27 New Designs from Insan Art

Well well, it has been a month since my last feature and what a busy month it has been! Over the past few weeks I've been doing a number of things, first and foremost grinding the rust out of my Jeep and patching and painting it. That was crazy. Then, I've been working on a book for my good friend Van Wagner. In between everything else, I worked on a whole slew of new designs! There's 27 in all including 3 new slogan/text designs and the rest are symbols based on real signs. Here's a peek at 12:


Three New Slogan designs:

Give Me Unlimited Internet or Give Me DEATH - This design is for all of us out there worried about the recent news of caps on bandwidth usage.
WARNING: May Contain More Than a Trace of Nut: This one was actually overheard being said by a certain Colbert on his report - it's too funny and so true, I need one for myself!
BEER, Now cheaper than gas! "Drink, Don't Drive." - This one is pretty self-explanatory.



Plus, new symbol designs:


Various Animal Warning symbols including Moose Warning (from Maine), Squid/Stinging Marine Animal Warning (one of my ocean/beach favorites), Giant Insect Warning (those skeeters are a bitch), plus Bear Warning and Croc Warning (not shown)...


...various sport/recreational symbols including Technical Rock Climbing (and not shown are Climbing/Mountaineer, Kayaking,
Biking, Swimming, Hang Gliding, Swinging, Skiing and Spelunking)...




...various "warning" symbols like Jet/Plane Warning, No Pirates Warning, Radioactivity/Death Warning and the "Crotch Fire" Warning (plus, not shown are Cliff, Shock, Thin Ice and Tsunami Warnings)...


..........plus, one very special symbol design (green shirt, bottom right) that is honestly from a real sign. It is a Japanese Subway

informational sign. Look at it briefly, what's your first impression?


OK, ready for the spoiler? From left to right it means: Person with injured arm, person with a child, pregnant woman and person with an injured leg.

Yes, seriously. Not what it looks like, huh?!?



Hehehehehe...

Anyhoo...click on any shirt to go directly to that design
section in my shop, or go directly to the Insan Art Store main page to check out all of the new designs!

NEW the Insan Art Store & Designs by Insan Art

Howdy!

The Insan Art Store is ALL NEW with a fresh new layout that matches my homepage, plus several new designs. This remodel has been needed for a long time. I originally started out with just the stand-alone Spreadshirt shop. Then, I upgraded to a premium account and started expanding - I used the PA State Store as a guinea pig to test remodeling options. When I had that squared away I went on to the Squid Shop. Then summer came - LOL. But, it's finally done. A few minor layout alterations to work on, but it's there!


The first new design that I absolutely love is Nigga, Peas. It's offensive, but overall it's funny. It's a parody straight from the actual Green Giant. I was going for a disco/pimp kind of look.






The next design, Will Thrift is one I've had started ever since I made Thrift Store Chic (which has been completely re-designed as well). It's a parody of the Goodwill Logo. I grew up on a healthy diet of thrift store visits and clothes with my mother being the thrift shopping queen (and I'm next in line for that throne), so I had both those things in mind when I created Will Thrift as well as Thrift Store Chic.




Another new design is I'm a ctrl freak, made with myself in mind, but I figured that plenty of others would get it, too. I'm an avid user of programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver in which your productivity is greatly increased by using keyboard shortcuts - many use the "ctrl" key. But, even everyday computer use can be streamlined by using "ctrl" plus other keys for things like cutting, pasting, etc. If you're truly a "ctrl freak", you'll totally understand this.

So, check out the all new remodel of the Insan Art Store and check out the new designs. As always, if you don't see something you like, you can make your own with our t-shirt designer!

My APOLOGIES (the continuing Skateboard Mural Saga)

I know - this isn't t-shirts, but I feel the need to discuss it!

First I must apologize to all my readers, subscribers and featured shopkeepers/designers for such a long delay in new posts here on the blog. I've been sooooo busy!

Second, I'd like to thank Jill Nickerson (and her husband Shane, whom the project was for) for commissioning such a demanding piece!

The Blossburg Skateboard Mural - AYE! What a hell of a project! When Jill first came to me with the commission, I figured it to be about a 50-60 hour maximum project (in painting). Well, 50-60 hours painting turned into about 200 hours (I think, not sure, stopped counting after 150). This is not counting the time I spent prepping the boards - they were blank maple skateboard decks with varnish that had to be sanded, taped and primed before painting.

The first problem (not SO much a problem) came with the extensive detail in my own damn design. Areas I was painting that I figured to take a few hours turned into 3-5 times as much work. Again, this wasn't so much a problem, just a huge effort to actually get the work done and make sure it was quality work. I certainly could've done the same work in half the time, but it would've sucked, and I don't work that way.

