WHAT IS AJ256?
Hello, my name is AJ Thomas, and 256 is my favorite number. A lot of people have one of these. It’s a number that feels like it's always popping up unexpectedly. It can feel almost magical, like the universe is moving just for you. That sense of mystery is universal.
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For me, it has always been 256. Since I was a kid, it showed up everywhere. It is a foundation for technology and color systems. But the truth is simpler: I subconsciously chose to see 256 as a visual pattern. No matter the origin, my mind is now trained to see the number, and see it as more than a number. The fact is we see so many numbers that of course if we choose to note one it will stand out each time. But because it was a subconscious choice it feels like every time it appears, it isn’t like every other trivial number, it is something special.
Just as it hides in my life, I hide the number 256 in every piece.
It won’t be obvious.
If you want to see it, you’ll have to choose to find it.
My Designs
I draw in Procreate using an iPad and Apple Pencil. The style I use here was refined for print. The final designs use clean, cel-shaded shapes and solid colors intended for high quality prints. I focus on bold linework, and print-safe palettes for consistency.
- Shirt designs are drawn at a 12” x 16” scale.
- Large full-print wall art is drawn at scale from the start to preserve detail.
- For other prints, I scale the original design at high resolution, so edges stay sharp at any size. If a size is not available for wall art, it is because it would not print at a high enough quality.
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Hidden Numbers:
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On scaled smaller prints like stickers, 256 will not always be visible.
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Though designs are made for shirts, there may be other garments where fabric texture, ink coverage, or print method may make the number slightly harder to spot.
DECONSTRUCTING THE WALL
My creativity is constant but my perfectionism is a brick wall I could try to climb forever. I sometimes get stuck chasing details no one else may notice. This website is a way for me to work against that and accept that none of these pieces will ever be perfect. However, creating is a way to continue moving forward for me. So rather than climb the wall I am taking the time to deconstruct it. Each piece posted is a brick removed, and I am learning to see that what I truly want is not at the top of that wall, but on the other side.