If you\u2019re serious about creating art to be sold on a range of products, think about the end result before you sit down to draw or paint. Do you want to create beautiful notebooks? Provocative slogan tees? Or simply reproduce your originals as art prints?<\/p> Whilst you can manipulate elements of your design digitally to fit different aspect ratios, you will find it easier to create products that sell by working back from your vision for the finished product.<\/p> For example, if you want to create t-shirts, A3 portrait works well. If you want to create mugs, you\u2019ll need a wide, horizontal rectangle instead.<\/p> If you plan to sell products through Teemill, here are the printable areas available for some of the most popular products:<\/p> Adult T-shirts & Jumpers: 30cm x 40cm Photoshop templates: <\/strong>We've created Photoshop templates to make creating your designs outside of Teemill easy - download them here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p> On top of orientation and aspect ratio, also consider colour. Designs that stand out on a black t-shirt might be hard to see on a white one. When you create a free account through Teemill, you can go to the Teemill Studio<\/a><\/u> to see all available colours across all products and plan your designs accordingly.<\/p> Here\u2019s how wildlife artist Chad Killoran (pictured above), an artist and wildlife enthusiast who sells his work on a range of clothing<\/a>, takes colour into consideration:<\/p> \u201cBefore starting a design for a t-shirt, I look at the colours of the Teemill t-shirts so that I can figure out my design colour palette. For example, for my panda design, I created the pink of the panda's tongue and the green of the bamboo so that the artwork would complement and contrast nicely with the mauve colour in Teemill's range.\u201d<\/em> It\u2019s time to bring your paper-based design into the digital world to prep it for printing. Following best practices is essential if you want to upload your artwork to a print-on-demand platform like Teemill.<\/p> There are a few ways to digitise your art:<\/p> Scan it in. <\/strong>If you have access to a scanner, scan the artwork at high resolution.<\/p><\/li> Use a camera or smartphone to take a photo. <\/strong>Make sure there are no shadows or reflections. Shoot as close as possible to the artwork, with a birdseye view, and use a grid to make sure your phone is level.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p><\/li><\/ul> <\/p> Here\u2019s Chad\u2019s advice:<\/p> \u201cThe camera I use is an Olympus OMD Mark ii with an Olympus 45mm fixed lens. This camera and lens combo is reasonably priced and I find it gives great, high-quality results for taking photos of artwork. I use a setting which allows you to take a high-quality JPEG photo as well as a Camera Raw file.\u201d<\/em><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> A simple trick is to take your photo in natural light, outside if possible. Chad tells us:<\/p> \u201cI find direct sunlight is great for work created with colour pencils, alcohol-based markers, watercolour and acrylic paint. Graphite pencil, ballpoint pen and fineliner pen I find tend to catch the light too much in direct sunlight, so for these I still take the photo outside on a sunny day but in a shady spot with an even amount of shade, usually propped against a wall.\u201d<\/em><\/p> Utilising sunlight will deliver a better colour match too, keeping your products as authentic to the original as possible.<\/p> However you do it, the key is capturing a clean, clear, high-quality image.<\/p> <\/p> Once your drawing is digital, it\u2019s time to polish it up and make it print-ready.<\/p> \ud83d\udca1 Psst\u2026 find our cheat sheet at the bottom of this post.<\/em><\/p> You can use the Adobe Capture<\/strong> app, Canva <\/strong>or Photoshop<\/strong> to clean up your image, remove any shadows and remove the background if appropriate (e.g. if you have a white background and the design will be printed on a white t-shirt).<\/p> To achieve this, the background was removed and elements were rearranged on the canvas. Colours taken directly from the original artwork were used to add borders and text, turning a drawing on paper into a wearable, commercially-appealing graphic tee. <\/p> \u201cI draw all of my own work on heavy watercolour paper in pencil; this adds a subtle texture to each work. I continue in fine pen, when complete, I scan in each image at 600dpi, this ensures a super high-res final illustration which can be made at any size.<\/em><\/p> I add all the colour in Photoshop, here is where I make any adjustments to the drawing, this can be laborious, when I'm finished I make sure it's cut out as PNG, Photoshop can do this automatically, but I usually finish it manually in Photoshop, to make sure there is no rogue fraying of the final PNG. A crisp, transparent PNG enables the colour of the final products to come through the illustration, enabling the fabric, paper or ceramic texture to add to the overall look.\u201d<\/em><\/p> Paul\u2019s top tip is to take the time to create really high-quality illustrations. Wait a day before sharing a design to give yourself the chance to look at it with fresh eyes.