Embrace the thrill of the wild with this t-shirt, showcasing four playful common dolphins leaping off the Kaikoura coast. Inspired by childhood memories of dolphin encounters, this design celebrates the vibrant spirit of New Zealand’s wild beauty. Perfect for nature lovers looking to spark conversations.
Choose how you shop for your Men’s, Women’s or Kids’ Dolphins leap t-shirt:
- at our New Zealand e-store based in Tauranga,
- our International e-store based in the United States,
- from our retail outlet in New Brighton Mall; The Creatives Edit.
- alternatively order directly from me for a custom made heat-pressed t-shirt. Ideal for pick-up at my New Brighton Seaside Market stall, Saturdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m., for me to cycle deliver locally or to send via courier post.
- Note garment colour and size information is below the order form.
Order Form For Custom T-Shirt Made by Shaun in New Brighton
Shaun Waugh from Surface Active is the guy creating you custom tee for you. With the assistance of his Christchurch custom DTF print provider Merch Kings. (Note: if you are a New Brighton local, he’s the t-Shirt man at the Saturday Brighton Market)
Shaun designs and heatpresses all his art on garments. The print quality delivered by the DTF printing process is exceptional. The finished product is carefully designed to be durable, reflecting the pride that Shaun has in hand-crafting his work.
Prices for medium weight 185 gsm t-shirts printed in New Brighton:
- Kids tees infant to toddler size, 1–4 yrs old: $20.00 plus shipping
- Kids t-shirts youth size, 6–14 yrs old: $20.00 plus shipping
- Mens/Unisex t-shirt: $57.50 plus shipping
- Womens t-shirt: $57.50 plus shipping
Prices for heavy weight 220gsm long sleeve t-shirts
- Mens/Unisex longsleeve t-shirt, heavy weight 220 gsm: $71.00 plus shipping
- Womens longsleeve t-shirt, heavy weight 220 gsm: $71.00 plus shipping
Shipping is via Courier Post, price starts at $8 for 1 adult shirt, $10 for two or more.
Customer Details
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Bank Details
Bank: Kiwibank
Account Name: MagentaDot Limited
Account Number: 38-90090359221-00
Use Reference: Your name
Details: Our high resolution artwork and water-based ink system ensure that our wildlife art prints are crisp and vibrant, the sharpness and details of small dots and fine lines is clear and well defined, the prints are securely bonded to the fabric, they feel soft, smooth and blended in with the garment. While our T-shirts are well made from 100% combed ring-spun cotton*, they’re constructed from 185gsm (mid-weight) fabric, pre-shrunk, anti-pill.
- Tight knit for superior printability and handfeel
- Side seams for better fit and to prevent twisting
- Shoulder to shoulder reinforcing tape
- Twin-needle stitching on body and sleeve hems
* Marle colours have a 15 percent viscose content to produce that classic marle look.
Choose Colour (Note: Most popular set of shirt colours are emphasised in bold)
Middle row: Denim Marle, Bluestone, Deep Royal, Aqua, Pale Sky, Lavender, Purple, Maroon.
Bottom row: Rust, Red, Pale Pink, Orange, Tan, Ivory, White.
(Note: Outsize shirts are available up to 9XL in 5 colours: White, Black, Dark Grey, Navy & Grey Marle)
Choose size
Thank you so much for purchasing one of our Surface Active New Zealand Nature t-shirts.
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.
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 by hand 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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