the rejectionator.

tarmawolf wrote:I'm noticing a lack of adherence to the derby theme in several of the entries. "Open spaces" was the theme, and a number of entries are simply not open spaces, or spaces at all. They're a character, or two, on a blank background.

It's always been the case, then it was understood that a theme is just guideline rather than fixed rule.

foghammer wrote:Indeed. Clearly someone needs to do a Death Star emblazoned with a pine tree making more wide open spaces at Alderaan...just to test the rejectionator.

That was spit-take worthy.

phylumsynthesis wrote:what's your take on Rabbit of Red Rocks?

There's obviously people that like the realistic rabbit (foghammer, purina). I don't particularly like cream colour shirts, and purina and dhooton seem to agree with that - although they voted for the design anyway. The colours that win are usually black, navy, asphalt, or slate. Grass and royal blue seem common as well.

Obviously, that says nothing about your design, only that you didn't choose an overused, but popular colour. I like the rabbit, but I don't really understand why the background seems to be sprouting out of the rabbit's ears. Overall, I think it's well-drawn and a good design...

I tend to like designs that almost seem to tell a story. For example, patrickpens' entry, Only Memories, got my vote because of its message, not because of the bunny, but in spite of the bunny. When I vote for entries, it's usually because of creative concepts that are well-executed. That could mean an important social message, a terrible pun, a legendary tale of some mouse that just wants a piece of cheese, etc.

phylumsynthesis wrote:One of my friends has started cross checking "artists" "excessively cute cartoon animals" and "how long before they were reckoned." among the winning shirts.

...

Shirts that are "just pretty" last 1-2 weeks, with OmarFeliciano being the person who gets to the two week mark most often. Vanishingly few gorgeous shirts last past 4 weeks. Also, most artists who do "just pretty" shirts seem to leave the community after a while, because they don't seem to print enough shirts to make it worthwhile.

I wouldn't argue against those stats; they're probably accurate. However, there are actually "just pretty" shirts that are printed occasionally and people who are satisfied with them, and while those artists may never be as mainstream as Ramyb, they'll always be appreciated by a niche of supporters.

I've yet to want anything related to pop culture, even though I'm a fan of Zelda, Mario, and Star Wars.

Where did the dreaming hiking boots go? That is such a wonderful design and I have been waiting all weekend for it to show up....anyone heard anything?

I know the contest is essentially over, but I just finished my inking. (yayzorz!)

Time-lapse

It's a composite of segments of photographs taken 2 hours apart, to collect a day's worth of activity. Top segment is 12am-2am, then clockwise around.

Now to figure out how to color/shade it...

phylumsynthesis wrote:I'm figuring out what gets votes; it's getting frustrating. Drawing realistic animals seems to always lose to Exaggerated Cartoon Animals being Excessively Cute...

Last derby was my first time to reach the Fog, and I thought that I'd managed to get something that was clever, thoughtful, wearable and on-theme with Semper Fido

I actually thought Semper Fido was the standout of that derby, I linked it to several of my friends and they agreed. I don't know why it didn't place =/ I was torn about getting it though (if it had have printed), because I loved the design so much, but American patriotism really isn't my thing (not being American).

I guess everyone likes different things, in different combinations. I like the artistic/realistic designs best, but I also like some of the cute stuff (just not overly cutesy) and I don't go for the funny/joke shirts at all.

It does seem that the artistic and well-drawn designs just don't last as long, though =(

Spiritgreen wrote:I know the contest is essentially over, but I just finished my inking. (yayzorz!)

Time-lapse

It's a composite of segments of photographs taken 2 hours apart, to collect a day's worth of activity. Top segment is 12am-2am, then clockwise around.

Now to figure out how to color/shade it...

Wow, I really can't wait to see this in color.

cyphermagedragon wrote:I actually thought Semper Fido was the standout of that derby, I linked it to several of my friends and they agreed.

Agreed! And I do think you're right that maybe the American Patriotism hurt it.

