T-shirt Ideas

[jtk]

Some of you maybe aware but I'm a participator of the uprising sport Parkour and I'm also a Trickster/Urban Trickster. You can buy tops for Parkour and maybe Tricking all over the web but they are branded or are common. I'm looking at getting myself a one of a kind design printed on a T-shirt and a Hooded top soon but the only problem is I'm out of ideas.

I'm looking at using a sort of urban style for these but something readable by many as i want the top to tell people I'm serious and not just been crazy jumping around. What i was thinking is using stencils (either monotone or multi-layer, just depends on the price for printing) but no idea what to include.

Many Parkour & Tricking tops include a silhouette of a figure during movement. I would use this as it looks good but its getting overused. So I'm looking for fresh ideas that may introduce the sport and say I'm serious, this could be just a sort of flowing style of text on a sort of urban background, which i need suggestions on.

To help you out, Parkour is moving from point A to point B letting obstacles not in your way and passing over, under or through them efficiently. Recent views can say people flipping and doing spins but this doesn't work with the true part. Tricking is basically the opposite, its about having fun and doing flips and spins (mainly integrate into flips) but i need to make it visible that there separate to portray the right views.

A quick google search on both will come up with plenty information.

[Lauren]

Hey jtk, so what are you looking for? For someone to make a new design for a t-shirt?
Since I read your parkour post earlier I've been thinking about how to draw the sport, but unfortunately I lack the skill to be able to design something for you!

Lauren

[Lauren]

What's an urban trickster by the way?

I think a multi-layer stencil would look great. All you'd need to do is photograph a friend doing parkour and then photoshop it to get the stencil like this www.stencilrevolution.com/tutorials/tutorialsview.php?id=4 (which I'm sure you'll already be pretty clued up on).

If you did that you'd get a pretty unique design I reckon.

[jtk]

Not looking for someone to do a design, looking for ideas as i want a bit of a project to take on during this, silhouettes normally get used on Parkour t-shirts which i want it to be unique so to avoid that.

Urban tricking is basically acrobatics in an urban environment (e.g. city centers) a quick google search would help you find some information, one of the best known urban tricksters/Tracers in the UK are team Evo www.3run.co.uk you may have actually seen one of there videos already without knowing.

[Lauren]

Great link, thanks!!

Maybe you could use a famous building or landmark in your design. Depends where you're from though.

I just watched the top link video on that site, there was one quite striking image where someone was using their strength to hang sideways from a lamp-post (didn't describe that very well!!!!). Something like that would be a striking image too. ??

Edit: It's almost like a symbolic flag if you get what I mean.

[jtk]

Its known as a flag, I'm getting closer everyday, i had another go today ended up kind of twisting my body, i don't think its down to strength as i held my arms out just didn't have the balance. I must have a bad technique of that, theres also the semi-flag which is easy just tuck your right arm round the post, dig your left elbow into your chest/stomach and place the Left hand thumb facing down wards on the pole, as well as grab the pole with your right hand when you tuck it round the post. then just pull yourself up using your right arms (or it can be done via versa), your left elbow/arm gives support.


anyways back to topic, i was actually thinking of using a city scape too as a sort of background but i don't think its enough and I'm still looking at avoiding full silhouettes. I didn't exactly think of a landmark that will be recognized, i got suggested to use a certain cityscape but I'm in a town not a city.

[Lauren]

Are you looking for a design to fill up most of the t-shirt, or just a little print on one side like a logo would look? And also, are you male or female?
I might have another idea, not sure how it would work yet.

[jtk]

Male, a clue is not many females seem to enjoy the risk involved, we do our best to get more involved though.

The design I'm not looking to be the full back/front of the shirt but not be too small either, its got to be visible to people that aren't just standing next to you.

I am actually looking to basically get something done on both sides, probably the back been the biggest. the front maybe holding a name.

[Lauren]

Ah, the thing I was thinking of probably wouldn't work then, because you'd have to be pretty close to see the detail.
What I was thinking was to have an eye or a pair of eyes, with a reflection of someone tricking in some way.
Don't think it would work though because the reflection bit wouldn't be obvious from a distance, so it would just look like you were wearing a t-shirt with eyes on!

[jtk]

another thing is too to give the right effect of reflection you would probably need a lot of colour layers, screenprinting which most t-shirt printers use it costs quite a bit for each colour as its done layer by layer.


tiny details could work aslong as its sort of mono-colour, also that there is a bit of bold detail that can still be seen from a distance.

I may go along with the city-scape idea using it as a background but no idea what to put on the top layer.