While graffiti lettering was designed to make the most of spray paint, it’s possible to create it in other mediums as well. The overall effect just won’t be quite as smooth if you use markers or paint, as they will blend differently. Chalk and pastels can mimic spray paint’s blurring qualities quite nicely. But you can also create less elaborate versions with just a pen or pencil.

First, look at existing graffiti for inspiration. If there’s graffiti in your neighborhood, an up-close look is best. Look at the overall picture, but also step closer and look at the lines and the colors of the words. If you can’t see graffiti firsthand, there are several art books available on the subject and any number of websites highlighting graffiti work. Another idea is to look for graffiti-style fonts online to get ideas on letter design. You could even print up copies of the letters and trace them to get your hands used to the style.

You should then trace out a basic alphabet. You could even create several to see which ones you like best. The basis of graffiti-style writing is large, blocky, overlapping letters. You’ve probably made bubble or outlined letters at some point for a school presentation or a sign. Use those as a starting point, but you’ll most likely need to go wider. Decide whether you want your letters to have rounded edges or to be more angular. This will help create a unifying style to your graffiti writing.

Once you’ve decided on the shapes of your letters, then you should practice connecting them in words. The biggest point you need to consider is how they will overlap. Decide whether letters should stay on top, fall behind other letters or even change shape to squeeze into small spaces. Think of other touches you might add. If you word starts with an L, you could stretch out the bottom to underline other letters. Is there anything creative you could do while crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s?

Finally, turn to color and shading. If you want to use multiple colors for filling, graffiti letters will typically flow from one color to the next with careful blending instead of creating distinct stripes of color. You might also want to outline your letters in one color and fill them in with another. There are no set rules in graffiti writing. Do what comes natural and what you think looks good. And if you mess up, it’s easy to erase or turn to a clean sheet of paper.

The more you practice, the easier writing graffiti style will become. As you become more familiar with the process, see what extra flourishes you can add to your designs. See if you can create dynamic borders and outlines for your words. When you’re ready, you might even branch out into full-fledged graffiti art.

Article source: Essortment.com

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Graffiti writing has seen many ups and downs. Since ancient times, the graffiti writing was famous and was used to mark the kingdoms of the kings. The graffiti writing at that included the emblem of the kingdom and also phases that defined the king. After words the graffiti writing has taken a bad shape as it was used by gangs and other local groups to use it as a means to scuffle and wage ambush.

After change of shift for graffiti writing from marking of kingdom to evil symbol, it has taken a form of art lately. It forms a way of expression with art content in it. It also symbolizes the state of the mind of the creator. The graffiti on the walls can make you smile and at the same time make you annoyed. All this depends upon the state of the mind of the creator.

Observation
The question “How to do graffiti” can be well answered by following the first basic step of any art form that is the observation. The observation of the surroundings can help you get a notion or an idea of the situation. Looking at the available piece of graffiti can also give you an idea of how to do graffiti. Once you have got the idea of how to do graffiti, you should now get to know how to draw graffiti. By trying to copy the existing graffiti you can have an idea of how to draw graffiti. When you copy graffiti you come to know about some of the basic ratios and proportions of the object. You also come to know how the perspective of object works.

Make your own impression with creativity
Once you have tried to copy a graffiti you should try to make your own variation in the graffiti this will let you understand in a better way to draw graffiti. Once you have acquired the basic skills of how to make graffiti you need to apply the skill. Try to make a graffiti that can set as your logo. Your creativity now comes into picture. You have to decide what you have to draw; the concept should be generated within your mind. You can also take graffiti tips from graffiti masters and schools.

Graffiti Tips
There are few graffiti tips that can be followed during your course of drawing graffiti. First among the graffiti tips is the use of paint cans. The graffiti is best made with the help of color spray cans that help you make graffiti on any texture and surface with minimum amount of effort and also within very short time. So get your self familiar with how to use the color spray can.

