From a practical point of view, the depiction of graffiti can be divided into quiet work under a contract, when the artist has full confidence that he will not be taken to the police, and activity in the field of creating illegal or semi-legal graffiti. In both cases, the material leaves its mark. Quite quickly comes the understanding that it is impossible to make high-quality graffiti without the ability to compromise. Some ideas have to be abandoned simply because the image on the wall may look completely different from the one in the notebook. Spatial imagination is also important, as is the ability to convey the mood with the least number of lines. Let's try to put ourselves in the place of an artist or street stage performer and consider the most important stages in the development of a master.
People who have never been to it sincerely believe that graffiti can be learned by going from simple to complex. This is not a fallacy, everything is true, but such a statement is a thing that is equally useful and useless. Drawing is taught in art schools and academies, in colleges of design and applied arts. Also nowadays, master classes for everyone, which are sometimes conducted by famous personalities or the same art schools, have become quite popular. It is better to master the general basics of painting and graphics in this way, without trying to copy something from another author, without introducing anything from yourself and without developing properly.
What you need to draw graffiti
To do this you need a can of aerosol paint. It is quite poisonous, so it is also necessary to protect the respiratory tract, and it is possible that it also protects the eyes and skin of the hands. If something large-scale is being created, then we will be painting with one spray can for a very long time. Therefore, a variety of devices are used - rollers, molar guns, spray guns and everything that people have come up with for applying paint to the wall.
The cans contain balls that make extraneous sounds, so some artists also take with them magnets that are attached to the bottom of the can.
Recommendations for a beginner
Set your goal clearly and clearly. What do you want, what problem are you solving. Street art provides ample opportunities for self-expression, but we must not forget the importance of concept and creative intent. The author needs to clearly understand what exactly he intends to convey to the viewer. You can draw graffiti out of a feeling of protest, out of a desire to pose some question to people, out of a desire to make the world unusual, or in order to make a statement. In any case, you need to understand how this will be done. For bombing, it is important to develop some kind of recognizable style, and then leave a characteristic inscription. In itself, it may not represent any artistic value, but then the artist must be a passionate person, obsessed with the idea of being active in the street environment. This is where the term “street scene artist” comes from. This means that simple graffiti is compensated by the frequency of its appearance and the meaning, or lack thereof, that it carries.
Selecting style and effects
You can understand the essence of graffiti styles using a logical movement from the opposite. Imagine a smooth and beautiful advertising sign. Maybe it has some special font design. Fine. Now take a spray can and create a copy of it on the wall - without markings, just by hand. You won't succeed. Don't be upset - any famous graffiti artist couldn't do it.
An attempt to make some elegant and smooth inscription will end in failure. The idea immediately comes to mind - to draw as it turns out, but so that it looks good. This is how all graffiti styles were born. In fact, there is not much choice. From a practical point of view, you can:
- draw letters round, large, with smooth rounding of all corners of the font style - this is how Bubble style appeared. Letters reminiscent of bubbles have become classics of the simplest versions of graffiti, which is very convenient for all those who are involved in bombing and various types of illegal street art;
- keep letters simple without worrying about roundness. This is all that is included in the family called Old School;
- create huge letters, the images of which are most often carried out by the team. Such creativity may be called Blockbusters or Throw-up. The latter is simpler and is done in one or two colors;
- to confuse and confuse everything, to get lost in the process of drawing curlicues and ornaments, which as a result can even make the inscription unreadable. These are already the styles of new schools, and its most striking direction is the wild style - WildStyle.
Choosing a direction is a rather arbitrary matter. Graffiti would not be art if everything was based on canons and rules. A creative person will prefer to work in a way that is more convenient for him to convey his emotions and solve the main problem of communicating with the target audience.
Start training with the basics
To master the basics of graffiti, you should start with artistic writing. All experienced masters started with this and advise all beginners to learn how to draw text graffiti on paper. You can choose any text, but it’s always fun to make fun of your name. By the way, you can immediately come up with your own tag and depict it. Don’t rush to draw in volume right away, everything has its time.
