The Trappings of a Prehistoric Design
The mad scientists at TeeFury Labs have been hard at work combining the genes (or maybe just the talents for now) of different artists to create an entirely new species of t-shirt design. We call them TeeFury Mentorships. Some have called us crazy, but think of the admission we could charge~
In this installment of the program we took the amber-laden conceptual DNA of Joefixit2 (aka Stephen Yarish) and combined it with the seasoned drafting skills of artist nakedderby (aka Scott Derby). Together they joined together to create “Tourist Trap,” roaring onto the TeeFury scene today!
We catch up with both artists here in an interview outlining their process. First at bat, Joefixit2:
TF: Welcome Stephen to the TeeFury herd!
Please tell us a bit about yourself and a bit about this design.
SY: I’m just a 46 year old proud life long nerd with a beautiful wife and three beautiful daughters. For this design, the very beginning was based on Jeff Goldblum’s character’s line in the second movie when talking about another dinosaur park and how it always starts as ‘oooh ahhhh” and then leads to running and screaming. Have always loved that line. From there I designed around it to the initial image I sent to TeeFury.
[The first iteration of the design]
TF: How did you first stumble upon TeeFury?
SY: I am a huge, huge, huge collector of Incredible Hulk stuff (check out my website at www.incrediblehulk.me) and years ago, someone told me about this cool Hulk-Kool-aid man shirt that was only up for sale for one day. I visited TeeFury and was blown away at the cool design and the whole concept of one a day shirts. Still one of my favorite t-shirts I own.
Since then, I check TeeFury everyday and am amazed at the cool designs that artists come up with.
TF: What parts of pop culture do you find have most influenced your style?
SY: I have been overexposed to comics, cartoons, and sci-fi and horror movies so those all seep into my brain.
TF: What goal do you most aspire towards in your design career?
SY: I want to design shirts that amuse people and that are fun to wear. If a design doesn’t amuse me first, it gets put aside.
TF: Are any interesting pointers you learned from this process?
SY: Yep, no matter how far you get with a design, always have another set of eyes, especially skilled ones, take a look and see where else you can take the design.
TF: If you were a dinosaur, which would you be and why?
SY: I would be the Ankylosaurus since he has that really cool tail he swings around and he is covered in armor.
TF: Thanks Stephen! Always great to take a closer look at the process through fresh eyes. Much like checking a design’s layout by looking at it in a mirror. We don’t want to slow down the process though…
We continue our tour, running and screaming in our interview with nakedderby:
TF: Hello Scott–thanks so much taking part of the Mentorship Program. Please start by telling us a bit about yourself and your creative roots.
SD: I’m an illustrator based in the Philly region, influenced heavily by pop-culture such as comics, cartoons, music, toys, TV & film.
TF: How was the experience of working with another artist in this mentorship process?
SD: The collaboration was rather enjoyable, being allowed to take “JoeFixit’s” initial idea, and be allowed to build upon it with ideas of my own. Joe seemed impressed and happy with what I came up with as the idea and design evolved.
TF: Have you done many collaborations in the past? Any favorites?
SD: This is my first “official” TeeFury collaboration, but I have collaborated in varying degrees with other artists on various projects, such as Dave “Montygog” Perillo and Jeffro Kilpatrick. One of the most memorable ones is a design I did with Jeff Kilpatrick paying tribute to Marty Nodell, the creator of the golden age Green Lantern.
TF: What is your favorite dinosaur and why?
SD: Does “Tundro” the alien Triceratops from “The Hurculoids” count?
TF: Any shout outs and where to keep up with your work?
SD: Big shout outs to JoeFixit for his initial idea, as well as Tom Kurzanski for matching us up. Montygog and Strongstuff for support and constructive criticism. The “Zombie” family, the Caputos, and Scary Joe for endless support. Most importantly, much love to the Missus Derby and “Danger Boy” for their patience and endless love.
Thanks to both artists!
Take heart all you aspiring TeeFury design scientists out there– if you have an idea, give it room to grow, let it be unpredictable, add some hard work, and life will find a way.
For more dinosaur madness, don’t miss out on wyrab8‘s hilarious take on prehistoric priorities during a pterodactyl attack with “Hold on to your Margaritas” also landing today!