How to Create Graffiti Art - Tips and Tricks

The question and challenge of how to create graffiti art is not an easy one to answer, this is because graffiti art come sin many different forms on a limitless amount of public space canvasses, from roads and walls through to shop shutters and pavements; graffiti art can be created just about anywhere.

Looking at the most popular ways to create graffiti art;

• Free Hand Spray Painting

• Using Stencils

• Using Stickers

  
  

All if the above require different skills sets in order to create street art, one thing brings them all together, individual artistic flair. All great and budding graffiti artists will have their own tag and creative touch that brings with them an element of uniqueness, instantly recognisable and associated to the graffiti artist.

Anybody can create graffiti but not everybody can create graffiti art.

Before you begin to start learning how to create graffiti art it is worth paying attention to some key elements and legalities to ensure any work you create is legal and is not associated with vandalism in any way, shape or form. There are designated areas in many towns, cities and villages due to the popularity of street art, places such as outdoor and indoor skate parks, your own property and commercial buildings could all be potential canvases for you to create your master piece, however you need to get permission and check with property owners and local authorities first.

It is worth practising away from outdoor surfaces in the beginning, buying a sketch book to practice your own tags and designs is a great way to increase your skill set before taking your designs to the streets unprepared. Thinking about and deciding upon a name and sticking to it is also a great way to bring your own unique flair to the surface.

Look for inspiration from more competent graffiti artists but do not look to replicate them otherwise there will be a feeling and look of duplication in your work which will not help you hone your own personal artistic skills. Again practising in sketch books will help. Combining different artists styles may help you to decide how to create graffiti art that suits your personality.

Always wear a mask, ideally a ventilator mask as spray paint vapours can be damaging to your health. This goes for outdoor and indoor areas no matter how well ventilated they seem.

The first step in creating graffiti art is to sketch your idea onto a pad, this will give you a basis for the end result, there is no right or wrong way to create graffiti art however once you find a style that looks great it is worth sticking with it. Once you have created your idea on to a sketch pad you then need to replicate your drawing to the surface you are working on, depending on the size of surface it is worth noting you may have to slightly alter your design. More often than not the colour you use for the sketch outline would be black to bring out the primary and inner colours of the design.

Choosing the type and colour of paints is vital before you start, you want your graffiti art to almost jump off the wall when people view it, this is done by selecting and using complimentary colours that blend well when used together. Getting the balance of colours wrong will make your art look dull and lifeless.

Once the sketch is complete and you are happy with the outline it is time to fill the design, depending again on the canvas colour ensure you are using colours that will compliment that backdrop. For example if you are spraying colours onto a piece of wood that would be of brown/orange in colour using blue, purple and darker toes would stand out whereas yellow would not as it is to close in tone. It could be used within the fill of the design once the primary colours are in place covering most of the surface areas of the chosen canvas.

Adding a sketch to help make your primary fill colours the priority will give your graffiti art a really nice finish and help to make the main design stand out. Once this is complete moving onto the finer details of your graffiti art is the really challenging and technical part, depending on your design of course!

When adding detail to your graffiti art it is down to individual taste and creativity, adding fades is usually popular with lettering, pressing heavier on the spray can at the bottom of the lettering will make a heavier fade whilst working up you would press lighter to create and lighter fade that will work well with the heavier tones.

You could use paint brushes to add in individual lines, small objects and such that may not be within your skill set until you have gained more experience however you should be able to progress into using just the spray paint pretty quickly.

Adding an outline is the final step to any graffiti art, personal preference will dictate whether or not you would use a thinner or thicker outline again making sure it compliments your chosen design is the key consideration. Black is often the most popular choice for any outline or 3D type effects to bring the letters to life and make them almost jump out of the wall.

To view WhoArtNow’s wide range of graffiti art and street art please visit http://www.whoartnow.co.uk/art/category/31/street-art.

Photos via Kaso --> http://flavors.me/kaso