How to Get Started Making Legal Graffiti
Find a graffiti signature you can use., Go and buy spray cans from a brand that is made for the purpose of making graffiti, in a store or online., Put on clothes and shoes that are old or cheap, that you do not care if you ruin., Take the paint and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a graffiti signature you can use.
Beware that amongst graffiti artists, "biting"
which is having similar signatures as other graffiti artists, is not accepted and can be dangerous.
So find something unique, that is not similar to other graffiti artist's signatures, especially not big graffiti artists that live in your area, city or country.
Draw a sketch of your signature with big letters on an A4 sheet of paper, with a black or blue ballpoint pen. -
Step 2: Go and buy spray cans from a brand that is made for the purpose of making graffiti
The best brand without doubt is Montana.
Get both fat and skinny caps to use on them, and also thin rubber gloves that fit your hands well, like the ones doctors use.
If you want an even better result, buy normal wall paint on a regular paint store.
This is to paint a layer on the wall with a paint roller before spraying.
Also a tray for the paint roller.
This helps covering up old graffiti on the legal wall, so that it does not show through your "piece" (the name for the composition of letters graffiti artists make).
It also makes the background look better, and makes your "piece" stand out more from the wall.
Because other "pieces" that have been made earlier will not be a disturbing element when looking at your "piece". , There is a big chance that you will get paint on your clothes and especially shoes.
To wear a hooded sweater and hat is smart if you do not want to be recognized.
Many people will start taking pictures of you or others there, and even film you from the back while you paint on legal walls without asking; if these images are posted on social media, it can actually lead to problems for you later. , Legal walls are all around the world, and you can often find them by asking at the shop where you buy your spray paint, or checking online.Start painting the wall with the wall paint and paint roller.
If you use an extension shaft for the paint roller, it makes this process go much faster and easier.
You do not want to wait hours before it dries, so do not use to much paint on the paint roller.
Paint a layer that is enough to cover the graffiti that already is on the wall completely from top to bottom.
That is enough.
Make sure you paint long enough on both sides, so not any of the letters becomes to big and goes outside the field you have painted. , This is called to sketch the letters.
If you want to make a cartoon face or portrait somewhere around the "piece"
also start with that now, and follow the same procedure as with the letters.
You use a light color, because if you want to make adjustments later, a light color will be covered by darker colors.
But it is not always like that the other way around, so you will see lines from the darker colors come through. You only make empty letters first without any "fill in" (painting inside the letters).
Also make the shadow or 3D effect on the letters with the same color.
Imagine that light shines on the letters from a certain direction, and make the shadow on the opposite side.
It is really important that you make the shadow with the same thickness on all the letters. , Try making patterns and symbols in different colors inside the letters.
For the main colors you can use a fat cap, which makes it come a lot of paint from the can, but for the patterns, and especially if you want to make a fading effect, it is better with a skinny cap.
This can be anything.
It is important that you get finished with the "fill in"
before starting with the outline, because you will quickly end up spraying over the outline with the "fill in" colors, because e.g. the wind blows the paint around. , Here you also make e.g. patterns and symbols.
A smart thing is to choose colors that are colder than the ones you used inside your "piece".
Because this will make the background look like it is further away than the letters, which will stick out. , Use a color that stands out a lot from the colors you have used in the background and inside the letters.
Often a dark color is the best, like black, but not always.
This is important to make it easy to see the difference between background and "fill in".
This is one of the most important steps, because black is hard to cover up, so if you make mistakes when spraying the outline, it will quickly make the "piece" look bad.
Take small lines at a time, not whole letters.
But from point to point where the letter's shape changes direction.
If there are complicated lines, take a "practice swing" to simulate the movement you have to do with the can before starting to spray the line. , This is a line that goes outside the letters and the shadow, that separates the background from the letters.
This makes the "piece" much better at once.
If you spray over the outline while making the "skyline"
just use the color you used for the outline to fix it.
But remember to save enough of the outline color until you are finished, to fix the most important things. , This is what separates the really great "pieces" from the not so great.
Now you can add something called "shining".
Which is a line that is white or yellow that you put where the light would shine on the letters.
And that is supposed to be on the exact opposite side of the shadow.
So where you have shadow, you are not supposed to have "shining" and vice versa.
