Today, I want to share the fun new Characters that have made their debut appearance at
Alter-Eco Clothing and the story behind their creation.
Combining my love for drawing and my urge to find new creative endeavours within sewing, this was the perfect outcome. I've wanted to learn how to silkscreen for a long time now and am very happy that I finally did, and grateful for the friend who got me started and helped to teach me. These fun characters were really quite by accident, as I explained in
this Podcast. With so many ideas bubbling in my head and the excitement of getting to put whatever I wanted on my shirts, I was quickly overwhelmed with all the noise in my mind and simply didn't know which ones I truly wanted to go with and what direction to go with. I have a terrible habit of wanting to do
Everything (hence why I have so many various lines at
Alter-Eco, a Jewelry line, a blog, and now silkscreening), and so now I wanted to silkscreen
everything. After indecisively choosing a few prints (to start with of course), and getting ready to head up to get the images printed onto acetate paper (which is needed to burn the silkscreen), my friend and I realized there was still some room left on one of the screens. In a spur of the moment decision to find something to fill the spot, I doodled out a bunny. It was a very simply bunny but for some reason we all loved it (we being myself, Cory, and my friend, Talia, who was teaching me how to silkscreen). Cory came up with the witty slogan, and so I added the axe in the bunny's hand and his cute little vampire tooth. The evil bunny became the next design, a perfect combination of cute and evil. And it was the one we loved the most and got the most attention. Even though it was a five-minute drawing, I loved that the little character was from my own mind. The other designs were my own creations as well, but they were photoshop creations that I didn't have to draw out, so this simple little bunny filled something inside me that I long forgot.
I miss drawing, I used to draw almost every day when I was a child. My mom always encouraged me, loving the characters I created. But for whatever reason, drawing became a hobby that pretty much died after my life became busier, more social, and I got out of high school and out into "the real world." Drawing out that bunny gave me some sense of satisfaction and excitement. I decided to doodle more. And I did, and I loved it. And so came to be this fun line of twisted little animal characters with a purpose and a meaning, a perfect combination of my various beliefs and talents.
Each Character represents something I believe in and something my activist self wants to express and share with the world--and I know there are so many others like me that wish to express the same messages. Cuddly Activist Critters with an added twist of attitude and devious behaviours. What's not to love?
I have so many more ideas bubbling in my head and pouring out onto paper all the time. I intend to redraw my evil bunny and add a few other characters to the collection. For now, three are available; Vegan Zombie, Pro-Forest Evil Panda, and Sad Eyemmms Kitty.
All of these characters can be printed on any of the shirt designs you see them on in the shop (Hoodie, Racerback Tank, Long Tee, Long Tunic Tank, Slouch Top, Slouch Sweater, or Racerback Dress), and available in any of the colours on the current Colour Chart. If you order directly through my email (alter_eco@hotmail.com) then they are also $5 cheaper per shirt. Yayy savings! And if you order two or more then you get some extra goodies, three or more and you get an additional discount as well.
I am also planning on selling cute art prints, making some tote bags, and whatever else my busy self comes up with--remember, I'm the girl that wants to do Everything. ;)
Hope you enjoy them! And if you have any ideas or activist themes you'd love to see as part of the collection let me know and I'll see what I can do. ;)
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