Winter Whimsy

This is a good winter if you're an Edgar McHerly fan.

For starters, as we all know, Edgar fans are preternaturally wiser than most, so that's always a positive, but furthermore, there is simply such a surplus of great Edgar magic to snatch up. His comic, The Invisible Hairsuit, has slowed to a temporary stop lately, but it comes with the trade-off of five Edgar-tastic shirts in the store (my favorite is Family Problems, which printed stunningly). This is great news, as Edgar is clinically under-appreciated on the tee circuit, so having him strike out on his own ensures a source for at least occasional spurts of Edgar genius to make it to fabric where they belong (ERMcH, if you're listening, might I suggest gems like "Grrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrrrr....," "Lon and Mr. C visit God," or "Notes from the Underground," not to mention long-lost classics like "I Like Books").

But for the next few days, you're even more in luck, because Tilteed is featuring one of Edgar's greatest hits, Old Man Winter. It's just in time for the holidays (and would hopefully make a great gift), but it's also perfectly timed for the season. Wear it on snow days with a sweet hoodie (perhaps a Dead Head one, wink wink nudge nudge). Sport it in the middle of summer to help people think cool thoughts, or on that first-or-last ski trip to remember how fun the winter can be. Stretch it over a frame and hang it over future holidays. It's a versatile, whimsical masterpiece that really captures the magic of a holiday gathering, the smell of burnt firewood on a crisp day, or just how great it is to enjoy yourself. But you can't enjoy the tee unless you snag one. It's only available until Tuesday afternoon, so don't be left out in the cold. Seriously, you'll either freeze, or old man winter will get you. I think it's safe to say you don't want to toy with fate like that.

Breath of Fresh Air

In a world of shameless ripoffs, the thing I am most excited about when it comes to this whole curating gig I've got going is getting to show off the stuff that isn't. There's a lot of lip-service toward original and attractive, creative and skillful, but very few people willing to stand up and make a difference. So even if it is often a much smaller contribution than I'd ideally prefer, I love being able to do a little something for people who are breathing new life into art, instead of walking tired ground.

The most recent Tilteed Limited speaks to this pretty literally. It's a piece by fan favorite at Tilteed and friend-of-the-blog theinfinityloop, called Breath of Life. The whole of the piece is artful... the whole idea of creation is easily paralleled. Really, though, the piece is ripe for metaphoric parallels... the moon and the tides correlate, but water makes life possible (and indeed makes up the better part of most life forms), and music can indeed be said to enrich our life as well, as the moon blows powerfully on his horn. There's a haunting beauty to this for that reason... it can resonate with anyone who values life or the arts, but is vague enough that any person could find their own meaning. But the stark white-on-black makes it all the stronger. The horn seems to shimmer, and the details are all the more impressive given the single color scheme. I've always gotten the feeling of a crisp fall or winter evening when I look at this design. It's peaceful, with a little chill, a little darkness, and a little beauty. I hope you all will get your own magic out of it as well.

As with the moon, and all Tilteed limiteds, Breath of Life will eventually phase out to the next cycle (approximately 67 hours or so from now, by my count), so picking up a copy ASAP is in your best interest. $12 is a small price to pay for something that evokes a mood other than "I'm in the mood to watch old cartoons and play videogames."

Playing Koi

When I started college, I took an Italian literature in translation course that simply opened my mind. I'd seen a handful of Italian films throughout my study of the language in high school, but it all clicked with the literature course. Other cultures have these beautiful, unique expressions of art, compared to our American, Super-bombastic, Summer-Blockbuster, Mega Seller mindset. There's a certain understatement to the Italian work. Comedy is more fun, drama is less heavy-handed, literature tends to have a certain magic to it... surely the translator's hand must be recognized, as well, but it's too pervasive and too different to be all their fault.

