T-shirt design | MagentaDot Brands

Kingfısher Rising

March 31, 2026 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

This is ‘Kingfisher Rising’, my new digital watercolour painting of the kotare exploding into the air off his perch to fish in the Avon estuary. The latest of my native birds, available on pure cotton tees in colours tuned to the kotare’s plumage.
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‘Kingfisher Rising’, is my new digital watercolour painting of the kotare exploding into the air off his perch to fish from the Estuary. The latest in my local New Zealand native birds series, available now on pure cotton tees in four beautiful coastal colours perfect for showcasing the kingfisher’s vibrant plumage.

Kingfisher Rising” on rich rust/copper — one of the four coastal colours that perfectly complements the vibrant plumage of the kotare.
This digital watercolour painting captures the kingfisher exploding into the air off his perch to fish in the South Brighton Avon/Heathcote Estuary. Latest in my New Zealand native birds series, now available on pure cotton tees.

#NZBirds #Kotare #NewZealandNature

A man wearing a clay-coloured t-shirt with a karearea (New Zealand falcon) in flight print, seated next to New Brighton Pier.

Introducing Our New Karearea in Flight T-Shirt

January 1, 2025 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

I’m thrilled to unveil my latest wildlife artwork. It is a t-shirt that captures the majestic flight of the Karearea. This is New Zealand’a species of native falcon.

The karearea, or the New Zealand falcon, (Falco novaeseelandiae, also known as the sparrow hawk) holds significant ecological and cultural importance in New Zealand. It is the only endemic bird of prey left. This fierce predator symbolises the resilience of native wildlife, offering a powerful representation of the country‘s bird life. Interestingly, it is most closely related to the Aplomado falcon of South America. The karearea might resemble the Australasian swamp harrier or Kahu and occupy a similar ecological niche. However, these two bird species are not closely related. This highlights the karearea’s unique evolutionary path and its critical role as an apex predator.

Check out the karearea design in action in our new YouTube Shorts video:

New karearea soaring across the chest of a t-shirt.

An art print of a Giant Bluff Weta in a pixel-painted style, hung on an art gallery wall, showcasing its oblique pose and detailed features.

The Design Inspiration: Great New Zealand Wildlife Photography

December 31, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

The inspiration for the design came from superlative wildlife photographer Rod Morris. Chrissie and I visited Rod’s image library in Dunedin back in the 90s when we were there exhibiting with The Great New Zealand Craft Shows. We were looking for slides that he had cherry-picked. These slides had the potential to be developed into hand-separated wildlife art for screen printing.

Making It Simple: Breaking Down the Colours to Just Seven Stencils for the Original Screen Print

The giant weta t-shirt print finished art, reduced, on a transparent background.

Art for reproduction. Shaun Waugh at the drawing board uses a 0.35mm Rotring technical pen to illustrate the Jewelled Gecko (Naultinus Gemmeus) in a pointillist illustration style onto a dimensionally stable sheet of translucent mylar substrate. The original illustration is rendered in landscape orientation at an enlarged size, 600 x 450mm.

Crafting New Zealand Wildlife Art: The Art of Colour Separation

December 27, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

The Art of Art for Reproduction: Rediscovering the Charm of Hand-Separated Rendering for Screen Printing

In the modern world of digital design, where every line can be perfected with a click, there’s something uniquely captivating about the traditional methods of graphic design. Today, I want to take you back to the early ‘80s, to the Graphic Design School at Auckland Technical Institute, where I spent over four years mastering an art form that’s as meticulous as it is magical—hand-separating colours for screen printing. Rendering shading, texture, and detail to achieve a realistic depiction of New Zealand native animals and plants.

Bearded man wearing a navy blue t-shirt featuring a 1967 AMC Marlin in a 1960s Grand Prix poster style, beside New Brighton Pier.

