a new design

So far, I have made shirts to reflect Judaism, Hinduism, and Shintuism. But I neglected the most popular religion in America, Christianity! I have many wonderful Christian friends. I want to make beautiful shirts that they can wear to express their faith.


I decided to make a cross. I drew two crosses, one plain and one stylized, and asked Brian to choose which would look better on a shirt. I was slightly leaning toward the plain one, but I have a rule about taking advice that I ask for, so I went with the stylized.


Here is my drawing next to my trusty craft knife. Yes, I draw and cut EVERY stencil used in my shirts. I never trace. Sometimes it takes a long time, but I usually get them symmetrical and almost perfect. I think that little bit of imperfection elevates my shirts from products to art.

This cross was much harder to cut than I expected. After I cut it, I noticed big asymmetry. The more I tried to even it out, the more off it looked. I eventually got fed up and stopped, but I'm pretty sure that it turned out great.

Some say that an important part of being an artist is knowing when to stop working on something and say that it is done. Did you hear about the recent documentary ("My Kid Could Paint That") of the little girl who painted beautiful abstract art? I read that she would just paint and paint, and when it looked like art, her dad would take the canvas away. This critic suggests that she was less like an artist and more like an elephant with a paint brush. Interesting.

I haven't decided what shirt to put the cross on yet. I am thinking the light and dark gray striped women's fitted t (like on the Peace Dove shirt). Keep your browser here to see a preview soon!