Heart of Lincoln Land

Lincoln Apparel’s display at the 3rd Thursday Art Show in the library of the Hickox Building, a Lincoln-era building at 518 E. Capitol on September 15, 2011.

This past June, I stopped in Andiamo! on 6th Street once while wearing my shiny new "Hair Metal Lincoln" T-shirt. The people working there that day complimented me on my shirt, and I told them that I designed it (and other Lincoln shirts) like I often do when someone says they like my shirt (I make it a point to always wear one of my shirts). They told me that on third Thursdays, there’s an art show at Andiamo! where I might be able to sell them. I handed them my card, had a nice discussion about art, and then left to go find out more about the show (the person in charge of it was not working at that time).

I later went back and Mandy (one of the people that helps run it) told me about the show and about the website, which is at www.thirdthursdayartshow.com. (They also have a Facebook page.) I looked over the website to find out how to get in, what it cost, etc. It turns out that it’s free and anyone of any talent level can bring in their work (not to mention – there’s great live music), so I figured I didn’t have anything to lose by trying it. Since it was past the third Thursday in June, I decided to try going there on the third Thursday in July.

I brought the 4 designs I feel are my best – "Hair Metal Lincoln", "80s Abe", "Young Mr. Lincoln", and "Back to Springfield" (those are my 4 favorites in no particular order). The nice people there helped set me up with a table in the back. I wasn’t getting a whole lot of traffic back there, so about halfway through the show a couple people helped me move the table with my shirts to a more visible spot behind the band. I sold 3 shirts after that. A woman by the name of Mandy (a different Mandy than the one who helps with the show) even put on the "Hair Metal Lincoln" shirt she bought right after she bought it. I asked her if it was OK for me to take a picture for my "Wearing Lincoln Apparel" section on my site and I did.

Mandy wearing Lincoln Apparel’s "Hair Metal Lincoln" shirt at the 3rd Thursday Art Show at Andiamo! on July 21, 2011. She looks great in that shirt, doesn’t she?

Even though it was slow at times (not many people know about this show) I enjoyed the experience. The people there were friendly, the music was great and it was fun talking to the other artists who were there and looking at the other art that was there. It was a much different atmosphere than the Old Capitol Farmer’s Market artisan area, where you more or less just sit in your booth and people come and look and if they want something, they’ll buy it. (Not saying I don’t enjoy being there either, I’ve met some great people at the market, just that Third Thursday is a different experience).

I was happy with the show, so I decided that I’d keep coming back and see how things unfold. Yesterday was my 3rd 3rd Thursday show, this time I was in the Hickox Building (a Lincoln-era home at 518 E. Capitol Avenue in downtown Springfield that contains Norb Andy’s in the basement). They added this location (in addition to Andiamo!) due to the number of artists. There is live music present at both locations.

Even though I only sold 2 shirts this past Thursday, I enjoyed being there. My shirts were in the library – it seemed like the perfect place for them. I got a lot of great comments on the shirts, and it seemed like a lot of people looked at them. It was fun to be in a Lincoln-era building I’ve never been in before. I explored the building and looked at the other art (I also went over to Andiamo! for a bit just to see what was there).

Kenzie looking awesome in her new black "80s Abe" shirt at the 3rd Thursday Art Show in the Hickox Building on September 15, 2011.

One of the highlights of the evening for me was when a girl named Kenzie got one of my "80s Abe" shirts (her mother bought it for her, allowing her to pick which one she liked the best). I asked her if she’d be willing to pose in it for me and she did, and wore it around the rest of the show. She really seemed to love the shirt! I think it looks awesome on her, don’t you? (This picture is also in my "Wearing Lincoln Apparel" section now).

I also had a lot of fun talking to the other artists and people who were there again. I’m slowly getting to know them and maybe I’ll make some new friends there!