So, the first steps with which you can start learning right now:
Learn to write letters the same way
Step 2 . Outline your letters. To do this, you need to choose the style that will be easiest for you to portray. “Old-timers” advise all newcomers to learn to draw graffiti on paper using the bubble . Letters made in this style really resemble inflated bubbles, and they are the easiest to depict. Although there are many more styles:
For now, one style will suffice. Change the letters beyond recognition, because this is a free workout!
Step 4 . Before coloring, lines drawn in pencil can be darkened with a pen or marker. There are so many ways to color letters. Get new ideas on the Internet, look at other works. The easiest option is to sketch the letters in one color. But good graffiti should be catchy and bright, but in moderation! Therefore, you can alternate colors or make each letter different colors.
Tip: Use moderation in colors and additional elements so that your graffiti does not turn into chaos.
Copy
One day, a large book publishing house invited the well-known artist Benoit Olliv to write a large book, which would become a graffiti textbook for beginners. He thought for a long time, but even a substantial fee was not a sufficient incentive to create such a tutorial. There's just nothing to say about how it's done. This is taken and done. That's why his own bestseller appeared. It was a book with pages cut out from the inside. Thus, a niche was formed, and a can of aerosol paint was placed in it. Graffiti is created not in stages, but according to the spontaneous movement of the hand. It takes practice for it to move correctly. But the world of street art is very unique. On the one hand, it is based on freedom, and on the other, every successful idea is picked up by someone else. This creates currents, which in this environment are often called waves.
All significant graffiti in this world was created through copying, to which something of one's own was added. Once upon a time, the very first artists in the USSR simply looked at pictures in Western magazines and did something similar themselves, figuring out everything else as they went along. The photos only became an incentive to do something similar, but without blindly repeating it.
How to draw graffiti step by step
Well, actually, with your hands... Looking at the huge variety of results, you might think that there are some special techniques, methods and techniques for drawing graffiti step by step. Let's divide everything that street artists have done from the mid-20th century to the present day into two large groups.
- One will include works by people with special education in the field of graphics, design and painting. In this case, graffiti is a tradition of artistic activity that is a cross between art and craft.
- In another, works by bright, creative, strange, extraordinary personalities. Someone is chasing adrenaline, someone is updating their character, someone doesn’t even know what they are doing, but after trying once they do it and do it, then and now.
Representatives of both groups never wondered how to draw graffiti. How? We bought paint in cans and painted.
If you want to do this on a professional level, go to college and study to become designers, to art schools, and if you are schoolchildren, then to art schools and studios. If you want it purely for the street scene, then throw out of your head the standards and the myth that this can be learned somehow step by step.
Useful tips
@jekie_dugn, graffiti writer, graphic designer and member of the underground collective “Black Economy”
Graffiti is not just drawings on walls
This is a living and diverse subculture with its own fashion, concepts and trends. First of all, graffiti is about the people who paint it.
Respect or at least don't clash with other graffiti artists. Don't spoil other people's drawings, don't draw from other people's drawings. This will be taken as a personal insult.
Be passionate about your work, otherwise just don’t do it!
Graffiti is an established environment that has its own rules and standards. These standards are important to know and understand, but not necessarily to be followed! Strive for originality!
@instvmaske, creator of one of the most popular channels about graffiti on Russian-language YouTube
Think about it, is it worth it?
Form a goal, attitude and a specific vector of development. Graffiti is a complex, multifaceted medium that exists remarkably well without your presence. Maybe you'd rather try classical painting or sports?
This is a very expensive and difficult hobby that most likely will not give you anything in return. Developing a style and drawing is, first of all, work, meaningful overcoming of difficult obstacles.
Graffiti is drawn by graffiti artists for graffiti artists.
Process dependency
Drawing pieces is very contagious in terms of the process. Puffing with a balloon is very addictive. Once you learn to read tags, you will never forget how, and if you fail, it will even begin to interfere.
Rules of the game
Drawing streets (illegal street pieces), iron and rooftops (pieces on roofs) is not at all the same as making lines and street art. All are worth trying, but some branches of graffiti require less publicity.
