Art t-shirts like *this*
March 7, 2019 9:41 AM

I spent hours on Society6 a while ago and came up with this lovely funny cat peering at you shirt. I want more art t-shirts with a similar aesthetic (not cats): I love black/dark gray on gray, clear images that aren't, uh, disturbing? I also like the fact that it's a single thing rather than a scene. Can anybody recommend other specific designs that I can buy? Must be one color (probably gray) available on a gray shirt. Maybe white. (not black). Any best-of-the-best shirt considered, though!

Once again, MeFi, I am not wasting your time on an easy question. Sure, art shirts, you got that -- but the other constraints are what make it a challenge!

Shirt color: gray, maaaaaybe white but probably not.

Art color: dark gray, maybe black line art.

No words

This really isn't about cats - that's just the image I loved.

I like that this cat image is funny and big when you look at it, but it's also conventionally good art. I also like the monochromatic quality of it -- it's not too loud, and if I wear a jacket over it, it kind of sneaks up on people.

Shirts I have rejected:

too halloween-y (I'm fine with art like this, I just don't want to wear it for the particular thing). Also: words.

astronaut swinging on moon - a little conventionally cute, but mainly it's only available on a black shirt.

large weird pineapple - I would probably get this if it were one color (gray) instead of actually colored like a pineapple.

cartoon kitten - too cartoony? Which I like, just not for this.

teeny tiny space guy - I wish it were available on a gray shirt. I like the way it plays with size.

another cat shirt by the same artist as the first cat shirt - I just don't like it as much, maybe because the art is centered? Also the black triangle is a bit stronger than I want. I also don't want to be cat t-shirt person.

Thanks in advance! I love how t-shirts can be 'just a t-shirt' but can also have real beauty.
posted by amtho to Shopping (5 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
I doubt I can predict the art that you will like, but Design By Humans is worth a look, and you can choose the colour of the shirt.
posted by sacrifix at 10:03 AM on March 7, 2019


I just ran across an ad (I guess ads work) for 6 dollar shirts. Check out the graphic and vintage section, which might have some you like; there's also an animals section. It looks like most or all shirts cotton-poly blend, which is by far my preferred t-shirt style, and most I've looked at seem to be available on gray. And a cursory glance made me feel like their shirts were more monochrome than most of the online shirt shops.

I've also bought plenty of shirts from Threadless. They have very frequent sales, so wait a little bit and you can probably get a 50% off deal. They have a huge selection, though, so be ready to spend a while looking. Thankfully, the tags they use can be pretty helpful in winnowing down to designs that you might want.
posted by msbrauer at 11:07 AM on March 7, 2019


I recently got this one because I've always love the drawing by Ali Brosh. Zazzle has a lot of options and are always running sales. I think it was 40% off when I got it. Zazzle is nice because you can pick out the design you like and put it on whatever piece of clothing you want. I also got this because I liked the simplicity and Bosco was a coonhound.
posted by BoscosMom at 11:30 AM on March 7, 2019


On the threadless note, how about this songbird shirt?

Or I've seen some clever shirts at museum shops. How about this alpaca from the Smithsonian? You can't go wrong with an alpaca.
posted by past unusual at 11:35 AM on March 7, 2019


I love the Smithsonian shirt, and I think I found another one I like there too. I checked a few museum sites, but not that one! You're right, museum shops sometimes have really nice stuff.
posted by amtho at 12:23 PM on March 7, 2019


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