Rethink Clothing

Interview with Artist David Smith

Posted under Artists Interviews,Interviews,New Shirts on Sunday 28 November 2010

I had some time to interview the artist behind Liquid Courage, David Smith, to get an insight into the artist and his process. Every artist is unique and I hope these interviews provide you with a fun look into the college artists Rethink chooses. Although I have one word of advice for our hard working friend, get out and have some!

David was a blast to work with and is someone I will be getting more designs from for sure! Enjoy the read!

-Andy

How did you get started designing for t-shirts?

I’ve been designing and drawing since Kindergarten. But didn’t discover apparel design until around my Junior year in High School. A buddy and I decided to buy a small screen press and start a ‘brand’. It ended up not working out after School but it changed my life as a designer and made me fall in love with the process.

Care to share some of your process when designing pieces especially the newest piece for Rethink?

Well in the last couple of years I’ve really gained a new level of respect for the designing process. I try to do as much as possible by hand, especially type work. I normally start with just research and conceptualization. Then I’ll start thumb-nailing, and sketching. From there I’ll begin inking and finalizing a rough. I’ll go through pages and pages of different variations of type. Then when I have most things finalized I’ll scan everything and assemble it digitally and make any minor tweaks that need to be made. The eagle and the mustache man on the Liquid Courage piece were the only items not done by hand on that design. Those were created digitally.

Do you feel the way you design has been influenced by your college lifestyle?

I’d say my knowledge for design has definitely been influenced by college. I’ve always been the ‘artist’ out of the group but college really refined my abilities and let me discover the niche that I’ve grown to love, which is authenticity.

I think everyone has at least one crazy college story, care to share any?

To be honest I can’t think of a single one. My school is a design specific school. It’s geared directly for design and commercial use. We come there for design and that’s about it. We don’t have the same college atmosphere most universities have. I show up, absorb everything I can and get to work. Design is something I take very seriously and if you want to be successful you have to be committed. I’ve never been a party guy. I don’t have time for that scene in my priorities.

David, is there any strong influences from your life that you feel influence your art?

There are so many things that influence me as a designer. My biggest influence is American history. Americana design has something super appealing to me. The genuine hard work that went into vintage advertisement is amazing. Designers cared about the way they set type and how things were crafted back then. Typography from that time period is something that is sadly lost in the modern era. And of course things like the way I was raised and what not has a huge influence on me. I strongly believe the world (past,present,future) has so much it can teach us it would be a shame to ignore it and stay in our comfort bubble, you gotta explore.

30% off Today through

Posted under T-Shirt business on Thursday 25 November 2010

Happy Thanksgiving and happy largest sale of the year for Rethink. This 30% off applies to all shirts new, old and even clearance. Most everything is under 11 bucks! Get them quick, a lot of sizes are running out. Just use code “FRIDAY” at checkout to get that sweet deal.

These Bloggers ROCK!

Posted under New Shirts,T-Shirt business on Monday 22 November 2010

I have said it before and I will say it again, bloggers have given me so much help it is unbelievable. When I first started out tshirt bloggers really helped spread the word about Rethink. So, I try and do what I can by giving you a little list of the ones who continue to post about my shirts! Enjoy these reads about the latest liquid courage tee.

I hope I didn’t miss any blog. If I did let me know and I will get you up ASAP!

-Andy

Liquid Courage Tshirt!

Posted under new product,New Shirts,T-Shirt business on Tuesday 2 November 2010

Click the pics to be taken to the store!

Did you just find your next bar, drinking, awesome and classy tshirt ? Yes, yes you did. Get the shirt here and remember all shirts come with a free poster!

This design took a little bit longer to get to the store than I had wanted, but it is finally here. This design was done by our artist contest winner, David Smith. He was a more than amazing artist to work with. I had my original idea for the design and David said he had something better in mind. Boy did he. My original ideas suck sometimes, just ask Grant how that goes. In the end David showed me he was a strong designer with a unique style and willingness to be open to changes.

The shirt itself is just all about fun. Anyone who drinks knows that it can lead to some of the most ridiculous situations. For me I get the courage to talk to beautiful women (my current fiance), ride a bike through my house and down a flight of stairs, back my friend up in a fight that wasn’t happening ( pancakes were being stolen from me instead), and probably the best of all the courage to play beer darts.

Enjoy the shirt and wear responsibly.
Details on the shirt:
Creme are printed on Alstyle
Heather are printed on Next Level
All printed with super soft ink and have an printed inside tag.

Legal disclaimer: Drinking is fun, just don’t drive after.