Non-standard solutions
It can be done beautifully in the most unobvious ways, one alien is worth a lot.
Alcohol compatibility
Alcohol and a can of paint are a bad combination. At the beginning of the journey this is true. Get comfortable first, then have fun.
Impudence
Reiter remains elusive until no one needs him. Remember the cameras. If you draw on politics, multiply the measures of anonymity and caution by at least 5.
Safety precautions
Fast legs ******** are not afraid of [cuffs] - keep your body in shape, run in the stadium and with obstacles. This can be useful. Sometimes very much.
When drawing in a dark place, think about escape routes. Try not to immerse yourself in the work completely; it is advisable to have a checker (another person who, in the event of an emergency, signals this to the person drawing).
If you are drawing and the cops drive by, take a break, most likely this means that another crew will come for you now.
Never take more money with you than you need. If you are hired with a salary, you risk being left without half.
In some cases, if there are problems, you can agree on a personal buff of your art (buff - repainting, graffiti removal). As a rule, paint costs less than fines. Some people don’t go this route on principle. Everyone's choice.
Regional peculiarity
In some areas of our vast country, the chance of spontaneously getting hit in the face for your “doodles” is much higher than in the two capitals.
Friends with similar interests
Drawing with a group is much more convenient, more fun and safer than painting solo.
Weather
In winter and cold weather, the quality of the final piece is two and sometimes three times worse.
Communication with law enforcement agencies
A street artist must remember an important thing: you should never run from the police or somehow resist arrest! Never!
Otherwise, instead of an administrative fine of 500–3000 rubles, you can get an administrative case for disobeying the police and arrest for up to 15 days, or even a criminal case for insulting a police officer or using violence.
If an artist painted on some abandoned building, booth, wall without architectural or historical value, then he will either receive a small administrative fine or simply get off with a written explanatory note.
History and context
For a modern artist, it is sometimes more important to be a good historian than to be able to draw. You need to understand the history of art and know the works of other famous artists so as not to accidentally repeat yourself or, conversely, make a competent reference.
The context of the work is also very important, because the same image at a certain time and in a certain environment will be read differently.
Art project Ozon Ballon
The project at the intersection of branding and street art was launched in the fall of 2022. You can familiarize yourself with the conditions and submit your application here, and see the already completed works here.
Source
Drawing graffiti with a pencil
The ability to draw graffiti with a pencil on paper will not hurt any artist. It may simply be impossible to think through a composition outdoors. However, the difference between home and studio conditions is so great that the usual understanding of the sketch ceases to be relevant.
Pencil sketches are useful for solving problems related to the decoration of premises or the creation of commercial graffiti on the external walls of clubs and shops. Illegal and any extreme graffiti goes very poorly with homemade graffiti. Another thing is stencils, the use of which creates a separate type of urban creativity.
It is worth drawing graffiti on paper in order to learn how to build full-fledged compositions, think through the proportions and plot of the drawings and enrich them with some originality. Whether to transfer a drawing to the wall “one-on-one” or limit oneself to only displaying the main idea, trusting entirely in street material - each artist finds the answer to this question himself.
However, from the very beginning you need to keep in mind that the technique of drawing on paper - with watercolors, gouache or a regular pen - is extremely different from working with aerosol paints. You can master the technique of graffiti only on the street.
15 famous representatives of street art
Banksy
Banksy was born in 1974. His real name is unknown. In his works he balances between marketing, social position and provocation. His unique stencil style was formed in 2000. Before that, he developed in a team of street artists.
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Banksy is not only an artist, but also a director; his film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” was nominated for an Oscar in 2011.
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The most famous works:
- “Love of Law and Order” - two police officers kissing.
- “Nadezhda” or “Girl with a Balloon” – a girl releasing a balloon.
- “Sweep it under the rug.” 2006 – a maid “lifts” the façade of the building to sweep away the garbage.
Nick Walker
The British artist created his works back in the 80s. The most famous is the inscription “Vandalism”, where the first letter is drawn in the shape of a heart. She uses mixed techniques in her work, adding quotes and a little irony.