<\/p> A top tip from Chad is to edit from Camera Raw files if you have photographed your art. This means you get more editing capabilities without losing quality. Photoshop allows for Raw file editing and allows you to get the colours and contrast as close to the original as possible. He adds,<\/p> \u201cFor some designs, I use Photoshop to create geometric shapes to complement my artwork, for example, my wolf t-shirt design.\u201d<\/em><\/p> <\/p> Thin lines and text <\/p> Saturation and colours On the screen, colours often appear brighter than on the printed products. We recommend you increase the contrast and saturation levels of your artwork to a high degree. What may look a bit \u201dtoo much\u201d on the screen will look just right in print.<\/p> <\/p> Beware of different printing methods<\/strong><\/p> While most products are printed using Direct-To-Garment (DTG) technology, about 5% are printed using Direct-To-Film (DTF). We employ DTF for products with an irregular shape, products that feature zips, and those made from materials that aren\u2019t suitable for our DTG printers.<\/p> The DTF process involves printing your design onto recycled transfer film with water-based, non-toxic inks. This design is then coated in adhesive powder and transferred to the fabric using a heat press. The result is a durable, high-quality print that sits on top of the fabric as a thin layer.<\/p> This method is applied to a small minority of orders, but if you expect to sell a high volume of the products specifically printed with DTF, you will need to take the following guidelines into consideration. These are:<\/p> Unisex Quarter-zip Sweatshirts<\/p><\/li> Unisex Full Zip Hoodies<\/p><\/li> Organic Cotton Caps<\/p><\/li> Organic Beach Bags<\/p><\/li> Organic Duffle Bags<\/p><\/li> Accessory Pouches<\/p><\/li> Recycled Twin Handle Roll Top Backpacks<\/p><\/li> Mini Recycled Roll Top Backpacks<\/p><\/li> Stuff Bags<\/p><\/li><\/ul> <\/p> To ensure your print lasts and looks professional, adhere to these strict limits:<\/p> Minimum Detail Width:<\/strong> All lines, text, and dots must be at least 3mm<\/strong> wide. Lines finer than this cannot reliably translate to the product and may lead to peeling or missing sections. There won\u2019t be enough surface area for the adhesive powder to \u2018grab\u2019 the fabric.<\/p><\/li> No Fades or Gradients:<\/strong> DTF technology cannot reproduce smooth gradients or blended colours. Stick to distinct block colours.<\/p><\/li> Print Weight:<\/strong> Avoid designs that cover the entire printable area. Because DTF sits on top of the fabric rather than soaking in, large, solid prints can feel heavy or thick.<\/p><\/li><\/ul> <\/p> Using a 200dpi <\/strong>(dots per inch) setting is enough for t-shirts, though for accessories like mugs or notebooks, you\u2019ll want to use 300dpi.<\/strong><\/p> What we need to remember is that a t-shirt is made of threads. We have measured that there are about 100 threads per inch, so 200dpi is still very precise for a design printed on a product. If your designs are blurry, it is most likely because your resolution is too low. If you do not fix this, then the prints received will reflect the blurriness of your artwork.<\/p> For the best quality results, vectorise<\/strong> your artwork. Tools like recraft.ai<\/a> will do this for you. Vectorising ensures that your design won\u2019t become pixelated as you scale it up or down to suit different product types. Vectorising also ensures cleaner lines for block colours.<\/p> For our complete guide on design set-up, click here.<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Now comes the fun part - turning your artwork into products.<\/p> Upload your PNG to the print-on-demand platform of your choice. You\u2019ll want a simple, clean editor that makes it easy to make any further simple edits to your artwork.<\/p> You can place your design on a wide range of items across 40+ colours, like t-shirts, tote bags, notebooks, and professional giclee fine art prints and recycled canvases<\/a><\/u>. It\u2019s the easiest way to start a print-on-demand store and showcase your unique style. Find the full product range here.<\/a><\/u><\/p> Give your product an SEO<\/a>-friendly title, a description and set your price to determine how much profit you\u2019ll make on each sale.<\/p> Click here to see how much profit you could make.<\/a><\/strong><\/p> Now here\u2019s something awesome - you can instantly create mockups of your products to start marketing them straightaway. The mockups you create are saved to your Teemill Drive.<\/p> Once you hit Save, your product is live on your free Teemill website. You can use Teemill\u2019s intuitive no-code website builder to design your site and set up collections<\/a> of products.<\/p> Every time someone orders, your product is printed on-demand in a renewable-energy-powered factory, shipped to your customer, and you earn the profit.<\/p> \ud83c\udfa8 Whether you want to make money from your art online, collaborate with an artist for a special release or just create custom t-shirts for fun, this process makes it simple and sustainable.