February 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012I've done my homework and I've thought this through carefully and I've made my decision. I'm going to be closing BestLosers. I really wanted to accept Woot's changes but the blanks are frankly horrible. I received the free shirts like many of you did. Unwashed they looked and felt pretty good. After washing they were significantly less soft, wider, shorter, and, worst of all, the collar was stretched and rolled over -- the way my Woot shirts look after dozens of washes.
I don't do this for the money (ad revenue is close to zero). I do it because I love t-shirts, and art, and the people who make them. I write the weekly Best Loser Awards to talk about the shirts I want to wear. When Woot's blanks are unwearable, there is nothing to wish for anymore. Of course that also means I won't be entering the Derby or submitting Dailies anymore.
Thank you to all of you who've read my blog and nominated BLAs, and commented. It was nice to know I wasn't just talking to myself! You'll still see me around here and there. I'd love to hear your comments on Woot's changes, BestLosers, and which contest sites still use AA blanks. :)
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012Derby 239's theme was
"The Year You Were Born", a "redux" of a derby back in the early days. A pretty cool theme but I didn't find that many I loved, except for these few. As usual, click on the thumbnail to see the full-size shirt and comments on Shirt.Woot.
The "Roll In Ze Hay" Award
The best entries this week didn't take a single event from their birth year but mashed up two or more. Walmazan takes on the invention of the mouse and the classic Mel Brooks' movie, "Young Frankenstein" with his typical adorable and hilarious results.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012Here's your chance to have some influence on the Best Loser Awards. You can now post your image right here in the comment thread. Give me some reason why your favorite shirt is the greatest thing Woot will ever see and I'll include the best ones. Voting closes at midnight!
A few rules:
- Please don't nominate yourself!
- No more than 2 nominations per person.
- Please use the 240x240 design detail image if possible.
- Please include your email address in the appropriate field below.
- Please describe the REASON you like the shirt -- I need more than "I like it".
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012Woot has decided to stop using American Apparel blanks and switch to Anvil.
Read and comment about it if you haven't already.
I came very close to at least temporarily closing BestLosers in response to this change. I admire Bluchez for shuttering
ShirtWhat, but can't say my concerns are as pure as his. My principal motivation is much more selfish -- I really like the softness, fit, and durability of AA shirts and am quite skeptical about the Anvil replacements. I'll try them out before I do anything drastic though.
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Monday, February 20, 2012Here's a couple shirts selected from from the
Derby 231 Loser Awards that are now available to be either submitted to another contest or sold outright via a print-to-order service. To be more specific, it's been over 60 days for these shirts and they're either free of Honorable Mentions or have already made their way through a Double-Take Derby. If you agree that you'd like to see these again, post your comment here to let the artist know!
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012Derby 238's theme was
"Kitties". Although there are probably too many cats already on Woot, I like cats and cat designs so didn't have any particular prejudice against this theme. The designs turned out to be relatively lackluster though. Here's a handful of exceptions. As usual, click on the thumbnail to see the full-size shirt and comments on Shirt.Woot.
The "Yellow Gears Team" Award
Lots of interesting design choices in RGlee129's "Rescue". The royal blue background gives the whole piece an unusual light -- as if we're seeing outside the normal human spectrum. Outside of the obvious rescue of the cat, there is a mysterious feel about the story presented here. The ominous stone building feels like more than a home. A cool design as always from Robbie Lee!
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Tuesday, February 14, 2012Here's your chance to have some influence on the Best Loser Awards. You can now post your image right here in the comment thread. Give me some reason why your favorite shirt is the greatest thing Woot will ever see and I'll include the best ones. Voting closes at midnight!
A few rules:
- Please don't nominate yourself!
- No more than 2 nominations per person.
- Please use the 240x240 design detail image if possible.
- Please include your email address in the appropriate field below.
- Please describe the REASON you like the shirt -- I need more than "I like it".
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Monday, February 13, 2012Here's a couple shirts selected from from the
Derby 230 Loser Awards that are now available to be either submitted to another contest or sold outright via a print-to-order service. To be more specific, it's been over 60 days for these shirts and they're either free of Honorable Mentions or have already made their way through a Double-Take Derby. If you agree that you'd like to see these again, post your comment here to let the artist know!
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Wednesday, February 08, 2012Derby 237's theme was
"Fish Out of Water" not to be confused with "Dubious Honors" or "Awkward Moments" or a slew of similar themes. Do we really need that many like this? When I see a theme like this, it makes me think Woot is staring at the longest running reckoning shirts and trying to come up with themes that would get them more of the same. There's more out there guys. If you need help on theme ideas just ask the artists and you'll get a bucketful. That all said, this rerun theme did have a few bright spots. As usual, click on the thumbnail to see the full-size shirt and comments on Shirt.Woot.
The "Just Doesn't Belong" Award
FireFrogh's "Not Like the Other..." has a wonderful crispness, subdued colors, and a nice use of square backgrounds. Very wearable.
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Tuesday, February 07, 2012Here's your chance to have some influence on the Best Loser Awards. You can now post your image right here in the comment thread. Give me some reason why your favorite shirt is the greatest thing Woot will ever see and I'll include the best ones. Voting closes at midnight!
A few rules:
- Please don't nominate yourself!
- No more than 2 nominations per person.
- Please use the 240x240 design detail image if possible.
- Please include your email address in the appropriate field below.
- Please describe the REASON you like the shirt -- I need more than "I like it".
Continue reading / Comment
Monday, February 06, 2012Here's a couple shirts selected from from the
Derby 229 Loser Awards that are now available to be either submitted to another contest or sold outright via a print-to-order service. To be more specific, it's been over 60 days for these shirts and they're either free of Honorable Mentions or have already made their way through a Double-Take Derby. If you agree that you'd like to see these again, post your comment here to let the artist know!
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Wednesday, February 01, 2012Derby 236's theme was
"Watercolors". Simulating watercolors using only halftones and 6 colors definitely thinned the ranks of artists who were able to effectively compete. Almost too thin since it feels like the technical skills overshadowed much in the way of cleverness or humor. Still, there's a lot to be impressed with this week. As usual, click on the thumbnail to see the full-size shirt and comments on Shirt.Woot.
The "Yorick's Last Kiss" Award
I tried not to like this since there's nothing more overused than a skull on a shirt. I kept coming back to the stunning composition and the only shirt that really simulates a water-heavy brush. Gorgeous and amazing.
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