Vandalism Nick Walker
Nick Walker is one of the founders of street art. Influenced many personalities, including Banksy.z
Keith Haring
The artist was popular in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century. Bright cartoon drawings in the subway, which were striking and easy to remember, brought fame.
Radiant Baby Keith Haring
Soon Keith Haring begins printing them on T-shirts, posters and badges. The main idea of all works is peace, love and life itself. One of his famous characters is the “radioactive child.” At the age of 31 he died of AIDS.
Invader (Space Invader), or Space Invader
He created a new style of street art - Rubicubism. His first street mosaic appeared in 1998. Invader carefully selects the location for his installations. He lays out pixel characters from ceramic tiles, thus “capturing” cities. He publishes a list of “captured” places on the website.
Tokyo Space Invader
He creates his works under the cover of darkness. He always wears a mask to hide his face. Identity remains unknown to this day.
Peter ROA
The street artist comes from Belgium. The main theme of the works is animals and birds, depicted in a graphic manner and in black and white. Pays great attention to small details. She especially likes to draw rabbits, rats and birds.
Turtles Peter ROA
The artist often travels, and everywhere he leaves animals characteristic of the place where he stopped.
Fairy Shepard
He began creating graffiti in 1989. The artist’s style is often copied by other artists. As a graphic designer, he worked with the PepsiCo and Adidas brands, and designed album covers for the Black Eyed Peas.
Hope (Hope) Fairy Shepard
One of the most famous works was a portrait of Barack Obama with the caption “Hope”. The portrait of Andre "The Giant" Roussimoff, the famous wrestler, with the caption "OBEY" (Obey) brought fame.
Ron English
The creator, originally from Dallas, was born in 1959. He painted walls back in the 70s. He is considered one of the founders of street art.
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In his works he implements the principles of pop art, which Andy Warhol spoke about. Using symbols of the modern pop world, he mixes “high” and “low” cultural traditions, turning tragedy into farce and solemnity into clownery. Changed the view of artists and viewers on contemporary art.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Riding Death Jean-Michel Basquiat
Began his career as a street artist under the pseudonym SAMO. Thanks to a strong desire, he made his way into the world of art, began exhibiting his works in famous galleries and met popular artists of the 80s of the 20th century. At the age of 27 he died of a drug overdose.
Mark Jenkins
The sculptor creates shocking sculptures on the busy streets of the city. Using only tape, newspapers and old clothes, he incites fear, anger and hatred among passers-by.
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His main trick is to place his works in unexpected places and unnatural poses. So, a girl may be looking out of a trash can, there will be a bed right on the road where an unknown woman is sleeping, and a headless man will be stuck in the wall.
Aryz
The Catalan artist born in 1988 creates murals - large graffiti on the facades of buildings. To create works he uses brushes, not spray cans. He considers himself a street artist and does not call his work graffiti.
Tempus Fugit Lagos Aryz
Aris does not put deep meaning into creativity; he prefers a combination of colors and composition. So, in 2012, at the Meeting of Styles festival in Buenos Aires, he painted a horse on a bicycle, and in 2014, a large skeleton in Portugal.
Versailles, France 2022 Aryz
Aris notes that his first graffiti looked terrible. The next day he came to correct the work, but only made it worse.
Os Gemeos
One of the most famous street artist duos. These are twin brothers from Brazil, born in 1974. Their passion for hip-hop culture began in 1986. They create murals, installations, and canvas paintings.
Boston Giant Os Gemeos
They began their creativity by copying their favorite artists, and then developed their own unique style. The brothers believe that every creator is born with his own unique style, you just need to discover it.
Blek le Rat
Like Banksy, Blek le Rat uses stencils to create his work. Xavier Prou (the artist's real name) came from a respectable French family.
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He often depicts black rats; he considers them truly free. He also draws people and animals, forming symbolic images. One of the most famous graffiti is “Charlot” or “The Old Man”, which depicts a life-size elderly man with a cap on his head.
Ernest Pignon-Ernest
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The French artist is one of the pioneers of street art in Europe. Works in the style of poster art or poster graphics. He opposed racial segregation and aestheticized revolutionary sentiments, which was often reflected in his works. For example, an image of an African family imprisoned behind barbed wire.
