Hand-drawn, from within each tradition
Call to artists
We're inviting artists to draw the sacred figures of their own traditions: a Taiwanese artist drawing Mazu, a Mexican artist drawing Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Hindu artist drawing Ganesha. If you draw, paint, carve or print sacred figures, we'd love to see your work.
Why we're asking
The Deity Project is a living encyclopedia of the sacred, and a shop whose shirts and prints help pay for it. It began with designs made in our own studio with the help of AI image tools, each checked against its tradition's iconography and approved by a person. We say so on every one of them, and they were always meant as scaffolding.
What we want most is art made by hand by the people who know these figures best. The hope is a collective of artists from many traditions, each illustrating their own sacred figures for people who want to learn about them. That begins with the first few artists, and we'd like you to be one of them.
Who we're looking for
We're starting with three figures, and one artist for each:
Each entry's picture today is an AI-assisted studio portrait or a public-domain work. An artist's own work would come first.
The kind of work we love
Drawn in the figure's own devotional tradition: temple prints, estampas, retablos, folk painting, woodcut. Faithful to the iconography, restrained, with room to breathe and a few inks rather than many. Warm, sometimes gently witty, never macho or cartoonish. Made to be looked at closely.
Any tradition in the encyclopedia is welcome, not only these three. If a figure from your own tradition is missing, suggest it. A few traditions aren't on products yet out of respect for their communities; we'll tell you honestly where things stand.
The terms, in plain words
- You keep your copyright. Your work stays yours. We ask for a non-exclusive licence to print a design, so you remain free to sell and license it anywhere else.
- You're paid. Either we license a piece you've already made, or we commission a new one. Both come with a fee plus a royalty on every sale, agreed with you in writing before anything is printed.
- Your name is on it. Every product carries a “Hand-drawn by” credit, and you get your own artist page on the site that links to your work.
- Never used for AI. Your art is never used to train or prompt an AI system.
- You can withdraw. If you change your mind, give us 30 days' notice and we'll stop offering your design.
How we review
Every application is checked against the same published criteria:
- The figure. It's a figure in the encyclopedia, or one we can add, and the tradition allows it to be pictured.
- Faithful iconography. The marks devotees recognise are right: attributes, colours, posture, companions, as set out in the figure's entry.
- Respect. Nothing the tradition forbids, nothing mocking, and nothing sacred placed where it would be stepped on or worn below the waist.
- Ready to print. Clean enough to print on a shirt or as an art print, at a size that holds up (we'll help with files).
- Your own work. Made by you, by hand, on paper or on screen, and free of anyone else's rights. No AI-generated art.
A person, not a program, makes the final call. Whatever the answer, yes or not yet, we tell you why.
Questions
Do I have to belong to the tradition?
No, but we're looking first for artists who draw their own tradition's figures, or who have spent years inside it. If that's not you and you still feel called to a figure, tell us why.
Can I send work I've already made?
Yes. Licensing a piece you already have is often the simplest start. We can also commission something new.
How much will I be paid?
A fee plus a royalty on every sale, agreed with you before anything is printed and set down in a short written agreement. The amounts depend on whether it's an existing piece or a new commission, so we'd rather talk it through with you than post a number.
Is it exclusive?
No. The licence is non-exclusive: keep selling your work, prints and originals wherever you like.
What about the AI-assisted designs already in the shop?
They were always meant as scaffolding: studio designs made with AI image tools, checked against each tradition's iconography and approved by a person, and labelled that way on every product. They stay available and labelled. When an artist draws a figure, the artist's work is shown first.
What will my art be printed on?
T-shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops and art prints, made to order in the USA. Sacred figures only go on tops, prints and similar items, never on anything worn below the waist, on footwear or on anything meant for the floor.
Does the shop give anything back to the traditions?
Yes. The Deity Project supports the keepers of these traditions, among them Bangka Lungshan Temple in Taipei and the Hindu Temple Society of North America. We give every quarter and publish each gift with its receipt on For the keepers.
Can I write in my own language?
Yes. Write in whatever language you're most comfortable in, and we'll reply in it as well as we can.
Who is behind this?
A small, independent project, begun by its founder after walking with Mazu across Taiwan in 2024. The whole story is on the About page.
Apply
A link to your work and a few lines about you are enough. No new account needed.
Prefer email? Write to thedeityprojectstore@gmail.com. We use your details only to reply to you; see our privacy policy.