Tribal Lion by aspa

Next is Tribal Lion by "aspa". I don't normally do it, but I had to include a design only image here since the t-shirt alone just doesn't do it justice (at least not at my screen size!).

Tribal Lion is one of a large collection of tribal animal head designs from "aspa" - others include the tribal lion from other angles, wild boar, tiger and more!

This design is gorgeously complicated with the spikes curling all around one another. The negative space is treated exceptionally well. I think this design is also quite reminiscent of Celtic knotwork with a bit of a tattoo-ish twist.

Get the shirt at the Insan Art Store or design your own!

Geek Ascii Art by SpokenVisuals

From the extensive vaults of SpokenVisuals' sweet collection of geek/christian designs is "Geek Ascii Art".

I'm not too sure about what to say about this design because it just rocks so hard! I wanted one the moment I saw it! When I have the cash, it's on my list of new shirts to procure.

If you're a geek and know some other geeks, you should definitely pass this one on to the masses for lots of tech-y enjoyment.

Get it in the Insan Art Store, or make your own! (this is a fun one to play with in the shirt designer - ladies, it looks great with pink on black!)

How to Submit your Designs!

Are you a Spreadshirt Shopkeeper? If you are then you can submit your shirt designs to be featured here on Five Shirts a Week.

Just visit this Spreadshirt forum thread and drop me a link to your designs in the Spreadshirt Marketplace.

If you have a specific design in mind to be featured, let me know. Otherwise, I'll pick one from all of your designs (and I'll probably pick another in the future, as I feature repeat designers/new designs).

I'm looking for fun and unique designs that are clean and well executed. Vector designs are a plus, but I also will feature good pixel designs, too.

I reserve the right to pick which designs to use and which to refuse. PLEASE, NO SUBMISSIONS of text based designs built in Spreadshirt's designers. Also, your submissions should be YOUR work.

I am sorry but at this time I am taking submissions from Spreadshirt Designers ONLY.

Squidbillies Fans!!! I have Early Cuyler's Hats!!!

AHHHHHH!!! I just saw tonight's Squidbillies episode and I almost pissed myself when I saw the bump beforehand...

...Adult Swim likes to put up fan chatter in between shows and this bump said something along the lines of "why don't you guys sell Early Cuyler hats?"

Funny, I'd been wondering that same thing for quite a while and then I finally took the job into my own hands.

So, if you're looking for Early Cuyler's hats, look no further. I've designed the complete Early Cuyler collection - every single design ever worn on a trucker hat (and then some) by Early! All the designs are available on shirts and a select number of designs are available on hats (the designs just don't translate well to the actual print area on a real-world trucker hat!)...

If you're looking for a shirt, hit up The Squid Shop - if you don't see something you like, you can also make your very own shirt using my designs.

If you're looking for a trucker hat, check out the Insan Art Store @ Cafepress to see which designs are available on hats!!!

Happy shopping!

Rocky Giraffe by CardVibes

While I'm on a roll with simple designs, let me introduce Rocky Giraffe by Cardvibes...

Rocky Giraffe is a really nice single color design with lots of character! Again, it amazes me how much one can get away with using one color, and having seen the multi-color version of the design, I think Cardvibes did a wonderful job simplifying the original into a vector graphic.

This design would be great for adults and kids. It certainly lends itself very well to children's gear but would also be a nice and playful, vintage-style design for the ladies and gents.


Get the shirts at the Insan Art Store or design your own today!

Happy Rainbow Cloud by gladditudes

Happy Rainbow Cloud by gladditudes.

There are two reasons I love this design - first, it's got such a nice "retro" feel, even though I'm not sure what decade I'd place it in (I think about it it could work as '70s, '80s and probably the '90s too...). Second, the simplicity of the design is striking - it's the kind of design that I personally have a hard time coming up with since I tend to be too detail oriented!

This is also a great example of combining several popular "symbols" (rainbow, cloud, smiley face) into a single, original and very wearable (and cute!) design.

Get this shirt at the Insan Art Store or make our own shirt with this design!

(on) Rappel by Insan Art

Second in the series of rock climbing related shirt designs is "(on) Rappel", by me, Insan Art.

Like the "climbing love" design, this is also inspired by a photo I took of my husband, again "hanging out", but this time, on rappel.

This design can work on it's own, but the possibilities of added text are endless! (I thought the idea of the kids "just hanging out" shirt was cute!)



Get the design on a variety of products ready-to-buy at the Insan Art Store or visit my shirt designer and make your own!

"Indonesia Lotus" by giltlotus

Introducing "Indonesia Lotus", part of the gorgeous collection of Asian inspired vector shirt designs by "giltlotus".

One of the things I really admire about gilt's designs is how she manages such an elegant simplicity in her otherwise complicated and intricate designs.

The "Indonesia lotus" design is a 3 color vector graphic, allowing the user to change the colors of the design to match shirts and your own taste. The lavender shirt at the left features the design in the artist's default colors - the yellow/gold color is by default set to the metallic gold flex (check out a nice close up of the metallic gold print in real life, from the post Tutankhamen Mask by mjrproductions).

Get the shirt at the Insan Art Store or Make Your Own!

(Correction: I accidentally originally portrayed the artist as a man, when in fact SHE is not a man at all - correction made!! Sorry Gilt!)

"Gangsta Rip" by tat2ts

Now, those of you that know me will attest to the fact that I am not big into the "skull and bones" kind of thing, but this design was just too cool to pass up!

"Gangsta Rip" by "tat2ts" is a great example of how pixel graphics CAN be good shirt designs! I first saw this design when "tat" was showing off old sketchbook drawings that he had turned into shirt designs. The design is clean and well executed - he did a wonderful job of transferring the piece from scan to usable design!

The part I love most has to be the "rip" part of the design! I'm a huge fan of "trompe l'oeil" art (art that fools the eye, used commonly in murals - something that looks completely real but is totally constructed using light and shadows) and this is a fabulous instance of such an image used on clothing!


"Tat2ts" is actually a tattoo artist and it shows in his work! We'll definitely be seeing more from him here on Five Shirts a Week!

Get this shirt at the Insan Art Store or Make Your Own!

Climbing Love by Insan Art

Whoohoo! Shirt design number five of the week is my own "Climbing Love",
available exclusively from the Insan Art Store at Spreadshirt!

I'd been working on ideas for rock climbing related designs lately and knowing that the "I love" ("I" with a heart) is an insanely popular design on Spreadshirt, I decided to make a climbing version.

The climber featured in the design is none other than my husband, rendered from a photo I took of him "hanging out" at our local rocks. The design works well alone or text can be added using the Spreadshirt designer for your own personal touch!

Speaking of the Spreadshirt Designer (aka the Confomat), those of you new to this interactive tool might not be familiar with some of the available features. One of the most unique options is the ability to pick your own colors for vector graphics (such as "Climbing Love").

As an example, to the right is the default color scheme for the design. When the graphic is chosen within the confomat, each colored section will have a number. Select the section you want to change, then choose a new color for that section from the color palette at the bottom of the confomat window. Your chosen color will automatically update on the design. This option makes it so easy to customize vector designs to match certain shirt colors and your own personal taste. The green and brown version of this design on the shirt above is an example of the changes you can make!

Check out "Climbing Love" and my other climbing designs in
the Insan Art Store at Spreadshirt today!