#049 (tut, tut...)

OPEN WIDE PHAROAH LOVERS.....

#047 (He Wants To Learn)

I'v given birth to a monster. But he just wants to learn. His favourite programme is Eggheads. And Crystal Maze. His name is unknown for certain but he is widely believed to be called Martin Hunt.

#046 (FINALLY, SOME WORK!)

The summer jollies have been horribly counter-productive. Nonetheless, i'v finally managed to make use of my days off. The GOLDGOLDGOLD herd is on the move, T-shirts WILL happen, drawings WILL happen and today I finished some posters for a club night in Oxford called mis-shapes. Put your hands up its a raid!

#045 (OUCH, THAT SMARTS)

A breakthrough. We have a sublimation printer. An Epson 1400 from AMAZON (which cost £260) and ArTainium UV sublimation ink (A meer 281 SHEETS from Purple Monkey). Doesn't half sting. Should be worth it though. We can finally get this thing off the ground (aeronautically speaking).

#044 THE TRUE ROBO-SAPIEN

Urgh. I dont know why i drew this. I couldn't wear this on a t-shirt. Its horrible isn't it. Its 100 pounds if anyone wants it.

#045 (A STICK OF LIGHT THROUGH MY BONES)

Designs for GOLDGOLDGOLD. Its always a pleasure.

#044 (THE PURPLE SWINE)

Absolutely rinsed the scanner at uni today. Produced this design among many others. Its sort of based on all the SWINE FLU fever thats gripped the nation (I Presume a Boar is still a swine?!).
Pimped it up with a bit of neon glow aswell but we can't print on black T-shirts so the whole excercise was kind of pointless...

#040 GOLD GOLD GOLD ALSATIAN MKI and II

BRAAAAAAP!
BADASS. YOU KNOW WHO'S IN CHARGE.
Or maybe in colour is better? I prefer monotone meself.


It's too late or early to be posting in all honesty, i just had to get this dog out there in the 'real' world. We should surely be producing our own 'swine flu' based designs soon. Even though its probably totally inappropriate. I'm sure if we let the opportunity slip then someone else will capitalise on it. current affairs always sell big. I wish the world wasn't full of vultures like that. Perhaps we'd be better drawing vultures on Tshirts?
Yep much more appealing. Circling around a big circle.

#039 (LOVESEXY)

A new design for GOLDGOLDGOLD. Anything for a good cause. We've been snowed under with myspace duties for selling em lately. Also the whole "do we buy our own printing machine and supplies or don't we?" question is doin my head in now. Seems like we're never gonna get t-shirts made to the standard and quantity that we need if we have to rely on the uni. Steve Murray is too busy at the moment to help us with printing. So we might be looking at spending around 250quid on getting a bulk feed to attach to a printer (hopefully we can get our hands on a spare or second-hand printer?). Miles says with one fill you can get around 100 A3 prints. That should be enough to make our money back and hopefully put some money into getting some more supplies and equipment.

035 ALPHA MALES

Well we decided on a joint name for our t-shirt designs today, as my blog is called BlindTiger and Miles' is Bicycle Bicycle we felt we needed a title under which we could both operate. I'm not revealing it until i can write a post about it though. (We're still waiting for our sublimation-compatible T-shirts to be delivered so i'v resigned to posting about basically anything at the moment) For a while i wanted the label name to be ALPHA MALE/ALPHA FEMALE which is why i drew up this design.......

#031 (PECKERS)

I know he's not wearing a t-shirt or anything but the other week i held a woodpecker and a chaffinch cos we caught them in a mist net, its practically invisible to a bird. Also if you hold the chaffinch or other small birds upside-down when you open your hand they just stay there, on their back. see?

#027

I realised there was no post #27, i missed it out. so here it is.

#030 Poor Quality T-Shirts Well Presented

Some shots of our 'Encountering Artworks' exhibition. Its ok as long as nobody tries to wear or wash them...

#029 Typewriter Tip Tip Tip!

We bought the Darjeeling Ltd soundtrack the other day and this song is used in the film but here it is in its original source. Its the film Bombay Talkie and it looks ace.

#028

Nice Stag photoshoot from POP magazine.


I saw the name Travis Millard in the Designer Violence Mag next to a pick of a drooling tiger saying 'just chugged four beers', nice illustration but if you check out his site there's loadsa better ones. He really is a great kinda guy.... i imagine. LOOK>>>

#025 (Christopher Kane Gorilla Prints) (and Baboons too)

These are Christopher Kane's Gorilla print dresses that apparently "ripped up the catwalk" at London fashion week last week. Don't worry, they're only £700-£800 a go. WHAAAAT? They are good though. It'd be nice to rip it off... er i mean take inspiration from them.... BIG FACES ARE GOOD!

But we don't do dresses, mind.

#024 PARTYMAN (Joker kinda likes Bacon)

I kinda like Prince...

