next level
graffiti techniques
scape martinez
Contents INTRODUCTION
8
A brief conversation about human expression * a brief history of letters
1
DEEPER ELEMENTS OF GRAFFITI STYLE
13
Names & Letters * 3D Wildstyle Explained * Hand Styles * Glows * Characters & Objects * Radical Backgrounds * Letter Manipulation * Letter Development * Advanced Color Composition * Advanced Piece Composition
CONCLUSION 120 GALLERY 122 EXPANDED GLOSSARY 124 Index 126
Graff 2 by Scape Martinez
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WORKING ON WALLS
Graff on Objects Supplies Step-by-Step Demos
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s g a T e r o M d n a Tags, Tags Basic The tag is the writer’s identifying mark. It is the artist’s signature. When working in the tag space you will understand certain nuances that most casual fans will not pay attention to, such as the proper spacing between your letters, forming your letters, and the differences between quotes and sentences.
This is the basic statement. When doing your tag, make sure that your ink is juicy, or filled to capacity with ink. This will prevent streaks in your work. Apply enough pressure to get an opaque mark without drips.
Angled A variation on the basic theme. Unlike the basic tag, write this one at a sharp 45 degree angle with the letters starting small and exploding in size as you go.
Tag Clouds Tag clouds will make your tag stand out even more. They are cloudlike lines surrounding tags to give them added effects and a sense of depth. They are not only a cool way to capture your signature, but also a great way to add a quote or statement to your work, allowing you to introduce more expressive lines and even symbols.
Elements of Graffiti Style: Glows
Basic Glow Sometimes called a stroke or a force field, glows are an extra effect meant to add pop and life to your work. Glows are solid bands of color that wrap around your letters, characters, or even objects. They should be done with colors that contrast or compliment the color scheme of the object you are wrapping them around. Glows can make your colors seem to shine or even glow in the dark. Your glows can start as basic strokes but can grow from there.
1
Begin with a black and white letter outline. Here we have a semi-wildstyle letter “E.� It does not have to look like this; begin with something you feel comfortable with.
2
Add a simple drop shadow to the letter. Take the shadow and drop it down behind the letter and shift it slightly to the right. Also add a few random black bubbles for added flavor.
Materials list s u r fa c e Acid-free art paper
Markers Black, green, magenta and purple
Graff 2 by Scape Martinez
3
Drop in your first glow. Keep it basic here. Just add the magenta in a single stroke of color.Stroke around the letters, not the black dots.
4
Here the fun begins. Leave the magenta and reach for the purple. This stroke is a bit thicker in line weight than the first one. Again, focus on the letter not the dots.
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Finally we get loose! In this final step, let your creativity out. Add arrows shooting out from the magenta strokes, and magenta dots behind the black dots. With the purple, add some filaments and extra bits to extend out from the main strokes of purple. Finally, add the black arrows to seal the deal, and voilรก!
Elements of Graffiti Style: Characters & Objects
Basic Robot Your choice of characters and how you execute them tell a story, so give them some thought. Traditionally characters have been used as a form of decoration, off to the side, but if you integrate them into your piece, it will make it memorable. For example, let your character replace a letter by embedding the character in the letters. And do some research when adopting well-known characters or objects so you know their meaning and social connotation. Characters don’t have to be hyper realistic, either. Be creative. A cartoon character can carry a lot of stylizations that you can work into your total composition.
1
Do a rough sketch of basic shapes. Use your favorite light pencil. Break up your robot into its most basic shapes—cylinders, tubes and spheres, and be as free, open, and loose as possible. Don’t worry about your line strokes. Use simple lines and keep them balanced. Use these as the skeleton for your shapes.
2
Go over the initial sketch with a heavier leaded pencil. Keep the basic lines and shapes that you want, and erase the lines outside the character. Don’t worry about anything else besides fleshing out your character.
Materials list s u r fa c e Acid-free art paper
Markers Black permanent marker Red, yellow and blue waterbased
Graff 2 by Scape Martinez
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Please make sure you use a black permanent marker here and not a waterbased ink pen, as it will bleed later and potentially ruin your artwork. Go over the lines from step 2, remembering to keep the ones you want, and change the line weight as you go over the pencil lines. I prefer to keep the lines thick towards the edges and thinner as I go into the robot. I also like to add a thick black stroke around the entire character to make it pop. Erase all other pencil lines.
4
The first level of color is added here. Use a basic blue for the body, yellow for the visor for contrast, and red for the elbow joints and the plate on the stomach. It is entirely up to you as to how the robot looks or how the joints are put together. Use a waterbased marker or watercolor paints to do your fills.
5
Add graphics and shadows underneath the arms and the shoulders. Think of elements and areas of your character that are over or in front of other areas. For example, see how the torso is over the waist? It’s safe to add shadows there. Finally, add a bright red stroke and some bubbles to finish it off. Now you can place your character in its place within your piece.
Graff 2
Next Level Graffiti Techniques Scape Martinez
Features • Second book from Scape Martinez that teaches how to create your own legallysanctioned graffiti art • The author’s first book, Graff, has sold more than 18,000 copies since February 2009 • 6 demonstrations show the creation of 2 wall pieces from start to finish
About the Author Scape Martinez has created murals and designs for countless public art projects such as the East Palo Alto Public Mural
• Packed with step-by-step instructions demonstrating graffiti art and technique with easy-to-access materials such as markers and paper
Project. His work has been featured in publications such as Artweek, and shown in several galleries including the Berkeley Art Center and the Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose. He owns and operates
• Learn 3D wildstyle, characters, objects, and letter manipulation
two youth clothing lines, Liquidscape and Respect, Inc., and is an arts advocate for kids, having worked with the Teen Arts Pro-
• Provides explanations on color, composition, design and a glossary of common graffiti terms not covered in the first book
an imprint of F+W Media, inc.
gram at the San Jose Museum of Art. He is the author of the original graffiti art and technique book, GRAFF.
ISBN 13 . . . . . . . 978-1-4403-0827-7 ISBN 10 . . . . . . . . . . 1-4403-0827-6 UPC . . . . . . . . . . . 0 35313 65029 1 EAN . . . . . . . . . . . 9 781440 308277 SRN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z8819
Graff 2 by Scape Martinez
Category . . . . . . . . . . . Art Technique Price . US $22.99, CAN $25.99, UK £14.99 Trim . . . . . . . 11"w × 8.5"h (landscape) Page count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Binding . . . . . . . . . Paperback w/flaps
Publication month . . . . . . . . May 2011 Word count . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,500 # of color illustrations . . . . . . . . . . 250 # of b/w illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Interior color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4c