Graffiti Exercises
Extension Try making your wall into a 3D set and adding props, etc.. i.e. imagine that it is a skateboarding park.
Use the support sheets to help you with your design.
Start by completing some of the introductory tasks in this booklet. You will then be working towards creating your own graffiti art, which will be coloured in and cut out, before finally being pasted onto your photocopied wall. Practice your designs in your sketchbook.
BRIEF In these tasks, you will studying graffiti art and developing your understanding of typography (the design of fonts/ typefaces) and how to play with shapes to create your own graffiti font.
Graffiti Project
Glittering markers make an excellent drawing tool for graffiti art. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with these markers. And don't forget, never draw on public property without permission!
Once you have your image ready, you'll need some magic markers as well. Try out the same image using different colors and see which end result you prefer. You may also wish to add in some texts.
For a start, you may want to look up some tattoo images* to use as reference images or to draw inspiration. Images like skulls or roses make great subjects for graffiti art.
Due to these characteristics, it's no surprise that we see so many teenagers being drawn to graffiti art. But once you recognize these characteristics, you'll also come to understand that it's not all that hard to create a piece of graffiti art, even if you know little about drawing.
And finally, graffiti art is usually created with a wide variety of colors. Bright and luminous colors like red, orange, yellow, green and blue are preferred. There's little or no intention for color harmony and the goal here is to create a dazzling array of colors that draw attention to the graffiti art itself.
Second, texts are usually visible, and drawn in an embossed manner that gives a 3D impression. These texts usually form a few words or a short phrase, and makes up a part of the entire graffiti artwork.
First, graffiti art are usually loose forms. But these forms are usually just clear enough to represent what they're supposed to represent. The shapes are loosely created, and the subjects overlap one another in a rather random manner. Highlights are applied to the image if needed but again, these are loosely applied.
Graffiti art has a loose feel about it. There are no strict rules to creating graffiti art, except a few distinct characteristics that always make graffiti art appear stylish. Let's see what those characteristics are.
Graffiti art doesn't just mean art we see sprayed on walls. In fact, graffiti art has such strong characteristics that it's easy to spot them everywhere - in schools, on sidewalks, on bicycles, on automobiles, on skateboards and on textbooks, just to name a few examples.
Some background reading...
Have a go at creating your own graffiti tag and character using the resources in this pack. Don’t forget to add colour and give a sense of depth (3D)
Graffiti is not an illegal art form, but spraying on someone’s property is illegal. Graffiti is an acceptable art form and not an illegal activity in itself/
Most graffiti artists make personal tags and characters to reflect their personality and uniqueness. Copying might be a good starting point, but the ultimate aim is to personalise your work so that you are well known - a kind of trademark.
Almost all graffiti artists will practice their designs as sketches and before attempting a larder piece of work. Although, traditionally graffiti artists have chosen to paint on walls, artists like Banksy have started to use other architectural surfaces to make political and social comments about society.
CANTWO is a graffiti artist that is part of the Stick Up Kids (SUK) worldwide writing crew and has been spray painting since 1983. Graffiti art is closely associated with music and is often used to create backdrops or integrated into activity workshops during festivals.
Website: www.cantwo.com
Profile: CANTWO
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Design 1:
Exercise 4: Photocopy some of your graffiti designs and stick onto card. Using the cutting and slotting method that you have learnt in class, create an abstract sculpture - see example below. You could even paint over your designs with watercolour or use colouring pencils.
Exercise 3: Using the examples provided in this booklet, design your own colour graffiti tag, including a character - see example.
• watercolours with thin brush • oil pastels • colouring pencils • felt tip pens
Exercise 2: Using only three cool or warm colours, fill in your fonts with colour. Think about adding gradients of colour, creating a metallic feel and/or using the following materials:
Letter:
Design 2:
Exercise 1: Start off by choosing 3 letters and designing three different ways of writing them. Complete these tasks in your sketchbook.
Exercise 5: Have a go at copying some of the following letters made up of a skateboarder and his skateboard. Try making your own alphabet using a figure and object i.e. Footballer and football, baker and rolling pin, teacher and cane...
Resources (To Print)
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Design 1:
Design 2:
Extension: Using only three cool or warm colours, fill in your fonts with colour
Letter:
Exercise: Start off by choosing 3 letters and designing three different ways of writing them.
Tasks