If you make a 3D effect instead, then a "shining" is wrong to make, because if there is no shadow, there is no "shining".
It is just like when you draw a person, one place there is shadow and another place there is light. You can also make something called an "inline"
this is almost the same as outline, but it is complicated to make and will definitely ruin your "piece" if you do not do it properly.
Something the "shining" will also do, because these effects are advanced.
The "inline" is a line that goes on the inside of your outline in all the letters.
This can be very cool, but it is not in all "pieces" this effect is suitable. , It is very common to write the year that you made the "piece"
and it is also very nice to know when looking in old photo albums.
To write the place you made it is also a possibility. Because if you start making a lot of graffiti you are not going to remember when and where you made every "piece". Then you write your signature beside the "piece".
The best thing to do is to take a skinny cap and write it on the right side of the "piece" low down under it.
Because a huge signature draws a lot of attention, and you do not want the signature to grab the viewer's attention from the big letters. After this you can also dedicate your "piece" to someone, and write 4: which means for e.g. "My buddies".
You can also write a greeting to someone with Yo.
E.g.
Yo:
Eric and King D.
You have to know the people you are greeting; you can not greet to or dedicate your "piece" to, for example, a big graffiti artist you do not know, because that is like "saying" that you know him or that he or she said it was okay for you to do it.
If you have something smart to say that is short, or know a good line from e.g. a rap song you can also write it. , If you can not go a very long distance from the "piece"
because some other thing like another wall is blocking you from doing it, the best angle is from the side close up to the "piece".
Because then you can get all of it in one picture.
The best thing is to use a tripod for your camera, so you get a steady and balanced shot.
If you do not take a picture at once, remember that at legal walls your "piece" can get painted over at once.
Think of the composition when taking the picture, try to get the "piece" as much in the middle of the picture as you can, and make sure that the "piece" is perfectly horizontal in the lense. -
Step 3: in a store or online.
-
Step 4: Put on clothes and shoes that are old or cheap
-
Step 5: that you do not care if you ruin.
-
Step 6: Take the paint and equipment
-
Step 7: bring a digital camera in a plastic bag and go to a legal wall.
-
Step 8: Start spraying with a light color how you want the letters to look.
-
Step 9: Fill in the letters with the colors you want.
-
Step 10: Make the background.
-
Step 11: Paint the outline on the letters and shadow (or 3D effect).
-
Step 12: Paint the "skyline".
-
Step 13: Add effects to the "piece" if desired.
-
Step 14: Complete any additional (and optional) elements.
-
Step 15: Take several pictures of your "piece" from different angles and lengths with your digital camera.
Detailed Guide
Beware that amongst graffiti artists, "biting"
which is having similar signatures as other graffiti artists, is not accepted and can be dangerous.
So find something unique, that is not similar to other graffiti artist's signatures, especially not big graffiti artists that live in your area, city or country.
Draw a sketch of your signature with big letters on an A4 sheet of paper, with a black or blue ballpoint pen.
The best brand without doubt is Montana.
Get both fat and skinny caps to use on them, and also thin rubber gloves that fit your hands well, like the ones doctors use.
If you want an even better result, buy normal wall paint on a regular paint store.
This is to paint a layer on the wall with a paint roller before spraying.
Also a tray for the paint roller.
This helps covering up old graffiti on the legal wall, so that it does not show through your "piece" (the name for the composition of letters graffiti artists make).
It also makes the background look better, and makes your "piece" stand out more from the wall.
Because other "pieces" that have been made earlier will not be a disturbing element when looking at your "piece". , There is a big chance that you will get paint on your clothes and especially shoes.
To wear a hooded sweater and hat is smart if you do not want to be recognized.
Many people will start taking pictures of you or others there, and even film you from the back while you paint on legal walls without asking; if these images are posted on social media, it can actually lead to problems for you later. , Legal walls are all around the world, and you can often find them by asking at the shop where you buy your spray paint, or checking online.Start painting the wall with the wall paint and paint roller.
If you use an extension shaft for the paint roller, it makes this process go much faster and easier.
You do not want to wait hours before it dries, so do not use to much paint on the paint roller.
Paint a layer that is enough to cover the graffiti that already is on the wall completely from top to bottom.
That is enough.
