Vans High School Custom Culture was created to inspire and empower high school students to embrace their creativity through art and design and bring attention to diminishing arts education budgets. Vans believes everyone should be empowered to express themselves creatively and should be given the tools to do so. Custom Culture High School is a national high school customization competition using blank Vans shoes to be customized around the specific themes, Hometown Pride and VanD(IY)oren Legacy.
What is the VanD(IY)oren Legacy? This past year the VANS family lost it’s co-founder Paul Van Doren. An entrepreneur and innovator, his vision started in Southern California and now spans the globe. Everything Paul did for the brand was driven by authenticity and his Off The Wall spirit. Contribute to Paul Van Doren’s legacy by showing your DIY take on our four pillars: action sports, art, music and street culture.
Get inspired by artist Kelly Breez. In this video, Kelly invites us into her studio to create work with a mix of illustration, paint, and woodworking.
Get ready to take some inspiration from new Custom Culture ambassador and artist Sara Yukiko Mon as she takes you through her creative process of making an ink transfer iron-on shirt.
Allow yourself to embark on a journey without a destination with artist Camilo Medina as they take you through their daily practice of reactionary art.
Grab your pencils or tablets and sit down and create animation loops with artist O.J. Hays. In this episode, O.J. walks you through the basics of animation that can later turn into full-blown animation.
Artist Noah Humes invites us to peek into his process using mixed media and a bit of patience to create work.
Sit down with iconic artist Todd Francis as he creates work in pen and ink and attempts to block out all distractions while he works.
Embrace ambiguity with artist Mich Miller as they take you through their process of painting gradients and shapes using stencils to create dynamic, abstract compositions.
Get creative and join new Custom Culture ambassador and artist David Heo. In this video, David shares his tips on drawing inspiration from the masters and creating a collage work of art.
Get creative with this year's Vans Custom Culture campaign artist Tony Whlgn as they take you through their process of creating, digitizing, and making your own screen print.
Be inspired by muralist and artist Syndey James as she takes you through her squiggly process of creating a mural from sketch to full-scale public art.
Design your own Vans shoe with our favorite cartoonist Jay Howell. In this episode, Jay shares his tips on creating a professional-looking shoe by hand.
Get inspired by Los Angeles native Noah Humes. In this video, Noah invites us into his process of using mixed media to add texture to his work.
Spend a day with legendary Anti-Hero skateboard graphic designer and artist Todd Francis. In this episode, Todd illustrates how current events and issues shape the narrative of his satirical work.
Pull out your skateboard and get creative with artist O.J. Hays. In this video, O.J. demonstrates how to show off your originality using grip tape to show off your unique style.
Sit down with Los Angeles based Cartoonist Jay Howell. In this episode, Jay shares his favorite tools to create a collage with his humorous and wacky characters.
Get ready to take some inspiration from musician and artist Camilo Medina. In this episode, Camilo walks you through his creative process going from a sketch to a digital illustration.
Get ready to take some inspiration from musician and artist Camilo Medina. In this episode, Camilo walks you through his creative process going from a sketch to a digital illustration.
Relax and get creative with Detroit-based multi-disciplinary artist Tony Whlgn. In this episode, Tony shows you how history inspires his signature character lettering.
Get ready for some fun and sunshine with Miami-based artist Kelly Breeze. In this episode, Kelly shows us how she likes to experiment with different mediums to create her artwork.
Artist + Designer, professionally known as Tony Whlgn ( Hoo - li - gen ) was born on Detroit’s Eastside. With a
background in Digital and Fine Art, he has created unconventional ways for his work to be experienced and made
available for mass exchange. At an early age, his life was consumed by the Arts, which allowed his skills to be
refined and developed through various artistic disciplines. In 2009, with the help of close friends he formed a
conglomerate of creative entrepreneurs called the Whlgn®. Creating a foundation around their main objective to
open the door of imagination and inspire individuals that can relate. Living by the mantra “We do what we want
because we love what we do.”
Photo credit @uncWhlgn
Yoobi creates bright, fun, colorful stuff for school, home and office that gives back! For every Yoobi item purchased, a Yoobi item is donated to a U.S. classroom in need. Vans Custom Culture is excited for Yoobi to be the exclusive arts supplies partner, providing basic art supplies to all confirmed registrants to use and show off their creativity!
To date, Yoobi has provided school supplies to 3 million kids across the U.S and is proud to continue providing students the supplies they need in art education through partnerships like Vans Custom Culture. https://yoobi.com
Scholarship America is a nonprofit organization that helps students fulfill their college dreams. Since it was founded in 1958, Scholarship America has distributed $4.5 billion to more than 2.8 million students, making it the nation’s largest private scholarship provider. The organization runs its own national and community-based scholarship programs and works with partners wishing to establish scholarship and support programs to lower barriers to a college education and give students the support needed to succeed. Learn more at scholarshipamerica.org.