#023 IF ONLY THEY WAS FULLY GROWN..........

#022 LIKEWISE

Some whhicked Tees from a site called...erm... Sixpack France. 

Yes!!!!!!

I more than like these. If i didn't have loads of 'typey' work to do lately i could be far more productive.....  

#021 DESIGNER VIOLENCE

I found this magazine in Buffalos in Cardiff t'other day and I dig it the most!

Its called DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
DESIGNER VIOLENCE
PLEASE DONT FORGET.

020 (Impressive Birds)

Good Boy!

019 (Frontiers)

Oh. How do like this little lad? He might go on a T-Shirt if he stays out of trouble.
Mark Lamarr and Dec (from ant and...) have already ordered TEN crates of blind tiger tees or whatever the umbrella company (encompassing mine and miles' designs) will be called. The future is bright, the future is black and orange.

#018 (PLAN B)

I've been walking round with the Tiger tee on now for a few days, trying to put it through its paces. It hasn't performed well. With each stretch you hear a cracking sound, which is the image breaking up. SHODDY. Lazertran is nowhere near as cool as it sounds. So we went to see Steve (Obi Wan) Murray again this morning and told him we'd bought 20 blank tee shirts for sublimation printing and booked an appointment for a week on wednesday to go mad with the sublimation printer and heat press. (I know what i said about polyester t-shirts but i think these ones might be OK). Fingers crossed this new batch will look MINT.
IN THE MEANTIME......
We'll be cooking up some more designs, the likes of which will have you children begging you for as christmas presents.

#017 (All you need is CASH)

A new print in the design casserole. FEAST your eyes on this lad. he's a money bird. That is to say, where there is money you will find him. He's beautiful also. Don't worry either because its only backwards because it has to be printed that way round.

#016 (PURITANS)

This is my THESE NEW PURITANS t-shirt. They're a real cool band if you listen to music. It got me thinking.. the print on it looks like dyed fabric, there's no difference in texture between it and the t-shirt fabric. I'd like ours to be like this if possible. The fabric feels like cotton so i'm not sure whether its sublimation printed. So far the print on our tees have a slight plastic feel which i'm not entirely happy with. Any suggestions on alternative options anyone?

#015 (OUTCOMES)

So the first batch is complete... all 3 of them.

They don't look half bad, we'll need to do some durability tests on them, see how they wash etc. 

Only problem is the MONKEY on the right hasn't come out properly. I think he's peeling away from the fabric because i didn't let the garment dry fully before re-ironing. But only time will tell if there's a more sinister reason. Also he's too small cos the printers didn't fill the page properly with him which got me a bit NARK'D. 

BlindTiger looks formidable though! Although he is a pretty reasonable guy, all told.

#014 (LABOUR)

I've been ironing all day... and waiting for t-shirts to dry (if you read my last post you'd know why). AND i ate a whole easter egg and the supplementary creme eggs that came with it. FORT BOYARD!


The process of making each T-shirt took about 10mins, with about 4 hours drying time in the middle, more than enough time to eat a big egg. I haven't had chocolate for dinner in a while.

#013 (A WEEKS PROGESS)

Busy week, in a sense... Actually more like the last two days.
Yesterday we went to meet Steve Murray (printing guru at Llandaff) to find out about printing techniques>> It turns out that there's a problem with sublimation printing... we would have had to print on polyester. SICK! I'm not printing on polyester Tshirts because NOBODY wants to wear polyester. He suggested we use Lazertran printing>> There is a printing company called Service Point in town where we could take our designs on a USB stick to be printed on Lazertran paper at a cost of around £5 per A3 print. You basically just iron the transfer on to your Tshirts (we bought some test Tshirts from Primark at £1.95 each) and then soak them in water for about a minute or two and when dry iron the design again, covered by some baking paper to protect it. SIMPLE.

#012 (PLANS)

#011 (EMERGING FROM A TRIANGLE)

I got loose today and the outcome was good. I tried a few colour and shape-ular variations and assemblages and this was probably the best of the bunch. Its nice and simple.. thats the beauty of it.

***IDIOTS***

MORE FROM "IDIOTS". I stumbled across their site today>>> http://idiots.nl/index2.html
I love how they blend the proper gruesome with the fragile and ornate. Juxtaposition is quite a powerful thing...

#010 (Too Big for a T-Shirt?)

Here's a big fat drawing i did for a poster competition on http://www.dontpaniconline.com/. It was based arounf the theme of community. I said this about it: "It is the uncontrollable/flourishing nature and diversity of characters and happenings outside your door that construct the little world inside your head while you sleep. This is mine." Thats true that is. you can quote me on that.

Anyway the problem is i want to use this picture on a T-shirt. bull-iss too wide. I'm a gunna cut it down somehow i think. Looks nice though doesn't it?

