
Adopt a Dire Wolf by Sean A. Husbands (Winter the artist) is a reasonably subtle tee for Game of Thrones fans, focusing on one of the series’s earliest and most memorable moment, when the Stark children discover and adopt their direwolf puppies. The story of their link with their animals is one that continues through the series, with the animals often reflecting aspects of their owners’ personalities in their behavior. In other words, it’s a set of relationships that help shape the series and that pet owners greatly identify with- prime for t-shirt immortality. It’s also a great choice to use Jon Snow’s albino wolf Ghost, as he’s both immediately recognizable and pretty crucial to the story. A highly appealing concept solidly executed.


Do of the Dead by Jorge Garza (qetza) isn’t the kind of design you’d expect to see at Threadless, which is probably what makes it interesting. Day of the dead style imagery and a plethora of detail fill the tee’s canvas in shades of white and grey. The elegance of the drawing helps it to stand out from other art in the style, as does the artist’s quirky choice of adorning the main figure with a collection of tombstones in place of a wig. It feels a bit different (maybe even smarter) than what else I’ve seen done in this vein. While still not something I’d buy (neither style nor subject matter speaks to my interests, though it is well-made), I definitely enjoy the variety it brings to the catalog.
Pulp Fixie by Dina Prasetyawan (kooky love) really throws me for a loop because while I enjoy the idea, the style just doesn’t sit right. I mean, there’s inherently a lot to enjoy about the idea of going out for a bike ride and being interrupted by a huge T-Rex. That’s exciting, cinematic even. But the art doesn’t rise to the same level of perfection. I’m not at all opposed to watercolor, I even think that’d be a cool treatment for this piece. Where my objection comes in is the strangely splattered effects it employs. It causes the design to look rushed instead of classic, and cluttered instead of sophisticated. The sky’s multi-colored splotches looking like fireworks is especially disappointing, and I’m also having a hard time with the Rex’s bright red eyes. The color is applied in a way that, overall, seems to work in opposition to the great choices made in the illustration itself.


Turbulence by John Tibbott (quick-brown-fox) is neat in the way it seems to communicate fragility and strength in the same glance. The front half of the hawk screams power, so the crystal-like structure feels like diamond. But as its body progresses, so does the decay and it ultimately ends in a tail of thin, brittle shards that already seem to be disintegrating. The shift gives the idea of speed, like as strong as the bird is, it has still managed to move at so fast a speed that its body can’t handle it. Unique, and all the little shapes make it fun to look at.
Levitation Cat by Louis Roskosch (louisroskosch) is a pretty badass cat. His appeal to me is in just what an odd character he is- chowing down in a very human sort of way, and sporting a bizarre fur pattern that looks more like a beard and Charlie Brown-like pajamas than anything realistic. Plus his face and paws are blue for no reason, which is always cool. The randomness of the concept draws me in, and the quirky details keep me there.
Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Most winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints. Artists printed through the Labs DTG program receive 10% of sales for the week their design is sold, and are allowed to keep the full rights to their design work.
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