This summer’s Be the Artist series asks the question, “But is it art?”
The Ever-Present Graphic Tee
There are many graphic t-shirts available.
You cannot avoid the graphic T-shirt, whether you are attending school, a picnic with your company, a concert or if you’re at a comic con. Printing patterns on material didn’t start with the t-shirt, but the graphic tee made it the commercial and pop culture fashion forerunner it is today. The use of everything from silk-screening to embroidery has been made. T-shirts are worn by all ages around the globe. They can be used to show your fandom or personalize your wardrobe. You can also share your political or social views or advertise a company.
Since this is such a widespread form of fashion, art, and expression, instead of trying to rope in a boring history, I’ll give a few cool facts about graphics t-shirts that I gathered from a variety of graphic design and fashion sites including thingsthatareawesome.com and apparelnbags.com:
- The T-shirt dates back to the 19th century.The th century, but the term “t-shirt” was first used in print in the 1920s by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his book This Side of Paradise:
“So early in September Amory, provided with ‘six suits summer underwear, six suits winter underwear, one sweater or T shirt, one jersey, one overcoat, winter, etc.,’ set out for New England, the land of schools.”
The term that refers to the shape of the shirt of course, and took awhile to catch on, but it’s here to stay.
- The first commercial use of graphic t-shirts came in the 1930s with the movie The Wizard of Oz. Remember the Emerald City workers wearing “Oz” t-shirts? They were also available in white to promote the product.
- In the 1950s, graphic tees with pop culture logos begin to really become popular, mostly from a company named Tropix Togs, and, thanks to rock ‘n roll, band t-shirts hit the scene big in the 1960s.
- More than 2 billion T-shirts are now sold worldwide each year, and according to a recent survey, 91 percent Americans have a favorite T-shirt. (I do.) A person’s average number of T-shirts is around 27.
- The most expensive shirt made ever was sold for $400,000 with 16 high-end diamonds embroidered into the fabric.
You will probably see someone wearing a graphic tee today, whether it’s for art, activism, or advertising (or maybe you are wearing one right now). Don’t bother trying to escape, the graphic tee is ready to tell a brief tale about its wearer.
Author P.J. O’Rourke summed it up well in his commentaries:
“The 1960s was an era of big thoughts. And yet, amazingly, each of these thoughts could fit on a T-shirt.”
Collages with Tees
Through this series, I wanted to offer a fresh look at something that was familiar to young and experienced art enthusiasts.
For this final project for this summer’s Be the Artist, we’ll do some upcycling by using t-shirts as a medium on other surfaces.
When we think about graphic tees we imagine a shirt with a design on it. However, when this shirt becomes worn, old or too large, we either throw it out or give it to someone else. Try turning your t-shirt in to a colorful medium for another item of clothing or canvas.
You’ll need a few old or unwanted t-shirts (clean out those drawers), and depending on what you want to put them on, some needle and thread or glue.
The idea is to create a kind of abstract fiber art mosaic by using pieces from tee-shirts. This technique takes advantage of the colors and texture of a T-shirt.
Cut your tees into squares or irregular shapes. Use two graphic tees with different patterns or colors to create a beautiful mix.
Find your canvas. What kind of art do you want to create?
To create the wall art, you can use an inexpensive artist’s canvas. Start by adhering each cloth piece one at atime, then overlapping them to give it a nice texture. Craft glue that is tacky will work. Cover the canvas completely until you are done.
Wearable art can be created with strong clothing such as jeans, denim jackets, or totes. Look for ways to cover spaces—on the sleeves or leg cuffs for example—and sew them on with a simple stick one at time until you get a pattern you like.
Remember the scrap sewing on my “K-Pop” jeans craft. It is the same, but using t-shirt remnants. This will not only upcycle t-shirts, but also give new life to old pants or jackets.
You can now start assembling the pieces. Pay attention to the patterns and colors on the graphics. You’ll find details or cool patterns you might not have yet noticed or appreciated.
I hope, as you head into the fall and winter months, this summer’s Be the Artist series helped you gain an appreciation for the creative process that goes into the things we see often, but may not really think of as an artistic creation.
T-shirts, tattoos, or tiki mugs may not be the first thing we think of when we think of “art,” and they may still not be considered fine art or high art by some, but that’s okay. As long as they have their admirers, they don’t need to be.
This series, if anything, should give you a reason for stopping and looking a little more closely at the world and art around you.