From Sketch to Shirt: My Chill Alien T-Shirt Design

 Sometimes, a drawing just lives in your sketchbook for a while—until one day, it taps you on the shoulder and says, “Hey, I’m ready for more.”

This particular design started as a random alien sketch during a phase where I was drawing a lot of extraterrestrials. I was inspired by the TV show Resident Alien—especially one scene where the alien is lounging on the beach, sipping a drink and just fully embracing vacation mode. That stuck with me. I loved the idea of an alien doing totally human things. So, I made my own version: a laid-back little guy out on the water in a floaty, rocking sunglasses, and just soaking up the sun.

The rough sketch that started it all—just a chill alien in a floaty.

At first, it was just a sketch. It sat in my sketchbook for a while—fun, but unfinished. Then one day, I looked at it and thought, "This could totally be a t-shirt." So I brought it to life.

I brought the sketch into my drawing software and created clean line art.

I started by digitizing the original sketch, creating clean line art. From there, I added color and shading to really bring out the vibe—bright, fun, and full of summer energy.

Flat colors added—starting to feel alive.

With some shading and highlights, the personality really popped.

The last piece of the puzzle was the slogan. I had a few ideas, but honestly, they all felt kind of flat. So I turned to ChatGPT for a bit of brainstorming backup. I wanted something that tied together the alien aspect with the whole beachy, sun-drenched vibe. After a bit of back-and-forth, I landed on a slogan that just clicked. It tied everything together and made the whole design feel complete.

The final design, slogan and all—with a watermark

Now the sketch that once lived quietly in my book is living loudly on a shirt—and it feels great to give it that kind of space to shine.

Like the vibe? Grab the shirt and bring some cosmic chill to your closet:

Click here to shop the Chill Alien T-Shirt