The second (and major/real) problem came next. I finished the painting around 4am last Friday (June 20th). I REJOICED and let it sit for about 20 hours. Then I started to seal it - I planned to use a two-part liquid fiberglass resin, commonly used for car and boat repair, but it works very nicely as a SUPER DURABLE sealant. So, never having used this stuff on a piece so large, I set out by mixing a small batch and coating the first board. The first batch got me all the way through to the third board, but when I was about to finish the bottom portion, the resin started to seize up. It had felt stiff since the beginning so I figured, "Hey, I can smooth on another few inches, right?" Wrong. The bottom of board three, which you can kind of see in the detail photo to the right (the "O" board), has some chunks that I just couldn't smooth out.

I figured that my first batch of resin was mixed too "hot" (too much hardener), so I checked my measurements and made sure to mix the second batch with the proper amount (and stir it GOOD). However, the second boards, to me, turned out worse than the rest ('cept for chunky letter "O"). There are some really nasty chunky spots (I've circled the most visible in the top photo, mostly on board "U"), but there are multiple spots that, even after the resin had dried, bubbled up the next day as a storm and high humidity rolled through.

So, that's pretty much where I'm at with the skateboard mural. I've gone and talked to the Nickersons, hoping they understand my woes (and they do as far as I can tell - they are extremely great folks). I do feel absolutely horrible about the whole thing though because I was supposed to have this done for Shane's birthday, nearly 2 weeks ago!

AGAIN, I apologize to everyone who has been reading! I promise, there are are more posts to come with designs from myself and our current featured designers, as well as a few new designers coming soon!

Thank you for reading! AND, if you have any similar experience working with the kind of fiberglass resin I'm using (I believe it was actually the "Bondo" brand), I would appreciate any advice!! Just leave a comment.

the Squid Shop Re-Launch by Insan Art

This may be old news since I re-launched it a week or so ago, but the The Squid Shop is all new and available at www.thesquidshop.com!!!

There is an all new section for photos of people wearing their shirts and hats (and I haven't received any yet!) - for a limited time, I'm offering a free lightweight mens or womens t-shirt with the Squid Shop graphic of your choice to the first person that sends me a photo of themselves (or someone else) wearing one of my Booty Hunter hats while hanging out the window of a broken down car (like Early in the show intro). See the "show off" section of the site for details.

Also new is the "beyond the hats" section. It contains designs inspired by the show, but not from an Early hat. Designs available include the "Sharif Badge" (sheriff star for those who spell correctly) and the "Git Yer Yankee Ass Off My Property" slogan.

AND, IMPORTANT NEWS!!! - Spreadshirt is finally offering white flex-fit baseball caps starting May 30th so in the beginning of June, look for hats available in the Squid Shop!

Get on over to the all new Squid Shop and get yourself some spankin' new squid gear (or make your own!).

Thank God for PA & State Forest Boundary by Insan Art

Thank God for Pennsylvania! And thank goodness, the PA State Store is officially open!

Lots of new PA designs will be coming soon, but right now there are 9 available including the "Thank God for Pennsylvania" design shown at the right.

One of the designs I am most excited about is the "Pennsylvania State Forest Boundary" design. Last week I ordered some sample shirts from Spreadshirt, including a PA State Forest shirt. Well, I received the shirts on Thursday and I've worn this one 5 times since I've gotten it! It is a huge hit and with the silver flex option it looks just like the real thing!

I've included a shot of my shirt so you can see how the silver and black flex looks on a real product! The reflective quality of the print is quite difficult to photograph, so I tried to crumple it up a bit to show the metallic effect.

Check out the PA State Store today and make a statement about the state you love! As always if you don't see something you like, you can make your own (please follow the make your own link in the shop).

Electrodynamics by Insan Art

Well, last week was a busy one again and even though I had figured out which five shirts I was doing, I didn't meet my deadline!

So, to start this week's five off is "Electrodynamics" from me, Insan Art.

This design was inspired by a book a friend of mine was toting around called "Principles of Electrodynamics". I thought that the cover graphic looked a lot like boobs, so I decided to do a design from it. I mean, what goes better together than geeks and sex humor?

Even if you don't think it looks like boobs, it does make a nice geometric/abstract design...lol. The design is also available with the text "I Love Electrodynamics".

So, check it out! It's available at the Insan Art Store and if you don't see something you like, you can always Make Your Own!

PA State Store (preview) by Insan Art

Another busy week here in the world of Insan Art, another bulk post.

I opened a new Spreadshirt store recently called the PA State Store. I did this for 2 reasons: first, I had a number of Pennsylvania related design ideas that I felt warranted the opening of their own storefront and second, I've been toying with the idea of creating my own matching front end sites for my existing shops, but I wanted to try it first with a test shop.

