Artist FAQ

Have a gasoline-burning question? See if we can answer below. It's not a popularity contest, so if you're question isn't here Contact Us or email designs@blipshift.com

Who are you guys?

Blipshift sells the freshest and awesomest t-shirts, posters, and accessories for motoring enthusiasts. Only one shirt design is featured and sold at a time for just $15, with 5 or more for sale every week. Once one is done, we’re off to the next one. We have short attention spans.

What kind of art do you accept?

Any automotive, motorcycle, or off-road themed art suitable for printing on a tee (and poster), as long as it’s your own work and it hasn't been printed on a shirt before. It can be beautiful, funny, iconic, futuristic, retro, popular, esoteric, sporty or green. We celebrate all things motoring! Check out our Garage for reference of what we've liked in the past.

What if I'm not an artist?

If you've got a great idea, submit it via our Idea Page! If we work with artists to turn your idea into a shirt, you'll get a copy of the tee plus $100 in BS credit for future torso-covering awesomeness.

What if I'm an artist but I don't love cars/bikes/trucks?

We'd still love to hear from you! We believe passion as an artist can compensate for lack of motoring enthusiasm, and we love working with talented artists to turn others' ideas into awesome designs. If we receive a great idea that we can’t figure out how to execute, we may send it to you as an artist’s brief, including relevant jargon and references. That being said, there are plenty of resources online to help you with the terminology, references, and memes of the petrolhead. You can also look through our Garage to see examples of common ideas and interests.

How do you select the designs/ideas for sale?

Every submission is reviewed by the blipshift pit crew to confirm it complies with our Terms and Conditions. If the submitted art has no relation to anything car/bike/truck, it won't be considered for sale. Also, as a general rule we prefer shirts that celebrate an aspect of petrolhead culture rather than criticize it (can’t we all just get along)? Other reasons for not selecting art include (but are not limited to):

Being offensive or with offensive/drug references
Already been done
Poor timing
Intellectual property issues
Not being suited to screenprinting on a shirt

How can you tell what's a great idea?

Good question! In general we are looking for descriptive ideas with a clear story and a clever title (in fact, some of our best designs have been based off a title alone). We should be able to visualize what your idea could look like, even if there is no image to go along with it. There's more to it than just that obviously, but take a look at some examples below:

Needs Work

Why

Awesome

How about some old Porsche love?

Needs more details! What kind of Porsche? What would the imagery look like?

You guys should do an old 911 sliding ass first off a road after trying to go around a corner. "Bro, do you even lift?"

You should do a shirt about heel-toeing.

Needs a clear story! What is it about heel-toeing? That it's fun? That it resembles dancing?

A diagram of the steps involved in heel-toeing done in a 70s style with the words "Fancy Feet".

I like "pick a brand". Make a shirt with their logo big, really really big.

There's something to be said for subtlety! What about that brand do you like? Is it a particular vehicle or characteristic?

The colors of a certain performance car division, but with the stripes made up of various chassis and engine codes from the models.

What size should my art be?

Art should be no larger than 12.5″ wide x 14″ high at print size, with placement centered. As such, raster artwork should be approximately 3500x3500 or larger. All-over or special printing methods may be possible for designs that warrant it.

How many ink colors can I use?

You are allowed to use 6 spot colors of ink, plus the shirt color (though less is always better). When printing on dark colored tees, realize that one of the colors may consist of a white underbase, which will take up one of your six colors.

What shirt colors can I use?

Our tees are available in a multitude of colors, but the shade/hue can vary by product style. As such, any design that uses the shirt colour as part of the artwork should also work reasonably well within the other variants in its vertical column.

I’ve entered a design/idea, how do I know if I've been selected?

Once you have submitted a design to blipshift via our Submit Art page we have 60 days to consider the design before you can revoke our ability to print it. If you haven’t been contacted within 60 days of your submission date, we are either still considering it or have passed on the design. Generally though, you'll hear something back from us 1-2 weeks after the submit date.

What if I’ve submitted a design/idea but change my mind?

If you wish to revoke a submitted design after 60 days, please contact us by email with the name of the design and date it was submitted. Once we have scheduled a design for print it can no longer be revoked, as per our Terms and Conditions.

What if someone has the same design/idea as me?

Wait a second, you're saying we have two geniuses that we didn't know about? Look, we know it happens from time-to-time. In any case if we end up printing a design/idea that has been submitted by more than one person, the first submitter will get credit and any associated payment.

What happens if my submission is selected?

Congrats! If we select your design/idea to move onto the next step, we'll work with you to get it to a finalized tee-ready state. We'll then ask for any high-res artwork to move it onto our calendar. Once we have a live sale date, we will get some administrative details including:

Design Submissions: We will ask for a short bio, so we can promote you, your shipping address and preferred tee size/style, and the completion of necessary tax documents so we can pay you after the print run.
Idea Submissions: All we'll need is your shipping address and preferred tee size/style.

How long will my design sell for?

1-3 days. Once the sale is over the order list is closed, and we print a one-time run of the design. We make exactly as many as are ordered, plus a handful of extras. One of these is for the blipshift archives, and another is sent to the artist as thanks. The rest go up for sale on our Garage once orders are shipped.

Who will see my design(s)?

First the blipshift staff, then...the world! Accepted designs may be posted on social media. Winning designs will be sold on blipshift.com and past winners will go into the Garage section of our site.

Who advertises my design?

Blipshift will show your design on Facebook, Instagram, and email the day of the sale. Anything above that is up to you, though there are a few best practices to be aware of.

How much do I get paid?

Design Submissions: Artists receive $1 per garment sold (with a guaranteed minimum of $250) during the period that the design is for sale on, plus a copy of the tee. Sales vary by design but our top artists have made thousands.
Idea Submissions: Artists receive a copy of their tee, $100 in bs credit, and of course sweet, sweet bragging rights.

How do I get paid?

Cash money...in the form of PayPal (USA & international) or check (USA). You will need to fill out the appropriate tax forms before we send payment, as blipshift does not withhold any taxes on your behalf. It is entirely your obligation to ensure that you are in compliance with your local taxing authority’s regulations.

US Citizens: You will need to submit a W9 Form. You may wish to review the W9 Instructions.
Rest of the World: You will need to complete a W8 Form so the IRS knows you’re not required to pay US income tax. You may wish to review the W8 Instructions.

When do I get paid?

Statements are sent within two weeks of the design's end, with payment being initiated a week or two after that.

How can I contact blipshift?

We know, we already told you at the top of this page. But some of us at blipshift like to scan pages without reading carefully. If you are like some of us, this answer is here just for you. You can use our Contact Form, or if you're allergic to web forms you can also email us designs@blipshift.com