Compete-tee-tion

Although La Fraise‘s demise this year means one fewer contest site for artists to enter, other t-shirt design competitions are still going strong and producing excellent work. Here’s a look back at some of the best and most interesting shirts printed on contest sites in the past year:

January

Em Busca de um Coracao by Rogério Puhl

“Could it be that the only reason he didn’t have a heart was because his was too large to fit inside his chest?”
– Camiseteria’s Em Busca de um Coracao, January 26th, 2014

February

Nuclear Garden by Ronnie Tres Reyes (tatjari16)

“…the blossoming of flowers hints that it might not be all bad (there’s something beautiful here despite the danger)…”
– Threadless: New this week, February 5th, 2014

March

Thanks Santa by MrWayne

“Anyone who looks at this design won’t be able to help themselves from imagining what they’d have done if their younger self had a turn at the controls…”
– La Fraise’s Thanks Santa, March 18th, 2014

April

The End of Time Travel by Ben Chen (ben chen)

“…one glance at this image is likely to make viewers wonder what it could mean for Doc, Biff, and the rest back home.”
– Threadless: New this week, April 23rd, 2014

May

Ode to the Cosmos! by Taylor Rose (TaylorRoseArt)

“…the pair’s fist bump seems to ignite a big bang behind them…”
– Threadless: New this week, May 7th, 2014

June

Secrets by Alan Maia

“…the brilliant move of using a keyhole for the nose functions well as the glue that holds the concept together.”
– Camiseteria’s Secrets, June 2nd, 2014

July

All the Bacon and Eggs by Lindsey Pyne (Pyne)

“Somehow, against all odds, those piercing egg white eyes and the bacon mustache perfectly capture the character’s stubborn but endearing expression.”
– Threadless: New this week, July 2nd, 2014

August

The Mysterious Game of the Throne by buko (buko)

“…the book’s words leap off the page and create a new world.”
– Threadless: The Mysterious Game of the Throne and more new this week, August 15th, 2014

September

From Russia by JarvisGlasses

“Capturing all the color and pattern of Russia’s unique architecture is definitely a big challenge with such a limited palette, but with smart use of stripes and other hand-drawn textures the design does it ably.”
– Monsieur Poulet’s From Russia, September 21st, 2014

October

I Was an Eagle by Ross Bruggink and Brent Schoepf (rhinosserossy)

“I love the way trees become feathers, a star turns into an eye, and (in a master stroke!) the eagle’s tail is represented by a tipi and campfire.”
– Threadless: I Was an Eagle and more new this week, October 31st, 2014

November

Whatever by mathiole (mathiole)

“…does a great job of capturing the laid back charm of sloths.”
– Threadless: Whatever and more new this week, November 14th, 2014

December

Banana Vert Ramp by Ben Chen (ben chen)

“I love that it appears to use a photo of an actual banana, something that grounds the art in reality and makes it feel even more surreal.”
– Threadless: Banana Vert Ramp and more new this week, December 19th, 2014

All in all, a pretty great year! Here’s how it compares to past years: 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010.

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This week saw some sad news, with French contest site La Fraise announcing that the site will shut down on July 1st, 2014.

I’ve been a fan of La Fraise’s prints since I started writing about tees in 2007, and their catalog introduced me to the work of many talented artists like MrWayne, s-a-m and vinsse. It’s a bummer to think that this site that help popularize so many artists’ work won’t be doing that any longer.

Right now it’s unclear what La Fraise’s closing means for artists whose designs were printed by La Fraise. But if you’re looking to buy some La Fraise shirts before they’re gone, check out the 2 + 2 promotion– buy two shirts, and La Fraise will send you two more randomly chosen shirts in the same size.

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La Fraise has teamed up with the Musiques en Stock music festival for a new Rock My Shirt t-shirt design contest. Here’s the brief:

The festival makes its own T-shirts every year, but this year they’ve called out for designers to create a timeless tee containing a message that fits the festival philosophy. You can:

– Submit a more or less mainstream & cross-generational design that reflects on the following concepts
«Free Music!»
«Music is free»
«Set the music free»
«Dare to make music»
«Music for everyone».

– Mention «Musiques en Stock festival – Cluses (France)» – this is mandatory, but should be in small letters

– The festival has no set logo, so should be fun for designers

– Design is intended for use on textiles only

– Maximum of 8 colours allowed

– Keywords: Free festival, cartoons, cross generational, party, good mood, family, timeless, atypical, engaged, rock, concert, liberty.

– The Cluses festival organizers will nominate one winner. The winner will get 1,500 Euros + 2 VIP tickets

– When submitting your design on laFraise, use the tag ROCKMYSHIRT

Enter before May 5th, 2014 for your chance to win. One winner will earn 1500 Euros and 2 VIP tickets.

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Swift Migration at La Fraise is a lot of fun, seeming to play off both the idea of a heavy thing floating in the air and also the fail whale Twitter concept. I like that the approach is so illustrative, much more about the intricacy of the lines than going for laughs. The sunset colors of the sky let the blue whale rise to the forefront, and the strange cave-like structure of the clouds behind him make the whole scene feel strange and surreal, like another planet. But as I was getting set to blog this design, one thing about the site itself stood out to me- although La Fraise has begun billing themselves as a social network for artists (I still have no idea what this means), the artist is almost erased from the product page in their store. I don’t see anywhere that the artist’s name is listed, and it feels like a site truly focusing on artists should at least have that (and ideally a link to the artist’s own site as well). Not sure what’s going on there.

New designs are chosen weekly at La Fraise.

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Thanks Santa by MrWayne is definitely an impressive print. It just sets up such a great story- this massive, majestic machine posed among trees and looming mountains, already seeming to dominate them all. A reddish tinge to the natural surroundings makes it all seem a bit foreboding, like this robot could destroy all he sees without a second thought. But what really makes this design special is the small figure lurking at the bottom of the art. A small child, armed with a massive remote control. Yup, this epic mech is being controlled by a little kid. Anyone who looks at this design won’t be able to help themselves from imagining what they’d have done if their younger self had a turn at the controls, which is a huge burst of appeal. Very fun!

New designs are chosen weekly at La Fraise.

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Stealing the Show by kooky love caught my eye at La Fraise. It’s just such a great moment, taking a visual element so common that you start to take it for granted (the red sun of Japan) and totally upending your expectations. Here that red dot is a character in its own right, big, silly, and chaotic. Literally sticking his tongue out at the traditional samurai before him. And the samurai for his part is entirely opposite to our splatter-y red friend- he’s realistic, controlled, and serious. You get the sense that he’s about to swing that sword through the red circle and end his ridiculousness! Really fun work, and both styles are very nicely crafted.

New designs are chosen weekly at La Fraise.

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Mario shirts are a dime a dozen, but radiomode found a way to keep things fresh with his Loose Brick print at La Fraise. Style is a big factor that sets this design apart, using a loose, sketchy style that feels street art inspired. Another great choice was to have Mario himself as almost an afterthought, with viewers first being pulled in by the giant question mark block (which mirrors the viewer’s internal questioning of what’s going on). There’s also some poetic justice in seeing Mario laid out by an object he spends so much time destroying. All in all, solid work!

New designs are chosen weekly at La Fraise.

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