In any case, I’ll also likely be at the next Third Thursday on October 20th. I’ll probably be in the Hickox Building again. I’m glad I know about this now, I think it’s a great thing for artists in Springfield.

I’ve added the show to my Lincoln Apparel Local page now. Hope to see you there!

I will also be coming out with another new design – "Awesome Abraham Lincoln" – soon!

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Lincoln Apparel’s shiny new "Hair Metal Lincoln" design. Rock on Lincoln! Copyright © 2011 Lincoln Apparel.

It’s summer and it’s time for a cool new Lincoln Apparel T-shirt – this time, one that features shiny blue metallic ink. It’s a fun T-shirt called "Hair Metal Lincoln", one that continues my style of creating colorful, modern, 80s-influenced Lincoln designs. I’ve already had a number of great comments on this shirt and I think it’ll do well!

The idea for this shirt came in February when I was celebrating Lincoln’s Birthday. I have a big Lincoln bust in my living room that I had decorated for the occasion with colorful ribbons. I looked at it and thought to myself, "this would make an awesome T-shirt". I hadn’t decided what to call it yet or how the theme of the design would work.

I thought that since the bust is bronze, that it’d be fun to make a T-shirt that had metallic foil on it for Lincoln’s face, so that it resembled a statue as opposed to a portrait. I hadn’t done that before and I wanted to try it. Shiny ink and colorful ribbons certainly fit with the style of T-shirts that I like to create.

I didn’t think of a name for the design until I brainstormed a bit after I started working on it. "Hair Metal Lincoln" just kind of came to me while I was thinking of names, since the ribbons reminded me of the "hair metal" bands from the late 80s. It certainly sounded clever and fit with the theme of my work, so I kept it.

I also initially played with different colors of foil for Lincoln’s face. Bronze felt way too neutral for the design, so I had to make it something else that would fit. I settled on blue, thinking it would look cool with bluish highlights in the background (reflecting off of Lincoln’s face) to fit with the "hair metal" theme (as if Lincoln was part of a rock band performing live on stage). It went along well with all the other colors, so I decided to use blue, and I think it turned out awesome!

A closeup shot of the "Hair Metal Lincoln" design. Copyright © 2011 Lincoln Apparel.

"Hair Metal Lincoln" is my first Lincoln design that is based on a 3D object (a bust) rather than a 2D image (like a portrait of Lincoln). To convert everything to 2D so that I could use it as a design, I took a photo of the bust and worked off of that. Because metallic foil can only be one single color and cannot contain gradients, I had to take Lincoln’s face and convert it down to one color, with large, clear areas of solid color. I had to do this without destroying the detail in Lincoln’s face. In the end I had to redraw much of Lincoln’s face by hand so that it looked correct, since simply reducing a photo to one color typically leaves lots of “residue” or destroys the detail (or both).

I spent a lot of time on this design and as one of my most colorful, shiny designs to date, I think people will love it. Like my other designs, it fills the front of the shirt ("Hair Metal Lincoln" is 17×22 inches, about the same size as "Young Mr. Lincoln"). The shiny ink is fun, it gives the design an added "punch" and it looks different under different lighting conditions. "Hair Metal Lincoln" is already available at Springfield Novelties and Gifts (near 6th and Monroe in historic downtown Springfield) and at the Old Capitol Farmer’s Market artisan area on days when I’m there, so come check it out!

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Me, last year at the artisan area at the Old Capitol Farmer’s Market, showing my Lincoln T-shirts. That’s me wearing the blue "Back to Springfield" T-shirt – there’s still a few of those shirts left if you like them!

Last year, I was at the artisan area at the Old Capitol Farmer’s Market and, despite some incredibly hot days, it was a lot of fun, so I’ll be doing it again this year!

