Marvel Design Contest

Calling all artists… Here's your chance to have your Avengers-inspired design featured on an official Marvel t-shirt!

Beginning today, Marvel fans can enter their very own Avengers-inspired designs to the official Marvel Facebook page. Submit as many times as you like until August 26 at 11:59pm PT. Please follow the instructions in the design kit.

After the submission period ends, we’ll pick the top five (5) design and then let YOU decide the winning tee!

http://www.facebook.com/Marvel

NEW T-shirt Contest Site "Fightclubtees.com"

FightClubTees.com is a new t-shirt design site that deals specifically with mma and martial arts. It is good to see this site out, since there has been a surge of mma clothing companies due to mma being so huge. It's not specifically for MMA, but you can submit boxing designs, jiu jitus, kickboxing designs, etc. The current designs for sale are nothing amazing and some of the designs that have been submitted don't look that great. If you have time to submit a design, I think it's worth trying. The winning prize isn't so high like Threadless or DesignbyHumans, it is only $200.  So, if you have an original design laying around or you can come up with a design that you believe is worth $200 then submit it. I'm sure once FightClubTees starts selling more tees and become more popular they'll dish out more money to the winners.

Below are two designs being sold.

Swollen Members CD artwork Contest

The Canadian hip hop group Swollen Members had a contest for their fans to recreate their album covers. They're planning on rereleasing these cds and giving the chance to give back to their fans. The deadline is Feb. 10, 2011, so there is time to work on it. The downside is they retain all the rights and you do win a pretty good package, but I'm not sure if you get credit for the album cover artwork, I would hope so. By the look of the submissions, it does not look like there's stiff competition, but at the same time I'm not sure if they have been updating the gallery. This is what the website has to say about their prize package:
"The prize packages will consist of SWOLLEN MEMBERS  CDs, records, a t shirt, a poster and stickers and hats and t shirt from RED DRAGON!! (RDS)….and of course…YOUR AMAZING COVER AS A PART OF THE SWOLLEN MEMBER’S LEGACY….Your art will be a part of our history!!!"

Here is a video to give you a little bit more detail on the matter and here is the link to view. http://www.swollenmembers.com/2010/12/03/attention-all-swollen-fans-family-and-friends/

 

365 Days of Creativity -Day 19 Scubrella V.2

I worked on this concept previously(click here to view), but I was not too thrilled about it. Here is the latest version, which I think is a bit simpler and is cleaner. I played around with it as a one color and full color design. Who knows if I'll actually print or resubmit it to a design contest.

 

Metal Ink website is up for sale

I made a post about Metal Ink Shop last February about saving the site, but now this once tattoo style t-shirt contest site is up for sale. It had the potential to be a really good site, but when you're doing a contest site and you're constantly dishing out cash prizes, you need to be making some revenue to compensate for the prizes. It's a shame that companies like these go under or any company for that matter, but you need traffic and people buying to continue. Yes, you may have plenty of artists compete, but I know some that although they do submit they do not buy. I always thought that was odd to create a certain look many times, but not interested in purchasing anything similar that, just designing it. I feel with contest sites you should like what they're selling or if you're submitting you would definitely wear what you created. It bugs me, since this is not a job, but more a fun part of the graphic design field. I don't know. Either way contact info@metalinkshop.com and maybe you can revamp this site to your own liking. Maybe a clothing line with nothing, but metallic ink on all apparel. Just a thought.

T-shirt up for voting on Design By Humans

I have finally submitted a design on Design By Humans, so if you like it and want to see it printed. Vote for it. You'll have to sign up to vote, but it's free. You can vote and then check out the many shirts available on the site was well.
To go directly to my art for voting click here : http://www.designbyhumans.com/vote/detail/74557?page=1

I definitely wanted to create a sexy woman illustration and combine it with watercolor. I like the surreal effect by adding the drips. I do feel the green would stand out so much on a silver shirt.

What are your thoughts?

Save Metal Ink Shop Design & Model Contest

Another contest site is calling it quits. It is a shame, because these design contest sites provided such a great outlet for people to have their designs printed and earn some extra cash. With a sea full of design contests sites like Threadless & DesignByHumans it's hard for the other companies to emerge to the elite. Everyone needs some sort of gimmick to be afloat or something that makes them stand out. I like what Metal Ink Shop provided, which was a design contest and a model contest. The target market was geared towards the tattoo crowd, but since it's calling it quits for lack of funding maybe the fad of the tattoo t-shirts are going fading. Ed Hardy & Affliction and all of its clones are on its way out. Maybe since people aren't spending as much the dishing out the $700 cash prize for a design, excluding the award for the model could take a toll on their business plan.
I personally felt Metal Ink provided some cool artwork and introduced some new artists. There model contest was cool too, because it provided upcoming models with a chance to win some money and a free photoshoot. I submitted a design, but it doesn't seem it will be accepted for voting, which is a shame, because I thought it would be cool and fit the demographic. I know I should've submitted it earlier, but I was in talks of a company of selling it, but that didn't pan out. You try to make the best decisions and you learn from them. Either way support Metal Ink by purchasing some shirts and voting on the designs and models.

Here are words from the Metal Ink Shop:
Maiden of the Month & Design Contests
To Be Paused...

Dear Members of Metal Ink,

It is with deep regret that we inform you of a sudden change in events. Due to lack of funding, our Maiden & Design Contests need to be paused until further notice. For now, our last Maiden of the Month contest will be March and our last Design Challenge will be "Everybody Loves Maidens." The winners of these contests will be awarded $300 in store credit only.

We hope that in the near future, we will be able to bring back both contests in full. To that end, we are asking for your support by launching a campaign to SAVE METAL INK!

Here's how you can help:
Purchase Metal Ink apparel. Remember, a percentage of our sales goes right back to the artist who submitted the design.
Introduce your friends to Metal Ink. Using your Personal URL, you can get $3 of store credit for every purchase new members make! Read our FAQs about how to use Personal URLs.

Tell us how you feel by posting on our Forum. We would love to know your thoughts on how we can improve our products and services!

Metal Ink Crew