Psychedelic rock and hippie counterculture were at their height during the 1960’s (aka the trippiest decade). The 60’s were far out, man. Psychedelics were the norm, and the world just seemed more vibrant. The ‘Summer of Love’ was upon us and the phenomena that is Woodstock was in full swing. We checked in with the winner of our Psychedelics challenge, Artist Cody Weiler to learn more about his winning design, “A Fool’s Guide to Psychedelics!”
What have you been up to lately? Any exciting projects in the works?
Work, work, work mostly. There are some pretty exciting freelance clients that I’ve been working with recently. I’m also trying to do more personal work, and trying to expand my own brand.
I see your winning design comes from a collection of similar designs. What was the inspiration behind this collection?
I was looking for a way to tie together a series of designs with drastically different subject matter. I thought that using a similar format on each design would allow me to get into some more abstract subjects that I normally wouldn’t attempt on their own (time travel, purgatory, etc.) I have a list of about 10 more “Fool’s Guide” designs that I’d like to make, when I have the time. :)
What does your creative process look like?
I spend a lot of time brainstorming ideas before I ever get into making anything. I have a running list of a 100+ potential ideas in my phone that I refer to whenever I want to create a new design. Once I decide to create a new piece, I usually do a small sketch just to test a layout. But 95% of the actual work is done in Adobe Illustrator.
Is there anything in particular that you draw your creative inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from a ton of different sources. I spend a lot of time looking through vintage advertising and illustrations. Also, there are so many great artists creating things today. Too many to name, but Instagram is an endless source of inspiration.
Why did the Psychedelics design challenge interest you?
There is so much awesome artwork from the late 60s and early 70s. The bright colors and surreal imagery make it easy to recognize a piece from that era. “A Fool’s Guide to Psychedelics” actually was already created before the challenge was announced. But when I saw it, I knew that I’d have to submit this one.
Anything else you’d like the readers to know?
Thanks so much for another print! Every time I get that congratulations email, it’s like the first time all over again. I really appreciate the support that this community has given me over the years.
