Cody Hudson

June 25, 2018

Artist Cody Hudson is an inspiration for a lot of artists out there. The work of the Chicago based artist comes in lots of different forms and sizes: snowboards, T-shirts, ads, and so on. Also his client lists is stacked with awesome brands like Vans, Volcom, Nike SB, Pitchfork, Red Bull and Converse. We are extremely proud Cody took the time to create a Face This T-shirt using our Indonesian kids’ drawings. In this exclusive interview, Cody talks about his T-shirt.

At Face This we always incorporate Indonesian kids’ drawings into our T-shirt artwork. So we wanted to know what Cody Hudson used to draw when he was a kid. ‘I would always draw my Dungeons & Dragons characters. I was more into that than playing the game.’ As Cody ‘always enjoyed drawing’, we asked what he would do if he didn’t had the ability to draw. Cody: ‘I would find other things to get into: building forts, making things out of cardboard, skateboarding when I was a bit older, etc.’ And how about school then? ‘I didn’t go to a traditional art school so not sure it had much of an effect although i would spend lots of time in school doodling in my notebooks.’

Inspiring artists

Cody is a source of inspiration for many artists. So what sources of inspiration does Cody have himself? Which contemporary artists are an inspiration for him? ‘So many out there, I like to look at work by Tal R, Eddie Martinez, Alexander Tovborg, Jonathon Lasker, Laura Owens, Roger Herman, Barry McGee, Katherine Bernhardt, David Korty, Mary Heilmann, Louise Nevelson, Thomas Houseago, David Hockney, Ellsworth Kelly, Suzan Frecon to name a few.’

Becoming an artist

For most artists we have worked with, being an artist wasn’t a clear goal when they started out their career. This was definitely the case for Cody Hudson. ‘I don’t think it was ever a real conscious decision. I just did my thing for so long that it started turning into my “job” and now it’s pretty much what I do all day.’ Below you can find a documentary made by Vans about a day in the life of Cody Hudson:

Cody Hudon’s Face This T-shirt

We are very honoured artist Cody Hudson contributed to our 2018 T-shirt collection with a wonderful artwork. What made him join? ‘It’s a really great idea and I really enjoy the honesty in art made by children (I have 2 young daughters myself), so a chance to collaborate with the youth is always fun.’ The artist created his artwork for Face This in a very modest way. ‘I tried to not let me work take over but be there more to support the drawing I was given. It was an interesting challenge.’ This approach differed a bit from the way he usually works. ‘It was different in the sense of I wanted it to be less about my aesthetic and be there more to support the drawing so it’s meant to be in the background a bit. I think there is an honesty in children’s work. It’s not something you can fake.’

Artwork for good

In the past Cody has worked for several causes and charities. Why does he do this? Is it only because he wanted to help create a better world or is there also a creative challenge involved? ‘I feel very lucky every day to be able to make a living and support my family doing something creative and something I love. So when I can do something that helps give back, I always try to find time to make that happen.