Red Violet Arts

I make neat stuff from my digital art! You can buy it! 100% designed from scratch by a human artist (no AI), then expertly crafted and shipped to you by a carefully chosen print company.

[redvioletarts]

Hi! I'm Paint and I make nerd shit!

I'm a digital artist and I design funny T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, sweatshirts, tote bags, even the occasional spinny skirt. 💖

If you're into obscure computer science jokes, writer memes, random bits of Latin, art shitposting with funny animals, and obnoxious punnery, OR you have nerd friends who are really difficult to buy for on birthdays and Christmas, follow this account!

Here's a quick link to all my stuff!

[psshaw]

Y'know how they say a child writes the best poetry before they learn what poetry is "supposed" to look like? I think a visual artist makes the best visual art before they learn how well it would sell if they made an enamel pin of a possum saying "be gay do crimes"

[redvioletarts]

Latin Series: Fluctuat Nec Mergitur

[Image IDs: Seven image mockups of the same artwork on different products. The design features the words "fluctuat nec mergitur" in hand-lettered cursive above simple line art of waves. The text is either dark blue or white depending on the product. The images show this design on, in order: an aqua blue T-shirt, a black sweatshirt, a dark blue throw pillow, a white mug with a dark blue interior and handle, a dark blue tote bag, a light blue tote bag, and another dark blue throw pillow. End ID.]

"It is tossed by the waves but does not sink." A good personal motto if you feel like life, society, and your personal poltergeists keep trying to yeet you at every turn.

Want one of these to show up on your doorstep? Click your fave:

T-shirt ☆ Sweatshirt ☆ Pillow ☆ Mug ☆ Tote bags ☆ Pin

Artist's behind-the-scenes notes, a rejected early version of the design, and gratuitous man chest under the cut...

I really like how this design came out! I actually gave Canva a shot when I was designing this and a few others in the Latin series, but as you can see I didn't keep those early versions. A lot of print on demand folks love Canva. That's fine, but it doesn't work for me--I made a handful of designs in Canva and then noodled around with them myself and ended up liking my own versions better every time.

Canva's not bad for prototyping. But I couldn't get the kind of visual composition I wanted, the lines on some of the artwork were too thin and I didn't think they'd print up clearly, and it overall looked too perfect and starchy and not like something I made. Bleh.

So I ditched it and kept making my stuff by hand. It takes longer, but I have a distinct style Canva can't replicate.

(Krita beloved. <3)

As promised, here's the scrapped early Canva version of the design, and the mockup for an inactive product listing--I tried putting this design on a pair of men's swim trunks, but:

The mockup images available on PlaceIt are annoying to work with (they all either didn't show the design well or wanted to put it on both sides) and also I'm too ace for this.

They're expensive, so you have to charge a lot to make any profit.

All the men's swimwear options Printify offers come from China, and their sizing is weird. The 3XL has a 38-inch waist. (Possibly this is without the elastic stretched at all, but still.)

I mean, I'll reactivate it if someone wants... it is summer, after all.

You know what, fuck it. Have your man chest and buy the trunks too. Get 'em here. Make sure you check the size table in the description.

Might as well do the Invictus Maneo trunks too.

[Image ID #1: An early version of the Fluctuat Nec Mergitur design. It features the words "fluctuat nec mergitur" in a clean-looking script font and line art of a sailboat on a wave, in white on a plain black background. End ID.]

[Image ID #2: A product mockup photo of the current Fluctuat Nec Mergitur design on a pair of aqua blue swim trunks, in which a guy with a six-pack, a surfboard, and a man bun stands on a beach wearing the swim trunks and gazing into the distance with a sultry expression. Seems like he mighta skipped leg day though. I'm not convinced he's a surfer. End ID, I guess.]

[redvioletarts]

I'm so normal about IBM 7094 and Daisy Bell. So normal.

Bell Labs in the early sixties. You know what kind of stuff they were working on back then? The first continuous-light laser. The Telstar spacecraft. The first worldwide TV broadcast, bringing one of President Kennedy's press conferences global in the kind of groundbreaking display of communications technology that eventually paved the way for, y'know, the same kind of global communications technology you're using right now to see this.

