T-SHIRT TACTICS
Shirt Du Jour by Kent Lind

(Click on any photo for a larger view)
Reprinted with permission from Airbrush Action (August 2000)

I'd like to welcome you to a brand new column dedicated to the belief that we all have a little something left to learn. There isn't a single T-shirt artist out there who can honestly say that he or she knows it all. The simple fact that there are always new styles, new applications, and new surfaces to paint makes it nearly impossible for anyone to be absolutely current on every aspect. We must remain open to new and innovative techniques if we want not only to survive but also to thrive. You can't let yourself develop a "relax and be comfortable with what I know" attitude. This belief is the cornerstone to everyone who has achieved something worth remembering.

This column will consist of two parts. The first part is my job–it will be a combination of different aspects of the T-shirt painting business using "How-To's" and step-by-step demonstrations. Each installment will analyze one particular aspect of T-shirt art and range from beginning to advanced techniques.

The second part, which I call "Shirt du Jour," involves you. It will be completely dependent upon your input. After all, this column is here to help you, so I need to know what you're up to out there. Here's how it works. You send me pictures of your work, and I criticize—I mean critique—them, using my trademark merciless and biting commentary. The featured shirt in each issue will be selected based on such aspects as superior technique, style, application, and above all, innovation. Fresh ideas are what makes this T-shirt industry go 'round.

Now I can already hear some of you grumbling about not giving up your best ideas to a bunch of strangers who might be competition. Get over it! You need to get to the point where you're secure in your own skills and not intimidated by every other airbrush artist out there. Plus, this is a great way for all of us to find out what's going on all over the world, and for you, perhaps, to see your own work published in the industry's leading magazine. You can also look at it as a free way to get someone else's opinion on your work. Who knows–I may actually point out something that could be useful to you and constructive to your business. The only restriction is that the painting must be on some type of garment (T-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, etc.). Also (and I know that this is asking a lot), I'd like to feature one question from you and one answer from me on any T-shirt airbrushing related topic. If I don't know the answer, I'm really good at making stuff up. I'll try to answer every question that comes my way via e-mail, but the column will feature only one per issue.

Send your pictures to my studio address (see opposite page) and your questions to my e-mail address <kentlind@dellnet.com>. The label should clearly state "Re: T-shirt Tactics." Don't send me anything you want back; I won't be returning the images to you, whether I use them or not. If possible, send a slide and print of the garment. No Polaroids, please!

Here's an extra incentive: If I use your question or garment in the column, I'll send you a free Air 2B Difrent T-shirt (XL white only, while supplies last!), unless you forget to provide me with an address or any of the information I need to get it there.

Enough of the preliminaries, let's get down to business!

DESIGN 1

This beach scene is a great display because the vibrancy of the color and lettering sets it apart. Variations might include a beach without a wave, more palm trees, no palm trees, or with sea grass.

DESIGN 2

This has the same type of look as the first beach scene but with a completely different color palette. It's a good idea to have similar designs with different color schemes to offer people a visual choice.

DESIGN 3

Here's a twist on the same look, but this one is more of a party shirt. "Jamaica me. . ." could have quite a few endings!

DESIGN 4

As summer vacation gets closer, and people start heading up to their cabins on the lake, this "Up North" look becomes more popular. It's similar to the beach scenes but in the shape of an oval. This look works as an alternative shape design for the customer.

DESIGN 5

"Winter" is a hard sell because most people want to forget the miserable winter they're experiencing. Remember, however, that there are some crazies out there who actually enjoy sub-zero temps and tons of snow.

Go figure.

For this first column, I'm going to talk about the variations of a particular design theme. It's something that we all use on a regular basis but don't often see demonstrated. I've decided to focus on an "outdoor scene" and shed some light on an already popular style.

My guess is that most T-shirt artists have had experience doing some outdoor scenes but with a somewhat limited design base. I'd like to suggest a few others.

The beach scene is by far the most popular with artists and customers alike. You can't have a T-shirt display without having at least a handful of these bad boys. The beauty of this design is that to sell them, it doesn't matter where you live or set up shop. I'm living proof of that. Because I'm up here in Minnesota, you might think that I would consistently sell lake or snow scenes. No way. It's primarily oceans and palm trees. I think customers find the idea of a tropical paradise and "getting away" alluring. That's not to say that I don't attempt to throw out a more diverse selection; I'll do a lake scene with pine trees, snow scenes, and mountains, but they all pale in comparison to the mighty selling power of the beach scene.