I will be the first to admit that these days, I don't read or view films near as much as I'd like to, but I still love the different perspective that especially European arts seem to bring to the table. I've noticed it's the French who seem to excel at this in the tee world... using sketchbook flair and handmade sensibilities, it's so different from what is, once again, the often over-produced stateside counterpart. And that's why I'm so happy to be able to showcase Billy, by babatai. It shows off how a personal piece of art can inhabit any canvas if you really consider it. I simply love the medium being used, and love the mood and realism created with those simple tools. This isn't any 3D rendering nonsense. It's not slick vectors. It's something which was likely created almost entirely in a sketchbook. It's neutral and natural, and it really elevates the tee to something more. One other thing our friends across the pond are great at is fashion, after all.

As ever, Tilteed Limited designs are available for 3 days only. Spread the word, and don't forget to grab your own!

Tee Otters

If I could sum up the graphic tee experience, I wouldn't. When I use a summation, it is always a matter of what shouldn't be. It is a treatise on those few things which debilitate the art into being one more disposable product. It's like a college essay. There's no limit to right answers, but there sure as hell are wrong ones too.

One thing that I am pretty sure of, though, is that all art requires a sense of the imaginative, and the current Tilteed limited design truly understands this. I'm a bit biased, of course... it was one of my first Contest Watch features in the long long ago... but I don't think that bias changes anything. See Otters, by Ninety, is just magical. It's the crux of what imagination is... one observer, one dreamer, seeing something spectacular, and the rest of the world ignores it as folly. The design is drawn with a sense of whimsy but a strong execution as well. The concept is just adorable. The colors? The blue used for the water is perfect. That blue has had me addicted ever since seeing this two years ago. In short, however, the design simply speaks volumes about how things should be. Most people don't see anything but where they're headed. They want things to be simple, straightforward, and easy to ignore. They want to walk their path, and forget anything else. And those people miss a building full of otters. There are truly special things out there in the world. Look for them, because once you find one, you'll be 100 times happier with it than all the populist mediocrity you thought meant something.

If you're in love with the sheer charm of this piece, you've only got a limited time, as with every Tilteed limited you might fall in love with. Don't miss out, and tell your friends. Great art should be celebrated. No matter what the canvas.

Tee-vel Knievel.

Monday! Monday! Monday! saw the release of the latest Tilteed limited design, and it's pretty stellar, if I do biasedly say so myself. For myself, of course, there's an added bonus because I love the backstory, if there is any. Gimetzco, the designer, is known for his yeticorn character, and I'd have to say, ...Vs Komodo Canyon is probably my favorite of his adventures so far. What I love about it is how it takes this comic/promo poster style and smashes all the normal flaws of bringing it to a tee. The borders are gone, for starters... you can see the basic shape of the "poster" this would have been, but the shape is nevertheless organic, so it doesn't look constrained even while reveling in the assumed canvas. The text looks gorgeous. It's not a case of inappropriate, unnatural fonts slapped together. Every letter makes sense stylistically. Nothing looks too heavy-handedly synthetic. The placements of the text (and even the images) feel natural, like you'd want them to be on a flier. Even the colors fit. They go well together (red + blue = green, even if the blue is really just a bluer green) while being bold enough to capture the eye, but the way they're set up, and the three-color usage really help, again, sing praise to classic concert posters and such. It looks like something you should screenprint. But in the end, it's all about being a ridiculously fun design. This does, of course, tie back to the style concept. These sorts of daredevil events always ratchet up the drama and excitement to get you to come in. Even without that, though, it's such a fun idea as to be irresistible. The thrill of fast engines and big cars, the danger of huge dinosaur-esque lizards, and the mystique of a one-horned furry protagonist combine into a story you can't help but want to learn more about. Admit it, you'd buy this comic. I know I would.

Like all Tilteed limiteds, and like all special events, this tee WILL disappear 72 hours from its debut (we're looking at the under-60 hour mark as of this posting), so I cannot recommend enough that you check it out and pick one up before it's gone. $12 will get you the whole shirt. But as is customary in these situations, you may find you only need the edge.