Spiritgreen wrote:I know the contest is essentially over, but I just finished my inking. (yayzorz!)

Time-lapse

It's a composite of segments of photographs taken 2 hours apart, to collect a day's worth of activity. Top segment is 12am-2am, then clockwise around.

Now to figure out how to color/shade it...

This is cool.
Please don't waste it on this derby.

Spiritgreen wrote:I know the contest is essentially over, but I just finished my inking. (yayzorz!)

Time-lapse

It's a composite of segments of photographs taken 2 hours apart, to collect a day's worth of activity. Top segment is 12am-2am, then clockwise around.

Now to figure out how to color/shade it...

Well, in addition to the votes, which could still materialize for a late entry, I am guessing that this design would have a great shot with the Siera Club as they are choosing one themselves. Best of luck to you.

loridi wrote:Well, in addition to the votes, which could still materialize for a late entry, I am guessing that this design would have a great shot with the Siera Club as they are choosing one themselves. Best of luck to you.

I agree as well, I have to say that the entry has a decent shot at getting a nod by the Sierra Club.


That said, on a seperate note, who is in charge of rejections this derby? There are some entries (the mother earth one for example) that haven't gotten the rejection hammer. What gives? I'm kinda surprised at the lack of rejections, at all, this derby.

Would a staff member care to weigh in?

bluejester wrote:That said, on a seperate note, who is in charge of rejections this derby? There are some entries (the mother earth one for example) that haven't gotten the rejection hammer. What gives? I'm kinda surprised at the lack of rejections, at all, this derby.

Would a staff member care to weigh in?

I posted something earlier about this, as at least one design is a blatant copy of prior art, and another is unprintable due to complex halftones (to name just two). I can guess one or two possibilities; either the sponsors requested there to be no rejections, or the rejectionators are playing the statistics knowing full well that those designs don't have a snowball's chance of printing, and are using time otherwise spent on rejection review to do something more "productive". (Define that as you wish)

I've just realized, no rejections this Derby.. is that a first?

Talika wrote:I've just realized, no rejections this Derby.. is that a first?

Oh, I should have read the rest of the posts here first, I see others have been discussing that too...

I know it's too late for votes, but I really would love comments on this design. I love how it looks, but based on the placement in the derby, I must be missing something. Any appreciated.

citizencoyote wrote:Sorry Woot, but I think the bestest national park shirt has already been done.

But this derby could produce a close second.

How did I miss that shirt?!? That's epic.

What's the over/under on the derby winners not being completely comprised of artists who already have 2+ shirts in the reckoning?

SkekTek wrote:I know it's too late for votes, but I really would love comments on this design. I love how it looks, but based on the placement in the derby, I must be missing something. Any appreciated.

The yellow/navy contrast is a bit jarring and highlights the "boxines" of the design. It's a shame the colors were limited in this derby, since I think it would look much better on brown. Otherwise, a faster transitioned bottom-up fade of the yellow would reduce the "boxiness". Also, a hue more complimentary to navy could help. Something with a bit more orange, maybe?

j5 wrote:The yellow/navy contrast is a bit jarring and highlights the "boxines" of the design. It's a shame the colors were limited in this derby, since I think it would look much better on brown. Otherwise, a faster transitioned bottom-up fade of the yellow would reduce the "boxiness". Also, a hue more complimentary to navy could help. Something with a bit more orange, maybe?

These are really good suggestions. The problem I had with my original colors was use of orange ink around the yellow- someone thought it looked like an open chest cavity. But yes, toning down the yellow would be a great idea. Maybe a DARKER yellow for the rays.

Thanks! I'll keep tinkering with it.

SkekTek wrote:The problem I had with my original colors was use of orange ink around the yellow- someone thought it looked like an open chest cavity.

I was thinking orange rays instead of yellow.

I am going to be sad no matter which of these fog shirts get printed, because there will be three others that I can't live without... but will have to. AWESOME submissions this time, artists.

PS My husband is going to kill you for making me buy these shirts.