#009 (Deery Mee)

You know what I've done another T-shirt design i can put into the ideas casserole. Well i didnt do it today cos its a painting i did a while ago wen i did "cuboid monkey", 'member him? He's down the bottom if you wanna have a look. See him? Yeah he's nice.

STAAAAG.

#008 (The Blind Tiger)

Guess what? I've done it. Blind tiger's here. Roaring in shape. Breathing in colour. I don't know whether it'll be easy producing white ink on a black a T-shirt. I hope its possible though becauzing i think it looks nice. Its the kind of print i would want on my belly everyday.

As if Tigers haven't got it tough already, the Blind Tiger has no notion of the concerns of the modern world, he just roars his shapey colour-noise and promotes my T-shirts. Thats all he cares about. His favourite band is Yeasayer and his Ideal date is a day walking round Botanical Gardens in Birmingham with Chris Moyles. I know all about this cos I made him so i can say what i want.

#007 (Foxes and Faces)

I came up with some fox face designs today. I tried a few variations of this picture but these are the only ones that work. Its cool. For why? because the ears go either side of the neckline on the Tshirts.

Then i did a design of facial features... not sure which works best out of the two but the design is a bit like an 80's hair salon window. Primary colours are the three best colours, everyone knows that. Thats why they're primary. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Mr Chris Martin

Not THE Chris Martin. A different one. This ones good at illustrating. You can look at the things he draws by typing this in>>> http://www.mrchrismartin.co.uk/ >>> If you don't believe me have a look. He comes up with some quite intriguing and original scenarios i think (Girl cuddling a massive frog)...

Nice tea-shirts and Moustaches's's.  

#006 (MONKEY DESIGNS)

I'v produced a couple of designs from a section of a painting i did a couple of months ago. In my head the monkey is reminiscent of mary witnessing/mourning the crucifixion of christ but his form is realised by maths and science >>>thus>>> his cubic structure. 

The original blind tiger t-shirt design is next on the agenda.

Screen printing is suitable for the mass production of T-shirt designs. Most decent printing machines can produce about 1200 T-shirts an hour. Most professional screen printers require a minimum order to cover the cost of colour separation. Thermal printing, like the kind we will be attempting is best for small batch productions. This man likes to make lots of Tshirts, some  that say MEGAWATI on them!>>>  

#005 (For those of the Taxidermy/Art/ Hybrid PERSUASION)

IF you dig animals an/or art then you're like me. A Modern ARKist. These things you know.

>>>>>>>>>>>

IDIOTS (thats their name, i'm not being rude)- a collaboration of two dutch artists who decorate and transfigure real animals like the ex-mrs lion above and the crystal blooded, decapitated deer into creatures of fairy tales and wierd imaginations.

TASTY.... this is my sort of thing. I better get down to some serious tshirt designing soon though else im gonna dry up.

#004 (BLINDTIGER MINIHEROES)

I LIKES THEIR STYLE (bjork/wolf/TDD's/Gogol and harlots)

+WALKING IN THE BLINDTIGER FOOTHILLS!!+

#003 (Feeling ANGULAR!)

The Jury is IN>>>Triangles are cool.

Here's some tasty basic triangle tee's I only went and found....

#002 (SUBLIMATION )

Yawn...Spent all day (1pm onwards) in the house today embroidering a (Bornean) OrangUtan on a Primark sweater (4quid) for valentines day. Its gonna look nice be 'opes!

I had just enough time to (beat some mainland europeans on mariokart and) think about the production of our T's and what its gonna take-2-make (them).

Sublimation dye printing is the best option 'cos its quicker and simpler than screenprinting. Our Uni (UWIC) has got (somewhere) a heat press, which is essential, we need to get our hands on sublimation dye and the transfer paper for it and we're away. I found a video on the whole process, i was going to put it in this post but to be honest its the most boring thing i've ever seen. But basically....
....You print your image in sublimation dye and press the transfer onto your t-shirt with a heat press and the dye goes straight from a solid to a gas and dyes the fabric. The quality and durability of the image is much better this way.

#01

TARGET>>>>> DESIGN AND MAKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF TSHIRTS BETTER THAN TOPMAN............................EASY!!!

I (we) are (am) gonna be looking at incorporating mainly triangles, bears, tribal patterns, foxes, woodland birds, crystals, cash, medieval weaponry and primary colours.

BASICALLY I'M BORED OF THE SAME 'OL HIGH STREET LOW QUALITY DERIVATIVE TEE's. Oh and i'm an artist anyway. Ask Miles. He's one aswell. We both specialise in drawing pictures. I'm gonna be documenting everything from inception to ARMageddon. Don't miss a trick.

We've gotta get the equipment, do the designs, get the tee's in bULK, print 'em, market it 'em (small scale) and reap the rewards... with little prior knowledge.

ANY IDEAS ON A MANIFESTO??

This is one 'o' me posters (STARTING POINT) I like the chiselled monkey.