Seven layers of artwork, two main fabric pieces and hours of work behind every finished tee.
We started with the dragon. Its scale, detail and presence shaped the decisions that followed—from how we separated the artwork to where we placed the stitching.
Creating the OBSIDIAN DRAGON TEE meant thinking about the image and the garment together. The print needed dimension. The construction needed to give it room.
Developing the seven-layer dragon
The artwork was developed in seven layers. Separating those layers took time; bringing them together on fabric was another part of the challenge.
We combined screen printing with puff printing to build the finished design. The raised elements give the dragon a physical dimension, adding texture to the image across the surface of the tee.
The process included rest periods between printing stages. Each tee takes hours of work across its making, with separate stages contributing to the finished composition.
In a product photograph, those stages become one image. Up close, you can spend time with the details: the raised print, the scale of the artwork and the way its different elements come together.
Why the artwork changed the construction
A large graphic brings seams into focus. When a seam crosses an image, it can interrupt the line your eye is following. We wanted the dragon to remain visually connected across the garment.
That led us to reconsider the shoulder area and the relationship between the front and back. The tee was developed around two main fabric pieces, with reworked shoulder stitching and a continuous stitching line running from one shoulder to the other.
The aim was to give the artwork a clearer path across the fabric. Print placement and seam placement became parts of the same design decision.
A drawing begins on a flat surface. Clothing has to take shape around a person. Working between those two realities was central to building this tee.
The people behind the process
The finished piece carries the work of several people. Developing the artwork, preparing the layers, printing and assembling the garment all required time and attention.
There were long hours and sleepless nights behind its development. We want that effort to have a place in the story, because the finished tee is the result of contributions across the whole process.
For us, talking about how a piece is made means making those contributions visible. The artwork is what catches your attention first. The work behind it gives you another reason to look closer.
See the details for yourself
Start with the back. Follow the dragon across the fabric, look at the raised print and notice the construction supporting the image.
The OBSIDIAN DRAGON TEE brings those decisions together in one piece: an expressive artwork, developed layer by layer, on a garment shaped around it.
Explore the OBSIDIAN DRAGON TEE.
Read our companion feature on Medium: Seven Layers. Hours of Work. One Dragon.