It wasn't the reaction I was expecting.
This one got no reaction. Nor did this one:
It wasn't the reaction I was expecting.
I think part of it was being around people in person. Just talking was something novel for me and I just started talking in puns the way I keep cranking out t-shirt designs. But in person people don't have the luxury of just groaning and clicking to a different webpage.
That is kind of where Paul the Punster came from. He is a parody of Jack the Ripper. Instead of a knife he uses the written word (thus the pencil). I realize he looks a lot like the Joker. But that is Art AI's take on it and I kind of like the image.
I also created one based on Fuzzy Wuzzy the bear from the kid's tongue twister (Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear, Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair, Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't very fuzzy was he?). We drove by a Fuzzy Wuzzy Dry Cleaner today that inspired me. Though I for the life of me have no clue why Fuzzy Wuzzy is associated with dry cleaning.
ChatGPT tells me Fuzzy Wuzzy was originally an unflattering name for the Hadendoa, a group of warriors from the eastern Sudan who fought the British during the late 19th century. They apparently had fuzzy hair. Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem about them. How that got to be Fuzzy Wuzzy the bear is a mystery. But it still inspired me.
I'm kind of proud of this one because I did it all myself without AI Art pitching in. I have been going through other t-shirt companies to see what designs they are coming up with and it sometimes gives me new ideas. This one came from a t-shirt design that just had the single image of D.B. Cooper with his name (or the fake name he gave on his ticket). I started thinking about things you could do with the name Cooper (not a lot). But it did trigger the concept of AB, BB, CB and DB.
After I finished the first one I had this idea to go even more Andy Warhol.
I guess I have my own OCD issues. I don't really like change. Plus I had to go into work instead of working remotely. It is amazing how much I have gotten used to being in my home office and having the luxury of being in my own environment.
Even the train ride in was a bit stressful. It is amazing how much a commute eats into your morning. Whereas when I'm at home I just roll out of bed, get dressed and go to my computer.
I think my dog missed me being home as well. Thus the Cheshire Dog design. It's pretty much the only one I came up with. But here are a couple from my Greek Mythology kick from yesterday.
Tell me that's not a cool image. It is inspired by John Fogerty's solo song "Old Man Down the Road." John Fogerty was part of Creedence Clearwater in case you live under a rock. Love the song and the guitar riffs. It's swamp rock. It's something I had never heard of until ChatGPT helped me out.
I just hope the Disney thought police don't try to quash this design because they somehow own the trademark to Peter and Pan. If they do say that I'll say nuts to them.
It's a niche design I know. But I think I am going to corner the market on obscure designs that few get or remember the references who are still alive.
I was a bit less profound with designs today. Partially it was a nice day and I took a break to mow my lawn. But I still managed a few including this one which I really hope doesn't set off the fringe nut jobs.
I remember posting years ago about how much I despise small talk. I especially don't like small talk that is supposed to be funny. Like last weekend I mowed my front lawn and was about to put my lawnmower away in my garage. I had ear buds in and was listening to music but I heard someone shouting at me. I pulled an ear bud out and heard my neighbor shouting, "Don't put it away yet, you still have to mow my lawn."
I smiled politely and muttered something about leaving it out so he could do it. But I was picturing him on the Plague Chiropractor's rack being realigned for uttering stupid small talk gibberish and trying to be funny. I was grateful I wasn't holding a bouquet of flowers or he would have screamed something about, "Are those for me, you shouldn't have."
I've discovered creating t-shirt designs that express my pet peeves are very cathartic if not profitable.
I did manage to crank out 14 new designs today and increase my inventory to more than 500. I was able to express myself several times. For example, I don't like vegans.
I thought this design was a fitting tribute to that song. Though for the life of me I can't remember any of the other lyrics other than "Inagaddadavida."
I was all over the map with designs today. I started with Puss in Sneakers.
So I created the Portly Man. He doesn't work out as much as Slender Man and looks a bit like Uncle Fester from the Adams Family. Somehow I find him creepier than the Slender Man. He gives me the heebie-jeebies.
I know it is dark humor. Maybe not as dark as the mime getting his mouth sewn shut, but in the same ballpark. I'm thinking I could create another version of this for Valentines Day next year with the headline, "I give you my heart."
Seriously who would buy that?
Okay I probably would, but I don't think it would be a good idea to give it to your Valentine (unless you are one of those people who choose Valentines Day to break up).
Note to self: Come up with a series of break up designs. Why text someone when you could send them a t-shirt?
I tell you these are million dollar ideas I'm coming up with.
Though I still struggle a bit with Art AI. This morning I wanted it to create a Don Quixote design with the headline "They might be giants." I wanted him to show Don Quixote on his broken down horse charging a windmill that looked a bit like a giant. First Art AI puts Don Quixote on this magnificent horse and makes him a young man in a nice, stylish set of armor. I tried getting very specific and told Art AI to make Don Quixote in his mid 60s with gray hair and a beard and put him in armor that you'd see in the early 1600s. It gives me the Don Quixote with gray hair and a beard, but still puts him on a nice looking horse and shiny armor. It also give him sword. And it has Don Quixote running away from the windmill (which looks nothing like a giant BTW).
I finally gave up. Maybe it was because there was no corny Dad joke pun involved and Art AI didn't know how to handle it. After all, I did a whole series on sandwiches.