The Grunge - or - How to make a new shirt look old.

New shirts looking old is all the rage today. You can see it in every store. Target, Walmart, Old Navy, Aeropostale, etc. Achieving that look on your graphics is pretty easy. There are two general approaches. The easiest and most expensive (we always have to pay for convenience) are pre-made photoshop filters. MisterRetro offers some great image filters that can torture your image in an almost infinite number of ways. A cheaper but slightly more labor intensive way to add character to your graphic is using the standard filters offered by photoshop and combining them with textured art. Here are some links to online tutorials for distressing artwork:
One
Two
Three
Four
I have used both and I feel I have more control with the latter. Remember to take into account how the shirt will be printed and what color blank you will use. Some printing techniques used to print on dark shirts first put down a white layer before printing the colored layer. This will frequently lead to a less than desirable final result (a la CafePress).

What makes a good t-shirt?

I don't know if I have figured out the formula for a good t-shirt. I know it when I see and wear one but why is it good? Obviously there is a component of fit and feel. The fabric has to hang well and caress the skin. But what of the design? I think a balance exists within the design. It has to complement the shirt as much as the shirt complements the design. The colors have to be right. The texture must harmonize.
I think most people would agree that a worn in t-shirt "feels" better than a new one. There may be a component of current fashion in the statement but, in general, worn cloths feel better than new clothes. There may be exceptions. Jeans, however, are the prime example of a material that conforms to the wearer. The more you wear a pair, the more comfortable they become.
I recently came across an interview in GQ magazine (March 08, I think) where a well known hair stylist stated that he never washed his jeans, just threw them in the ocean and let them dry. Perhaps an extreme. To that end I researched reasonably easy techniques to "age" a new t-shirt. There are multiple methods but the one I tried was soaking the shirt in salt and white vinegar for a couple of days then washing and drying it. I got mediocre results. I also tried borax and salt soaks. Again, mediocre results. The shirt came out better than it was but not how I wanted it. Suggestions?

Ahhhh...Smell the freedom of the wide open Net!

Hello?
Whoa.
I think there's an echo. Bob? Is that you in the back? No? OK.
Well, I guess people are still coming in so let me go ahead and start.
Can everyone hear me? Is the mic working? OK.
Well, I've been spending an inordinate amount of time on my new obsession, t-shirts, so I thought I would share some of my diligent work with others of the same ilk. I'm going to talk about design, fashion, fabric, graphics, technique, marketing, color, tools, and any other thing that I can find that goes into making our favorite t-shirt. The one we want to wear all the time but have to wash just because people started complaining. There aren't many. They are hard to find. We may even go a long time without one. But, when it comes into your world, your stuck. It's like falling in love. This shirt feels good and it makes you look good. What else can you ask for?
A little obsessive? Perhaps. Maybe it's just my mood.
OK. Let's start with some useful links I have found and maybe later I'll go into my t-shirt past.

Design: Great site that allows you to vectorize any graphic file you have laying around so it will be compatible with Adobe Illustrator and other vector art programs. I've used this multiple times. It used to be free but they are, unfortunately, cashing in. Good for them.
VectorMagic.com