ART ACTION TECHNIQUE NO.2:
STREET ART POSTERS
MCAC ART ACTION TOOLBOX TECHNIQUE NO. 2
INTRODUCTION
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This guide takes you step-bystep through the process of creating street art posters, using photography, collage and stencils. Mayfield Community Arts Centre uses this technique to engage young people in the creation of public art that communicates messages of importance to them. The posters are fun to make and are a striking visual statement in public spaces. We hope you find this guide useful and inspiring!
BEFORE YOU START! • Plan where and for how long the posters will be displayed. Contact your local city or town council to get their support. This is very important: you don’t want to spend time and energy creating wonderful works of art that will never be seen by the public! • Plan how they will be displayed so that they will stay in place and will not be a public safety risk (this may be an extra cost to your project). • Prepare by exploring possible themes with the group. At MCAC we use non-formal learning methods such as role-play, forum theatre and discussions to consider themes in more depth. Giving time for the group to critically reflect on what they learn supports them to come up with authentic messages that they want the public to hear. • We also examine the work of other graphic artists to consider how they get their messages across. This gives young people inspiration for ways they can visually express their own messages.
WHAT YOU NEED POSTER MATERIALS: • Old wallpapers (try asking furniture/ homeware stores for their leftover stock) • Old newspapers and magazines • 10l PVA glue and wallpaper paste • Pots and brushes • 3 plywood boards 8ft x 4ft x 20mm • Masking tape, duck tape. GRAFFITI • Selection of paint cans (depending on the size of your piece select 5 colours and buy 2 or more of each) • Gloves • Aerosol masks • Old rags • Stencils • Digital camera
Click here for a link to a slideshow of this process
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE We generally work through 4 stages to make our posters:
Stage One: We use drama techniques to create “frozen images� of the selected theme. We then use digital cameras to record these images. Stage Two: We select a digital photograph and enlarge it many times, printing it in black and white. We then cut out the background parts of the image, leaving just the figures. Stage Three: We make a stencil of the text that we want to go on the poster. This is typed on the computer and printed on A3 paper which is then pasted to card and cut out with a knife. Stage Four: This stage involves putting everything together in an harmonious composition! 1. Start by creating your background. Paste the old wallpapers to the boards using the PVA (or wallpaper paste).Make sure it really sticks to the board and dries flat. 2. Work in pairs to spray your stencils. Tape the stencil lightly to the collage. Use a piece of scrap card to stop the excess spray from hitting the collage. Shake the can well and hold 6 inches from the surface. Spray once. Leave to dry and spray again. 3. To get a 3d effect move the stencil an inch diagonally upwards. Spray again with a lighter colour. 4. Use markers to define or highlight areas of the collage. 5. Experiment! But remember your original design!
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