Graffiti painting has gained recognition as an important art form.
As urban art forms like graffiti continue to gain artistic recognition and mainstream acceptance, many people are becoming interested in designing their own graffiti wall. For example, as part of Washington D.C.'s MuralsDC project, graffiti artists and area children were asked to paint graffiti wall murals throughout the city. People love great graffiti for its bold shapes and colors, as well as the artist's skillful use of spray paint to create vibrant designs with a three-dimensional look.
Instructions
1. Begin the graffiti design process by using oil pastels to sketch design ideas. Oil pastels come in bright, mixable colors ideal for sketching graffiti-style designs. Some design ideas include faces, comic characters and scenery from the urban landscape. Also, remember that many graffiti artists use a street name signature to sign pieces, or use the name itself to create the piece with colorful, highly stylized letters. Create several test design sketches until you find one you are satisfied with.
2. Purchase supplies for your graffiti design, including different colors of spray paint and caps. The cap is the thing you press to make the paint come out. Caps are available in a variety of types for painting fine-lined detail work or even a calligraphy effect. Pull off the cap that came with the paint can and fit specialty caps onto the plastic nozzle. Consider your design requirements when choosing the size of the spray paint cans. Smaller cans allow for better control over paint because of the lower pressure, but they are less cost effective. Buy enough paint to complete the entire wall in case one of your colors is discontinued.
3. Design stencils for your graffiti wall. Creating pre-cut stencils will allow you to add design elements to the graffiti that would otherwise be too complicated to execute using spray paint alone. To make a stencil draw your intricate designs on a sheet of acetate. Use a self-healing cutting mat as a work surface and cut out the stencil shapes with a craft knife. Use the stencil design with your graffiti by taping the acetate stencil to the wall with masking tape. Spray a light layer of paint over the stencil until the wall has a thorough coat.
4. Begin painting your graffiti design. Paint the outside and detail lines of the graffiti first. Let the detail lines dry before adding more paint. Start filling in the shapes of the outlined design with color. Continue painting until you achieve a smooth coat, but keep the can moving and avoid painting too thickly to prevent drip marks on your outline.
