T-Shirt Reviews Blog » art shirts

It Began Just Because Tee

admin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:03:09 +0000

This one’s via UK’s Sheol Clothing, an indie tee label with just three tees on their books, still it’s a nice subtle number…

It Began Just Because Tee

It reminds me Japanese ghost stories and the deliberate over exposure of the photographic sequence harks back to Warhol’s experimentation with screen printing, i.e. letting the ‘juice‘ run out… Dreamy, beguiling, I’m rather transfixed. Just £12 in sizes S-L it’s definitely a bargain for the art house crowd.

Not too keen on the other two, still, fingers crossed more inspiration will come Sheol’s way. I have to admit the story behind the name is pretty wild too…’Sheol is the ‘grave’, ‘pit’ or ‘abyss’, as a concept it predates the Christian and Muslim ideas of judgement after death and differs from Heaven and Hell. Dichotomous and ambiguous, Sheol opens the possibility of interpretation; it allows space for free will. You can push and pull the concept and find your own boundaries.’

Love it. The guys seem sound and I like the concept, but more well conceived tee graphics should be at the top of their agenda right now. See what ya think here.

Arkaik

admin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:08:23 +0000

Originally started by young entrepreneur Alex Mitchell, Arkaik was acquired by fellow t-shirt guy Jordan Abidor, and the tradition of strong concepts and a highly skilled pool of artists remains to this day. Social networking got the label to where it is today, as well as strong ties with the music industry and more recently involvement in the music festival scene.

They have a whole heap of great tees on offer but these 3 tees really caught my eye. Just $20 each and superb graphics!

King of Sea (Reprint) Tee

Great to see a reprint of Arkaik’s signature tee King of Sea. Only 20 printed from their ‘vault’ at $20 each – sizes left are XS-L.

Nar-kaik Tee

My fave of the lot, shipping now in sizes S-L for $25 each. Only 30 printed so snap ‘em up, all the XL’s are sold out :0

Dinobama Tee

I know, we’re all sick to the death of Obama gear, but hey, dinosaurs are cool right? If this is a T-Rex then the Republicans will no doubt front a Velociraptor as their candidate :p Only L sizes left, one for me then heh.

All the tees come with a custom printed inner label and top notch printing. Well worth a visit… here.

Animal Head Tees

admin — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:51:05 +0000

Frederik Garcia is a tasty Barcelona label (with a lovely site – check out their screen-printing movie) that exudes a passion for the art and craft of designing and creating hand-printed t-shirts. It’s kind of a culture shock visiting the site, as it’s something more like a surrealist gallery than a store. The limited edition tees are in three surreal categories: Animal Heads, Barrio Maps and Cinq Petite Rêves (5 Little Dreams) although I’ll only be featuring their ‘Animal Heads’ tees, as most of the product photos seem to be part of some strange montage experiment, which I’m sure will make little sense to most t-shirt fans.

If you’re a Jamiroquai fan then these designs will be highly familiar, as the concept is on the same lines as their famous graphic logo. Still a nice selection of graphic tees, all in white, limited to 200 each and priced at €19.90 each plus shipping.

Cerva Tee

“A doe, a deer, a female deer…“. Like I say a very familiar design, I looked up Frederik Garcia at Google hoping to find a connection with Jamiroquai, but no joy there.

Cervus Tee

This one’s for the stags :p

Cunicula1 Tee

The original bunny girl tee.

Cuniculus Tee

Get the matching pair and prove to your fluffy tailed other half you’re in for the long run.

Aucellus Tee

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.’ She sure ain’t no looker but she looks good in black.

Elefantem Tee

I’ve never seen an elephant fly but at least now I’ve seen one wearing pants and sneakers :-0

A nice selection of silhouette tees, could be more original. If you want to delve further into Frederik Garcia’s subconscious do check out the other collections, a surreal taste would be a distinct advantage, www.FrederikGarcia.com.

Evol

admin — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:57:13 +0000

As yet I haven’t once mentioned Evol, who’ve been around for a decade now, and can easily be described as a mainstay of the indie tee scene. They sell their graphic t-shirts, sweats, hoodies and more right across the States and have had tons of coverage from the media, as well as an involvement in the music industry which includes sponsored events. This label is for real. Their tees are cool too, great designs, sassy cuts, and plenty to keep both guys and girls enticed.

Marilyn Tank

Let’s begin with a really slick tank for the girls featuring the inimitable icon of the Silver Screen herself, Marilyn Monroe. Very sexy. $32 XS-L. If you like this one you’ll probably like their Luscious Lips Tank too, which comes in pink and white.

