I love to create things, and art has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. So, I recently got the idea to start an online store for Lyonsword Publishing! I am still working on designing the store and setting up all the business side of things, so I don’t know when it will open yet. But I have started playing around with some designs for T-shirts! As I was designing them, I thought it might be fun to share a bit about how I do that and what apps I use! Let’s take a look!
Print-On-Demand
I have a print-on-demand store for the other company I own. This is the route I would take if I opened up a store for Lyosnword Publishing. There are multiple great companies out there, but, in my opinion, the one with the best combination of reasonable prices and good products is Printify. I have used this company for years for my other store and rarely have a problem with them. Occasionally, designs can be printed crooked, but Printify has one of the best customer services I have ever worked with! So, any errors are usually fixed pretty fast.
Printify also has a wide range of products from print providers all over the world. One of my favorite features of their site is that they tell you what country each product is made in, how long the printing and shipping times are, and what products are in stock and at which providers. This information helps me choose the best product for the best price and pick providers who can get products to clients fast!
Art App
To create my designs, I use Sketchbook Pro! I fell in love with this little app when it was still free. When they updated to the new version, it took me some getting used to, but I love what they have done with it! It contains a wide range of abilities without all the screens and complicated readouts that are distracting to those of us who prefer to just freehand everything. That being said, it also has many assist features that can help you achieve super clean artwork!
My favorite thing about Sketchbook Pro is that it is simple and straightforward. Though I do occasionally lose a brush and can’t remember where I moved it to, the platform is very clean looking, and most of its tools are easily understood and located. That being said, if you don’t know something, you can check out YouTube videos or their website to learn about any features you are not familiar with or what to do if something isn’t working.
Art Print (DIY)
For some products, specifically T-shirts, I have printed by hand. This is super fun! I use a Cricket machine to upload my designs and print them. Then, I use a heat press to press them onto the T-shirts. This process requires a bit more time and hard work (and some upfront costs for tools), but it is super fun, and if you find good places to source your Cricket iron-on sheets and T-shirts, it can be cost-effective as well. For iron-on sheets, I like to keep an eye out on the Cricket website for sales, and they can be found at craft stores with the occasional sale as well. For T-shirts, this one depends on the kind of shirt you are looking for and what material you want. When I was printing DIY, I liked Jiffy Shirts! They have a great selection at great prices!
Making T-shirts has been a blast for me in the past, and I look forward to getting back to that kind of art! Have you ever made T-shirts? Leave a comment and let me know!
Photos Credit: Wix Photos
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