I recently completed my hand drawn “World Tree” t shirt design. Here is the behind the scenes look at the design from beginning to end.
While reading Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy by Mircea Eliade, I was inspired to make a shirt design around the concept of the World Tree. The tree is an archaic concept of a life force that penetrates all levels of existence; the underworld, our mundane or physical world, and above into the heavens. This concept is present in most cultures from Siberia to the Norse traditions and are even the original basis for modern christmas trees.
The Drawing
To begin my work, I pulled out my antique compass which was originally my father’s. He bought the set brand new in the 1930’s. It is a work of art in its own right.
I laid out a standard five pointed pentagram as the background and added the tree in the center. Next, I added the alchemical elements around the outside. Once the pencil work was complete, I began inking with illustration pens.
The Screen print
Once the drawing was complete, it was scanned and prepared in for output onto shirts. I removed any remaining pencil marks and made the artwork a solid color for the best screen print. 
The image is printed large on the front of the t-shirt in a single color for a bold and unique shirt you can’t find anywhere else!
I love creating unique graphics by hand since it always results in something that is a truly unique expression. My two passions come together when I create artwork based on ideas I contemplate while studying the mysteries that intrigue me the most. I hope you enjoyed this look into my process of creating this hand drawn “World Tree” t shirt design. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions for future projects.
I also welcome discussion about the mystery schools, shamanism, magick, and spirituality 🙂