Boom Tee

A lovely Pop Art/Street Art style tee, Boom is dead subtle with a nicely placed imagery that really piques your interest. Reminds me of a mix between East London street art and an old Keith Haring. Very nice! $28 S-2XL – also in charcoal.

Dr. Evol Tee

Nice piece of product placement in this subvert tee, I love spoofing brands, bring ‘em all down I say. We’ll have to wait for Evola Cola which I am sure is just around the corner :p $28 in S-2XL and sweats available too.

Spaceman Tee

Love it, nice old Soviet style space graphics, my favourite. I feel real at home with this one, especially the denim version. Very cool, kitsch but not too much, get it for $28 in S-XXL. Also in natural and sweats.

See plenty more fine graphic gear at www.Evol.com.

Mumford Clothing

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:59:02 +0000

If you haven’t seen London artist Dan Mumford‘s work then you’re truly missing out, producing some of the most visceral contemporary imagery in the UK from his work space in Studio 100, a collective group of artists, illustrators, and graphic designers. His client list is as impressive including bands The Devil Wears Prada, Bring Me The Horizon, and Gallows, Mumford has also tackled major companies such as Nike and Adidas. He is best known for his cover art for “Homesick,” the largely successful album from A Day To Remember, and his extensive t-shirt work for The Black Dahlia Murder.

Check these classic Mumford art tees, all of which are available in black at $18 each, sizes range from YL-XL where available.

Sunset Tee

Crazy colours, a palette that ranges between Fauvism and street artists like OBEY, a beautifully rendered illustration that almost makes you want to frame this one and hang it up on the wall. The end is nigh :0

Dawn Tee

You’d think things would have got a little better by the morning, but no, the evil powers that be seem to have built an intergalactic highway on the rubble of a ruined Earth. These designs could really be storyboards, when is the movie out Dan?

Hope Tee

The heroes have come to save the day, although they’re tooled up and look a little fanatical to me, I’ll be hiding in a cave if anyone needs me.

VIII. Epilogue Tee

I can’t quite tell what’s going on here, but it’s just about the best naturalistic abstract tee I have ever seen. Reptiles, wood, and wheat textures, golden hues galore, amazing.

VI. Dominion Tee

A dazzling design, Dan seems to pull out all the stops with every design. If ever you meet a girl that can do this, I’d run :D

V. Priest Tee

Old goatie, hallowed be thy name, thine evil mutton chops’ bidding will be done. This is probably the sort of thing they get up to at those dodgy Bohemian Grove gatherings. So detailed it hurts.

For more luxuriously illustrated yet rather spooky tees visit www.mumfordclothing.com.

Xraylibra

admin — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:20:33 +0000

Sean Bahrpart owner and designer for Xraylibra contacted me recently and something that caught my eye was this “we believe in the craft of design and screen-print“. He had me sold on that one line, and you can tell, with just 6 black and white tees it’s obvious there are big things ahead for Xraylibra! To avoid any confusion make sure you visit their Big Cartel store and not their main domain name as that doesn’t seem to be completed. Let’s hope they get their act together on the marketing front, it would be a shame to see these shirts disappear into the ether of obscurity.

Sean is part owner and graphic designer at Xraylibra, he creates and prints every tee in-house by hand, top quality too! Let’s take a look at some goodies, all of these shirts are on sale at $17.99 each in unisex sizes S-XXL.

El Luchador!! Tee

If you love lucha libre masked wrestling, you’ll love this tee. Actually I’m not a fan of wrestling, Mexican or otherwise, but for some reason art featuring Luchadors always rocks. Maybe I was a fighter in a past life lol.

Billy Ray Satan Tee

Sean definitely has the gift when it comes to titles, I’m sure plenty of self proclaimed bad boys out there will fight over this tee. Now all you need is the leather jacket, the chopper and the girl and you set will be complete.

Zombie Killers Tee

I am a big fan of great zombie and infection movies, but I’m fussy, I can count less than ten I really love, and it’s always bugged me that at least one zombie blockbuster hasn’t been set in the Old West. You’d think all those Hollywood players would have come up with a decent pitch by now. In the meantime you’ll have to console yourself with this cool shirt.

Luchador War Tee

The sequel to ‘El Luchador’, there are some phenomenal Marvel/D.C elements to this design, check out the robot in the background and the lovely grunge/distress effect. Let’s hope for more adventures from the masked avenger!

See two more tees and a great sticker at www.xraylibra.bigcartel.com.

