Behind the Shirts is a weekly(ish) feature that runs Mondays on PopCultureTees and highlights cool people in the t-shirt design industry. We talk to designers, brand name movers and shakers, store owners and printers to bring you the inside 411 from the people who are living and breathing t-shirts and design. Think you have something to share with our readers? Contact us to participate.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you got started designing t-shirts?

I’ve been into drawing and art my whole life. I went to school and have a degree in graphic design and been doing graphic and web design professionally for about 8 or 9 years now.

Just recently, I ended a freelance relationship with one of the large t-shirt sites. I decided after that to do my own shirts and with my own designs. Being that I work full time as a web designer, I figured it would be a smooth transition.

What (or who) inspires your designs?

My husband, Jim, is always coming up with witty stuff to put on a shirt. He’s one of the funniest people I know.

I’m also inspired by skateboarding and the lifestyle. I’ve been skating for most of my life and have always been really into the artwork and culture.

There’s certain artists I really look up to: Hydro74 (Joshua Smith), Danny Jones (YASLY), and others. Johnny Cupcakes is an awesome designer as well in the tshirt/apparel world.

But basically, anything can inspire me if it strikes, from a crazy painting or drawing, to a leaf lying on the ground.

How do you design your t-shirts?

I usually hand draw it out first, then I’ll scan it in and use Illustrator to refine it. Sometimes if there’s crazy gradients or colors I’ll switch over to Photoshop.

Can you talk a little bit about your process for creating a new design, from concept to completion? How long does a design usually take to create?

It really depends on the design. Sometimes, I’ll be sketching and ideas will pop in my head. I’ll finish it up in my sketch book and then bring it over to the computer to finish it off. Other times I have brainstorming sessions with my husband. When I have a good saying or phrase, it takes me no time at all to take it to the computer. That’s how Vegetarian Vampire came about.

If you could see your t-shirt being worn by somebody famous, who would it be and why?

Probably a pro skateboarder or bmxer. Mostly because I have a couple friends who are pro and I’m going to be hooking them up with shirts J. If they wear one during an event, I’d be stoked.

Top 5 sources of online inspiration?

Hydro74.com
Threadless.com
Hypebeast.com
JohnnyCupcakes.com
Google images

Can you talk a little bit about the technology you use to run your store?

Since I work a lot at a fulltime job as well as freelance, I made it easy on myself and went with Spreadshirt as a fulfillment service. They handle the printing, payment, customer service, shipping and all of that. The printing and product is decent and they’re getting better and better at accepting all kinds of designs. (When they first started out, it was pretty limited.)

So all I have to do is design the shirts and keep the site running. Being that I’m a web designer full-time, I can incorporate my experience with the site. So it’s a fun project.

What was the biggest mistake you made when you first started selling tees online?

Probably, not treating it like a real business… meaning, I built it and kind of expected people to start buying stuff right away. It doesn’t work like that. I realized that you have to really advertise and get the stuff out there where people can see it. With all the other t-shirt companies out there, you have to get it out there and make it stand out. I have to remember to be patient and allow it to grow…and keep working on it consistently. I have to make sure to set aside time for it every week and not let it get stale.

What advice do you have for aspiring designers/store owners?

Probably the best advice I got was to be patient. Any business takes a while to grow. Get somewhat serious with it and stay consistent, and things should fall into place.

Do you have any new projects coming up that you’re really excited about?

I have tons of stuff going on all the time. But with this project in particular, I’m planning on branching it off and developing a sister site that is skateboarding related only. The “Dumiez” shirt, Banana Board, and a couple of others will be up there, then we have a series we’ve started on. We’re hoping to wrap that up by the end of the year.

A huge thank you to Amanda for sharing her experiences with us. You can check her store out here or give her some love in our comments.