Crazy 'Bout Elvis

There's something about classic graphics that makes them just perfect for a tee, and that is what the latest Tilteed Limited is all about to me. Be a Good Boy, by keuj, just has that classic feel. Possibly it's the halftones, which make the design look a bit more like the heyday of comics. Used properly, halftones can either create a skillful blending of colors, making your palette far wider than it would seem otherwise, or else add a vintage effect to the piece. There is definitely some modern to it, of course. The oddness of the elements, from the cyclopean protagonist to the big-eyed bird, is something that wouldn't go over so well in older art, and I doubt this palette would have been so popular back in the day, but still, this style is the sort of thing that belongs on fabric. Not every graphic is at home on a tee, but most of keuj's work seems to be ideal for printing on pretty much anything, from concert posters to totebags to awesome shirts like this.

If you want more info, I've prattled on about the design on the product page itself. Please enjoy. As ever, however, you will only have 3 days to enjoy both this tee and my repartee before both are relegated to the annals of time.

Make it Rain

It is nearly too muggy to write this evening, so the new Tilteed Limited tee comes as a bit of a horrible omen. I feel as if I jinxed myself by bringing it in. Overall, though, it'll be worth it, for any number of reasons. Drowning Out the Sun, by D-Roy, is a stellar summer tee for those of us who can't abide by the oppressive heat, but a sweet tee all around for its faded colors, chunky vector lines, and smart art. The colors are an obvious perk, to me... they're not overly saturated, which makes the tee feel a bit weathered and classic from the start (which I think increases wearability with many of us). The use of the tee blank, however, is incredibly smart, especially for a guy who I believe is getting his first tee print through us. With the big, full-chest print, having so much white breathing through is so important. Yet it comes off effortlessly, much like the clouds seem to be effortless with their raining. It's so commonplace that they seem nonchalant. I'm super excited to see this tee get a chance with us. We love getting a chance to bring you something new and different. We hope you'll give it some love, too.

We Ain't Lion.

Today marks the last day of the grand Tilteed Flip giveaway, which means the Flip cam WILL be given away soon soon soon. As such, that also means y'all should consider hurrying up the promotion on our Facebook page contest. I'm giving away tees for every hundred of you, and I don't want to be saved money. The contest will be running just a titch longer, through the end of the latest Tilteed Limited curation, so you still have time to help make it happen.

As for that latest curation? It's JimmyTan's classic unprinted tee "Grandpa". I've wanted this tee to be part of the limited catalog for a long time, and I'm superstoked to see it up finally. It's all about the facial expression here, wise and happy. The title really makes sense of it all. I think many of us can see something of our gramps in this, even if he didn't smoke a stogie, wear a monocle, or eat our dad. There's so much character that I simply can't imagine how no one picked this up yet, but we hope their loss will be your gain. I also dig the use of color... the blue accent really stands out here, while the main linework is detailed enough that there's no need for more color. If you agree, you've got under 72 hours to make it happen. And that goes for the contest as well.

Don't Keep this Quiet!

Ok. We can do this a couple ways. So listen up.

Option 1 is I just talk about Reticent, the latest limited tee on Tilteed. That's easy enough to do with it's lovely colors, abstract shapes and lines, and futuristic vibe. I could certainly tell you all about how it was a former contest watch tee, and how I love designer NinthWheel's work, and yadda yadda yadda. And it would all be true. If you'd prefer that, I can do that all damn year.

Option 2, however, switches it up a bit. See, yesterday I introduced you all to the blog's new Facebook page. It's still new, fresh, and growing. But I'd like to see it grow more. So in honor of Tilteed's birthday contest, and to make up for some under-represented contrasts in the past, I'd like to offer you all an incentive for your loyal reading. I'd love to see the fan page grow, so I'm gonna give away some tees. For every 100 fans I gain between now and the end of Tilteed's flip giveaway, I will randomly choose a fan to win a Tilteed tee of their choice. That's any catalog Tilteed tee, or any current limited (I obviously can't do much of anything for past tees). And that means if I get 100 fans, I give one away, and if I get 512, I give 5 away, and if I get 10,000 fans, well, let's be honest, I'm kind of hoping that doesn't happen by the end of the month. I'm not made of money.

