GLENDALE — Hot dogs, baseball, and free shirts at a Brewers game? That's a good day. And for a Glendale artist, it's the chance to partner with a billion-dollar organization.
Whitey Nettles, a 32-year-old graphic designer, is collaborating with the Milwaukee Brewers for their next t-shirt Tuesday giveaway. The Brew Crew asked her to design the shirt that will be given out to the first 10,000 fans at the game on June 10th.
“So mind-blowing, very, very wild. I feel like it’s not even really sinking in yet until I like see it happening, or like see the piles of t-shirts, or like see them on people's bodies," Nettles said.
Watch Whitney's story and see more of her art here...
The focal point of the shirt is the vintage-style hot dog with a baseball mitt catching a baseball.
“Big hot dog fan, got a corn dog tattoo, love a corn dog. So I just thought it would kind of be fun, and we’ve got the racing sausages, of course.”
Nettles found inspiration for the shirt by looking at old baseball cards and sports memorabilia. The shirt definitely has a vintage vibe. And that's on brand for Nettles. Vintage and retro are how most people describe her style.
"I love just browsing through thrift stores, antique stores, estate sales to see what I can find. And find so much inspiration from vintage packaging, lettering, illustrations."
Nettles describes herself as vintage-influenced with some folk art vibes and kind of western-leaning.
“I find myself drawing a lot of, like, horses and cowboy boots and cowboy hats," She said.
You can find cowboy boots and outfits all around her house.
Nettles makes prints, greeting cards, and paints on leather bags. But she’s also a logo and brand designer, creates menus, business signage, event posters, and paints murals. You can find her work at Pomona Cider Company, Joy Ice Cream, and Little Village Play Café. Or you can see her work by visiting her Instagram page or website.
“It’s really cool and kind of surreal to be able to, like, drive around and see work that I’ve done everywhere," Nettles said.
The Brewers shirt is her biggest collaboration so far. It’s something she didn’t think would happen so soon in her career.
“I feel like already the projects that I’ve had in the past seven years of freelancing have, like, far surpassed what I thought I would be doing right now.”
But here she is — with thousands of people about to wear her art.
To get the shirt, you have to be one of the first 10,000 fans at the game on June 10th.
The Brewers are partnering with four local artists and brands throughout the season on t-shirt giveaways. The team partnered with Unfinished Legacy for a 414 Day collab. Future shirts will be designed by Racine clothing company Lost Files Clothing and Madison artist Emily Balsley.
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