Revolution, something weird and artsy, forget how it votes.

I really tried to take the revolution contest instructions to heart when I was designing this piece. A revolution for me was stepping away from the funny/punny mainstream jokes crafted for voters to place 5's on. Stepping away from something everyone would get.

The result was something very personal, something I would get even if no one else did. This design is meant to be a visual poem and statement on so many things important to me. Like a poem, its free to individual interpretation. I'ld love to hear what you see.

Over-size print on slate using simulated process. It can be shrunk down if necessary and alternate versions are available.

wiiierdd, coool, 5

SICK!!!! I love it, *hits Watch this* button....$5

:-O

Amazing illustration. $

This is phenomenally intense. I could tell it was a revolution sub. Wow.

Here's the link to the large other versions! Thanks so far!Enjoy!

coolness

GREAT $5

whoa. My mind is blown and I'm left speechless. all color options look intense. $5

solid

NEGA-VERSE VERSION pz!!!!!

5ved and buyed.

Very welll done!!! Your drawing skills are great!!! indeed you rdesign is a revolution!!! $5!!!

You definitely put the "forget what sells" to the test! bravo.

That is incredibly cool. I love the anti-color one, but the others are fantastic, too. :)

this is amazing

very cool rocky!

Lose the text.

Amazing you!!! $

Holy crap. I'm not sure if I'd buy this or not, but this is amazing. Maybe the negaverse one. 5 at least.

Isnt this to many colors?

waaaaa...great diversion from the norm!

great job on the splittings and separations.
nice, bold colors.

That's the weirdest thing I've seen in a long time, and awesomely well done. 5.

wow

whoa- thanks a ton everyone! I really wasn't sure how this would play on threadless.

Flash (wallywest101) this would use the simulated process method which could reduce it to CMYK+underlay bleach= 5 screens. For higher quality it could add more specific tones too. 8 screens would be plenty and within the color limit.

this is awesome

holy crap. holey crap. $5. $5.

wicked awesome!

I like this!

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.

so much skillzzz... not sure i want to where the budge smuggler around on my chest, but HOT design!

bravo for taking the revolution contest to heart and doing something this personal, richly symbolic, strange, and awesome. great work!

OMG! this is awsome 5$

holy shizzle!


5

So I have no idea what any of this is supposed to mean, but I love it. The original and the Nega-verse are both completely hardcore.

Not sure I'd buy it, but it definitely merits a solid 5.

whoa!

This is awesome. I absolutely love it. Great art.

Prodigious $5

hating the black one, loving the other two!

incredible illustration!!!!!

I choose the NAGGER-version!!!

intense!

awesome! $5

that's pretty rad. i love the exploded left leg.

WOW!! SUPER $555

Wow. I have a swirl of interpretation in my head and I'll need a minute to sort it all out. $5

gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! incredible competition on this contest!

wow, pretty intense stuff!

Ok here we go... I figured I'd provided my personal interpretation since no one stepped up yet. In short, this shirt MUST go to print and I absolutely MUST have it. $5. Sorry about the length ahead of time, my mind doesn't operate in succinct pieces.

