I don’t consider myself to be a tough voter, but the fact of the matter is that there’s generally a lot of subs on Threadless that fail to win me over.  But not this week!  I just finished scoring several fantastic designs.

Up for your voting pleasure, a handful of my top choices:

The sheer amount of detail in this occult-based design is incredible, but what’s even more incredible is the quality of the detail.  The result is a big, bold print that’s not overwhelming (the lack of bright colors helps tone this down).  Every time I look at this, I see some new detail that I missed the time before.  Whether or not there will be an issue with copyright on the use of the Rider-Waite tarot card series (the artist hand-drew altered renditions of the cards) remains to be seen (I’m no lawyer or expert on copyright law), but regardless, this has earned a solid $5 from me.

My verdict: $5 (View submission)

Another phenomenal sub from Slaterock.  Dark, bizarre and utterly fantastic.  I don’t have the foggiest idea of what’s actually going on here, but that doesn’t matter.  The color scheme has the same pop factor and color scheme as one of my Threadless guilty pleasures, Derby Of The Damned, but without the half-nekkid ladies, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your views on the scantily clad female form.

My verdict: $5 (View submission)

While this isn’t my normal cup of tea (or, rather, slice of cake) and the colors aren’t quite me, there’s something about this design that makes me smile.  Maybe it’s the gorilla hanging from the candy cane (a la King Kong), or the balloon animal lounging at the bottom of the design or maybe even the hand protruding from one of the cakes/buildings, proferring a triple-scoop ice cream cone, but, whatever the reason, this design is instant sunshine.

 My verdict: 4 (View Submission)

Who doesn’t love national monuments coming to life and rampaging through cities?  Not I.  The best part of this design?  Teddy Roosevelt’s tiny stature; resulting in his hanging, futilely attempting to help in the destruction by looking ferocious, several feet above the ground, while his fellow Presidents rampage through Washington, D.C.

My verdict: 5 (View submission)

Another beautiful, eco-inspired design.  Although Green is on one of the most reviled of all Threadless tee colors–the unassuming and (frankly) boring white–it’s beautiful enough to pull it off.  That’s not to say I wouldn’t like to see this on another tee color if it gets printed (and I hope that it does), just that it’s a rare design that has enough oomph to win me over in spite of being on white.  I fully admit that I’m often drawn to shirts sporting a deeper environmental message (Infinity MPG is a favorite of mine), but the fact that a shirt has just such a message doesn’t automatically win a nod of approval from me.  Green, however, is as beautiful as it is meaningful.

My verdict: 5 (View submission)

 Every now and then a design is submitted thats simplicity is at the heart of its beauty.  This is one of those designs.  It’s clean.  It’s colorful.  It’s beautifully drawn.  And the colors are gorgeous.  Brazilian Spirit proves that the subject matter of a shirt doesn’t have to be shockingly innovative, but that the execution and the final result can be just as important in making a design a winner (which I have faith that this design will be).

My verdict: $5 (View submission)

Even if you’ve never seen O Brother Where Art Thou or heard Big Rock Candy Mountains (a folk song that predates the movie’s soundtrack), even if you never wear shirts depicting alcohol or cigarettes (only in writing in this particular instance), you may find yourself clicking “I’d buy it!” on the scoring page for the sheer fact that this shirt is adorable, well-executed and charming in spite of it’s slightly-off-the-beaten-track subject matter.  Whimsical and strangely charming.  This design is a definite winner in my book and I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed, hoping that it gets printed so I can buy it and be forced to wear it on the weekends (it’s definitely not within the bounds of the dresscode in the school I work at).

My verdict: $5 (View submission)