All YOU need to do is FAN UP ON FACEBOOK. It's easy, it's free, and sometimes you'll even get extra content. Hell, sometimes the blog ITSELF doesn't get new content! And spread the word, because every new fan we get, the more chances there are to win. So if you prefer to just hear about how awesome this limited tee is, and how you should grab it now before you miss out in 72 hours, please re-read the first paragraph over and over again. But for the rest of you, I totally think the second option sounds more fun, don't you think? You know what to do.

Walk the Wire

Some days, you just luck out. That was most definitely the case when Mr. Chris Dixon excitedly OK'd Tilteed to do the honors on a popular design of his. Hugely popular, super skilled, right off a popularity high... it's the sort of tee you're excited to bring in because it seems to hit all the best notes, showing some super execution and creativity while also being a potential bestseller. I'm AdderXYU, and this is The Real Shirt Curators of Tilteed County.

What you're interested in, though, is why YOU should care about the tee, not the story of being able to bring Pinkerton to you as the current Tilteed Limited curation. I mean, you're smart people, but you read for the tees! I don't blame you! So let's start at the beginning. What's going on here? No clue. But the mood is undeniable. There is a fear, a palpable tension, permeating this little scene. The tightrope is an obvious metaphor, and the creepy creatures coming out from the borders are obviously meant to be ominous. There's some pure dystopia going on, and I personally love it, even if the full meaning is obscured. Still more subtle, however, is the robot itself. Sure, it looks like it's about to blow, but the elongated limbs make it seem no less otherworldly and unsettling, so you both feel for its predicament as well as being distanced just enough to make the story unfolding here more compelling. If the story works so well for being vague, the art itself is a home run for blatant reasons. The artist is well known for some incredibly fine halftone and blending work... the melange of pinks to purples to blues creates a powerful contrast of bright ink to dark blank (and concept), but it also adds to the hazy cavern feel. Everything somehow feels more dark because it's illuminated in such bold hues. The use of negative space is also stunning: the scene is framed in these haunting images, and it all feels organic due to it. Really, the only drawback to this tee is that it is not remotely a summer color (especially in this heatwave), but that just means you'll be all the more excited to wear your copy when autumn comes.

As with every Tilteed Limited, Pinkerton's balancing act will only last for 72 hours total (we're just about at hour 61 as of this posting). $12 for this much art is almost like stealing, but if your thieving tendencies are even more heightened, be sure to check out the Tilteed Blog, where you'll find all manner of contests this month. It's Tilteed's birthday, and they'll give out free shirts if they want to! And they do, pretty much all month. Check regularly to see what the new contest is all about! Just don't miss out on greatness trying to score a freebie. There will be all manner of sweet tees all month long as well.

Who was on my tee last night?

One of the things I love about Edgar McHerly is one of the things I love about certain bands. Yknow, the one everyone forgot about but you love? The one you stumbled over on the web and none of your friends know? The band you slip onto mix CDs all the time in hopes that everyone will love them, but never want to hear on the radio? That's Edgar. Always original, always unique, always changing things up, always evolving. His humor is absurd and striking. His art is challenging and often beautiful. And his newest piece is The Butthole Surfers. Fans of the band from which the design takes its name could probably see the relationship... the Surfers made a name for themselves by being themselves and pushing the limits of "normal" music. The tee itself is epic, trippy, imposing... the creature in the spotlight here is gigantic and otherworldly, glowing and casting beams from his hands to his eyes or vice-versa. It also appears to be in a sort of reverie, which is not less disconcerting, but adds a bit of power to the proceedings. And I really love the floating squares, coming across like static, or the fuzz behind our eyes after squeezing our eyes shut or looking into the sun. Because really, this sort of sweetness SHOULD pseudo-blind us.