We are a unique and complex consequence of time, both deeply flawed AND flawless, both structured AND chaotic, both diffuse AND driven, both free AND bound. I use 'And'. Not but, yet or...or. We can find this amazing duality in every single being and ask where do we come from, or still, what are we even made of? We know one of history's tales that never stray far from the mind; Eden, the snake and the apple. The snake tempts but there were still always two choices. Well, we know how that one turned out. But remember, that’s just a tale, a lesson for our mind. Who we really are, what defines us, could never be so simple. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming and consumes our thoughts, making true insight harder to grasp...and true vision so obtuse, that one may wonder whether we are even able to see, in a much grander, more real sense than with just our eyes, of course. For what are our eyes but only a small part of us that can only show us what limited input they can absorb? Our truest vision comes from our most valuable asset: our mind. Our mind connects our miles of organic material into the most remarkable force in the universe: consciousness. But with consciousness come questions, unanswered questions, and the need for a place in the universe, a purpose. So our minds try to wrap themselves around accepting our frailty and our perceived cosmic insignificance, each finding their own morals and beliefs in the vastness of space, wherever they can, from whatever pool of divinity they see fit, be it from intangible plains or from within. One human constant though, one truth to level the playing field, is the evasiveness of the Absolute. No one can lay claim to absolute truth and thus we are reminded that we are all are equally human again. But I digress. Of course, where would our mind be without our heart? We give the brain credit for our thoughts, but have been enamored by our hearts seeming will for centuries, often pitting their wills against each other, as if the whole of us were not strong enough to control the conflicts amongst our constituents. Too often are we forced (or force ourselves?) to weigh our wants against our needs, a personal battle that seems to carry on in perpetuity. But such driving forces can and do cause us much pain. We must be careful not to let our struggles overcome us, for they will break apart our inner balance and strength. It is possible to liberate ourselves from these tribulations if we can just connect with our entire selves. See, these everyday preoccupations tend to separate us from the inescapable but beautiful truth. We are but flesh and bone, skin and fat, organic matter hardly different than the clouds in the sky. We are not only a product of nature, but a part of nature itself. We are made from the same particles, the same cosmic seeds, as everything around us. It is this revelation, so difficult to wholly embrace in modern society, that can reconnection us with peace and balance. For with the revelation, we must accept that nothing is permanent and that our brief foray with consciousness (with every emotion, every experience, every memory) is just that: brief. Our personal tree can be "cut down" at any moment. This is not to be discouraging however, because behind it all, behind every bit of truth marked in stone and every question still unanswered, the gears of time will continue to inexorably turn, our universe pressing on. To what, it matters little doesn't it? Because you were here, you lived. And sometimes the unanswered is just as, and even more beautiful than the answers.

gaaaaaaasp

I wouldn't personally wear it but amazing work!

Kudos for doing something daringly different!

I think you've tapped into the spirit of the REVOLUTION contest very well.

I like the dark design the most.

Impressive work.

I bow to you. Bravo.

Wow!

WHAT - A - DESIGN

the only thing I find a bit disturbing the guy's left leg :-S

congrats anyway, deserved a full 5 from me.

if this doesn't win, i'll contemplate deleting my account... one of the most amazing illustrations i've ever seen! $$$555555$$$!!!

powerful!... it raises questions and makes a statement on so many levels... rad & very artsy.

Wow! You really took on the challenge! This is very appropriate for the contest, and it's great to see you pulled out all the stops. 5!

Oh My mother of jeebus this is the awesome. $5

We have a WINNER! $5

We have a WINNER! $5

Thanks a ton for all the comments again! A special thanks to stopper111 for his interpretation. It is really cool to see how other people can see such different things in the same image. To me, this is just about a man trying to buy tacos for his pregnant wife-- I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I'm still debating whether or not I should put up my interpretation. Maybe if it hits a 100 comments or something.

GAAAAAAAAAH!!! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS????????

this competition is over... this is unbeatable!

holy crap i am totally speechless. this shirt is amazing.

AMAZING. my mind = entirely blown.

5$ without hesitation

fantastic shirt 5$ all the way

amazing illustrator $5

well done!

this shirt bleeds REVOLUTION!

there aren't many illustrations of this caliber presented here. in fact, i can think of maybe a handful. there hasn't been a serious submission for the revolution yet that comes close to this in artistry and challenging what a threadless design is all about. nice work rocky!

great work man. My fave is still the anti-colour.

I love this - very fresh, original design with fantastic use of colors. It would be a tremendous shame not to print this. 5$

I had to look at your other subs after seeing this and I must say you are a very accomplished illustrator with an incredible range of style and mastery of anatomy, whether it's realism or minimalism. You must have studied and worked very hard, even if you're naturally talented, to accomplish that. I'm happy to score $5 but it's an understatement of what I think of your work.

