Learn Graffiti Art

Graffiti is considered by many as vandalism. However, the people who do graffiti are skilled artist, as drawing graffiti needs a developed color sense, sense of proportion, some knowledge of calligraphy and lots of creativity. Here are tips to learn how to draw graffiti.

How to do Graffiti Art?

• The first thing you need to do is observe. Go around the town and look at various artist's graffiti work. If you can't find graffiti anywhere in your town, then do an image search for various styles of graffiti writing. Save some images that you like and would like to draw in a similar style. You can take out the prints of these images and keep tracing on them, to get a feel of the lines of the alphabets and background design.
• Copy a graffiti style that you saw on the internet and to learn graffiti letters keep scribbling these letters. Also, watch the kind of color the artist has used, the way the shadow is placed under the alphabets, the kind of backgrounds are sketched behind the graffiti letters etc. Pick up a style of simple graffiti, rounded bubbles font or edgy hooks and barbs like font are quite popular. Then on a piece of paper draw a small word with number if you prefer. Draw a thumbnail graffiti sketch of the word on one corner of the paper.
• Then using a pencil draw a bigger sketch on the paper. Behind the letter draw the shadow. Decide an angle of the shadows, and follow the same angle for all the letters, this will give a 3D raised appearance to the letter.
• After you are done with this, draw a background for the letters. Twisted overlapping arrows, fire, bubbles, blocks are commonly used as graffiti backgrounds. So, you can pick a similar theme, and even give the background a shadows to give a 3D appearance.
• Make sure you maintain good proportions of the letters with each other and the size of the letters and background with each other. You can use an eraser to make corrections
• Now, once you are done with you pencil drawing, you can consider taking a backup of your sketch. You can take a photocopy of the sketch, in case you make mistakes while coloring your drawing.
• Use ink to color the shadows, you can also use a black sketch pens if you don't have ink. Then fill up the letters with a color which is bright and stands out nicely. You can even make a three or two colored theme while filling up the letters, or use more colors to give a gradient like effect.
• Then fill up the background with colors, which are not so bright, otherwise they can steal the attention from the main characters which you want to give focus on. There you are done with your first graffiti sketch. This way keep practicing for 2-3 months, till you get the hang of graffiti letters. Then create your own cool graffiti font and write down letters from A to Z. Then make a graffiti drawing with colors using your own style.
• Once you have developed your own style to draw graffiti art, it is time to execute your art on a real wall.
• Make sure you select a site where graffiti is legally allowed, or you can get into trouble.
• Buy spray cans of colors which you have used in your drawing. Keep a scanned copy of the graffiti drawing in your computer, in case your original drawing gets ruined. If your original drawing has come really fine, consider laminating it so that even if something spills on it you can just wipe it off.
• On the wall slowly and neatly draw the letters, the background and 3D shadows. Then fill them up with colors. Avoid going crazy with the colors, as you can ruin the graffiti, becomes on an initial level it is good to stick to less colors rather than more.
• Once you are done with your graffiti, draw your signature on the bottom right corner.

So, use the above tips to learn the art of drawing graffiti and start sketching from sample graffiti artwork, then develop your own style and spray it on the wall. If you are really good with your art, you might even get hired as a professional artist.