At the moment, I'm still building the pages on my end, but things are getting close to completion. I hope by tonight I'll have the bulk of it working and online.

If you live, work or play in Pennsylvania, I have a shirt just for you! There are 9 designs available now (with many more on the way) including:

- The Liberty Bell, available plain or with the slogan "We love to show our crack"

- I Love PA, a take on the classic "I Love NY" design

- the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, available with the slogan "Our Canyon Is Just As Grand", or plain - the white tank shown uses the plain PA Grand Canyon design, plus custom text that says "Pine Creek Gorge". Custom text is completely optional and can be added or removed using our shirt designer!

- PA State Forest Boundary Marker, this one is pretty self explanatory. I wanted one on a shirt, so I thought, hey, maybe someone else will, too. As an added bonus, you can choose to have the "gray" portion printed in silver so it will look just like the real thing!

- Hike PA, available in male ("guy" - shown) and female ("girl") for those of us who would rather properly represent the woodsy ladies! Plain versions of the hiker figures are also available if you'd like to use your own custom text and perhaps advertise your favorite PA trail.

So, mosey on over to the PA State Store (if you're there before 11:59pm tonight, I do not guarantee all links/pages will function, but browsing by apparel type/design and ordering will be up and running).

More Chopsticks from Insan Art

Since I'm a busy bee this week (OK, always) I'm going to do two bulk posts to get five shirts up!

So - introducing the rest of my Chopsticks series! Now, along with the plain chopsticks (from last week) also available are chopsticks with either the Japanese or Chinese characters for the word "chopsticks" and chopsticks with a cute little shrimp! I had also planned to do one with a sushi roll, but my first attempt didn't look quite right, so maybe I'll give it a go some other time.

For any of you out there who are familiar with Kanji and other Asian writing, please let me know if you think that my characters are really, really wrong!

Also, guys, I didn't forget you! There are lots of men's shirts available in the store - I just really liked these 3 ladies shirts and I decided to go for a triple female feature! So, go get yourself some chopsticks (on a shirt, of course) at the Insan Art Store, or as always, you can make your own using our t-shirt designer!

Chopsticks by Insan Art

Just a quick write-up for this one since I've got 3 more versions of it coming ASAP - I'll spend more time on them when they're ready.

Until then, this is my "Chopsticks (plain)" design - the text is completely optional.

Check out the selection of Chopsticks shirts available now in the Insan Art Store, make your own OR wait just a few days a see what other chopstick surprises I have up my sleeve!

My Name Is (Earl)... by Insan Art

So, again, in the most mundane situations I come up with shirt ideas. I was washing dishes the other night and I thought to myself, "I wonder if my husband set up My Name is Earl to record?" (we have the Direct TV version of Tivo, I highly recommend it).

Anyways, since I had t-shirts fresh on the brain and I've been trying to think of creative uses for the Spreadshirt t-shirt designer (aka the Confomat), I thought of this one. It's the basic My Name is Earl logo, minus the "Earl" part.





You can fill in the blank using the t-shirt designer using any name you like. If you're really itching for My Name is Earl, go for it! (or maybe Joy, Crabman/Darnell or Randy). Or you can always put in your own name. (mine looks pretty sniffy! ---> )

The Spreadshirt font "Kabel" (in the designer) is nearly identical to the font used for the original design, so use that one if you're making your own and going for an authentic look!

Get yourself one right now in the Insan Art Store! (and as always, if you don't like what you see in the store, you can make your own!)

(live) evil by Insan Art

These days it seems like everywhere I look I see something that would make a nice t-shirt design. This design, (live) evil, was inspired by a wooden cut-out I saw at a friends house of the word "Live". Someone had flipped it over so that it really looked like it said "evil".

Translating this to a shirt design was too easy to pass up! It's simple enough, but it makes you want to look twice...

...so those of you out there who are dark and naughty, this is the perfect little design for ya'll.

Indulge your dark side and get yourself a "(live) evil" shirt at the Insan Art Store or Make Your Own!

(burning) Bush by Insan Art

So, as I was thinking about the first "Burning Bush" design (see previous post), I thought it should definitely have a politically related counterpart, thus the second design, "(burning) Bush" was born.

I hate George Bush just as much as the next person and love the idea of "Bush going down (or up) in flames"... As long as he doesn't take the rest of us down with him!

I'll also have to admit that I couldn't resist (and was partially inspired by) putting this design on underwear.
It could mean all sorts of things from simply "I'm hot" to "I have an STD" (and it really does burn down there!)...probably not the kind of thing you'd want to advertise on your thong, but funny nonetheless.

Note to anyone designing their own product with this design - there are two versions of the design, both are the same design, but one is smaller just for undies and hats. If you place the small version on a shirt, it will look grainy in the preview, but in reality the print will be fine...if in doubt, please use the large version on shirts.