This year, I plan to be at the artisan area at the market (which is located at the southeast corner of 4th and Adams Streets in historic downtown Springfield) every Saturday in June, the first, third, and last Saturday of every month from July to September, and the first and third Saturdays in October. Here’s the full schedule (you can find it on the Local page on the Lincoln Apparel website too):

• Saturday, June 4, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, June 11, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, June 18, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, June 25, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 2, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 16, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 30, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, August 6, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, August 20, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, August 27, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, September 3, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, September 17, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, September 24, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 1, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 15, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

This year, I hope to have a tent so that I’m not sitting out in the sun all the time like last year, and so that I can make a better display with my T-shirts. I’d love to hang some from the sides and/or the roof so that people can truly get a feel for my awesomely huge, colorful, and artistic designs. I plan to make up some neat signs, too, that detail how my shirts are designed locally and are American made, a blog review or two of my shirts, and that have Lincoln Apparel’s new slogan, “T-shirts Lincoln would believe in” (I thought of it myself).

Of course, I plan to have my little CD player and portable speakers set up so I can play some cool 80s tunes again – I love it, it’s lots of fun and goes along well with my shirts – and speaking of shirts, I’ll have some new designs this year, in addition to old favorites like "80s Abe" and "Purpose". I’m working on getting my next design, “Hair Metal Lincoln”, printed as I write this, and hopefully it’ll be done by the end of May. It’s going to be the first Lincoln Apparel shirt to have shiny metallic ink – and it will look awesome! I’ll make a post about them when they’re done.

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The new "Immortal Words at Gettysburg" Lincoln T-shirt, showing the new enlarged design. Copyright © 2009 Lincoln Apparel.

For some time I’ve been meaning to restock my Immortal Words at Gettysburg T-shirts, since I sold out of most of them. Along with that, I always wanted to redo the design as a large "oversize" print, so that the details in the fonts and in the picture of Lincoln could be seen. I now have the new "Immortal Words at Gettysburg" T-shirts redone with the big print, and I posted them on the Lincoln Apparel website last night. (I’ve also been working on redesigning some parts of the Lincoln Apparel site, and adding new features to it – you’ll notice some of this when you visit.)

The new T-shirts feature a 15×20 inch print, as opposed to the 12×16 inch print on the old T-shirts (of which I still have a few). The bigger design makes the text that much more readable and detailed, and the picture of Lincoln more imposing. It was always my intent to have this design printed so that it filled much of the front of the shirt; now, I’ve fulfilled that intent. In addition, "Immortal Words at Gettysburg" is now available in both men’s and women’s versions. The new ones are on American Apparel, so they are made in the USA and sweatshop free, the way Lincoln would want it to be.

The original "Immortal Words at Gettysburg" T-shirt, for comparison purposes. Still a good shirt, but notice how the design is smaller.

"Immortal Words at Gettysburg" is one of my most popular designs so far. One of the interesting things about it is how it seems to draw more attention online than locally. It is a design that explores how Lincoln is remembered by many different cultures and generations, using the words of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which is printed in its entirety on the shirt. I used a different font for each of the 272 words in Lincoln’s address, representing the different eras and different kinds of people that have evoked Lincoln and his memory. I created the design last fall about a month before the November 19th anniversary of the date Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. You can read more about the creation of the T-shirt and the Gettysburg Address in the above linked blog post.

In addition to my website, the new "Immortal Words at Gettysburg" T-shirts are available at Springfield Novelties and Gifts on 6th Street in beautiful historic downtown Springfield, and on Saturdays at the artisan area of the downtown Springfield farmer’s market, located at 4th and Adams. Of course, you’ll be able to find my other designs at these places, too. The next day I’ll be at the market will be this Saturday, June 19th, also known as Juneteenth, an African-American holiday that celebrates the date in 1865 that word reached Texas that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had set the slaves free. It’s neat how this week’s date has a Lincoln connection. Hopefully Lincoln will give me some luck and I’ll do well, and I hope to see you there!

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My display at the downtown Springfield farmer’s market on June 5th, showing my Lincoln T-shirts. That’s me wearing the blue "Back to Springfield" T-shirt.

