If you haven’t heard of Joshua Vides, you’ll probably recognise his signature black-and-white style. The LA-based artist is a pen-wielding extraordinaire, known for his graphic interpretations of everyday objects; monochromatic, hand-drawn illustrations that use bold linework to transform even the most recognisable items into whimsical cartoons. From going viral for his take on Nike’s classic Air Force 1s, to sketching his way through a collaboration with Fendi, and reimagining a pair of Converse high tops, Vides’ work is instantly recognisable.

Now, the artist has turned his lens to another iconic brand: Ballantine’s whisky (AKA the number two scotch in the world). As part of Ballantine’s Limited Edition campaign (formerly known as the Artist Series and True Music Series), Vides has reworked the brand’s signature rectangular bottle – which was redesigned to fit inside specially crafted briefcases during the US prohibition. “We’re bringing everything back to its origin,” he explains. ”Obviously I brought my own attitude to it, whether that’s adding dots for shading or inconsistent brushstrokes, but I was trying to recreate that first sketch Ballantine’s did when they circled it on a piece of paper and said, ‘this is what the Ballantine’s bottle needs to look like’.”

Vides likens his own “do-it-yourself” creative process to Ballantine’s ethos of staying true to yourself (as seen in a recent video), which is reflected in the brand’s rebellious prohibition past. When designing the bottle, Vides wanted to nod to this rich history (and 100 years since prohibition) with a matching briefcase, made to fit a bottle of Ballantine’s and two glasses. A series of pop-up drinking experiences, decorated in Vides’ signature style, will also appear across cities at the start of next year – but, until then, we speak to Vides about his collaboration with Ballantine’s, taking a DIY approach to art, and his first time drinking whisky.

How did the collaboration with Ballantine’s come about?

Joshua Vides: I’d done a few shows up until that point where I was either painting soda cans and whisky bottles, sort of hoping that somebody would be like, ‘hey, this would be a good idea’. It was a finger’s crossed moment. When Ballantine’s reached out to us, the understanding of the heritage and professionalism behind the brand made it an easy green light on our end.

What about its heritage attracted you specifically?

Joshua Vides: I remember the specific story that they told me about when prohibition was going on and how they redesigned the bottle to fit into briefcases. That kind of attitude and approach to business in general is similar to how we operate. I remember hearing that story and being like, ‘damn, I would be that guy if I was alive in the 20s’. Like, ‘we can’t sell alcohol? How the fuck can we figure this out?’

Also, when you can literally see the track record of a company that goes back longer than I’ve been alive, it highlights the importance of quality through that company’s lens.

What was your first memory of drinking whisky?

Joshua Vides: Whisky was the first thing that kind of entered my world drinking alcohol, besides beer, and it stayed with my lifestyle through my twenties, through my ups and downs in general. It’s the friend of top of my fridge.

You have such a recognisable style. Why do you think it resonates with so many people?

Joshua Vides: I’ve established this style that’s allowed me to grow exponentially because of how fresh and different it is from everything else coming out right now. If you think of Roy Lichtenstein, for example, there were a tonne of artists that were inspired by him and have attempted to recreate and embody his style through their lens. Like all those comic book characters, the dots and bright colours. I think taking that and implementing it into my culture is what allowed me to grow so quickly. I was painting shoes, objects that people were familiar with, and expanding from there.

Where do you go from here?

Joshua Vides: I’m trying to grow in as many categories as possible, whether it’s footwear, home goods, or food and beverages. Ballantine’s is going to be a memorable moment, because it’s technically the first spirit alcohol company that approached me and believed in my creativity enough to let me wrap it around their infamous bottle.

Was it difficult translating your style onto the bottle?

Joshua Vides: Every object that I paint is different. It’s not just painting a canvas. When you’re painting an object, it’s like you’ve never painted this angle, this corner, this edge. I think every object that I paint is like a blind date. You just go in hoping it’ll work out. Fortunately, the bottle isn’t too curvy, which has allowed my lines to really stick out.

You’ve made a briefcase to go along with the bottle design, what can you tell us about it?

Joshua Vides: I always try to push the envelope and say, what else can we make? For other brands, we’ve made a skate deck, a chair; Once (Ballantine’s) told me about how, during prohibition, they created these rectangular bottles to hide their whisky, I was like, ‘let’s make a briefcase’. It’s just extending the concept and extending the conversation away from the expected relationship between an artist and a whisky company.

You find find out more about Ballantine’s whisky and the upcoming briefcase drop on its website