Alamo Heroes Watch

Just uploaded this sweetie to eBay...my Alamo Heroes Wristwatch featuring portraits of Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and William Barrett Travis.

Retro Flying Tigers T-Shirt

Just uploaded to RetroRanger is this very cool Flying Tigers T-Shirt, featuring retro advertising for the famous post-World War Two cargo carrier..



Bold vintage advertising art from 1946 for the Flying Tigers
Line...National Skyway Freight that was the successor to the Flying
Tigers who fought the Japanese in China.

TV Shows from Hulu

Hulu.com is awesome. A great library of old TV shows and movies. Free to watch or use on your website or blog.

Here's a Mary Tyler Moore episode embed from hulu.com

I bet a go-getter entrepreneur could sell some DVD collections with this feature.

Conan Doyle Watch

Sold: CONAN DOYLE WATCH Sherlock Holmes Author $24.99
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160222267993

Barack Obama Sin City T-Shirt

Just uploaded to RetroRanger is this new Barack Obama in the Sin City rain T-shirt...



This is obviously a parody of the neo-noir style incorporated by Frank Miller in his Sin City graphic novels. I like the way this came out and think it makes for a great visual. And I think the setting is appropriate, as Hillary and Bill are about as close as you can come to the Roark family in real life.


Technorati Tags: barack, obama, sin city, frank miller, hillary, roark, politics

Throwback MG Morris Garages T-Shirt

Decided I could put some old MG TC clipart to double duty. already used it for Frenchy's Driving Academy, and this afternoon threw together a throwback MG automobiles "Morris Garages" design.



Technorati Tags: mg, morris garages, automobile, classic car,

eBay Trends

eBay is a funny critter. I've been selling on eBay since 1998 and I still don't have a good feel for the ebb and flow of buyer engagement. Sometimes things are going gangbusters and sometimes the sales trickle to nothingness.
The tendency during periods of hot sales is to think that I'm a genius. Obviously. During slow times the general thought is that eBay is somehow screwing up my sales. Those bastards...what are they screwing around with now? Changing the search parameters again? Running a TV campaign targeted at Mongolian shepherds?
So it was interesting to come across this tidbit I found while playing around on Alexa. Comparing the last 6 months of traffic on eBay and Amazon...you'll see that both sites follow similar traffic patterns. I find the hard Alexa numbers of little use, because, let's face it, they're not very hard numbers. They are percentages of an unknown. But I do find the relationship between these two interesting, if only because it shows that seasonal fluctuations in traffic are for the most part out of their hands.

The Red Car MG TC Shirt

I read a book when I was a kid that I just loved called "The Red Car" by Don Stanford. It was a story of a teen named Hap Adams who comes upon a beat-up MG TC sports car, restores it to running condition, and learns the joys of sports cars and driving from the town mechanic named Frenchy Lascelle.

I have a piece of clip-art of an old MG that I came across today. It got me to thinking of that book and set me to work on a t-shirt for Frenchy's Driving Academy, were there such a place. Maybe some others who read The Red Car will appreciate this design, available on shirts and other items at RetroRanger.

New Boobies Titties Hooters T-Shirt

Gee, what was on my mind when I loaded this up to RowdyTease last night. Actually I pinched the Boobies idea from a shirt worn by a hootersgirl-type character from an episode of that Arliss Sports Agent show on ESPN. This is our Boobies Jr. Spaghetti Tank:

Red Willys Pickup Wristwatch

\I'm a big big fan of the Willys-Overland Jeepsters and pickups of the late 40s and early 50s...just very cool styling IMO. Here's a new Willys Pickup watch I put together for eBay sales featuring a 1952 Willys Overland pickup truck. Very cool dial which I modeled after a Willys-Overland speedometer of the period.

I think its the small details that will make the sale, and the extra time and effort reseraching the design is well worth it.


Technorati Tags: willys, overland, pickup, 4wd, jeep

Barack Obama's Stop in Basin City

Working on some lighters today. Here's Barack Obama in the Sin City rain. It should be noted that Det. John Hartigan is a big believer in Obama's message of Hope. Sure he is. Is so.



