How to turn a photo into a t-shirt that looks drawn, not printed

Printed as it is, a photo brings its whole rectangle onto the shirt, background and all. The other way is to turn the photo into a drawing and print the drawing. That is what lookunique, our t-shirt shop, does: it cuts the subject out of the photo and redraws it in one ink, as dots. It is not a full-colour photo print.

These are the choices that decide how the shirt turns out.

Pick the photo: one subject, cropped close

One subject. A face, a dog, a grandfather on a bench.
Crop close before you upload, so the subject fills the frame.
Eyes and mouth visible. Nothing in front of the face: no sunglasses, no hand, no glass.
An old or soft photo can still work. Priit's grandfather Harry's shirt started from a small fisheye snapshot from the early 2000s; the shop's note shows how.

What happens to the photo

Every photo is checked before anything is drawn, and a refused one is deleted at once. An accepted photo is cut out of its background and redrawn in the shop's dot style, and you get three drawings to choose from. The photo itself is deleted after 30 days, whether you order or not; what gets printed is the drawing.

The photo has to be yours to send, or you need permission. Real people by name, brands, logos and characters from films and games are not drawn, and neither is nudity, hate or violence.

The dog photo that went in, and the dot drawing that came out

The shop's note on how the photo door works follows Jokker the dog from photo to shirt.

Pick the shirt

Colour. A drawing made from a photo prints on light shirts, such as white, natural, sand or light blue. The shop does not offer dark colours for it.
Front or back, in one of three print widths: 17, 24 or 29 cm, measured on the Unisex shirt.

Get the size right

Sizes differ between makers, so the label on a shirt you own is not enough. Lay a shirt that fits flat, measure it across the chest and from shoulder to hem, and enter the two numbers. The shop names the closest size from the printer's own chart.

A shirt printed for one person cannot be returned for a change of mind. A misprint, a damaged shirt, a wrong size sent or a lost parcel is still the shop's to put right, by reprint or refund.

The size guide: two measurements of a shirt you own, and the printer's chart

If it is a present, order three weeks ahead

Each shirt is printed to order in Germany and posted within 10 working days, with tracking; the shop aims to have it with you within three weeks of the order. Shipping is free within the EU. The shop also sends to Norway, where customs or import VAT may apply.

A drawing stays available after its first order, but it is never listed: only someone with its link can order it. Send the link and each person orders their own, in their own cut, colour and size. Two or more copies of the same design, in one order to one person, are 10 % off, up to five.

The shop also works from inside ChatGPT or Claude: say what you want or hand over a photo, and the chat comes back with the drawing and a link. Ordering and paying happen on the site. lookunique.eu