What Is Graffiti? Really

I want to address this question because I feel that as graffiti is becoming more widely recognized its true core and meaning is becoming somewhat lost and ignored. I also find it increasingly frustrating to see so many commercial interests pick up on graffiti artists' style while the true artists continue to be condemned by the majority of an ignorant society.

Consider this... Do you find it offensive and invasive when you are constantly bombarded with advertising and other commercial messages? They're everywhere; on your favorite television shows, on the back of buses and taxis, in your favorite magazines, on the billboards that cover almost every inch of a city. These messages come into your home and are more often than not uninvited and unsolicited.

So how different is graffiti, really? There are many different forms of it some of which are rightly considered pure vandalism, while other forms are pure art but hardly recognized for it. The real value of graffiti art is in the artist's ability to have a voice, to get their own message across in an otherwise superficial commercialized society (often representing the voice of otherwise unheard members of society - the young, the minorities, the poor).

How can we silence this voice while others use their style to capitalise on its ability to connect with a particular market? Shouldn't the fact that commercial interest sees graffiti as a valid way of connecting to a particular group of people give the art and its artists some sort of validity of their own? Surely they must be on to something that a segment of society can relate to...

Modern graffiti as it is developing today takes a number of different forms, tagging, bombing, piecing, street art, slaps/stickers and even chalk and 3D art in the streets. Like many other disciplines in art, some of these styles have legitimate merit while others maybe a bit more subjective. Unfortunately as a lot of these forms of art are linked back to graffiti and they are immediately dismissed as illegal vandalism created by derelicts.

In saying all of this I understand that there is no way that I will be able to convince everyone that graffiti art has its merits. All I'm really looking for is the ability to capture a handful of people and make them stop and think about their perceptions and assumptions. Do you feel the way you do about graffiti because that is what society has taught you to believe? Have you ever really taken the time to consider where these artists are coming from, what they're trying to express and why?

For many graffiti artists their work is a dedicated passion. They purchase their own materials (honestly who gets away with racking anything these days?), put in many hours of practice to hone their style and design their pieces and often get into obscure places to make the most impact. How many commercial artists do you find who are equally dedicated and passionate?

In this sense graffiti is one of the purest art forms around today. It is created solely from the artists passions, not for commercial or monetary gain. I don't understand why more people don't recognise and appreciate this. Perhaps then governments and police could take a more understanding and perceptive approach to the criminalization of the art and its artists.

Open your eyes to the art that exists around us, learn to graffiti is about learning to appreciate the beauty in allowing members of society to tell their story and leave their mark alongside commercial advertisements. Why should we be treated as less legitimate than commercial gains? http://learntograffiti.com

To Learn to Graffiti You Must Know About the History and Meaning of Graffiti

In order to learn to graffiti you need to know that it’s about more than just learning how to tag your name. To avoid making a bad name for yourself or getting on the wrong side of other graffiti writers you’ve got to be committed to learn to graffiti the right way.

All graffiti writers start out labelled as ‘toys’. To lose that label you need to work to earn the respect of other writers as well as show respect for the meanings and history of graffiti. You will never lose the ‘toy’ label if you do not learn to graffiti showing respect to other writers and graffiti history.

The ‘toy’ label can also change to mean an unskilled writer or one that is disrespectful of other writers work.  If a graffiti writer doesn’t bother to learn to graffiti with any kind of distinctive style or technique they will be labelled as a toy. These writers are most likely only after the fame, glory and recognition other graffiti writers receive, but they don’t want to put in the effort or try to develop their skills to earn it.

When starting out graffiti writing is generally tag. Writers learn to graffiti by tagging using markers, spray paint or any other writing tool. Because of this tagging is often referred to as the root of graffiti. In order to be a skilled writer you must first become proficient in your tag first.

When you’ve decided on your tag name practice writing it. While you are just starting to learn to graffiti it’s a good idea to practice in the privacy of your home on scrap paper or any other kind of found objects. Any public work you do should only happen after you’ve developed your own unique style and name and when you have a good understanding of how other graffiti writers operate in your area.

Style is hugely important when you are starting to learn to graffiti. You not only have to develop your own unique style but you also need to show skill and technique in order to gain the respect of other writers. As mentioned before graffiti writing without style is just tag—tag is done by toys.

Style is not necessarily just about your tag or the design of your pieces, it is also about being able to get high quality graffiti up in obscure and often difficult locations. The more difficult and obscure locations your graffiti is seen in, the more respect you’ll earn. Even quick throw ups need to demonstrate some kind of unique style in order to become recognised and respected.

If you’re serious in your pursuit to learn to graffiti take the time to show your devotion and respect to other writers. Plan out your work in sketchbooks and practice privately to get your skills and style down pat. Remember, you need to practice to be able to execute a piece (short for masterpiece) in time-constrained situations.

Work through your skills and develop your style to become a true graffiti writer, and learn to graffiti in a way that will earn you respect http://learntograffiti.com.

Learn to Graffiti – Graffiti Style

Whether you love or loath graffiti, you can’t deny the purity and beauty of the free expression many graffiti pieces embody. Graffiti, like many other recognized forms of art, is a vehicle of expression often employed by the oppressed youth within a society. For many the decision to learn to graffiti is a way for these groups to be heard and noticed within an otherwise ‘too busy’ ‘money focused’ society.

There are many factors that influence graffiti style. These factors can include personal, social, political and social influences and are often the result of experimentation and trial and error. At its roots, graffiti style emerged from hip-hop culture and is based on vibrant colors, free-form expression and signs and symbols prevalent in the culture. There are a number of different methods in which to learn to graffiti, including tagging, bombing and creating masterpieces often called ‘pieces’.