<\/p> Here\u2019s how stores in the Teemill community are selling art online today: The Little Studier Club<\/strong><\/p> By ordering samples of her products (made available at wholesale prices for Teemill stores), she was able to inject her own style and personality into the photography<\/a> on the store, showing just how much little ones love wearing her designs.<\/p> After a career in the Fashion Industry as a Textile Designer, she was aware of the vast textile waste problem. That\u2019s why she opted for sustainable, circular print-on-demand to minimise waste and avoid unsold stock.<\/p> Every Teemill product can be returned to be remade into new products when it\u2019s worn out, to save it from landfill. Customers just need to scan the QR code in the care label to send it back.<\/p> \u201cCreating attractive, considered, and environmentally conscious products is at the heart of everything I do. \u201c - Victoria<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote> Joe Lycett x Greenpeace<\/strong><\/p> Greenpeace UK<\/a>, an NGO campaigning for climate action, spotted an opportunity to join forces with comedian and artist Joe Lycett and create a collaboration that would make headlines and rack up millions of social media impressions. As part of an elaborate social media campaign, Joe gave Greenpeace the rights to print an original painting of Harry Styles onto tees and totes. Find out more about the campaign here.<\/a><\/p> By digitising Joe\u2019s artwork and tapping into his audience, Greenpeace pulled off one of our favourite t-shirt campaigns ever and raised over \u00a370k.<\/p> Alice Oseman x Eco Kaila<\/strong><\/p> This collaboration gives fans of the series an extra special product and helps Eco Kaila to boost brand awareness by tapping into an existing audience with strong social capital.<\/p> <\/p> \ud83d\udc49 Ready to get your art on some tees or partner with artists to create memorable products? Photograph in natural light<\/p><\/li> Shoot in Raw for greater flexibility in editing<\/p><\/li> Use 200dpi for clothing or 300dpi for non-clothing products<\/p><\/li> Design on a canvas of 2500px by 3500px (RGB)<\/p><\/li> Set opacity at 100%<\/p><\/li> Make sure all lines\/text are wider than 1mm or 3mm for DTF printing<\/p><\/li> Export your artwork as a transparent PNG or vectorise it and export as an SVG to ensure scalability<\/p><\/li> Avoid fades or glows<\/p><\/li> Avoid neon or metallic colours<\/p><\/li><\/ul> <\/p> \"I\u2019m so glad that I chose to use Teemill for my art and fashion business. I want to use my wildlife artwork to create a better future for the planet, so it\u2019s really important for me to be working alongside a company who really shares my values. I couldn\u2019t imagine working with a better company.<\/em>\" - Chad Killoran, wildlife artist<\/p> Thousands of creators choose Teemill and consider it to be the best print-on-demand platform for artists, thanks to:<\/p> No upfront costs <\/strong>or stock to manage - start for free<\/p><\/li> Print-on-demand<\/strong> powered by renewable energy, using water-based inks<\/p><\/li> Easy-to-use <\/strong>design tools<\/p><\/li> Ideal for both digital and traditional artists<\/strong><\/p><\/li> High-quality, <\/strong>detailed prints<\/p><\/li> Sell your art on t-shirts<\/strong>, fine art prints, canvases and more in minutes<\/p><\/li><\/ul> \u201cMy main reason for choosing Teemill was their eco-friendly credentials. The quality was also important, I like how Teemill is always evolving.\u201d<\/em> - Paul Harfleet, artist and LGBTQ+ activist<\/p> <\/p><\/blockquote> Ready to Turn Art Into a Business?<\/strong><\/p> Start today. Whether you\u2019re drawing with pen and paper or designing digitally, we make it easy to create print-on-demand products, open a free store, and sell your designs online.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/o9oxlndonkcxqylrngvuyj02nyaxgp4gutmj1a5x6u32ohon.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
\u2013 Jen Pyrah, founder of the brand Wren and Wilson,<\/a> states on their Teemill store, \"I wanted to bring my illustration creations into the world without doing any harm to it, which is why I only use eco-friendly materials and sustainable packaging.\"<\/em><\/p>
<\/p>Step 1: Design for the product<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ilyicdlbmv0pkxzo8lrg2lyxpyewcfzqwuvrskcvouhfv2uc.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
\u2013 Artist @kutovakika<\/a> brings her designs to life on t-shirts.<\/em><\/p>
Adults Hoodies: 36cm x 47cm
Kids\u2019 T-shirts: 19cm x 25cm
Kids' Jumpers & Hoodies: 22cm x 29cm
Mugs: 9cm x 20cm
Notebooks: 12cm x 19cm
Tote Bags: 19cm x 25cm
Tea Towel: 30cm x 40cm
Sticker: 6cm x 6cm
Apron: 22cm x 29cm
1000 Piece Jigsaw: 70cm x 51cm<\/p>
<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7fcmy5u6uthuce7rqogx6rj5lcvlzj01xhxwvsqlmlfdd8ue.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
-- Chad's panda design complements the Mauve Kids' T-Shirt<\/em><\/p>
Important: <\/strong>You must make sure you\u2019ve obtained all the relevant rights and permissions and are not breaching copyright restrictions by selling your designs.<\/p>