Make sure you paint long enough on both sides, so not any of the letters becomes to big and goes outside the field you have painted. , This is called to sketch the letters.
If you want to make a cartoon face or portrait somewhere around the "piece"
also start with that now, and follow the same procedure as with the letters.
You use a light color, because if you want to make adjustments later, a light color will be covered by darker colors.
But it is not always like that the other way around, so you will see lines from the darker colors come through. You only make empty letters first without any "fill in" (painting inside the letters).
Also make the shadow or 3D effect on the letters with the same color.
Imagine that light shines on the letters from a certain direction, and make the shadow on the opposite side.
It is really important that you make the shadow with the same thickness on all the letters. , Try making patterns and symbols in different colors inside the letters.
For the main colors you can use a fat cap, which makes it come a lot of paint from the can, but for the patterns, and especially if you want to make a fading effect, it is better with a skinny cap.
This can be anything.
It is important that you get finished with the "fill in"
before starting with the outline, because you will quickly end up spraying over the outline with the "fill in" colors, because e.g. the wind blows the paint around. , Here you also make e.g. patterns and symbols.
A smart thing is to choose colors that are colder than the ones you used inside your "piece".
Because this will make the background look like it is further away than the letters, which will stick out. , Use a color that stands out a lot from the colors you have used in the background and inside the letters.
Often a dark color is the best, like black, but not always.
This is important to make it easy to see the difference between background and "fill in".
This is one of the most important steps, because black is hard to cover up, so if you make mistakes when spraying the outline, it will quickly make the "piece" look bad.
Take small lines at a time, not whole letters.
But from point to point where the letter's shape changes direction.
If there are complicated lines, take a "practice swing" to simulate the movement you have to do with the can before starting to spray the line. , This is a line that goes outside the letters and the shadow, that separates the background from the letters.
This makes the "piece" much better at once.
If you spray over the outline while making the "skyline"
just use the color you used for the outline to fix it.
But remember to save enough of the outline color until you are finished, to fix the most important things. , This is what separates the really great "pieces" from the not so great.
Now you can add something called "shining".
Which is a line that is white or yellow that you put where the light would shine on the letters.
And that is supposed to be on the exact opposite side of the shadow.
So where you have shadow, you are not supposed to have "shining" and vice versa.
If you make a 3D effect instead, then a "shining" is wrong to make, because if there is no shadow, there is no "shining".
It is just like when you draw a person, one place there is shadow and another place there is light. You can also make something called an "inline"
this is almost the same as outline, but it is complicated to make and will definitely ruin your "piece" if you do not do it properly.
Something the "shining" will also do, because these effects are advanced.
The "inline" is a line that goes on the inside of your outline in all the letters.
This can be very cool, but it is not in all "pieces" this effect is suitable. , It is very common to write the year that you made the "piece"
and it is also very nice to know when looking in old photo albums.
To write the place you made it is also a possibility. Because if you start making a lot of graffiti you are not going to remember when and where you made every "piece". Then you write your signature beside the "piece".
The best thing to do is to take a skinny cap and write it on the right side of the "piece" low down under it.
Because a huge signature draws a lot of attention, and you do not want the signature to grab the viewer's attention from the big letters. After this you can also dedicate your "piece" to someone, and write 4: which means for e.g. "My buddies".
You can also write a greeting to someone with Yo.
E.g.
Yo:
Eric and King D.
You have to know the people you are greeting; you can not greet to or dedicate your "piece" to, for example, a big graffiti artist you do not know, because that is like "saying" that you know him or that he or she said it was okay for you to do it.
If you have something smart to say that is short, or know a good line from e.g. a rap song you can also write it. , If you can not go a very long distance from the "piece"
because some other thing like another wall is blocking you from doing it, the best angle is from the side close up to the "piece".
Because then you can get all of it in one picture.
The best thing is to use a tripod for your camera, so you get a steady and balanced shot.
If you do not take a picture at once, remember that at legal walls your "piece" can get painted over at once.
Think of the composition when taking the picture, try to get the "piece" as much in the middle of the picture as you can, and make sure that the "piece" is perfectly horizontal in the lense.
About the Author
Nathan Robinson
A seasoned expert in education and learning, Nathan Robinson combines 5 years of experience with a passion for teaching. Nathan's guides are known for their clarity and practical value.
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