Did you miss Part I and the introduction to this groundbreaking series? Then follow the respective links and be amazed.
So, the legendary Octopus Tree of Oregon had appropriately inspired Joe with an idea for a shirt design. He imparted his insights to me, but I could not quite picture the design Joe had in mind. This forced the Lead Bonanzier to transcribe this ethereal vision with the aid of good ole pen ‘n’ paper:
In an email correspondence, Joe mentioned that I could “include [the drawing] with a note about how I can’t draw at all” if I were so inclined. So I guess I am.
We had a starting point, then. Some time later — these ideas gestate while the three of us laboriously trawl our way through collegiate bureaucracy (in other words, I’m kind of lazy and use College as a scapegoat) –– I managed to scrawl a few hasty sketches based on Joe’s canonical Starting Point.
Unfortunately, I’m not a Levels whiz, but you get the idea. (Click for bigger pic!)
We all took a liking to the guy in the bottom right, so I spent a little more time whipping up the subsequent drawings, ceremoniously regarded as First and Second Drafts. Things sure are getting official!
Click for Bigger Pic, Yo
Joe and Greg initially remarked that the underground in Draft 1 struck them as somewhat bare. I apparently overcompensated a bit. The first octopus’ kissy-lips promptly elicited cautious disapproval and were consequently excised. It was Joe’s idea to have the octopus tree seize an unsuspecting fowl, though I had some trouble drawing it properly.
Some time passed before I finally sat down and drew the image below — the final iteration of Octopus Tree to appear on paper and the drawing that would serve as the basis for the finished design:
BEHOLD.
You’ll notice a lack of bird-grabbing. I’m simply not talented enough to have made it work.
We changed the above image slightly before giving it our Final Approval of Decisiveness Felicitating Shirt Production, but this is as appropriate a place as any to conclude this installment of our TBoaT-S series. Hah — TBoats. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter in the series: From Paper to Pixels.
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Thanks for part II in the groundbreaking series. Once it’s done I’ll be happy to add it to my still growing selection of tree shirts
http://www.shirtlog.com/index.php?tag=tree (ha spotted a nice word joke there, nice tree shirt you have :p )
I prefer the tree grabbing the bird, or at least doing something with his hand. Nice work guys
The shirt actually is done, we just haven’t gotten our new site up yet… and it would have been nice to have had the octopus grabbing something, but we’re pretty darn pleased with how the final product turned out.
ooh that’s great
is it one of the t-shirts you put on vote last time?
Yeah, it’s the Octopus Tree one that’s yellow, pink, and green on light blue.
Hey, actually I have a diferent perspective to a octopus tree that might interest you, I based it on a T design I made for myself a while ago with a skull and a tree groing from it’s teeth (nanquim style). E-mail me and I’ll send you both for your viewing pleasure/torment XD.
Greetings from the tropics!
Alan.
I personally liked the finished product the least out of the three. First of all, i liked having a strongly reinforced sense of “underground” with the black filling below, and white above. However, that would be a bit difficult to recreate on a t-shirt, nonetheless expensive.
Secondly, I really liked the bird grabbing, and thought it looked fine on the second. I really like the second shirt except for the fact that the octopus looks like it’s in front of the ground, like in front of a painting, rather than under it. That is the first shirt’s redeeming value. The effect of the arm/leg/tentacle/whatever popping through the ground is great.
Thirdly, I personally like lots of random crap. However, you still kept a good enough amount in the third shirt, especially the trilopite. And a new ray gun! Shiny!
Fourthly, I will be done soon.
Fifthly, the third shirt’s big redeeming quality is the octopus itself. The tree’s roots blend in better into the octopus’ head then in shirt two, and it’s looking at the birds, contemplating a meal. The thing that I would like to make this shirt ideal for me is somehow get the arm popping through the ground action back in. It wouldn’t work going for the flying birds, but maybe sneakily going for the birds in the nest, while greedily eyeing the flock?
Anyways, that’s just my (rather lengthy) opinion!
Oh man, Bobby. I simply cannot resist replying to an ordered list.
Firstly, the possibility of a dark underground was never really precluded until we settled on a color scheme. Incidentally, if you missed our sneak peek of upcoming designs, you should check it out. The title is pretty self-explanatory. As you can see, we settled on some Seussish hues, which are somewhat incongruous with a high-contrast underground.
Secondly, I just wasn’t satisfied with the bird-grabbing in any iteration of the design that I produced (there are some not posted here). Try as I did, I always ended up with what struck me as an awkward pose. As for the “in front of/behind” shift, we Bonanziers thought that an interruption in the topsoil would help sell the octopus as a cohesive whole: not mere cephalopod, not mere tree, but a fearsome hybrid of the two. Well, not “fearsome.” More like “awesome.”
Thirdly, we sadly did not keep the ray gun in the final iteration. But the trilobyte remained unscathed!
Fourthly, endings are good. I like endings. Usually.
Fifthly, I actually hadn’t thought of the octopus tree as hungrily eyeing anything when I drew it. I really wish I had thought of that earlier. Man, that’s good. Darn. And to the third’s credit, I think it’s much more cleanly organized than the other two: the octopus’ tentacles follow the line already established by the tree, whereas they sort of flop around in the preceding versions.
Anyway, I’m glad the third image sits well with you regardless. It would be unsettling to hear someone come along and say, “You know, these first two images are pretty endearing. But this third image angers me with its unbearable horribleness.” Now, if someone came along and denounced all three — that I could understand.
Also, props to and many thanks for your prolific posting! I don’t recall anyone matching this level of commentary on the Blognanza in recent memory.
Oh, hey, you’re right—we didn’t keep the ray gun. Interesting.
I think the finished product is cool. Very nice illustration and a cool tutorial for other t-shirt designers.
Nice