Month: December 2020

Teespring Tshirt Review of their Product End of 2020

print on demand teespring review by the messy art teacher 2020 to see the quality of their black tshirts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uDZxKVFFhw

I have used Teespring with my students to create their tshirt designs in graphic design class. I did not have access to screenprinting in my classroom. With virtual learning for many teachers this might be an option to include so students can purchase their designs and have it shipped to them. I find that as a graphic designer it is a good idea to vet the vendors you use.

Some things to consider with POD (Print on demand).

QUALITY

I never had time in the past to order a tshirt from Teespring before. I wanted to check their quality. The shirt was a black tshirt. I have a link for the Youtube video. There were stray marks of the white ink on the sleeve. I was concerned initially in my review. Once I washed it the white ink washed away. It was a bummer when I first took it out of the bag. I ordered the premium black shirt unisex. The ink on my logo design held up from the first and a second wash.

TURN AROUND TIME

How long did it take to get my order? 3 weeks. If you are ok with that then that is fine. If it is for your students that will be ok. If you have a student that wants to start it as a side business they should be aware of this. Then they understand if they get a customer complaint about the turn around time.

Teespring print on demand review 2020 and and a look at their website for creating products.

TEESPRING USER INTERFACE

The interface of Teespring is pretty simple to use. They have an option to buy for yourself or make products for sale. I was attracted by the ease of set up and that is why I used it with my students. I would make sure if you have them set up accounts during class space them out. I’m guessing their site wondered why are all these new users coming from 1 IP address. Are they bots?

In the end some of students did order tshirts and they told me they were pretty happy with the results. They do more then shirts I had a student order a phone case with their design.

#teespring #pod #printondemandsites #graphicdesignlesson #messyartteacher

Speedball Calligraphy Pen Nib and Handle Basics Tutorial

I created this video because when I went to the art supply store I got so overwhelmed at the different types of handles and nibs that are offered for dip pens. This covers the basics of which nib fits with which handle. How to care for the nibs. I store my nibs and handle in an old plastic battery case from Radio Shack. It fits perfectly and it was free. Then I did a speed inking of a drawing of some characters. I purchased mine from Dick Blick.

My students even in elementary school loved using dip pens. I used to teach them calligraphy starting in 3rd grade after cursive was removed the curriculum. I told them you should be able to make your name distinctive like John Hancock. It leaves an impression. We talked briefly about how it was used in the past and tie it into social studies.

To purchase your own nibs and handles. This is the basic set I purchased in college. https://www.dickblick.com/products/speedball-c-style-calligraphy-set/
Amazon Affiliate: https://amzn.to/3fOTp7W
Here is the other handle Crow Quill for fine lines: https://www.dickblick.com/products/speedball-crow-quill-dip-pen-nibs/
Amazon Affiliate: https://amzn.to/2JtR4TR

Yupo and Acrylic Ink Test

Took some time to play around with Yupo paper and acrylic inks. Yupo is a plastic paper that was originally created to use for shampoo bottles. It’s a great product to get some amazing textures using acrylic ink and some different agents with it. I tried using some of the different types and created a swatch sheet that shows the results. If you want to download a JPG you can get it from my blog.

To purchase the paper they sell it on Dick Blick: https://www.dickblick.com/products/legion-yupo-watercolor-paper/

Also in pads that is more cost-effective, but smaller sizes https://www.dickblick.com/products/legion-yupo-watercolor-paper-pads/

I’ve also purchased it from your local big box craft or office supply store if you venture out of your home. Amazon Yupo paper: https://amzn.to/36jTs8O