Last month, my Lincoln Apparel T-shirts were accepted into the artisan area at the downtown Springfield farmer’s market. I was, and still am, excited! I’ve never done in-person shows like this before, only selling online and to local shops, so I never really get to see the customers who buy my T-shirts. Now, I have a chance to see how local residents and tourists react to my T-shirts, tell them how I make them, and maybe a little about Lincoln in the process.

June 5th was my first day at the market. I didn’t know what to expect, since I’d never done it before. In the week prior, I looked around for things I could use to create a display. It had to be lightweight, since I’d be doing this myself. So I went to some stores within walking distance of where I live, and got a table and chairs, a drying rack to hang samples of the T-shirts from, and posterboard to make a sign. I got some notecards to make little signs to put on the display T-shirts so people could see how much they cost and what sizes were available, and a little cooler so I could bring drinks. I didn’t get a tent because I didn’t want to add too much weight and because I didn’t think I’d need one for a show that was only 5 hours long, but now I’m rethinking that, particularly with the weather last Saturday. I can always upgrade my display though, if I feel the need.

You can see the display in the picture above (along with me, the Lincoln Apparel artist, wearing a blue "Back to Springfield" T-shirt). I took the picture (and the other pictures you see here) with my cellphone, since I forgot to bring my camera, so that’s why they look a little washed out. The posterboard didn’t quite work out, so I’ll need to find something stronger for the next time (I ended up taping the sign to the table since I couldn’t get it to stand up correctly). I might get a little boombox with a CD/MP3 player in it eventually so I can have some cool 80s music to listen to while I’m there.

The State Capitol as visible from my space at the downtown Springfield Farmer’s Market on June 5th. You can see some of the other artisans there.

The morning of June 5th was gray and humid, with clouds threatening rain, but I pressed on anyway. I was excited to do my first market. Most of the time it was dry, but every now and then a few sprinkles fell and it started to rain for about a half hour at 10. I’m thankful I got a tarp to cover up all the T-shirts in case that happened. My sign got all wet though, which ruined it because I used my printer to print it and inkjet ink is water-soluble. I think I’ll put mailing tape over the whole sign the next time, since that’s what I did for the notecard signs on the T-shirts and the ink didn’t run on those.

There weren’t as many people at the market as I’ve normally seen, probably because of the damp and rainy weather. It appeared that some of the other artists didn’t come, so I was kind of an island on the east side of the parking lot near the buildings on the south side of Adams Street. However, I did get plenty of people looking at my T-shirts, and many people remarked at how colorful and complex they were. When I told people who were looking that I love Lincoln and that I designed these T-shirts including the artwork, they seemed very impressed. I had many people ask me when I was going to be at the market next; I wish I had made up some cards with my schedule on it.

I did end up selling two of my T-shirts to one person. Not quite as many as I thought I would, but I attribute that to the rain keeping people away. The T-shirts were "Immortal Words at Gettysburg" and "Purpose". Hopefully the next time, the weather will be better and more people will be there.

It was a great experience, though. I enjoyed talking to people in person and seeing their reactions. It’s so much more enjoyable than just selling on the Internet. It’s interesting noting how customers interpret my artwork, and seeing which shirts they like the best. It’s neat to see what kinds of people my T-shirts attract, and they attracted what seemed to be a rather diverse group of customers. And the customers seemed to enjoy it too, since they can touch, see, and feel my T-shirts instead of just looking at a picture on a web site. The hardest part is just setting it up and taking it down, and transporting it (I got a dolly to help with that), which I’ll practice more in the future before my next day at the market, which will be June 12th.

I will also be at the downtown Springfield farmer’s market on July 3rd, August 7th, September 4th, and October 2nd. I’m thinking of adding additional days in between, particularly during the rest of June, July, and August, when tourist season is at its peak and people are looking for T-shirts. I hope to see you there sometime!

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