Graffiti has become a widely celebrated, exhibited and collected art form.
To be a graffiti artist is easy, but to be a great graffiti artist takes practice. There are a few simple steps that can start anyone on the path to becoming a graffiti artist. Creativity, above all, is the most important thing to embrace in the process. Artists should be comfortable with exploring and implementing new techniques if they want to progress with their practice. Once an artist taps into his personal source of inspiration, his work as a graffiti artist can be unstoppable.
Instructions
1. Become familiar with different styles of graffiti. There is graffiti all around, especially if you live in an urban area. Look at examples of graffiti on the street, online and in books to get an idea of the different styles and techniques that other artists use.
2. Practice writing your name on paper, and experiment with some of the writing styles you've seen. Experiment with different fonts, capital letters, lowercase letters, thick and thin lines. Eventually you should find the style that looks best as your name and your own style will soon grow from that.
3. Practice your favorite graffiti designs over and over, until you can re-create them without looking at your sketch. Once in a while, you may find yourself improvising and adding on to the original design; just let the creativity flow. Keep these sketches in pencil so that you can easily erase and alter as you go.
4. Use markers, pencil crayons or pens to finish and embellish your designs. You may find that you gravitate to a certain color palate or shading technique.
5. Choose one of your favorite designs and re-create it on a piece of canvas. Start using spray paint with different caps to fill in the color and details. This is where you'll learn which combination of spray paints and caps will give you the final look you want.
6. Create stencils for any detailed shapes or images that you want to incorporate into your artwork. Stencils can be made by using a utility knife to cut images out of cardboard, stiff card stock or acetate. Hold the stencil flat against your painting and fill the cut out area of the stencil with an even layer of spray paint.
7. Appeal to local business owners and art galleries to allow you to re-create your artwork on their exterior or interior walls. This will draw attention to your artwork and help you to become a recognized graffiti artist.
8. Try to meet other graffiti artists in your area. Many graffiti artists are part of a group, or crew, who work together on murals and community art projects.