And they also had a team of programmers teach this computer to sing. Not the national anthem, not a well-known hymn, not even the alphabet song--they taught it a goofy love song that was already nearly seventy years old at the time. My pet theory is that the name Daisy Bell made a cute pun with Bell Labs and they just went with it.

Maybe they just did it for the PR, but... I doubt it. You work with computers this much, you start to get sentimental about them.

All this work on a computer with the processing power of a calculator so we could meme about Hatsune Miku's grandfather sixty-five years later. ...Worth it.

Of course, with me, y'all know what's coming next. Get t-shirted.

Daisy Bell Lyric T-Shirt

[Image ID #1: A photo mockup showing two smiling women with their arms linked and their heads resting on each other, standing in a sunny room indoors. Both wear jeans and matching T-shirts with the lyrics "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do / I'm half crazy all for the love of you" in hand lettering, curved to fit whimsically around ten hand-drawn daisies. The shirts are dark brown, with white-and-yellow art and lettering. End ID.]

[Image ID #2: A photo mockup showing another smiling woman standing in a living room. She also wears jeans and a T-shirt with the same design, but the base T-shirt color is olive green.]

I used a computer thousands of times more powerful than IBM 7094 to make this artwork, and another one to upload it and configure it on a handful of different products (T-shirt, throw pillow, sweatshirt, and both a cotton and a polyester tote bag). It's in like four different databases and an integration system--I should know, because I wrote a ton of metadata for them to make sure people could find my stuff. When you buy one, a message goes back through the entire tech stack and sends my print partner your custom order, which they then produce and mail out to you in a matter of DAYS.

(How the fuck did we get here from there?)

Anyway, these are great T-shirts! They're super soft, go all the way up to 3X in sizing, and they're manufactured by Bella + Canvas, which has platinum WRAP certification (a huge labor standards org--you can read about their deal here). And they come in five colors!

Get yours here <3

[redvioletarts]

Story time: Etsy vs. Redbubble

This one's for the other artists out there who might be thinking about making a shop like mine.

I've been making print on demand stuff for about ten years, well before it was a Side Hustle TM that tech bros claimed would make you thousands of dollars a month if you just use AI to make your images and your mockups and your product descriptions. (Pass.)

But I didn't start on Etsy. I used to sell on Redbubble, which does a lot of work for you, but at the cost of not having the kind of control over product quality that you get from using Etsy with Printify integration and doing a lot of the work by hand. With my setup now, I can choose the brand of blank product I'm using, choose the printing companies I'm sending orders to, and even really simple things like only offering certain T-shirt colors for a given design.

(Redbubble offers EVERY color they have and you can't change it, so I was always putting white outlines on things to make sure that the design would at least show up on every color. You'd think that people just wouldn't order a black design on a black T-shirt, but I've made the mistake of ordering a purple shirt with black text from Redbubble and being surprised at how dark the color was. You can still see the white outlines on a few of my older designs, like the Wreaking Havoc for Fun and Profit cat. AI will not think about this for you, by the way.)

Redbubble's also been doing some weird desperate shit where new artists or anyone who doesn't sell frequently enough can get their commission yoinked by some kind of membership fee thing. I wasn't personally affected by this, because a) I'd already started moving to Etsy, and b) my Redbubble shop had already sold enough to not have to deal with those fees. I don't upload there any more, though. Not a fan of the thing they're doing. I don't recommend that anyone start there any more. Society6 has been doing basically the same thing but worse (some artists can't even set their own profit margin, and S6 sets it for them at a measly ten percent), so don't go there either.

Moving to Etsy was a lot of work and required some cash investment, but I think it's been worth it. I'm happier with the stuff I've been selling, I'm getting neat stuff in the hands of more people, and my shop looks a lot nicer when I'm in more control of it.

If you're starting out with a shop like this, some business advice:

Being in Redbubble's marketplace counts for a lot less than you think. Same with Etsy, honestly. You will be doing your own marketing.

