Well, somebody had to start it! (Spryte, where are you?)
"In our infancy and our dotage, we rely on others to survive. In between, it’s all up to us. This week, we’re calling on you to explore the theme of independence. From the hatchling leaving the nest to the sovereign nation assuming its place on the world stage, from the gal who runs a tiny record label from her basement to the guy who lives off the grid in a solar-powered bunker, independence is about standing alone, following your chosen path, and throwing overpriced tea into the ocean. And while you’re celebrating freedom from oppression, make sure you follow these oppressive rules:
Your design must be on a Red, White, or Royal Blue shirt.
You may only use one ink color, but it may be any color.
And no text.
Keep in mind that these shirts won’t even go on sale until the 4th of July, so we’re not looking for something you’d necessarily wear on the 4th of July."
Cranberry is probably off limits, just as baby blue and navy aren’t allowed.
I’m not completely sure how this fits the theme, though some background information would help.
On the design itself - I actually really like the style. I think you should add some more texture to the bark - some wood patterns would be nice - but it doesn’t have to be super detailed and covering the entire tree. Just something minimal would be ok.
Also, it looks like your design is reaching a bit too high up. The template comes with a bounding box, and although it isn’t a set-in-stone space, the general rule seems to be to stay an inch away from any seams.
I edited it a bit, with the owl in the tree offering the one on the ground a mouse/rat.
I see it as the (now smaller and therefore younger) owl denying the need of the other owl to teach it to hunt and bring it back prey by enjoying the readily available mushrooms.
Too vague?
I would say too vague, but it doesn’t hurt to submit it anyway. When you submit, there’s a place to enter a description. Although that doesn’t appear anywhere on the site (as far as I’ve been able to tell), I’m under the impression that Joel uses that description to help determine what should be rejected. Sometimes on-topic designs get rejected because Joel doesn’t get them (i.e. there was an entry in the Green derby referencing The Great Gatsby that was rejected), while other designs that seem more questionable stay through to the end. It’s just conjecture on my part, but I think the description you enter could make the difference.
I think you should thicken the lines a bit. You should also consider switching to Royal Blue (more of a night colour) and using your ink colour to fill in some parts of the design, letting the shirt show through as the outline. It’ll give your image more weight and feel to it. Some oomph.
Edit: White is ok too. You should still try using a fill though.
And I think I’m going to turn in now - have a good night.
I feel so diry posting in this fake cyberpub. Who the heck is hellokitty13?
Edit: I don’t mean to be rude, I’m just confused. If spyte has decided to forego making new cyberpubs it would be nice if she just told someone else who can take over.
I’m thinking she’s just in the middle of getting ready to move to Japan, or she’s mid move to Japan, or she just got to Japan. If she’s there, she may already be kidnapped and working in some Sony factory.
I took the photo myself, in our yard. That is really creepy, I think. The mama spider only seems to have about 5 legs- I think it’s a tough life, carrying all those babies.