This piece is only at Tilteed for the next two days or so... way to be late on your own curation, Adder!... so definitely grab one now and get on the ground floor with an artist I truly believe should be praised as one of the best under-known artists out there.

Sound and Vision

One of the greatest things about this blogging thing is finding the best of the best out there that are yet to print. In all honesty, while there are many amazing tee sites out there printing amazing tees, the truth of all art is that the most interesting stuff will never rise to prominence. That's why I love that I decided in the long long ago to start a Contest Watch 'round here... even on the weeks I've taken off, I'm always looking, scoring, and browsing the web for new unprinted designs. That's the way to find the really special stuff in any art you choose... keep digging.

Vicariously, the greatest thing about my time at Tilteed has been an ability to have a say in getting those personal gems printed. I can't imagine having that sort of opportunity to support art and just churning out the same exact thing as everyone else. That all being said, I hope my past curated designers don't take offense when I say that Of the Beholder by Torakamikaze is, no lie, the tee I'm most excited to have printed with Tilteed. It's a personal fave, to be sure... a piece I blabbed about in the long long ago as a Threadless submission. I've always loved how this is all about pure creation. The linework is gorgeous, the imagery is bold, the colors straddle a wonderful line of warm colors and cool ones (I'd definitely go for an icee in these shades, though hopefully with less eyes). It's intriguing and a bit haunting. It's wearable and unique. The eye (ours, not the tee's) is drawn through those thick strips of linework, the subtler tangles, the explosive plumes of red. I love how the eyes, even without faces, evoke a sort of wisdom and definite personality. But I really love knowing that something unique is getting a chance to shine that it might not have gotten otherwise. Sadly, though, it's only gonna be around for 72 hours, a good 12 of which are long gone by now, so don't delay, and spread the word.

Summertime, and the Living's Icee

We're ringing in summer with some super-sweet tees at Tilteed. Today we're going the humor route, something we don't do frequently, with theinfintyloop's Slushie. It's a fun concept for dog lovers. Or slushie lovers. Or summer lovers, having a blast.

What I enjoy about this is the subtlety of the concept and the readability even missing that subtlety. There is a sort of humor in a dog eating like a human, even if you miss the connection of dog breeds with bizarrely blue tongues. The execution is solid, capturing the doggyness of the dog. It's sort of the definition of cute... a loyal pet just panting away happily. Again, it's not a card we play often at Tilteed, but we think this is definitely the sort of tee to take that chance on: great work from a great artist, and once again, just in time for summer. The gold blank doesn't hurt either. But remember, just like the gorgeous weather, this'll be gone before you know it.

M.C. 86

Time for another limited edition Tilteed tee, and this one, I feel, is right on time for summer. It's brought to us via talented, trippy artist C86, and it's entitled Escherland. The shapes and steps and arches certainly evoke classic Escher like his Relativity, but what makes the two pieces great are totally different. While the old MC is known for illusion and brilliant sketchwork, C86 is all about pattern and color, and that's really whats at play here. Some truly bold color combos come together like some delicious citrus drink of a tee, which sounds silly but actually makes sense if you look at it. There's a lot going on here, and a lot worth looking at, and with so much brightness on a light blank, now's the time to be doing that looking... this is guaranteed to be an awesome summer tee.

As is the case with all Tilteed Limited tees, this'un will only be available for 72 hours total. Go support an amazing artist with a distinct style: in a year, when this is no longer available, your friends will all wish they'd gotten this instead of their ten Lost tees. Be ahead of the curve.

Alright! Already!