Another one graffiti tips is the order in which the graffiti making should go. First make a background for your graffiti to stand out. Make the background such that it gives a smooth finish to the graffiti. Make use of light colors such as white or Grey to make the background. Once the background is ready make use of small cap spray can to make the outline of the graffiti. The outline should be of light color and should merge well with the background. The outline is just for your convenience and not to stand out. Once the outline is over, go ahead with real painting and make the graffiti as per your thoughts.

Next is to make use of 3D effects; with the use of thin stroke of dull color you can make a three dimensional effect. To make the thin line, hold the can near the wall and make a fast stroke. This will limit the spreading of the paint and give you a sharp thin line. The colors of the graffiti are also very important and hence basic color wheel should be kept in mind while deciding the color combination.

To make your graffiti look tidy and neat, fill in all the space that is available. Do not leave gaps within your graffiti. Fill all the gaps with proper strokes of the color can. Also make sure that light shade does not overlap dark shade, it should always be the other way round.

The use of graffiti has reached to the art level and now is considered as a form of art, creativity and also offers you a method of expression. Graffiti offers a wide circulation of thoughts and leaves a better impact on the viewer than other means of expression.

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Originally posted by: http://www.youtube.com/user/adamrocklin

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SG-7
A type of big marker made by Sakura which is a little bigger than a Pilot, and it too is easily refillable, although it does not state that on the outside. Sakura makes a model the same size called “Pentouch” which is a huge paint marker, complete with a mixing ball inside of it.
SHOE DYE
Shoe dye kits are used sometimes for tagging, especially those that consist of a bottle with a brush/sponge device attached. They usually come in black and white. See “Griffin”.
STICKERS
A form of tagging, most commonly saying “Hello, my name is”. Can be anything from computer-generated, clear, generic blank stickers that have the writer’s name on them to elaborate stickers with little pieces and characters. Some writers consider stickers to be for people who are “afraid” to use markers/paint, while other writers use a combination of stickers with markers and paint.
SUCKER TIPS
The stock tip that comes with a can of spraypaint. So named because only suckers would piece or tag with said tip.
TAG
The most basic form of graffiti, a writer’s signature with marker or spray paint. It is the writer’s logo, his/her stylized personal signature. If a tag is long it is sometimes abbreviated to the first two letters or the first and last letter of the tag. Also may be ended with the suffixes “one”, “ski”, “rock”, “em” and “er”.
TAGGING UP
The act of writing a signature with marker or spraypaint.
TAGBANGER
Combination of the words “tagger” and “gangbanger”. A new subculture that has developed mainly in southern California. Not really considered writers, they tag, never piece, and almost never do throwups. Often they carry guns and bear more than slight resemblance to gangs. Not really considered to be true writers by writers, but are mostly considered a hinderance and a negative influence on a creative writing and piecing scene.
TAGGER
As opposed to “writer”; this term is usually used to refer to those who only do tags and throwups and who never piece. Some taggers seem to like more destructive methods such as scribers and sandpaper in addition to markers and paint. Some taggers do get interested in piecing, some don’t. Taggers who never piece are sometimes called “scribblers” by more experienced, piecing writers.
THIRD RAIL
On New York subway lines, this is the extra rail that supplies the power for the trains. If you touch the 3rd rail, you will most likely die.
3D
A three-dimensional style of letters, used for added effect on basic letters, sometimes applied to wildstyle for an extra level of complexity. This style was invented by Phase 2.
THROWUP
Over time, this term has been applied to many different types of graffiti. Subway art says it is “a name painted quickly with one layer of spray paint and an outline”, although some consider a throwup to be bubble letters of any sort, not necessarily filled. Throwups can be from one or two letters to a whole word or a whole roll call of names. Often times throwups incorporate an exclamation mark after the word or letter. Throwups are generally only one or two colors, no more. Throwups are either quickly done bubble letters or very simple pieces using only two colors.
TOP TO BOTTOM
A piece that extends from the top of the car to the bottom, completely covering it. Can also refer to a wall or building that has been pieced from top to bottom. The first top-to-bottom car was done in 1975 by Hondo. Dead Leg did the first top to bottom with a cloud. Others who started rocking the style, and were known for the “T2B’s” were Lee, Chain, the Fab5, and later, Newave crew.
TOY
An inexperienced or incompetent writer. Someone whose writing is either wack, who uses sucker tips, or whose style is just plain cheesy. One old definition of “TOYS” is that it stands for “trouble on your system”.
ULTRA-WIDE
A type of marker that is extra wide (about an inch and a half), intended for making posters, etc. It too is easily refillable. Often called “Uni-Wide”, which is a brand name.
UP
Describes a writer whose work appears regularly everywhere and who is currently writing.
UPS
Refers to people’s tags, for example, “So and so’s crew has mad ups on main street”
ULTRA-FLAT
A paint preferred by taggers because it sticks to things better than glossy paints.
WACK
Substandard or incorrect (derived from “out of whack”). Anything that looks cheesy or weak. Badly formed letters, incompetent fills, dumb tags, etc.
WET LOOK
No, it’s not Jheri Curl, it’s an old-school brand of spraypaint. No longer in production to my knowledge.
WILDSTYLE
A complicated construction of interlocking letters. A hard style that consists of lots of arrows and connections. Wildstyle is considered one of the hardest styles to master and pieces done in wildstyle are often completely undecipherable to
non-writers.
WINDOW DOWN
A piece done below the windows of a subway car.
WHITE TRAINS
In ’83 they started running the white trains on the 6′s. Writers loved these cars because they were like canvas all primed and ready to paint.
WHOLE CAR
Obviously a piece covering a whole car. See “top to bottom”. This one’s by futura 2000.
WHOLE TRAIN
The masterful feat of covering a whole train with pieces. Two whole trains were done in 1976 by Caine I and two more were done by The Fabulous Five soon after.
WRITER
Practitioner of the art of graffiti.