Etsy's on-site ad program is unlikely to make you a profit, but it can get you a little bit of traction. Don't spend too much on Etsy ads. It's easy to make some pretty chunky losses hoping they'll pay off over time. If you use them, narrow it down to your products that are already selling pretty well (or have sold at all) and the ones that make the best profit margin. Don't use it to advertise stickers.

Consider going straight to Shopify instead of Etsy if you're really good at using social media to market. (I am not. Though I may end up there anyway.) Host it yourself so you're not paying too much; I use GreenGeeks for web hosting and they've always been good. Shopify and WordPress will take some Googling to install and use, but don't be intimidated; I have set up a Shopify store before and it's not that bad. This is because--

Etsy absolutely will nickel and dime you all over the place and they can end up taking (as of this writing, give or take) about a 15% cut depending on a whole bunch of complicated rules. This can kill products like stickers and pins, which are generally low-priced enough that the twenty cent listing renewal fee actually matters to your profit margin. However, people are willing to pay more for those than you'd expect if they like your designs, so don't set your prices too low.

Happy selling!

[redvioletarts]

Latin Series: Helluo Librorum

[Image IDs: Five product mockups featuring the same design on different objects. The design is the hand-lettered Latin phrase "Helluo Librorum" in a warm French gray, with a fancy loopy L and the spine of a closed book supporting the words. The product mockups show it on (in order) a black 11oz coffee mug sitting on a table, a dark blue T-shirt worn by a woman reading next to a window, a dark blue throw pillow sitting on a chair in a coffee shop, a dark blue tote bag with black handles hung on the corner of a chair, and a laptop sticker with a white border. End ID.]

I love this design. The phrase "Helluo Librorum" translates from Latin to "glutton for books," which delights me. I spent a deceptively long time getting the lettering and graphic just right, and I really like the colors I ended up picking.

Etsy's algorithm has been ignoring the hell out of it, though, so I'm going to plug it here. Buy the book nerd stuff! It makes me happy when people order and enjoy my art! Also I wanna get out of my parents' house and this helps!

If you have a different favorite Latin phrase, check my shop--I might already have made stuff for it. Or send me an ask, because I'm always making new things. <3

Links to get 'em:

Coffee mug! ☆ T-shirt! ☆ Throw pillow! ☆ Tote bag! ☆ Sticker!

[redvioletarts]

Novel Loading Progress Bar Stickers & Notebooks to help you track your writing

[Image ID: five stickers displayed against a wooden textured background. Each says "Novel Loading" in hand lettering, alternating light and dark letters in the sticker color, above a blank progress bar with each quarter marked, and below that is written "Word Count Goal:", a blank space to fill in, and "K" as an abbreviation for one thousand. The stickers come in kelly green, violet purple, denim blue, rosy pink, and dark red. End ID.]

You know what sucks about writing? It's lonely, at least most of the time. Unless you've got a rabid AO3 or Patreon readership waiting for your next chapter, or a really dedicated writer's group, you end up spending a lot of time just plugging away at what looks to other people like basically the same task... all. the. time.

[Image ID: Mockup of a person sitting on a fluffy blanket, holding a pen and a pale blue notebook featuring the same Novel Loading artwork as the stickers above. They rest their wrists and the notebook on a coordinating blue fluffy pillow. End ID.]

"When are you going to finish that so I can read it?" your friends ask, inevitably when you're at that 75% mark and you hate every word you're putting down. You really don't have an answer.

Now you can get a sticker (for all you laptop and phone writers) or a notebook (for the longhand sentimentalists, or those who like keeping a writing journal specifically to write about their writing) that has a visual progress tracker right on the front, ready to be filled in with your favorite Sharpie.

Both come in five colors to match the vibe of your story--or enable you to track more than one story at once without mixing them up!

[Image IDs: First image shows a person sitting on a bench with a pencil and the pink version of the Novel Loading notebook. Second image shows the red version on a black desk surrounded by black and gold office supplies. End ID.]

We writers know progress on a novel isn't exactly linear--a thousand words near the beginning of the novel is usually way easier than a thousand words dragged sentence-by-sentence out of your brain as you're poring through your notes trying to tie everything together near the end. But who cares? Rip off the loading bar idea from the programmers--they're BSing it too!