I've been waiting a long time to get Omnitarian's Float On in my wardrobe, so suffice it to say I'm pretty stoked about being able to bring it in as a Tilteed limited design. While the palette is a bit muted this go-round, there is no less reason to be excited for the tee: the wonderful cartooning is still the highlight of the design, and the sheer variety of personalities imbued into each of these airheads remains no less charming. Any viewer can find a favorite they're totally charmed with (my faves are Gentleman Monocle and Cochise). It's only available for 72 hours, tho, so be sure to grab a copy before Monday Noon.

A Singular Tee at SingulariTee

Today we have a literally awesome tee at Tilteed: Bellarific's Goateed Goat Tee. It is literally awesome, and also awesomely literal. One of the things I like best is the blue-on-brown... it's a total clash, but it's a combo I've long thought totally popped together, which is enough for me. It's simple graphically, but also just weird enough that there's nothing quite like it out there. Its simplicity, of course, makes it speak for itself. If you dig it (and obviously, you should) you've got til Noon Pacific on Tuesday to grab one.

Friend Request

Today, Tilteed gets a bit sensitive with Jewelwing's "Absent Friends." It's a concept that I quite love, with the peaceful, otherworldly scene of all our absent friends, out there in a spiritual reunion. There's the living friend, in purple, set apart from the others, yet still with them behind him, being embraced by the world, yet also almost trying to embrace him back. It's really poignant and encouraging, and while I am hardly a poignant or encouraging person, it is something that definitely deserves to print. It's a lovely take on a hard concept.

If you're in love with the design, the concept, or just happy to see a design based off a literary quote (which cmon, we all know I am up for that), snag it now, and be sure to tell the world... I know a lot of people have waited for this tee to exist for a while now. Best not to let them miss out. Especially since it's only available for the next 72 hours.

Bot-ter Days

Quickie tonight. You might recall this one from elsewhere, and there's a good reason for that: it was on my list of tees to check out at the T-Shirt Vault. Of course, with the TSV folding within a day of that post, there were a lot of tees disenfranchised, unpaid designers, and customers with lost money/no tees. That just didn't seem right, so after checking around, I decided to start trying to give these tees a print opportunity.

Our latest Tilteed Limited, then, comes from one such designer: Matthew Laznicka. His design, Robot King, charmed me from the start. It's great, simple vector character design. Fun, bright colors... whimsical robots... back to basics aesthetic. It makes a great graphic tee. I'm pretty stoked to give this piece the chance it deserves. I can only hope people appreciate getting that second chance. Post this one up, y'all.

Leading the Blind

I've got another curation up at Tilteed this weekend: Blind Omniscience, by Dan Rule. Dan's got an amazing cartoon style that is totally worth checking out, but ten to one y'all have checked him out before... he's had plentiful prints at woot, Threadless, and the earlier days of Teefury. I love the colors here, which remain simple and perfect for the illo. The character is fun and charming, yet leaves just enough room for commentary: the design could be the play on the all-seeing eye that it seems to be, or it could take on more power with those who might be a bit more disenchanted with the state of our economy. Personally, I'm just stoked to get to own a copy. It makes a great graphic, great colors, and a brighter, fresher design than many we've been putting out... just in time for springtime.

We've been sitting on this one for way too long, and we're stoked to finally get it out there. Hopefully, you'll love it as much as we do. Just remember, it's only available for 72 hours, so be sure to grab one by Tuesday, Noon Pacific, if you're interested.

Boogie Oogie Oogie

A day late and a dollar short, but I just wanted y'all to know you can get MJ's (of Compete-tee-tion, teemagnet, teefury, woot fame, and probably some sort of recognition from every other tee site out there) tee "Electric Eel" for $12 until noon, April 5, at Tilteed.com. I love this one because it is a study in simplicity... this could be a superhero crest, it could be a brand logo, it could be an iconic symbol for a hipster revolution... it just looks like it's supposed to be a shirt. There is no denying. It's the classic graphic tee. It even looks, er, "electrifyingly good," with that big white bolt and the fluid halftones both popping color off the black blank. I cannot wait to rock the hell out of this tee, because it is simply made to be rocked the hell out of. Don't miss that chance.