Wow, just wow! Great work! Not my style so "just" 5 from me :P

oh dang. :)

I really like the anti-color version of this. For some reason the other two seem too busy for my tastes. Great job.

WOAH

wowws

wow

woah, there is a giant paragraph in the middle of all the comments. Well done Rock.

I really like the design, but for me I just think it's all a bit much to have on a t-shirt.

However I would gladly hang something like this up on my wall.

mary mother of god that is brilliant! i am amazed and woooahh kinda speachless

gee

i mean that is just so good, such a good drawing, it is too good for a t-shirt but somehow works so good on a tee

yeah - i'm all gaga and stopped making any sense so i'm just clicking $5 instead of continuing

oh - just one more thing - the bigger version on the grey is perfect

So much going on, wow

insane in the membrane!

PERFECTee! print! :D

this is ace, but the negative is fucking ace! nega-verse ftw!

nega version ferrr shurrrr!

This is incredible! $5!!!

WOW!! just WOW!!

5$

Rockslide, man, I don't know what to say . Stunningly awesome, how about that? It'll have to do

5

All three color variations are awesome, but heres one vote for the original large format color version.

Holy crap.

holy shit 5

The bar has just been raised.

Nega-verse! Nega-verse! Nega-verse!

5$

agreed, nega-verse is where it's at!

Will it have pockets on it

101 comments now - explanation time

...

this should be a painting... it's pretty damn interesting. I wouldn't want someone studying my chest that long! haha....
really, print it on canvas... nice job.

Okay, I did say I would share my interpretation at 100. First I have to say thanks again to everyone and especially to the incredible compliments from Grayehound and quister.

I posted this attempt at an explanation on the Black Rock site so I'll just copy it here. Again, I wanted this to be open to individual interpretation, so my views are just my views, I like the idea of everyone seeing it for themselves. It was cool to see how other people saw things differently without my words clouding things up.

Its kinda hard to explain the deeper feelings behind the piece so these written words might seem a bit hollow. Since this piece is meant to be personal, [for me] it is very religious in nature. It represents the struggle between being a man of the world and a man of faith. No man can serve two masters. In the piece, the brain has declared itself master of the flesh and expelled the heart, which it weighs as being worth less than a few pieces of gold. This is the man of the world, feeling his logic is of more value than his morality, which he is willing to sell off for a small price. The two are weighed on a shattered sword, the sword representing conflict/war/aggression that only ends up hurting himself and in turn the blood taints the money. He needlessly spills his own blood. War is a broken weapon that attacks those who would wield it.

The brain is also seeking to control the arm of the flesh which represents man believing he has more strength than God, that he can lift his burdens alone. The angel represents morality again, the conscience and how logic or popular theory tries to overwrite what we feel or know to be true. This man is disconnected in many ways. He feels many directions and influences tugging on him at once. Being blind, he will have to figure out his purpose without the physical truths around him.

The tree leg represents his family life. The roots to the past and branches to the future. So many today shun their parents and ancestors, they cut themselves off from past experiences and wisdom. So many others cut themselves off from marriage and children, not accepting the responsibilities and personal growth that comes with them. Without the family, there is no anchor, he has no roots to hold him strong through the encircling storms.

His other leg represents a worldly step towards the flawed and incomplete science and technology of man. In the end, the misshapen cogs do nothing by themselves. The cloud is nebulous and always changing. It is puffed up and appears to be great and large but in reality has little substance. A foot planted on clouds will surely fall through. The leg unravels as it nears the cloud. This represents us stripping away who we are when we deny our divinity. That doing such strips away our life and leaves us dead. The only remainder being bones in a grave.