Step 2: Digitise Your Hand-Drawn Artwork<\/strong><\/h2>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/sb6t54juo5frh0iyvwaix6cioxmiw5n2e2bbkxqtludnynzo.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
\u2013 T-shirt designed by Kasia Kozakiewicz for Shongweni Reserve's store<\/em><\/p>![\"sifov89upunpi6pvmlgeu7vjdxeu5cevezgkdf06h12kbqgq.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/sifov89upunpi6pvmlgeu7vjdxeu5cevezgkdf06h12kbqgq.png.png?w=1140&v=2\")
![\"ns3ett9ryzh9utdbo6tazjppgtifnci1gnasyjr6fhoje9h6.png.png?w=1140&v=2\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/ns3ett9ryzh9utdbo6tazjppgtifnci1gnasyjr6fhoje9h6.png.png?w=1140&v=2\")
<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/vidhb8kaqwxz10qe7ardllz5ydoqud6l0bn8k4mmhex8o4yg.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
\u2013 Kitty Joseph, fashion designer, wearing her own design<\/em><\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8h3uorhotrnglht5f2iucss6qvftehbup3afc4rrjvluh1fb.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
-- That's Gabi<\/em>
<\/p>Step 3: Enhance Your Design with Creative Tools<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/thc74ej6deiuy13eqhtbkjvsgsfep4vvgkwegxjwtvs35mtb.png.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7xpif3sabnya4ydru5zjflnrd2s2yuho3tf7eawomagxmezi.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
The Zoological Society London (ZSL) took their archive of wildlife illustrations from paper to Photoshop and transformed them into modern t-shirt prints with the help of the Teemill team (above).<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/hn4tfqcj4pr4pf0pyxdriy1vppl8qojybps2oyyqqe7jioaz.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
Artist Paul Harfleet (pictured above), who sells his ornithological designs<\/a> on a range of products through Teemill, shared his process with us:<\/p>
<\/strong>If your design has fine detail, you need to make sure all line-work or text is wider than 1mm. Otherwise, you could be left with bits of your design missing or blurred when it\u2019s printed.<\/p>
<\/strong>Avoid transparency, fades, flows, neon or metallic colours as Direct-To-Garment (DTG) printers will not be able to create these effects. The tech will match these to the closest normal colour.<\/p>
File exporting - canvas size, file type and DPI
<\/strong>We recommend saving your artwork on a 2500px by 3500px canvas in RGB. <\/strong>This is the size of a standard t-shirt\u2019s print area. You\u2019ll find Photoshop templates for different products here.<\/a><\/p>Step 4: Create Products and Launch Your Store<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/7m988rlvcl3pbdaum5zmeslt6qe80vwlbsw8u5rcg7on37ha.png.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
Teemill's design Studio is a simple, beginner-friendly space to prepare your artwork for printing - add text or shapes, resize, recolour and more.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/phkxlolbrxybxcvf6unl0krubpztktgvr6qf5eewurqvmebp.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
\u2013 Paul Harfleet\u2019s A-Z bird jigsaw puzzle<\/a>, printed on recycled card<\/em><\/p>
If you still need to remove a white background on your design, use the magic wand tool in the Teemill Studio to remove it with a single click.<\/p>
<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/oszxegkeegsntlr16mhxbz8ptoiiahh0bodjdck7zvokkgq3.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
Victoria, illustrator, designer and mum, was inspired by the love and fascination her young son has for the natural world. She decided to create a collection of hand-drawn and painted designs to nurture his interests. She tapped into Teemill\u2019s fun range of organic cotton kids\u2019 clothing to create her store, The Little Studier Club<\/a><\/u>, filled with wonder and colour.<\/p>
<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/fzex9fjrzydnzkbndydyjqxzzkfrmu7ywl2ey4hft23lsavm.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
It\u2019s not just artists themselves who can benefit from selling art on t-shirts. Charities and organisations can partner with artists to create unique campaigns. Here\u2019s an example of this in action:<\/p>
<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/vx7in1ejyx2zmkmvadvwyeyjdmgcflddy78go6b7qusfbvmm.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
Writer and illustrator Alice Oseman partners with Teemill store Eco Kaila <\/a>every June to launch a limited edition design based on Alice\u2019s graphic novel and TV series \u2018Heartstopper\u2019. The profits from these exclusive designs, created by Alice, are sent to charities supporting LGBTQ+ causes.<\/p>
<\/em>Sign up to Teemill for free<\/a><\/u><\/em>.<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>
<\/p>Artwork Cheat Sheet:<\/strong><\/h2>
<\/p><\/blockquote>Why Artists Love Selling with Teemill<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/fvmecxbgitpavfy7ocfuhn61lwxdjwclnvnwiu2jbqr0ou6l.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=auto\" "\\"\\"")
\u2013 Designer @kutovakika shows the behind-the-scenes of how her t-shirts came to be<\/em><\/p>