Sources:

- http://www.puregraffiti.com
- http://sites.unc.edu/daniel/11fall97/finals11/marc/marc/Graffiti%20101.htm

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Graffiti writers may see themselves as artists, but there are many residents in Northampton who would disagree. With £55,000 a year spent on cleaning it up, Inside Out investigates the problem of graffiti.

Subways, underpasses and motorway bridges, to a graffiti writer, it’s a blank canvas, but there’s one man in Northampton who wishes it would stay that way.

Bob Newcombe, a Probation Service Officer, along with his team of offenders, works tirelessly in an attempt to rid the town of vandalism.

The team works for up to four days a week. In addition Northampton Council spends £55,000 each year cleaning up graffiti. Removing it is far from easy and sometimes even fruitless.
Vandalism or art?
Graffiti on a wall
Graffiti is becoming an increasing problem in Northampton

One subway, a particular favourite with graffiti writers, is no sooner cleaned, than covered in graffiti once more.

But it doesn’t end with the subways – one man has had his own property vandalised not once, but twice, by the same writers.

Vandalism it may be, but to the graffiti writers, it is art. One graffiti writer says;

“Some people are never going to get their art shown in a gallery, so the only way of showing it is on a wall… It is breaking the law, but I wouldn’t always class it as vandalism,”

If some of their work could be viewed in abstract, there would be many inclined to agree that there is a great skill and artistry involved. When viewed on a subway wall, or worse, a private wall – many would also agree – it is nothing but vandalism, no matter how much skill is involved.

“I think it’s just sheer vandalism, it disgusts me,” says Bob Newcombe.
Solution in sight
Warehouse with graffiti on the internal walls
Private property is being vandalised

So is there a solution? One Northamptonshire policeman, PC Peter Wing, believes there is. The writers use a signature so their work can be recognised by other graffiti writers. This signature is known as a ‘tag’.

“You do it for other writers to see… you see other writer’s work, that’s what it’s about,” explains one writer.

In Wooton Fields, a new estate on the outskirts of Northampton, tags are becoming a increasing problem, but they may also provide the solution too.