Technorati Tags: sin city, barack obama, graphic novel

Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War T-shirts

Oh to be young and impulsive, like the Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War. Just uploaded to Cafepress is the Free the Catholic Schoolgirls T-Shirt.

For those not aware, the Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War are some Chicago kids who took it upon themselves to stage an anti-war protest in a Chicago church on Easter Sunday morning. Now their asses are in hot water. Here's the story.


Technorati Tags: anti-war, protest, iraq,

William Steinitz Chess Champion T-Shirt

A new design I've just uploaded to RetroRanger...this is the William Steinitz t-shirt. Steinitz was the very first World's Chess Champion back in 1886 and he's the first in what will be an entire line of shirts featuring past Chess Champions and Grandmasters. Yes, I'm satisfying my inner geek.



Technorati Tags: chess, steinitz, t-shirt,

Gimme Gimme Fire in My Pocket

I wonder how the market is for flip-top lighters...the old-fashion Zippo-type lighters. Its a customizable product I have available through Artsnow and I can get them for a pretty good price. But as I peruse eBay listings it doesn't seem that they are great sellers. Lots of flip-top lighters going unsold.
Zippo lighters aren't about utility. Its not about making fire. I can walk down to Mike's Market and buy a disposable butane lighter for 79 cents. Making fire is easy. So its got to be about design and the "gimme gimme" factor. The flip-top lighter has to be considered the canvas for the design, and the design is what's going to sell.
Here's a few designs I've worked up and uploaded to my Artsnow bin. Darwin is a always a great seller. I don't quite understand the affinity some feel with Charles Darwin. I've always considered him a brilliant scientist with breakthrough ideas on evolution and the development of the species. But there are many people who see an "iconic" Darwin as the alternative to religion...if you flip the religion coin you get Jesus on heads and Darwin on tails. I don't really see the dichotomy myself, but some do and that generates sales. Go figure.
John Philip Sousa, The March King. He's pretty cool with the marching band crowd and its well known that marching band kids need lighters so they can light their cigarettes in the back of the band bus. That's what happens on the band bus. I realize that what happens on the band bus, stays on...yadda yadda. My apologies for spilling the beans. Seriously, I get good sales of Sousa stuff to Japan...I have no idea why.
John McCain making a speech at the Sin City Convention Center. I'd never done any Sin City graphic novel designs before. I think it came out pretty good. I have one of the McCain lighters on order so I can check the quality. I'll probably give it to my dad, who not only likes John McCain but also has always carried a Zippo or some other flip-top lighter.

Marching Band License Plate Frames

When I think of my RetroRanger store at Cafepress I think of t-shirts. Sure there are mugs and buttons and stickers and skivvies and dog shirts...but I think t-shirts.
So I've never taken the time to work up designs specifically for license plate frames. License plate frames are just not on my radar. But as I was walking through the Raley's parking lot this morning I saw a license plate holder that made me chuckle. I don't even remeber what it was now, but it prompted me to spend a little time this afternoon on license plate frames at Cafepress.
I decided to work up some Marching Band themed designs, cuz I like that crowd and they tend to be underserved. Pretty simple design..."I'd Rather Be" across the top and "Playing My Instrument" across the bottom. Toss in some music and instrument graphics and they're good to go.

I worked up designs for trumpet, tuba, trombone, flugelhorn, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, flute and a generic marching band design. We'll see how they do.
All you marching band folks should go buy one right now. Ready? 5 - 6 - 7 -8 - Go!

Old School Flight School

Working on some retro school designs for the Cafepress shop...RetroRanger. Came across this really cool graphic for Embry-Riddle in a 1954 magazine and figured it belonged on a shirt. Its interesting to think of what a exciting field it would have been in the Fifties. "Skies The Limit" you could say. Here's our Embry-Riddle International School of Aviation Yellow T-Shirt.



Technorati Tags: embry, riddle, aeronautics, flight school

Anna Pavlova Wall Clock

I've been wanting to do an Anna Pavlova clock and watch for some time....finally did today. What a beauty.



Technorati Tags: anna pavlova, russian, ballerina, clock, watch