HI, I’M ISAAC HASTINGS!
My IHSquared brand combines my two passions of fine art and street wear, hopefully creating the best of both worlds through my clothing designs. I emphasize the artwork and minimize the branding, relying on the strength of the images rather than a brand name or slogan.
I strive to create something that could fit in a gallery space but is still accessible and relatable without the pretensions of fine art culture.
WHO I AM
I’m a Salt Lake City based artist. I travel around the country to festivals and art shows to sell my work and connect with art communities.
Growing up, I loved two things: drawing and skate culture. I loved branding and graphics. My friends and I spent a lot of time in skate shops looking at branding and graphics. (We never actually bought anything because we were broke kids.)
I liked the idea of putting art on things real people use, which is why I wanted to be a t-shirt artist instead of just putting my art in galleries.
I also drew a lot of inspiration from artists like Käthe Kollwitz, Tomer Hanuka, and my high school art teacher, Pat Eddington. He shaped me into a commercial artist, and his passing hit me hard. I never got to tell him how much he influenced me.
When I was 14, I started making iron-on tee shirts. I was just figuring out what I was doing, and I’ll admit, they weren’t great. I don’t think I sold a single one, but my brothers and friends took pity on me and wore them. 
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I kept working at it, refining my designs and process until I finally started selling some shirts at shows.
After my first kickstarter for my Animal Kingdom series, I was able to make art my full-time job. I started traveling around to shows and connecting with artists and art fans around the country. I love being there the first time people see my art and making that connection with them.
Traveling broadens my horizons and exposes me to other artist’s work. I come home from each trip with a giant pile of prints, stickers, and original artwork that inspires me.
THE PROCESS
When I started making shirts, I tried to do everything on a computer because I felt like I had to. That’s what everyone else was doing, but for me, technology was more of a hurdle than an asset.
Then my friend suggested I just draw by hand and scan it in.
That was one of those moments where you think “Well shit, why didn’t I think of that?”
So I did that. Drawing my designs by hand added a grungy quality to the line work that I loved. I also simplified my color palette because the more colors you include, the more expensive screen printing gets. The limited palette was actually a great thing, because it turned the designs into something bold, simple, and iconic. 
Today, I still sketch every design by hand with Prismacolor and Col-Erase pencils. Then I’ll find a color combination that works, clean up the structural draft lines, and ink the final colors with Copic markers.
After that, I scan the drawing, clean it up, and burn the screen we’ll use to print the shirt.
ABOUT THE VILLAIN HANDS LOGO
Almost every time I draw the back of a hand, there is a set of teeth. This is my way of representing the balance of creation and destruction: the creating hands and the ever devouring teeth. It has become the logo for IHSquared as well as a recurring theme in my work.
THANK YOU
I’m so grateful for my fans and all my friends in the art community. I draw so much inspiration from art communities across the country, and that’s why I love to travel.
Whether you’re a longtime fan or just finding my art, thank you so much for your support. If you read this whole thing, digital hug for you. I couldn’t do this without you! 
CLOTHING CARE
I print on top quality materials with the highest quality inks to ensure that the images printed will never fade. All products are washer and dryer safe. However, the screen-printed design is NOT iron safe.
TRI BLEND – 50% polyester, 25% rayon, 25% cotton. These blended tees and tanks are extremely soft and lightweight. Due to the small amount of cotton, shrinkage is very minimal, and they will always fit after washing them.
50/50 BLEND – 50% polyester and 50% cotton. Like the tri blend, this blend is extremely soft and lightweight. Because of the higher percentage of cotton, there may be some shrinkage. Keep that in mind when selecting size as well as when washing and drying your shirt.
100% COTTON – We all know cotton shrinks, so please wash in cold water and dry on low to minimize shrinkage.
FIT – All t-shirts and tank tops are a unisex fit. I recommend that women size down one from what they wear in womens’ clothing sizes.