If individual writers can identify each other through tags, then so can the police. And their punishment? Bob believes their fine should cover the cost of removal and with expensive chemicals required, that could be pretty hefty!
Writing on the wall
Sawn swimming past a wall of graffiti
Could tagging be the solution to catching the culprits?

In London, a scheme to identify culprits through their tags has resulted in several arrests.

But catching the culprits is not an easy task, particularly when you consider that the police are not just chasing mindless teenage vandal, but fully grown adults who are parents themselves.

So what is the solution? Whether it’s hefty fines, prison sentences or community service cleaning up their own work, one thing is for sure, in Northamptonshire at least, the writing is on the wall for graffiti writers.

Article taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/east/series2/graffiti_vandalism_tags_spray_paint.shtml

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- Graffiti(bombing, throw-ups) itself developed from tagging

- ‘Tags are like your soldiers; more of them you have, the greater chance you have of winning the war’

- A mark of territory

- Instantly Recognisable

- A good tag is defined by :
– Legibility
– Rhythm
– Repetiveness
– Flow
– Style
– Originality

- ‘Tagging is like a logo, a brand, a statement’

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* Keep a low profile. Do not tell every writer you meet your real name & where you live, until you fully trust them. You do not want everyone to know who you are, what you write, and what your tag is. The risk of getting caught increases the more people you tell! When writers get caught, they are usually asked for information on other writers. It is possible that someone might ‘spill the beans’ about you accidentally or intentionally, when being questioned.

* Never tell anyone about your plans. This is one of the golden rules of not getting caught. Tip-offs are common.

* Do not write your tags close to your home or neighborhood. By doing so, you will keep your position / home-base secret. There was a writer once that bombed the trail that lead from his home to the railway station. Over time, the trail got bombed out so much that you could work out where he lived by following the tags!

* The number 1 Golden Rule of not being caught is “Make sure that you do not fit the Profile of a Writer”. This simply means, when bombing, don’t dress & look as a writer. Some of the best ‘camouflage’ you can get is geek clothing (eg. shirts with a collar etc). Also, consider keeping your markers / spray cans in a plastic grocery bag. Keep your shoes, clothes and hands clean from spray paint. Keep your nails short too. This will prevent spray-paint from going under your nails, and becoming hard to clean. When questioned, the first thing you are asked it to show your hands.

* Check for cameras before you tag. Don’t forget that some (infa-red) cameras can see in the dark.

* Want to stop your cans from rattling? Attach a magnet to the base of the can. The magnet will hold the ball bearing in place! (Round strong magnets, that fit perfectly to the base of the can)

* Wipe your fingerprints from empty cans and markers that you throw away.

* Never hit your favorite spots over again. Try to keep a random pattern of places that you hit.

* Always have an excuse or alibi ready.

Source:
(Disclaimer: Powderbomb does not condone vandalism, and this article is published for academic purposes only. Powderbomb understands that the best way of not getting caught is to stay away from any wrong doing.)

http://www.Powderbomb.com

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If the value of criminal damage exceeds £5,000 the maximum penalty for those aged 18 or over is ten years imprisonment and for those aged 12-17 years the maximum custodial penalty is a detention and training order of up to 24 months.

Where the damage is less than £5,000 the maximum sentence is three months imprisonment or a fine of £2,500 for adult offenders.

An alternative sanction for minor graffiti offences is the issue of a penalty notice. Under the Anti-social Behavior Act 2003 Police Community Support Officers and those persons accredited under the community safety scheme are allowed to issue penalty notices of £50.

Schemes like the recent Home Office ‘Name That Tag’ offer a reward for information on prolific graffiti writers.

See www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

The British Transport Police also run an information sharing database of tags which can be accessed by Local Authorities. This database enables the full extent of the damage caused by graffiti to be collated and taken into account by the court in sentencing.