Fun fact! Most of the loading bar graphics you see on computers are fake--they're just there to reassure you the computer hasn't frozen. But by gum do they make us feel better.

So slap a loading bar on your novel! Track your progress visually to keep yourself motivated, give your friends an opportunity to encourage you, and maybe meet some new writer buddies when you're sitting in a coffee shop with your laptop sporting one of these stickers.

Or get the perfect gift for your writer friend--because seriously, how do you buy for a writer? New notebooks, obviously. Yeah, they have about eighteen blank ones stuck in a box already and they mostly write on their laptop, but they still get really excited every time they get fresh paper. It's a writer thing.

(Yours truly once asked for loose-leaf binder paper for Christmas as a kid. No, my family never let me live this down.)

Both products ship out pretty quickly from my print partners. The stickers are nice splash-resistant vinyl ones, and the notebooks are hardback with a smooth matte finish that feels good in your hand.

Get the sticker here, and the notebook here!

[redvioletarts]

Caution: This Person May Randomly Break Into Song

This one is for anyone who knows that "slime tutorial" isn't always about messy desk toys.

For the theater nerds, the choir kids, the people who already know the soundtrack to that new animated film with the wide-eyed protagonist with curly hair and the animal companion. You know the one. Hell, you already know all the lyrics.

And your neighbors know exactly what time you shower, because hey, belting out show tunes is cheaper than therapy.

So is the T-shirt, by the way. And the pin!

[redvioletarts]

[Image ID: A photo of an 11oz black coffee mug with a custom design in white lineart and hand-lettered text. It says "Dear FBI" in large print over art of an Internet search bar with suggested previous searches below. The text in the search bar says "I'm A Writer I Swear" in all caps, and the previous searches read "detect gps tracker on car," "arsenic lethal dose," and "black market prices for..." with the rest of the text cut off. End ID.]

Lines printed up great on this one! The text came out nice and clear.

Writing research got you looking sketchy lately? Throw the Feds off your trail by also buying this. Guaranteed to not get you investigated for your weird search history. Probably. ...Well, it won't hurt.

(Maybe you should get a VPN in any case.)

The design prints up on both sides, to be fair to the lefties for once. All my mugs do.

Dear FBI, I'm A Writer I Swear <- get yours!

[redvioletarts]

Tyvm to the person who bought this 30 minutes ago 🥰

[redvioletarts]

Screw Adenosine Caffeine Molecule Mug

[Image ID: A photo mockup of a person with long hair, glasses, and a gray sweater, holding up an 11oz black ceramic coffee mug that features a white line drawing of a caffeine molecule and the words "Screw Adenosine" in white all-caps hand lettering.]

The point of this one might be a little obscure for some bystanders, but I know you get the joke, dear reader. But just in case: adenosine is the neurotransmitter that makes you feel sleepy. Caffeine blocks the receptors so you can ignore that shit... for a time. But who cares? You've got code to compile and fanfic to read now.

This mug is an excellent gift for anyone who thinks a circadian rhythm is that thing with the insects every seven years. Microwave and dishwasher safe. Get it here!

[redvioletarts]

Didn't Die Today

Appropriate to display on days you did not die. Please cover if you were bitten by a vampire or have otherwise died in the past 24 hours. The sarcasm level of the thumbs-up is entirely up to you and what your face is doing.

Comes in three sizes--get it here.

[captain-ozone]

when you can’t remember the word for ‘cremation’ so you have to google ‘corpse incineration.’

[redvioletarts]

[Image ID: A photo of an 11oz black coffee mug with a custom design in white lineart and hand-lettered text. It says "Dear FBI" in large print over art of an Internet search bar with suggested previous searches below. The text in the search bar says "I'm A Writer I Swear" in all caps, and the previous searches read "detect gps tracker on car," "arsenic lethal dose," and "black market prices for..." with the rest of the text cut off. End ID.]

Lines printed up great on this one! The text came out nice and clear.