American Motors Marlin: From shutter to screen to t-shirt

December 4, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

Hey there! I’m just starting a project that’s close to my heart as a child of the 60s and a Graphic Designer. It involves a big, flashy 1967 American Motors car, the Marlin. This two-door fastback car produced by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1965 to 1967 is not your everyday car. The automakers really wanted to make something special, something that stood out. That’s how the 1967 American Motors Marlin was born. It came equipped with a powerful 343 cubic inch V8 engine to boot, which was a statement in itself. It was initially launched as the Rambler Marlin in 1965, but in 1966 and 1967 it was rebranded as the AMC Marlin.

1967 was the last year of production for the Marlin and is considered by many to be the most desirable due to its culmination of Marlin styling and beautiful proportions.

Man in navy blue t-shirt with 1967 AMC Marlin graphic standing next to New Brighton Pier. — *Marlin Magic: This navy t-shirt brings the sleek design of the 1967 AMC Marlin to life, set against the iconic, concrete expanse of New Brighton Pier under a clear blue sky.*

1928 Essex Super Six right hand side front three-quarter view

From Photo to Art: The 1928 Essex Super-Six Experience

December 3, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

Welcome to a journey where the past meets the future, where the classic lines of a 1928 Essex Super Six four-door car, whose chief selling point was “affordable luxury,” intermingle with the art of modern graphic design. I recently had the incredible opportunity to photograph this rare American vintage beauty in the car park of the historic Richmond Workingmen’s Club in Christchurch. Note that the gallery of images from the photoshoot is at the foot of the page.

Capturing the Essence:

A classic 1928 Essex Super Six four-door car photographed head-on — The 1928 Essex Super Six was designed to be an affordable luxury car, making it accessible to a wider range of car owners. It was equipped with a powerful 153.1 cubic inch inline-six engine that delivered 55 horsepower, providing ample power for its time.

A man wearing a bluestone Giant Weta t-shirt looks sideways beside the newly constructed, concrete and steel New Brighton Pier in Christchurch

Bluff Weta T-Shirt: Celebrating New Zealand’s Insect Dinosaur

May 31, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

Don’t say “ooh!”, say “aah!!” for this design is one of the best-looking wetas you’ll see. This print celebrates the recent rediscovery of the Bluff weta, New Zealand’s insect dinosaur that can be found in scree and on rocky bluffs of the Kaikoura ranges, Mt Somers in mid-Canterbury and on both sides of this t-shirt.

This design features a twice life-size pixel painted portrait of the Bluff weta on the front with the option of another print on the back. The Bluff weta was until recently thought to be lost to history, but it turns that it roams free in the scree and rocky bluffs of the Kaikouras and Mt Somers. The grey marle fabric of the shirt is the rocky texture of a mountain bluff for a comfortable fit. The design is also available on a range of colours, short and longsleeve tees for women and kids.

Because the colours of this design are earth toned and the weta is casting a shadow, the best colours for the shirt are on greys and earth-toned hues. The lighter toned backgrounds help create the 3D effect, the illusion the weta is in three dimensions standing on the surface of a t-shirt.

Purchase Options: Shop Locally or Internationally

Shop by ordering here to have it 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.)

Prices for Shirts Printed by the Artist in New Brighton:

Teeshirt: $48 plus shipping
This design is also available on longsleeve tees for men, women and kids
Mens/Unisex longsleeve tee: $58 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.

Alternatively our t-shirts are available for purchase at our stall at New Brighton Seaside Market on Saturdays, and at Brighton Gallery and The Creatives Edit in New Brighton Mall.

A man showing the back of his Surface Active giant weta t-shirt beside New Brighton Pier. — Bluff weta beside the sea! The back of our Giant Weta T-shirt at New Brighton Pier.

A smiling woman wearing a jewelled gecko t-shirt walking in the outdoors.

Vivid Jewelled Gecko T-Shirt | Unique New Zealand Wildlife Tee

May 23, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

Our wildlife art print of this rare and beautiful native lizard is so animated it looks likes it’s going to scamper right off the shirt! In this case a crew neck, mid-weight (185gsm) women’s t-shirt.