Section 48 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 gives local authorities the power to serve graffiti removal notices on certain bodies responsible for the surface where graffiti has appeared. These bodies include the owners of street furniture (bus shelters, street signs, phone boxes etc). The notice gives a minimum of 28 days for the removal of the graffiti, if after that time it has not been removed the local authority can remove it and can recover its costs.

Taken from: http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/planning/general/graffiti_flyposting_law.asp

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Krylon’s main asset is its price. Krylon spends money funding an anti-graffiti campaign, and whether you use their paint legally or not, you pay for this. Still it is cheaper than the two brands noted above. It works with every cap here (though the German Fats and German Pros can be too heavy for the paint, and drip easily–use Rusto Fats, New York Fats, and New York Thins instead). The paint is thin and drippy compared to the primo brands noted above, but thick and strong compared to those 99-cent “value” cans.

Read full article:

http://www.a2planet.com/guide/index2.html

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What you will need
Paint. Oh really. However, there are a fuck of a lot of different types of paint so here’s a few pointers:

Brush paints
Come in several flavours. All of which are preferable to spray cans as they are not so environmentally damaging. We generally block the piece in using emulsion and then outline & highlight it using cans (if its in a dodgy place, or if its small) or more brush paint if we have time. Emulsion (or any other water based paint) is crap in the rain. Otherwise, it lasts a fair while and you can spray on top of it while its still wet. This is very handy. Masonry paint has all these advantages, being a water based, but also lasts literally a lifetime. You can get the colour you want made up in shops. Emulsion tends to be in boring colours, but you can get fucking wicked coloured concentrated dyes from paint shops that will dye a swimming pool full of white emulsion pink/purple/whatever. Powder/poster paint also mixes with anything water based These are quite cheap to get hold of. Emulsion and masonry paint are quite easy to tat, from scrap stores or people who have been redecorating. Masonry paint is more expensive to buy than emulsion, twenty quid for five litres-ish.

Gloss
Lasts fucking ages and you can use it in the rain – but you can’t spray over it till it dries (3 hours ish – come back tomorrow night) and you have to use white spirit to get rid of it / wash brushes. Beware, it can be very runny. Gloss is expensive if you buy it (six quid a litre ish? not sure) but easily tattable.

Spray cans
Make these plan B, coz they are seriously toxic and totally unrecycleable. But if you are painting in a busy place they are extremely quick (speshly if you are using stencils) and come in super sexy colours. They are also very clean, speshly if you wear gloves. Most car spray paints are crap. But there are bitumen based blacks and a few other colours designed to cover bodywork chips that cover well and the blacks do not come off. There is one particular make called stonechip that you can get in black and white that is very shexy. With a New York fat cap (see next section) it comes out nice and slow, never drips, covers everything and is perfect for outlines. Art sprays are hard-ish to get hold of and cost about £3.50 for a 400 ml can. You can get them in most large (UK) cities in record shops. Maybe its obvious, but spraying inside stinks.

Nozzles (caps)
Before you go out, make sure you’ve got the caps you need. Not having the right cap renders your spraycan useless. Fiddly little buggers. There are basically two types. Fat and skinny. Keep a few of each on you when you’re out. Unfortunately all the makes of spray fit different caps. Working out which fits what is just trial and error. When you buy cans, get say five of each type that they sell (they’re usually about 20p each) and experiment. When you buy art sprays, the nozzle they come with is usually fine, with car/plasticote sprays (not recommended anyway coz they’re shit and really seriously poisonous to our planet) the nozzles are often crap. After using the can, either turn it upside down (so paint doesn’t come out) and spray propellant through the cap to clear it, or take the cap off and blow through it. I prefer blowing coz it gives you multicoloured hard wearing lipstick. Some caps, for instance the New York skinny cap, don’t fit on many cans because of a ridge of plastic about half way up the tube. You can shave this off with a craft knife to make ‘em fit.

It is our mission to bring on roller use to the masses. Rollers are fucking cool. You can get 3/4 inch ones that are really good for smaller funky writing. Big ones are good for massive pieces. You don’t really need a tray. Overalls are good though if you don’t want to travel home covered in paint. Look after the rollers well, coz once they go hard you can’t really use em.

