Channel your inner Jacques Cousteau with this t-shirt featuring four playful common dolphins leaping out of the ocean as they pass along the Kaikoura coast. A perfect conversation starter for any nature enthusiast.
Our Common Dolphins Leaping T-Shirt—Kaikoura Wildlife Art Printed by the Artist
Having had the magical experience of a free-range childhood in Titahi Bay, encountering pods of common dolphins in Kaikoura during our summer holidays at Goose Bay and when snorkelling for Paua with friends near Barneys Rock, enjoying the spectacle of seeing them traveling in large groups parallel to SH1 near Oaro, playfully leaping out of the water, and, as a child being enchanted by their surfing and breaching alongside boats in the waters of the Hauraki Gulf I was seeking a way to express my sense of how dolphins symbolise how wonderful and beautiful New Zealand is.
Prices For Shirts Printed in New Brighton:
Order here to have your dolphins leaping shirt locally printed in Christchurch and DTF heat-pressed right here by the designer, Shaun Waugh, in New Brighton, or shop online at our NZ based and international DTG printing partners. (Use code: “PERFEC” for 5% off your international store purchase.) You can visit Shaun at the Surface Active stall Saturdays 10:00–2:00 at New Brighton Seaside Market, or shop at one of our two retail outlets in New Brighton Mall, Brighton Gallery and The Creatives Edit.
Prices for medium weight 185 gsm pure cotton t-shirts printed by the artist in New Brighton:
- Kids tees infant to toddler size, 1–4 yrs old: $30.00 plus shipping
- Kids tees youth size, 6–14 yrs old: $30.00 plus shipping
- Mens/Unisex Teeshirt: $48.00 plus shipping
- Womens Teeshirt: $48.00 plus shipping
- Mens/Unisex longsleeve tee, heavy weight 220 gsm: $58.00 plus shipping
- Womens longsleeve tee, heavy weight 220 gsm: $58.00 plus shipping
- Shipping is via Courier Post, price starts at $8 for 1 adult shirt, $10 for two or more.
International customers will be charged the actual shipping cost based on the weight and the destination of their order. As a guide a Large Surface Active 185 gsm t-shirt weighs 130–150 grams.
Washing Instructions for DTF Printed Apparel (Direct-to-Film and Direct-to-Garment)
I use the latest direct-to-film (DTF) printing technology to offer high-quality prints that will maintain great colour and vibrancy over time. My New Zealand store and global store use direct-to-garment (DTG) printing. Both methods use high quality inks that won’t fade over time if cared for properly.
Keep in mind that the original t-shirt manufacturer’s care instructions don’t take into consideration the DTF or DTG printing process, but the following the care instructions will take care of your printed garments properly.
Both DTF and DTG printed apparel can be machine-washed cold, inside-out on a gentle cycle using your washer’s recommended amount of detergent. You shouldn’t use any fabric softeners.
Though best avoided, it can be tumble-dried inside-out on a low temperature cycle, however line drying inside out is preferred for the print to last longer. When it comes to ironing, use a cool iron inside-out. Don’t iron the print.
Follow these instructions carefully to take care of the print, and to avoid the shrinking of the garment that can occur if you wash or dry it on a high setting.
Cool Colour Palette: Ensuring Your Dolphin Design Shines
Because the dolphins are printed in analogous cool colours, which naturally complement each other, the design creates a cohesive and pleasing look on any base colour. Cool colors (blues, greens, violets) tend to recede visually, making the dolphin design appear to sit on top of the shirt, regardless of the shirt’s colour. Also, cool colours often provide high contrast against warm-toned neutrals (grey marle), making the design pop. They also create a crisp contrast against black and white, offering a bold graphic look. The dolphins design is also available on longsleeve tees.
Combining Structure and Expression: The Two-Part Artistic Approach
As a young graphic artist in the mid 1980s, seeking a way to capture shared moments of wonder in New Zealand nature, I opted for a two-part approach that inspired this design: developing a simple and bold design well suited to hand screen printing graduated blends of colour inside the distinctive silhouettes of common dolphins, that forms the basis of the artwork, which Chrissie and I would screenprint on our kitchen table, and then, adding a splash of blue watercolour for a touch of energy and whimsical flair.
Because I was personally selling the shirts on Saturdays at the Arts Centre Market, I could offer customers the option of having the watercolour hand painted for them to order.
The screen print of a simplified image representing the source of the wonder, majestic dolphins. The watercolour, applied loosely, breathed life into the graphical printed design, creating a lively atmosphere and a sense of joy like that seeing leaping dolphins.
Creating wildlife art for t-shirts using printmaking methods allowed me to explore the combining of both the structured and the expressive, resulting in a piece that is lively, visually arresting and emotionally evocative.
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