Blu
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The Italian creator decorated many walls in different parts of the world, most of them in Europe and South America. He began his work in 1999. Each work has a social motive, which evokes strong emotions among viewers, as well as the authorities, who have long come to terms with the presence of murals on the walls.
Faith47 (FAITH XLVII)
Recognizable murals are created by a woman, promoting the ideas of feminism, social injustice, as well as the protection of nature and inequality of women. A self-taught artist, she began creating works at the age of 19.
You awakened a long-forgotten Faith 47 in me
One of her murals is located on the back wall of the Atrium in Moscow. It depicts a woman with her head covered. The inscription reads: “You awakened something long forgotten in me.”
We go outside: we draw graffiti on the wall
Some people think that there is some kind of graffiti for beginners - a simpler one that can be created at the initial stage. This is a big misconception, a consequence of a misconception about what street art is.
As mentioned above, graffiti is a way of self-expression. If a creative person who has nothing to do with fine art is engaged in it, then he is looking for some of his own forms. A professional artist will use the medium for the same purpose, but at his own level. But in the urban space, everyone can find a suitable niche. This is the main feature of street art. For this reason, pictures will give absolutely nothing for drawing graffiti. They can decorate some school album, but they will not become the basis for developing the skill of a street artist.
Your own style is inseparable from practice. To begin with, you need to look not for graffiti drawings for beginners, but for a wall or fence located somewhere in a neutral place that compactly encloses a garage cooperative or construction site. The walls of abandoned buildings will also work. You can take a sketch with you on a piece of paper, but don't rely too much on it. One of the conditions for the desired perception is the artist’s ability to organically fit into the surrounding environment. You can try and contradict it, but then this contradiction must be part of the creative plan.
If you don't need this, then don't chase complex solutions with a lot of tricky interweaving of lines. Some authors create light graffiti all their lives, but they are quite popular. You can take it by the drawing itself, by the idea, by the number of works performed or by the placement location. The semantic message can be absolutely anything. It depends on a huge number of factors, including your mood.
Don’t trust those who say that you can draw in some places and not in others. An artist who tries to express himself in the passage of a metro station in the capital or on a wall near a department store located in the city center will immediately be taken to the police, because there are CCTV cameras all around. And some gateway in a compact courtyard does not evoke special attention. Otherwise there is no difference. Typically, law enforcement officers do not try to enforce the law very zealously when it comes to unwanted street art. Nothing bad happens to the artists, although most graffiti, including legal ones, are sooner or later covered over by the relevant services.
History of development
If we talk about graffiti in its modern sense, the direction began to take shape in the 1960s. Cornbread and Cool Air covered the whole of Philadelphia with inscriptions, which attracted the attention of residents and the press.
Then the graffiti reached New York. In 1971, the New York Times published an article about Dimetrius, a courier who left the inscription of his pseudonym “Taki 183” everywhere.
Taki183
Since 1972, graffiti in underground passages has become common in Brooklyn. So people from different areas literally competed with each other, trying to leave as many of their inscriptions as possible. To stand out from the rest, artists began to use various styles that are still known today.
Then came Tagging and Bombing. After all, leaving your pseudonym on a moving train is safer, as there is less chance of being caught. Since 1974, drawings began to be added to the inscriptions; very quickly they covered entire carriages.
Djerba Space Invader
Since the 1980s, official exhibitions have been appearing where street artists find recognition. In 1981, the PSI New York/New Wave exhibition was opened, where such famous personalities as Jean-Michel Basquiat, William Burroughs, Andy Warhol took part.
However, along with loud recognition, strict restrictions are introduced on the painting of streets and subways. Many people end their careers at this point. Others are starting to develop further. So in the 1990s, Space Invander became a popular street artist.
Miami Space Invader
Since the 2000s, attitudes towards graffiti have become more conscious and serious. Street art artists are developing their own style, creating more and more new branches.
Street art took over the world at the beginning of the 21st century. Entire art districts emerged, and urban areas became open-air galleries.