New Zealand is ground zero for geckos, with more native lizards found on these islands from north to south than in any other temperate place in the world, they thrive in forests, dunes, grasslands, rocky alpine areas, even under the odd stack of corrugated iron roofing. The Jewelled gecko is a species found only on the South Island of New Zealand, particularly the southeastern regions of Canterbury and Otago from Banks Peninsula southwards.

This design pairs best with white, kelly green, forest green, and black for maximum contrast.

Level up your black t-shirt with our vivid jewelled gecko print. The intricate details are printed directly onto the fabric, while the black in the print is knocked-out, this allows the colours of the print to pop more against black of the shirt.

The Jewelled Gecko design is available from our online stores, our local store that supplies our New Brighton Seaside Market stall, Saturdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m., and from our two retail outlets in New Brighton Mall; Brighton Gallery and The Creatives Edit.

A smiling boy wearing an orange Surface Active Iconic Kiwi t-shirt beside New Brighton Pier.

Kiwi T-shirt: Unique New Zealand Native Bird Design for Kids

May 19, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

Our eye-catching kiwi design features a bold, two-colour roundel illustration on the front showcasing the most famous New Zealand native bird on a crew neck, mid-weight (185gsm) kids’ t-shirt. A playful mini kiwi icon graces the back for a touch of whimsy. This design pairs best with white, pastels, lights, and brights for maximum contrast. Can be customised with the large art printed on the back and the mini kiwi badge on the front left chest at no extra charge.

Shop Across our Stores

Shop for this flightless bird design across our Surface Active stores:

by ordering here to have it locally printed and DTF heat pressed right here in New Brighton.
Price: $30 plus shipping via Courier Post. Shipping starts at $8 (varies by quantity).
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.

Or you can shop at either:

our NZ based or
our international DTG printing partner e-stores.
(Use code: “PERFEC” for 5% off your international store purchase.)

*Front and back view of happy twin girls wearing red and blue Surface Active Kiwi t-shirts at a park.*

A man with a serious expression wears a white t-shirt with four playful leaping dolphins printed on it, standing beside New Brighton Pier.

Dolphins Leaping T-Shirt: Kaikoura Wildlife Art

May 16, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

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.

Two smiling women modelling both sides of the Surface Active Adelie penguins, Antarctica t-shirt on New Brighton beach in New Zealand, alongside the New Brighton pier.

Simple Adelie Penguins Two-Sided T-shirt Design Brings a Smile in the Mind

May 15, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

Show off your love for these tuxedoed Antarctic cuties with this fun t-shirt. Featuring a colony of Adelie penguins in a comical waddle on the front, and their speedy escape from a leopard seal that suddenly hauled up on the edge of the sea ice on in front of them on the back, this shirt is sure to turn heads.

Because the colours of snow and ice is white and the penguins are in Antarctica waddling across that surface, the only colour for the shirt is white, with the two colour black and blue print creating a 3D effect. Clever shading with cool sky blue and perspective tricks the viewer into thinking that the Adelie penguin group is really waddling towards you on the front and dashing away on the back. The Adelie penguin design is also available on white longsleeve tees.

Prices For Shirts Printed by the Artist in New Brighton:

By ordering here to have it 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.)

A black Surface Active t-shirt with illustration of a 1961 Ford MkII Zephyr re-imagined as NASA’s space shuttle being worn by a man in sunglasses at New Brighton beach, beside the Pier.

This Kiwi Space Shuttle tee is a triumph of Kiwi ingenuity.

May 9, 2024 / magentadotbrands.com / No Comments

For the Kiwi who dares to dream big, this Kiwi Space Shuttle tee is a must-have. This black Surface Active tee showcases the beloved Kiwi icon of a classic MkII Zephyr transformed into a NASA spaceship, manned by three Kiwis soaring through space, bound for a drive on the moon.

The clever design incorporates the rocket science of the black fabric of the shirt as deep space for a comfortable fit. The design is also available on garments for women and kids.