The benefits of Snake Oil - Designing for T-shirts

First, I want to thank everyone who made "Walker-con" such a success! It was a bummer missing Wonder-con but I was able to dang-near sell out of all my T-shirts through this experimental web-store event! Thanks to everyone who picked up T-shirts and to everyone who helped spread the word.

Well, since my portfolio site is currently devoted to my illustration and personal artwork, I thought it would be good to compile some of my "Snake Oil" T-shirt designs, stories and testimonials as a blog entry. I've had to slow down on printing T-shirts now that I live in a small San Francisco apartment but I've had some recent opportunities to design cool stuff for clients.

This is a logo I did for Mad Trapper Tea Company, a new place to get a warm beverage in the cold and unforgiving Yukon territory. I printed up some T-shirts too.

Here is a limited edition Tee I recently designed for Yahoo! Inc. Sorry, it's just for awesome employees of Yahoo!

I designed this Tee to sell at the 2011 Santa Rosa Handcar Regatta. It was also made available at select boutiques in San Francisco.

I stopped this guy on the streets in SF. Represent!

More Snake Oil designs. These T-shirts have been known to get people out of speeding tickets and into hot dates with hotties! (Results not typical)

Ben Walker's Snake Oil Logo tee

Jackalope Crest tee

Toast Boy tee

Armed Bear Icon tee

Bad Bear tee

Armed Bear Crest tee

Winchester's Bicycle tee

Society of Flying Machine Operators tee

Armed Bear West Side tee

Hey, check out these sweet customer photos and testimonials!

"Ben is a great artist with a great attitude! He's very easy to get along with, does excellent work, and his T-shirts are awesome.”

-John Romero, Game Designer

“Ben’s Old West inspired designs are clever, eye-catching, wearable art. Gun slinging bears, giant jack-a-lope, and moose antlered hares, fill Ben’s cotton canvases. Every time I wear one I inevitably hear, 'Great shirt! Where did you get it'?”

-Michael Slack, Children's book illustrator

"Ben is a great artist, AND a great person! ... Ben has done incredible T-shirt and graphic design for me: timely, original, affordable and incredible!"

-Kepi Ghoulie, Rock Star

“I've been a fan of Ben's artwork for some time and the Snake Oil company is a fantastic direction. I get comments every time I wear a design. They're my favorite.”

-Cheyenne Allot, Account manager

"I've never had more comments or compliments wearing a graphic tee than I have with one of yours. In fact I'm wearing one today. I own four of them and even though my Toast Boy one is well worn and ready to be retired I can't bring myself to toss it because I love the graphic that much. Thanks Ben for making me feel hip again."

- Marc Mascot, Sculptor

More Happy Customers

Authors of Cool Jerk and One Con Glory (respectively) Paul Horn and Sarah Kuhn

Actor, Author, Geek legend Wil Wheaton

Epic Artist, Matt136

Well, there it is: The full Ben Walker's Snake Oil experience. I'll keep designing cool T-shirts and getting them out there however I can. I'm also looking for new opportunities to collaborate with larger clothing companies, bands, and what-have-you. Hit me up!

Thanks for reading,

Ben