
Field Study 01 by Rick Crane (The Paper Crane) is my favorite shirt of the week, a slick, colorful collection of birds. It takes advantage of the wildly differing silhouettes of birds to identify specific types and then uses color to unite them all. The specific colors used bring to mind a sunset for me, and that combined with the motion of the birds flying away makes this piece thought-provoking, capturing the fact that some of these birds might not stay around much longer. The only flaw I see is a couple of typos in the names of the birds- which is very unfortunate, I’m surprised no one checks for these things before they’re printed. Still, it’s a minor enough detail that it doesn’t ruin the shirt.


City Of Freaks by Andy Rementer (andyandy) is this week’s select, taking its cues from the underground comics of the seventies. A group of diversely colored and drawn characters walks around the shirt (front and back print), defined with clean lines and solid colors. The real value here is in the creativity of the characters- each one has something interesting and totally unique that draws the eye and ignites the imagination. My favorite is probably the spotted dog with the hat, but there’s a lot to like.
Laundry Monkie by Wenceslao Almazan (walmazan) uses superglow ink to create a shirt with two distinct moods. In daylight, an industrious monkey endeavors to clean up his laundry room, taking a moment to play a bit (he is a monkey, after all). But at night, the scene is silhouetted by the moon and it all takes on a more serious look- instead of posing with a laundry basket, the monkey hangs perilously from the spire of a skyscraper. I love the way the design represents both the reality of play and the way it appears in the imagination.

Where The Heart Is by Chris Thornley (Raid71) is the best implementation of the “home is where the heart is” theme I’ve ever seen, using an artistic dashed line style to convey the warmth and security of home. A couple of details kick the level up even higher- the arterial trees and the van Gogh-inspired sky definitely made me eager to take another look around the composition. Definitely some amazing artistry.


Delimitating Macrocosms by Budi Satria Kwan (radiomode) is a parallel universe cartoon, showing how one scene might exist in other realities. It’s mildly funny, but not really a stand-out. I think the main issue is that this sort of cartoon has been done so many times- nothing about this particular version makes the joke feel fresh. A more stylized approach or a different (non-panel) format might have made it seem more unique. Beyond this, it’s very rectangular, not something that I think looks too great when worn. You have to be up close and personal before the jokes are clear, and even once there it’s not that humorous.
Le Romantique by Matheus Lopes (mathiole) is a gorgeous watercolor-influenced shirt, perfectly expressing the anticipation and hope of the moment. It’s also a great use of the shirt, with the flowers beginning on one side and the figure on the opposite side. What especially makes this work is the feeling of discovery as you view the entire design- your experience starts to mirror that of the protagonist. I also like the addition of the hummingbird, which is a nice bit of semi-reality in an imaginative scene.
Threadless prints new shirts every week, chosen from the designs submitted by and voted on by site members. Winners get $2000 cash and $500 in Threadless credit, with the possibility to earn more through Bestee awards, poster prints, and reprints.
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