How to Create Your Own TV/Movie-Inspired Custom Bootleg Collage Tees

Bootleg collage tees have spiked in popularity, and it’s easy to see why. With their unique combination of nostalgia and creativity, bootleg collage tees let you wear your love for your favourite TV shows and movies on your sleeve and in style. You can create your own TV or movie-inspired custom bootleg collage tee at home. All you need are some pictures to edit, some basic graphic design software, transfer paper, and a vision.

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to make a one-of-a-kind tee you’ll want to wear every day.

What Are Bootleg Collage Tees?

Bootleg collage tees are homemade or small-scale printed T-shirts that often mimic or parody official merchandise with a raw, DIY, retro-inspired aesthetic that’s fun, quirky, and unique. 

The best part of bootleg collage tees is the freedom they give you over your design. If you want a tee that features pictures of your favourite Bollywood star or anime hero, it’s within your reach! We’re going to explain how to make your very own TV or movie-inspired custom bootleg collage tees, to gift as a birthday present or keep as a memento of your loyalty to your favourite TV character or iconic film moment.

What You’ll Need To Create Your Tee

You can easily design your own bootleg collage tee at home. To bring your vision to life, you’ll first need access to some basic graphic tools. With an image resizer, you can crop your movie screenshots or downloads to the dimensions you want. Using a photo editor, you can then further manipulate your images to suit specific T-shirt styles.

If you’re making a T-shirt completely from scratch, you’ll need a printer, an iron, and transfer paper, which you can find online or at your local craft store. Choose a soft, comfortable tee in a neutral colour as the canvas for your design. Try to find a high-quality material to make sure it’s not damaged in the transfer process. Otherwise, you can explore the web for a professional t-shirt print shop.

Designing Your Collage

Choosing your theme

Designing your collage begins with choosing a theme. You can centre your design around a specific movie or TV show, or your favourite actors or characters.

If you’re more interested in the new-release blockbuster films like Raado, design a t-shirt featuring eye-catching scenes or high-impact movie stills.

Perhaps you want to make a bootleg collage tee for a timeless, binge-worthy TV series such as Friends. Showcase your favourite actor by creating a shirt that celebrates their most memorable moments and roles. If there’s a character you particularly resonate with from a particular film, include images of their favourite items in your collage.

Sourcing & editing images

As mentioned above, you can screenshot moments from your favourite TV shows or movies on your device. You can also find pictures on social media or royalty-free image websites like Wikimedia Commons. For a more cinematic look, hunt for movie posters or promotional images of your show, media, or character.

Ensure your pictures will fit into your collage while maintaining their quality with an image resizer. Then, open your chosen graphic design software to edit your photos’ saturation, brightness, and contrast. Experiment with editing tools so that all the images complement one another.

Creating the layout

Once you’re satisfied with your images, it’s time to get to work! Arrange your photos into a collage, overlapping them so that your favourite image is the centrepiece. Use grain filters, drop shadows, and blending to make your collage more artistic. 

If you want to go for a more obvious look, write the title of the TV show or movie, or the character’s name. Alternatively, include a catchphrase or iconic line above the collage in a retro or grungy font. For your final touch, add graphics such as doodled stars or small hearts around your collage for a scrapbook-style design.

Printing & Transferring Your Design

You can print your bootleg collage tee at home or use a professional printing service. A professional offers higher-quality printing but is more costly and takes more time to complete. DIY printing is a cheaper, faster alternative.

If you’re printing your bootleg collage tee at home, wash and dry it first to prevent shrinkage after applying your design. Print your design to transfer paper using your home printer. Then, cut out your design, leaving a thin border along the edges. Follow the transfer paper instructions to iron the collage onto your tee. Be careful with the washing instructions too!

If you prefer to leave it to the professionals, upload your design onto their website or send the file to them directly via email. They’ll print the collage onto their specially-designed tees and ship it to your address.

How To: DIY Bootleg Collage Tees

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you’ll be the proud owner of a custom bootleg collage tee that’s truly one-of-a-kind. With just a few materials and some imagination, you can design a shirt that celebrates your favourite TV show or movie and unleashes your creativity.

So, what are you waiting for? Gather your images, create your collage, and print your wearable piece of art! The compliments will start rolling in, and you might even get stopped on the street by fellow fans of your favourite actor, show or character.