Janine Tee @ Oneiroi Apparel

admin — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 12:56:02 +0000

Oneiroi Apparel (pronounced on-e-roy) is a rather subconsciously inspired London indie fashion company. Taking inspiration from dreams and their emotional pull on us all, be they burning desires, cherished aspirations, ambitions and ideals that roam our collective subconscious and give each and everyone of us the will and drive to get up every morning and do something with our lives.

Exclusive: Save 15% off this and all their shirts with our permanent code BUYTEES. Just enter it at the checkout!

I’ve always had a suspicion that dreams have some kind of homoeostatic purpose, and were deeply connected to living life to the full. In fact I found out recently that an average human being can live longer without food than they can without dreams! Oneiroi Apparel’s mantra is ‘No Tax On Dreams’, which lies at the core of their ethos, weighing up the power of hope and vision, coupled with self belief and a strong work ethic, this should be all you need to reach your goals.

Janine Tee

A rather beautifully hand rendered illustration, the Janine tee exudes Art Deco and Film Noir, I love the slightly deranged scribbles towards the bottom of the image and tears and cigarette smoke heighten the mood. There’s rather a wonderful Hindu mantra on the product page too… ‘Good work done with bad intentions inevitably leads to failure. That is why one should refrain from evil tendencies.’ – Yajur Veda. You can buy this shirt in sizes S-L in white for £25.

See more t-shirts at www.OneiroiApparel.co.uk.

Even More Vicious History

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:09:41 +0000

It’s been a long old while since I first reviewed Vicious History, a distinctive label with a penchant for taking pops at famous moments and figures throughout the past. Their take on a rather haggard Napoleon is still indelibly marked on my mind. Before we take a look at what they’ve been up to over the past six months or so, (and yes they have been busy), I’ve managed to wangle a week long discount code for all you lucky lucky people. Just enter the voucher code buytees at the checkout for a very respectable 15% off anything you purchase. This offer lasts until the 26th of January 2011.

Atropos Tee

Featuring a beautiful rendition of the amazing Death Head Hawkmoth (aka “Acherontia Atropos”, this one is pure class. The vintage border really beefs up that gravitas. A lurverly design by the awesome t-shirt artist and familiar face at Emptees – PitchGrim. $24 but only XL left in this tee and Medium in this tank =0

Scholars & Thieves Tee

Again only available in XL again and seeing as this and all their tees are limited edition I guess there’s no chance of a restock :/ Ah well, hopefully VH will let me know pronto when their next collection is released! I’m not exactly sure what the Scholars & Thieves Marksmen Club is but it sounds dodgy to me. Luckily the design hits the bullseye :p Designed by Brazilian artist Gabriel Gozzer. Get it for $24 in black XL.

Dream Catcher Tank

Also available as a tee this rather Shamanic contribution is definitely on my level. Another expert design by t-shirt artist Craig Robson. Again only XL sizes left for the tee and the tank.

Wild Wolves Tank

Another gorgeous design by Gabriel Gozzer, even though Wild Wolves is almost sold out you’ll be glad to know there’s now a Wild Wolves II. The originals are available as a tee and tank in (you guessed it) XL only for $20 each. This all should be rich pickings for the super-sizers! Whilst the Wild Wolves II tee is available for $24 in ALL SIZES!! That’s S to XL.

Wild Wolves II Tee

Get them whilst they’re hot.

Let’s hope for a more timely Vicious History post next time!

Leon Vault Tees For Sale – Finally!

admin — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:36:53 +0000

At last, it’s been a long old time coming, but it seems that Leon Vault has finally set up an online store to sell their unique arty tees. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can read all about LV in this review of another label their designers work for. All the shirts at this unique Aussie label are available as scoop, crew and singlet tees for $59 AUD each and crew jumpers at $99 AUD each. Sizes generally range between S-L depending on the cut.

These shirts speak for themselves… dead classy.

Oh Deer Tee

A dream within a dream.

Dead Man Tee

I’ve been to parties like that.

Oh Mercy Tee

The pic is blurry but the design looks gorge…

Stand Still Tee

Miniaturisation has a lot to answer for.

I think LV should sort out some more pics, maybe a zoom function, at least some larger images, it all helps – anyway see more arty tees at www.LeonVault.com.

Veni Vidi Vici Tee

admin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:40:55 +0000

Here’s a rather classy/classic tee from Unknown Artifact.

Veni Vidi Vici Tee

It’s by Robert Gould, a versatile illustrator based in Cali. You can buy this tee, screen printed by hand with water based inks for a piddling $10. Now that’s a bargain. Available in sizes S-XXL for men and S-XL for women.

Whilst I’m at it check out this rather kewl kid’s shirt for $12 in size 8 (USA size) -

Einstein Wearing 3D Glasses Tee

See more at www.UnknownArtifact.com.