Today we bring you Dr Popcorn Apparel, a brand with a funny name, yet quite dark and gritty designs. The name Dr Popcorn brings many questions to mind: who is this doctor? Is he really a doctor? How many patients has the good doctor lost to dream up twisted t-shirt designs such as these? And where does one even get a doctorate in popcorn-ology? Rest assured, all of your questions and more will be answered in this review!*
*All of your questions may not actually be answered in this review
Background
Dr Popcorn Apparel (DPA) was established in 2010 in Sheffield, England, UK. At Best T-Shirts Ever, we hear a lot of t-shirt designers say they want to design something unique and interesting. Few actually achieve this goal. So, it’s always refreshing to come across genuinely unique designs and art styles, such as the designs available from DPA which are made up of many different forms of media / materials. Dr Popcorn reports that were many doubters surrounding the appeal and sinister aesthetic of their designs, yet the doctor still believes that going against the grain and offering an alternative to the mainstream is the only way to go about business.
I asked the Dr about his design process, his reply:
“…in general they all follow a very similar process of development. All designs are completed through Adobe Photoshop – each involves some or all of the following media: ink, pencil, charcoal, painting, photography and digital painting. All designs are done by one man… the dr. There is no serious artistic thought process whatsoever behind any of our designs. If we think something is going to look badass we try it out… if we think something is going to make it look even more badass… you guessed it, we are going to try pull it off. “
Designs
Now let’s take a look at some of our favorite designs!
Edward (aka Kathryn for the ladies)
Based on a very old photo, Edward looked like he was the man for the job (real name unknown). Using hand drawn elements including the light bulb, clouds and the ostrich in the bottom right (yes an ostrich…I don’t know so don’t ask lol).
Gabriel (aka Aiden for the gents)
There are more elements in Gabriel than most of the other designs. Ink drawn skull with the dr.’s signature hatching style, hand drawn leaves, photos of birds, a wasp nest, collar and jacket are just some of the media included in this design.
Samuel (aka Luke for the ladies)
Features a hand drawn bird skull in ink, there’s a fishing reel in the eye of the crow which makes it more interesting to look at, whether people spot the details or not. He’s got a comb-over too, because they’re creepy.
Albert (aka Jessy for the gents)
Includes hand drawn pylon/telegraph pole in pencil, fully digital drawn and re-rendered face and use of digital painting to bring all elements together. Bares some resemblance to Einstein (the dr. likes Einstein) – also, his head is smoking.
Details
Sizes: Men’s available in sizes S-XL, Women’s available in sizes S-L
Colors: White
Price: £27.00 (Approximately $43 US dollars) with free postage within the UK.
Designs are printed with water based inks through the direct to garment process to ensure the softest and most natural feel possible. These prints are not going to crack and you can’t feel them on your skin. All tees come in their very own hand printed box. Dr Popcorn is very proud that all of their t-shirts are fair trade approved by the Fair Wear Foundation.
I really appreciate the Dr Popcorn product. The many forms of media combined into one design really adds to the dark aesthetic. The level of detail in design is awesome, look close and you’ll find something you didn’t notice originally. I’m definitely looking forward to what’s next from the doctor!
DPA have seasonal drops, so make sure you follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr for all the latest updates!
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