Brushes
Are slow, so I don’t use them so much (fiddly things, outlining, or alongside rollers if the surface is super uneven.) But there is one pixi who only ever uses a brush and it works fine anywhere thats not too on-top. Wicked for legal walls. Brushed graffiti looks super-cool I reckon. Fuck spray-paint snobs. Brushes are where its at.

Gloves
You can get latex ones from car part shops. You can nick not latex ones from hospitals. Remember to take them off after you’ve finished. I guess they’re used to it, but if you forget you’ll get funny looks when you’re buying milk off the milkman at five in the morning.

Stencils
Easy to make from photocopies. Use acetate, card or lino, even thick paper and have some kind of folder to put them in (plastic folders are best as card sticks and rips easy). You’ll need to gaffa them to the wall if you are on your own. Mind they don’t stick to the folder when the paint is wet.

Pens
You can get wet chalk pens for writing on shop windows and black boards. They don’t come of when they dry unless you scrubb ‘em. We got them from friends working in offies. You can get them in motorists shops. They don’t work at all in the wet, or on porous surfaces. Good for the inside of bus stops, sitex, that sort of thing. Worth carrying one around with you. Permanent markers work too, but they’re small and generally black.

Surface/Location
You can paint on virtually anything, don’t restrict yourself to walls and trains. Knowing which paint to use on which surface is trial and error. As a general guide though:

Concrete = Good. Its butt ugly anyway so you can’t go wrong. Its also about the right smoothness and porousness. Spray paint will soak into very porous surfaces, so it is good to put a layer of emulsion on first as a primer.
Metal (trains, buses, sitex) = good. Watch for serious drippage though. Same with the shiny subway surfaces.

So far as locations go, be as imaginative and cheeky as possible. You might wanna do a quick piece where loads of people will see it, like a motorway bridge, or a more detailed piece where people will stop and have a look, like down an alley/carpark/river bridge. Try bus stops, cash points, bins, walls, pavements, garage doors, roofs, billboards, fur shops, posh hotels, embassies, McDonald’s etc. etc. The more you have to pretend to be a ninja, the more fun it is. For example…some pixies snuck, (all the time pretending to be ninjas..) inside Campsfield Immigration Detention Centre and wrote “FREEDOM” on an inner wall facing the inmates sleeping quarters, some more wrote anti-nuke stuff all around the Aldermarston Military base.

Some hints
1) Take a mate. Its more fun, and then you have a lookout. Know what you’re going to paint before you get there; you don’t want to be hanging around trying to think of something. Sometimes it helps to carry a drawing around with you. If in doubt, have a few quickies in the back of your mind incase of mental block. Anti-war slogans, local campaigns, web addresses (URL’s) are good. Organise yo’self, make sure you got all the nozzles, colour etc. and you know where they are. Remember something to open paint tins with. Don’t paint too much stuff near your house. it’ll make you paranoid.

2) It’ll be dark when you’re out. So write in big letters on your paint cans what colour it is. Saves lighter fuel.

3) Booze…get the mixture right. Too much alcohol and your piece will look shit. Whether or not you remember doing it, it’ll still be there in the morning (in the busiest, CCTV’d, most on-top spot next to the cop shop on the high street..) and all your mates will know it was you. Live with the shame, or risk community service and go and paint over it tomorrow night.

4) One Crime at a time. I reckon this is a good tip if you don’t wanna get pulled over for having no lights on yer bike when you’re covered from head to foot in paint, carrying all your stencils and wearing latex housebreaking gloves. Might as well leave your drugs at home as well. Also, its a good idea to keep your house free of incriminating stuff, even sketches. Especially if your house is likely to get busted anyway. May sound paranoid, but people do get seriously nicked for painting sometimes. Years in a few cases. Even if you don’t get charged you don’t want the hassle of having the police kicking your door in at three in the morning.

Taken from the Pinka Punka Pixies website

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Part 2

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