Love Bites

For this piece, my creative journey started with a large, yellow 'X'. Yellow, my favorite color, formed the backbone of my design. I transformed the lower branches of the 'X' into a triangle, which immediately sparked an image in my mind—a mouth outlined with a black beard, filled with a pink tongue and sharp white teeth.

I connected this mouth to the rest of the 'X' using a red line, half an inch thick, like a ribbon. This created an oval face with a triangular mouth, neatly framed by the black beard.

Next, I needed to fill the remaining three sections of the 'X'. A red heart appealed to me for the upper triangle. A friend recently mentioned that my designs often display a dichotomy—contrasting elements that somehow harmoniously coexist. To me, a heart was the perfect counterbalance to a toothy mouth. The last two sections of the 'X' became a pair of circular eyes.

But the design wasn't quite there yet—it needed to be stronger. I added small slits to the eyes and introduced a touch of blue green to my existing red, yellow, and black color scheme. I sharpened the mouth and enlarged the heart to maintain balance in the design. I sprinkled more yellow on the 'X' but ensured that it didn't overshadow the heart and the mouth, which were meant to be the main attractions.

At this point, I questioned whether I'd wear the T-shirt myself, but achieving the right balance in the design became my priority. My friends gave their approval, suggesting that I add a pair of ears, in a subtle brown. I added two light yellow ears, completing the face without distracting the heart and the mouth.

The result is a strong, slightly quirky image.  As you all know, I recently launched my store. I was inspired to create a new T-shirt design based on this artwork. It is simple and powerful, so I brought this face to life in my shop. I can't wait to try the T-shirt on myself and gauge the reactions it elicits. The anticipation is thrilling!