Writing research got you looking sketchy lately? Throw the Feds off your trail by also buying this. Guaranteed to not get you investigated for your weird search history. Probably. ...Well, it won't hurt.

(Maybe you should get a VPN in any case.)

The design prints up on both sides, to be fair to the lefties for once. All my mugs do.

Dear FBI, I'm A Writer I Swear <- get yours!

[redvioletarts]

What Would Lady Macbeth Do?

This one's a shop favorite. I had one guy willing to pay international shipping to get his sent all the way to Germany. Now that's dedication to the Scottish Play, and to our favorite bad (?) role model.

In the extremely good words of one of my friends: "We support women's rights AND women's wrongs."

"Hot potato, orchestra stalls, Puck will make amends" not included.

Get it here!

[redvioletarts]

[Image ID: A sticker featuring simple monochrome art of a blue fountain pen and the hand-lettered words "Always Plotting Something". It's displayed on the palm rest of a laptop. The sticker is kiss-cut, so its outline is close to the shape of the design.]

Always Plotting Something Sticker

These have been really popular lately!

"I bought this as a gift for my writer friend and she absolutely loved it." - Keona

"As a writer, this quote is so true for me LOL. Sticker quality is great, shipping wasn't too bad!" - T Misthios

"Love it. Great sticker!! Great quality." - Melinda Brown

There's something about the mischief in this one. Writers wearing a devious grin are probably thinking about what to do next to their characters, but who knows? We pick up a lot of niche expertise, and we're known to occasionally try batshit plans in real life. In the name of research, obviously.

(Yours truly once slept with a bo staff to see how uncomfortable it'd be for a wizard to sleep armed. It's very doable, btw.)

Stickers are durable vinyl, four sizes, splash resistant but not totally waterproof. S tier option for decorating laptops and water bottles. Get yours here!

[redvioletarts]

I Can Keep Houseplants Alive, What's Your Superpower? T-Shirt

[Image desc: A woman with a ponytail and a peaceful expression sitting cross-legged in a greenhouse, surrounded by plants, and wearing a brown T-shirt that says "I can keep houseplants alive, what's your superpower?" in pale green all-caps hand lettering, with art of a houseplant in the center. End ID.]

Some of us... are not good at houseplants.

Some of us, the houseplants are in better health than we are. Physically? Yes. Mentally? I don't wanna talk about it.

This is for the latter kind of person. I see you. I am you. Here's a T-shirt.

And a sweatshirt. And a tote bag. And a throw pillow. And a sticker.

[redvioletarts]

Pins for programmers, geeks, and compsci nerds

You Had Me At Hello World

"Hello World" is a really old tradition, by tech standards--the Jargon File dates it back to the classic C/Unix days. It's the first test message you print to standard output when you're learning a new programming language.

These days, you might also throw a "Hello World" in a <p> element real quick when you're checking whether your new website's DNS has propagated or your WordPress install is displaying posts cleanly. Maybe it's even what you write in a sample doc when you want to make sure your printer's hooked up right. Basically, it's the minimalist Lorem Ipsum of the programmer world.

And now it's a pin. For fashion. Geeky, geeky fashion.

Progress Incremented

The ++ symbol (aka the incrementor) is often used to express approval or "good job!" in coding circles. Get this pin to celebrate your progress.

Magic / More Magic

The Magic / More Magic Switch is a reference to a piece of obscure old-school hacker lore. Some geek long ago (in the PDP-10 era!) managed to make a switch that, in theory, really shouldn't have been able to do anything, but because of a fluke of electrical engineering it'd crash the computer if you flipped it from "more magic" to just "magic."

Fortunately, the switch on the pin will stay on "more magic" forever, because that's how it's drawn. An excellent good-luck charm for your favorite computer engineer.

Inadvisably Applied JS

JavaScript (derogatory) -- but that doesn't mean we'll stop reaching for it to do... probably too much, from little bits of swoopy animations on a website's front end to whatever random thing you need to hack together with a scripting language real quick.

The design is very human. Is it scalable? No. Is it maintainable? No. Is it portable? ...Not really. But at least the pin is! Get it here.