Get the undies or shirt at the Insan Art Store or stop in and make your own!

Burning Bush by Insan Art

I mean to write this design, Burning Bush (by me) up right after Easter, but I was waiting for the other design that kind of goes with it (next post).

I was inspired by the movie, The Ten Commandments - I recently finished reading the Old Testament and I was lucky enough to catch only the parts of the movie that I really wanted to see, like Moses talking to God through the burning bush. I thought it would make a neat design. It was my first attempt at such a "complicated" vector design (or at least submitting a design that's so complicated).

Just a note if you want to make your own in the shirt designer - the default color shown for the bush/tree is black, but it is supposed to be brown. Either can work depending on the shirt color you're using.

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

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!

(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!

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!

Sitar Hero from downwithdetroit

Hi Everyone! I'm proud to announce that I will now be featuring guest designs from Spreadshirt designers here on Five Shirts a Week!

A month or so ago, I had an interesting conversation with a guitarist friend of mine about sitars. He claimed that he would get rid of his entire, extensive instrument collection, all for a single sitar. A day or two later, I was browsing the Spreadshirt marketplace and came across this "Sitar Hero" design, by downwithdetroit. It's a really great idea for a Guitar Hero spoof and it made me think of the sitar conversation I had a few days earlier.

Design your own shirt with the "Sitar Hero" design today at the Insan Art Store with Spreadshirt Designer! You'll find the design under the right drop down menu in the "designs" tab. When loaded initially, this drop down menu will say "top graphics". Click on that drop down and you'll see the "grabbed designs" option. Choose that and you'll see the Sitar Hero design. Too lazy to design your own shirt? You can always visit the main Insan Art Store, where the shirt is available pre-made in 3 organic styles.

Happy designing!

Introducing the Squid Shop!

Hey Everyone! I've finally got the Squid Shop up and running!

It's the official shop for the Early Cuyler Collection! The Early Cuyler Collection is designs that were inspired by the hats worn by Early Cuyler, the patriarchal squid on the Adult Swim cartoon, the Squidbillies.

Get all the designs worn by Early - new designs are added weekly, as new episodes air and hats are introduced. The designs are available in the Squid Shop exclusively on organic/eco-friendly apparel (you can also make your own, if you don't like the organics). Shirts start at $13.90.

For those of you wondering why the designs aren't available on hats (and some ARE here), please refer to my previous post on the collection...

So, visit the all new Squid Shop today!

Early Cuyler Collection is Here!

Well, after 3 weeks on vacation (from the blog, only!), I am back and I am proud to announce the release of the Complete Early Cuyler Collection - aka "the Redneck Squid Collection"!!! The collection contains 42 -and counting- designs inspired by the hats worn by Early on the Adult Swim cartoon, "The Squidbillies".

My husband an I adore the Squidbillies. It is totally weird, fun and unusually fresh and raw. In nearly each episode the patriarchal squid, Early, wears a new, hillarious hat (usually, but not always related to the episode). After watching
season one repeatedly I got to thinking about designing the hats. Finally, when season two started airing I decided to do it.

So there you have it. Each week I plan on adding the new design - I had to append 3 designs while working on the project, but the collection is COMPLETE - even last night's design is done!
I have to apologize to the all hardcore fans out there who were really looking forward to their favorite design on a trucker hat. I will explain why some are not available and why most, if on a hat, are different.

In the Squidbillies world, a squid's hat dimensions are something like the size of a piece of paper, 8.5x11, oriented vertically. In the the REAL world, the print area on a trucker hat turns out to be something like 2x5 - that's 2 inches high by 5 inches wide. Not exactly the same aspect ratio!!!

Phew! Enough explaining & back story. The two designs I'm featuring today are the infamous "Booty Hunter", which appears in the beginning of each episode, and the "Firesquid" which also makes numerous appearances during flashbacks to Early's younger days.

Get the designs ready to go on shirts at the Insan Art Store @ Cafepress - or, since I don't have them available pre-made in my Spreadshirt store yet, you could head over to my all new Spreadshirt Designer Store and design your own shirt* using any of the Early Cuyler collection designs - the ONLY complete collection available, currently with 42 designs!

So, get yourself some redneck squid swag, and stay tuned!! Lots of exciting and new things happening around here this week!

* Note: Some designs are not available on certain shirts and most non-shirt products.

Welcome back, me!!!

Yes, yes, that was a long week off! I've been extremely busy though!

So, I've got over 50 new designs to roll out. Also, I've finally figured out how to effectively market other peoples designs from Spreadshirt - it will be through my all new secondary store with Spreadshirt that allows the buyer to create their own shirts with my designs, select designs from the Spreadshirt marketplace (or their own).

Monday! Look out for exciting, all new designs and posts from Five Shirts a Week!