Learn Graffiti

Graffiti has been used since ancient times during the Roman and Ancient Greece empire. But, today graffiti is a highly developed art. To learn graffiti styles first you need to study it a bit, and develop your own unique style. There are even jobs for skilled graffiti artists. Painting graffiti on walls requires a lot of skill and practice, and so first you need to first get the idea of graffiti drawing on paper. So, here we go...

Learn Graffiti Step by Step

Listed below are the stepwise instructions that will help you to learn graffiti art.

Step #1: Deciding the Font
There are many fonts for graffiti designs, you can study them by looking at images on the internet. You can also surf sites which are dedicated to graffiti art and check the most popular or commonly used fonts. Use these fonts or draw graffiti style fonts in your own created style. Create all the letters from A to Z in your own style, but another easy way to get the graffiti font without having to learn graffiti letters is to go to the sites which allow you to input words and create the font. If you are designing your own font, then you can scan it and color it using photoshop software.

Step #2: Giving it Depth
Step two is to give the font 3D depth, by drawing or adding drop shadow like effects. Mostly this shadow effect is done by considering the light source at the top left. This drop shadow effect helps to make the graffiti letters stand out easily by separating it from the background, which is mostly drawn and painted with a flat color effect.

Step #3: Filling up the Colors
You can either use a software to fill up colors or do the painting on the paper itself. The software will have more colors in the palette, however, it is possible that these shades might not be available with the spray paint cans when you want to design the graffiti art on wall. To fill the colors on paper, use some bright or fluorescent sketch pen colors; try to use at least 2 bright colors, and another color for the drop shadow. Fill up the drop shadow with a darker color.

Step #4: Working on the Background
The background should be one that goes with the graffiti writing font colors you have used. You can design any kind of funky background with bright colors, but make sure you maintain some mild colors near your main graffiti font, otherwise it will make the main font dull.

Step #5: Painting on a Canvas
Now, it is time to execute your creation on a canvas, i.e. a wall. Look for places where legally graffiti painting is allowed, and try to choose a neat wall. Carry your designs on a piece of paper with you, with the spray paint cans of the colors you will need. Wear a mask and gloves to maintain spray painting safety. Stand at a distance away from the walls to visualize the dimensions of your design on the wall. You can use a chalk stick to draw faint guidelines, to get the perfect proportions. And, then use spray paints to draw and color your graffiti.

These were the steps to learn graffiti styles. So, first learn graffiti writing in simple fonts with few colors and basic backgrounds; once you get hold of drawing and painting the basic graffiti on paper and wall, start creating more complex and cool new graffiti designs.