The title Misplaced Divinity relates to this struggle, the world would have us place our divinity, or lack thereof, in things of no real value. You are nothing but flesh and blood, chemicals and programming, do as you will because tomorrow you die. So why does he even struggle? Its because he knows better deep down inside. God doesn't leave us, we leave Him. Divinity isn't lost, its just misplaced. Eventually the struggle will turn and as man embraces his divinity he will re-connect. His roots and branches will receive strength and become anchors again. Science will become a tool and not a support. The mind and heart will work in unity and a complete, perfect man will take command.

dizzy

most excellent...love that it is so personal, yet open to a lot of interpretation.

I am speechless. (insert rambling, guttural noises here) This just goes beyond anything I have ever seen here. You are amazing!

for me IT IS the winner...that's absolutly marvelous...nothing to add, good luck!!!!!!!!!

AWE INSPIRING! My mouth hit the floor, seriously.

Wow, That´s Weiiiird.
and well done.
I´d say this one wins.
now I wouldnt really wear it. I dunno...the shirt Colour?.
But I give this a 5

$5. Man, this is a winner design. I'm having doubts as whether to submit my design now... There is no way anything can beat this.

My favourite part of the design is the scale/sword. It is very nicely portrayed and just visually stunning. Excellent interpretation/explanation too.

I think all versions of this design are great. The negative would make it that bit more quirky though. =] I don't think it needs to be smaller. The design is one that should just explode on the shirt and just be HUGE.

I would definitely wear this. If this gets printed on a Hoody, I'd buy the tee AND the hoody. It's amazing and indie. This is what the Revolution contest is about.

Good going, mate.

nega verison is awesome

Great work Rocky. Inspiring stuff man.

wow. if i could see it, id bet a 5!

i dont like our nations capital but now i must travel to stockholm and convince the king to add an art award to the nobel prizes. 5$

this is beautiful

Nega-Verse that shit up! If so it's sold. 5$

Nega-verse!

wow man amazing work

so - when can i wear it?

WELL DONE! $5

This is amazing. It freaks me out, but I can't stop looking. Beautifully illustrated. $5

wow. So awesome that it hurts my eyes. $5

i kinda like the anti-color version. it looks like its from a sketch book. kinda da vinci-esque? amazing concept.

NEGA-VERSE.

all kinds of awesomeness...definite print 5$

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as homer says in the evolution-beginning of an episode: wooow!

cool design...makes me shiver

ANTI COLOUR is Best = *****

I like the nega-verse one best. it gets my 5$! :)

wow. that's great..
theres no other word.
fabulous.

I sooo like the leg...

Impressive. Anti-color works the best for me.

dali? looks great! don't think i'd wear it but i give it a 5 cuz it's very good.

awesome! but not nega version

woahhhhhwooooo!!!!! :)

Wow, really nice work.

nice to remember... this version, not nega!

I think youre cool.
I like that youre different. You have the funk baby. Yeah
Bang bang

i'm so stoked to see this score!

Fan-frickin-tastic!!!!

whoaaaaaaa!!!
print for sure
looks excellent and great work as always
$$$555

SO MAKE THIS!!!
PLEASE
but definitely in black and white version. the color is lovely, but not as meaningful and deep as the charcoal looking version^^
5^^

I think this shirt is amazing. I really like the nega-verse one. please print it! 5$

i realize i can't really say anything you haven't already read\
so amazing work, not something i would wear 5

THIS BETTER WIN.

WOW! Good job!

oh my god

aaah sick!! aaaaah!!! but awesome!