There is another outdoor scene that sells consistently. Its selling power is not quite as strong as the beach scene, but it's definitely worth showing. It is, of course, a rendition of your local cityscape. (Sometimes you just have to cater to those city folk.)

For the purposes of this article, I won't focus on any particular city but I will concentrate on the look of a city based on composition, color, and lettering. Adding significant looking structures can suggest a specific city, or keep it generic to indicate any city in general.

The first step is to come up with a rendering of the type of city you want to depict. I like to show towering skyscrapers towards the center of the city, trailing down to smaller buildings at either end. I believe this is visually strong and lends itself well to the possibility of placing lettering over the top. To add some different color and reflective qualities, I've decided to put my city on a waterfront. The varying highlights make it more exciting. A moon gives the city a larger presence and is a great way to add another lighting and color dimension. Lettering conveys the activity associated with life in the city (I told you I was good at making this stuff up!) and basically says that we're going to have some fun.

As many of you may already know, I'm not big on stencils. I'm not saying they're not great or claiming that I don't use them, but I find the whole freehand experience to be more expressive. If you're a new squid working for me and your skills aren't up to speed, it's a different story, but I like to keep my approach loose and easy. So that's going to be the operating method for this demo.

Step 1

After getting your image onto the shirt, pull out your black and do an initial building outline. Remember to keep your lines expressive by varying thicks and thins. I can't stress enough to you how this separates the designs that are "just okay" from those that are tight, vibrant pieces. Now, outline your lettering so you'll know where to place your color for the water. Even in lettering, remember to vary your lines with thicks and thins–it does make a difference.

Step 2

After the initial outline, I like to go straight into coloring the buildings. For some visual kick, one side of my buildings will have an aqua light source and the other will have a blue/violet tint. This is a great technique for adding a secondary color to any of your designs.

Step 3

Next I move into the sky. To create a nighttime feel, I'm keeping my colors on the dark side. This is the only point in my design that I use a stencil. So I want a vibrant and unmuddied moon, I cover it with a circle template. Most of the time, I just pick up the can of adhesive and press it on the surface to keep the moon area clean. For this example, I've used a piece of pellon.

I start with violet, a color already present in the buildings. Violet is very flexible because it blends successfully and works with almost any color in my palette. So, I start with violet, building into the phthalo blue and aqua with a nice even blend. I also throw a little fluorescent yellow at the top to enhance the golden yellow in the moon. I continue painting the sky with the same colors that are in the buildings until it's built up just right.

Step 4

At this point I move into the water. Remember that water is merely going to reflect whatever light is present, so I begin by using the same colors that are found in the buildings and sky. I also throw in a yellow splash of light to indicate the moon's glow.

Step 5

The next area to tackle is the lettering. For coloring the letters, we have several options: we can stick with the same palette we used for our buildings and water; we can use a mixture that complements that palette; or–my personal favorite–we can color the majority of each letter with the same palette and use complements sparingly, but effectively, in our highlights.

I saturate the upper part of the letters with caribbean and phthalo blues and blend from the bottom down with violet. I like the highlights to originate from the upper right side, hitting the upper right sides of the letters. Highlight those areas with opaque white, keeping in mind that with white, less is more. Focus carefully on your line to create the most vibrant and intense highlight. Next, pull out your complementary color. Think of this as a way to offset the feel of the design. In other words, since most of the coloring is really cool, I'll use a color that warms up the whole design. In this case, a yellow/red combination works well. I add an edge to the lettering with a crisp opaque white. This technique really punches up the lettering.

Step 6

Now, I want to extend that warming trend into my city design. Since most cityscapes have lights, I add some to my buildings, then use the same process I used on the letters— opaque white first, followed with a covering of the yellow/red combo. To further punch up my red, I add a golden yellow wash that fades up to red. Then I add the phrase "We're goin"' over "downtown" to give it more action. I think it works! The last step is to add as many cool highlights to the water, sky, and lettering as you can to give it that groovy glow.

There you have it, my friends–a little something different to offer up to the airbrush gods. Let's hope that they're pleased because there is nothing more sobering than an airbrush T-shirt artist trying to fake his way through a real job.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Kent uses the Iwata Eclipse airbrush and Createx and Aqua Flow paints. He has no other special anything and prefers to work on whatever surface the customer who's paying wants him to. He lives with the supreme ruling being in the universe and their incredible daughter Sophie. Life is good.