Compete-tee-tion

Animals, slogans, pop culture, and flights of the imagination are just a few of the subjects that artists found inspiration in this year, taking these themes and more to new artistic heights. Here’s a look back at the best shirt in every month of 2022…

January

Biker by alfbocreative

“…the hot pink circle backing him creates an otherworldly vibe, like a vision of distant planets.”

– Threadless’s Biker, January 19th, 2022

February

Avocalien by Naolito

“It’s a design that feels true to the nature of avocados- that unpleasant hard object lodged in delicious softness, something that makes the act of cutting open an avocado surprisingly dangerous.”

– Pampling’s Avocalien, February 10th, 2022

March

Dreamy Petal by Andy Westface

“It’s got this type of playful minimalism that is just plain fun to look at.”

– Threadless’s Dreamy Petal, March 16th, 2022

April

Dragons Love Tales by thiagoegg

“The friendliness of those curves gives the dragon a sweet personality, making the smoke escaping from his nostrils seem like a sign of contentment rather than a threat.”

– Threadless’s Dragons Love Tales, April 20th, 2022

May

Blue Jay and Berries by rlthull

“…it combines a vector, geometric style with a looseness to the strokes that helps the piece to have a feeling of motion about it, as though we’re literally watching as the bird plucks that treasured berry.”

– Threadless’s Blue Jay and Berries, May 18th, 2022

June

Shell Nature by Coffee_man

“I love the way it uses each of the shell’s segments to show a moment in time, letting the ocean scene cover the break of day until the dead of night.”

– Threadless’s Shell Nature, June 1st, 2022

July

Zen Music by Alfbocreative

“…one of my favorite bits is how the dashed, sketchy style of the record’s pencilled lines forms a texture very much like the grooves of a vinyl disc.”

– Pampling’s Zen Music, July 14th, 2022

August

Day Off by sebasebi

“Strong shadows reinforce the oasis feel of the lamp’s spotlight, while a smattering of stars and some droopy blades of grass give the frog some environment.”

– Threadless’s Day Off, August 24th, 2022

September

Classy Dachshund by Michelle_Nolli

“Another major highlight is the excellent use of texture, which gives a fabric sheen to the hat, realistic fur to the dog, wood grain adorning the pipe, and even a stylized swirling to the air that gives the feeling of pipe smoke and fog to create a very London sort of ambiance.”

– Threadless’s Classy Dachshund, September 7th, 2022

October

Cosmic River by Gamma-Ray

“…while the planet’s stripes are solid with loose fades at the edges, the river is much more wild, with more fluid shapes that show motion and imply the glint of light on water.”

– Pampling’s Cosmic River, October 20th, 2022

November

Hell Bus by ppmid

“…it’s inside the bus when the concept really takes off, using each window of the vehicle to show a different spooky scene.”

– Threadless’s Hell Bus, November 2nd, 2022

December

The Morning Ritual by EduEly

“…cleverly positions a morning cup of coffee as a pact with the devil. It’s a metaphor that works its way into every aspect of the design, from the coffee cup as cauldron (complete with a pentagram and candles surrounding it) to the bits of text.”

– Pampling’s The Morning Ritual, December 1st, 2022

That wraps it up for 2022, but you can see how t-shirt art fared in past years in Compete-tee-tion’s 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010 contest roundups.