Lot of comments on this piece. I like black and I'm kinda like the Nega-verse version so $5 for that one!

this design is crazy! Maybe a little to crazy?

crizzazy! negaverse, ftw!

you know, i think it IS about a guy buying a taco for his pregnant wife... i see his aggravation lol $5

Definitely gets a 5 from me, but maybe not a buy. But I'd be EXTREMELY tempted in the ANTI-COLOR one. So it'll still get the 5$, just in case it prints in anti-color ;)

beautiful illustration. I'd hate to see the color go to waste. I enjoy the color and the black & white the most. Your color is so vivid and well-blended that I think it needs to print. 5

WHOA. I agree with one of the first comment; 'mind-blowing' definitely covers it.
This is amazing. $39508352305872^929430

This will be in the history books.

hmmm....strange score. Expected much higher.

yeah, the scoring kinda blows my mind too sometimes, but I guess that was the point of this revolution- to not care about the scoring or to try and cater to the scores. I know a panda eating ice cream probably would have scored higher, haha.

-Thanks a ton to everyone who voted and commented on this sub! I really appreciate all the love.

wha.... how the fuck did this scored so low??????
I guess it scared too much people... packs of 0's

Rock, you are so right, it's not cute, so this is a freakin' high score considering...still, a top contender for the Revolution!

whoa, low score

this is a remarkable thing here

woooow!!

Oh my fucking god, this is AMAZING.

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XD!™

Don't know how I missed this one, but somehow I did! It's so much in the spirit of the contest. I love the rich imagery and personal metaphors behind this. I'm not sure I could actually wear this, but as a piece of art I find it intriguing and fantastic. Having said that, I think there are people that could get away with it because it actually looks striking and bold on the shirt. Your work is always challenging and cool. I think this just might win the comp!

this is missing eyeballs!

haha, staff, yeah that's part of the symbolism. He has no eyes to see the true reality around him. I thought about putting the two eyes off in different parts of the piece, but then decided to leave them out completely.

I wish I hadn't read the explanation of this design. Now it's no longer something I'd wear. :/

I'm glad I read the explanation of this design. Now it is something I would love to wear. :)

this is beautiful art. the bulk of threadless is worthless rot but this makes it worthwhile. cheers

This shirt is so awesome i am wearing it right now!!!!

ok so to me it shows the flaws in modern, and some past, societies
take the apple and snakes it shows that their where 2 choices but the "wrong" was taken
ok so the ax and "tree" i see it as the showing how people are "cutting off their own foot" you might say by destroying the very this that is holding us up!
ok so i feel that it shows that our brain, the logic, is in a constant battle with the heart, love and emotion, over religion in modern society and to what extent it should effect us
now the scale/sword makes me think of how we try to solve every thing now a days with fighting...and how it is the money not the caring that is causing this
and the sword being broken just shows how nothing is solved through this
and now the simple separation between the upper and lower body seem to represent how divided we are in every thing we do as a country (by country i am meaning USA)
the unraveled leg seems to be how we nit pick every little thing instead of looking at a bigger picture and how it all could help other things

well that is kinda all i have to say

I love this art and I love the two explanations of its design. But it's a design that needs to be stared at and talked about, which is why I couldn't wear it as a t-shirt. If it was a poster, I'd already have bought it. If it's not made into a poster, I might buy it as a tee anyway and pin it up on my wall, because I love it so much! I would also copy and print your interpretation of it because I think it adds to the beauty of the shirt.
I'm glad you posted your interpretation (that's probably what dropped the score) and I'm glad people who don't like your interpretation no longer want to wear the shirt. I'd hate to think what they'd planned on telling people the shirt was about!
Amazing work. Keep it up!

To be quite honest there aren't enough words in the English language for me to thank you for creating such a beautiful piece. Timely and possibly timeless. There is truly no other word for this piece but AMAZING!

I think it's cool you deliberately avoided the whole pun/cute angle on this, that can only be a good thing. beyond that it's an excellent illustration, well done.

I LOVE THIS PIECE OF ART. I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANNA BUY IT AS PRINT!!!! : D

I keep coming back to this page... hahahah.

wow.

this is too good for Threadless.
(taking into account how amazing Threadless is. it's still too good.)

this is amazing art. i wouldn't be surprised to be reading about it in art history books in a couple hundred years. "it began as a submission on the web site threadless..."