A writer’s graffiti style is based on their tag. If you’re going to learn to graffiti you need to develop your own unique tag to build your graffiti style on. In order to develop your tag you need to choose for yourself a name. It really can be anything you want, an acronym of your own name, a nickname or a name you’ve made up. The choice is yours. It is best you don’t use your actual name though!

Once you have your tag perfected you need to get to work in your blackbook. All good graffiti writers have one. Use your blackbook to learn to graffiti and develop your graffiti style. From the work you develop in your blackbook you can graduate from tagging to bombing and piecing which is where a lot of writers see the true merit in graffiti.

Bombing is often a writers tag on a larger scale. You still need to aim for style, but bombing is about getting up as much as you can in a short period of time. Writer’s bombing often consists of their tag name outline with a single color fill. Other writers may also just use their own character they’ve developed, but this is often more effective if you’ve already established yourself among other writers. Bombing will get your name out there as a graffiti writer and help you build your reputation.

If your like most artists trying to learn to graffiti for the respect and fame then the best way to do this is by getting up as many high quality pieces as possible. This is where your graffiti style is paramount. If you haven’t mastered your can skills and refined your graffiti style you don’t stand a chance amongst the more experienced and respected writers. This is where your blackbook will be invaluable to you.

An experienced graffiti writer won’t be found without a blackbook. No matter how long writers have been in the game, the blackbook is an indispensable tool. Use your blackbook everyday to sketch out pieces you see and admire. Get together a collection of makers, sharpies, chisel pens etc to use to develop your graffiti style. As you learn to graffiti, all of your work will be put together in your blackbook. And don’t be afraid of color!

Your bombing should have given you a feel for how to use your cans and paint markers of choice. As you move on to piecing you need to refine these skills to get up pieces that will stand out and be noticed by others.  There’s nothing worse for your reputation than repeatedly getting up with whack pieces. You may as well give up and go home.

Learn to graffiti and refine your graffiti style with the videos and tips on this site http://learntograffiti.com

Learn to Graffiti Some General Guidelines You Need to Know

Before you start out in the big wide world of graffiti art, you need to learn and abide by the ‘rules’. As you learn to graffiti you need to also learn about the underground culture of graffiti writers that you might not otherwise have known about.

1. To Learn to Graffiti You Need to Develop Your Own Style

The development of your own graffiti style is paramount. You will be judged and eventually accepted or rejected on the basis of your individual style and the skill with which you learn to graffiti. Initially you will start out by developing your own unique tag, your tag name and the style you use. This will form the basis for the rest of your graffiti art style to build on.

When you’re starting to learn to graffiti you will spend a lot of your time looking at other writers work and perhaps even copying a few to help you figure out your own style. Most new writers learn to graffiti by copying other writers’ pieces. This is all perfectly acceptable as long as those copies stay in your black book (sketchbook). When you start putting together your own pieces, it needs to be in your own unique style.

2. Don’t Copy Other Writers’ Work

If you put up pieces that are blatant copies or you ‘nic’ someone else’s work you will automatically lose respect from other graffiti artists. Your pieces need to be original and obvious that they were done for you in order to make a name for yourself in the area. You need to be able to put up a number of pieces in order to be recognised the more skilled and original your work is, the faster you will gain respect as a writer.

It is completely ok for you to draw inspiration from other writers work. They might give you new ideas of pieces you could to or give you a few different techniques to try out. Like it is illegal to blatantly copy any copyright images or materials, it is a sign of serious disrespect to copy someone else’s graffiti piece.

3. Show a High Level of Technique and Skill

As you learn to graffiti you also need to develop your skill. It isn’t enough to go around doing quick throw ups that show little skill but will get your tag seen out there faster. You also need to show some serious skill with the pieces you put up in order to become recognized and respected among other graffiti artists. Even after you’ve done your a few sik pieces you still need to keep working to develop your skills and your style.

Even the more experienced and well established writers out there continue to constantly sketch in their black books and work on their styles before putting up new pieces. As long as you continue to work on your skills and develop your style you will be able to maintain a respected status among other writers.

These guidelines have just been an overview to how you should work and develop your graffiti and tagging style. There is still a complex matrix of rules that graffiti writers are expected to understand and abide by. In order to start out on the right foot in your graffiti writing and gain respect from other writers you too need to know these rules and how to work in with other writers.

Find out more of what you need to know to learn to graffiti—the tools, materials and techniques check out http://learntograffiti.com

Art Not Vandalism—Learn to Graffiti

When graffiti artists like Banksy came onto the scene of the art world, graffiti has become more widely recognised as a form or art and expression—although for many it is still merely nuisance vandalism.

As with any form of art there will always be the critics who don’t understand it. But for many graffiti art is one of the newest additions to the world of fine art. Its in-your-face expressionism, highly creative depictions and often clever, witty and confronting messages have brought a new interest and perspective into the world of art and art appreciation. No wonder more people are now venturing out to learn to graffiti for themselves.

With this increasing respect and recognition of graffiti as an art form, more and more people are seeking to learn to graffiti—and possibly earn money from their graffiti art. For many the way to learn to graffiti is to start from scratch and learn the basics. For others, perhaps already practising graffiti artists, it is a matter of recognising the differences between vandalism and art.

Banksy has become well known across the world for his work as he highlights a number of social and political issues in clever and often very confronting ways. A lot of his work is also simple light-hearted humour and ‘poking’ fun, but you can always rely on it being commanding and attention grabbing. When new artists set out to learn to graffiti, they need to realise that a large factor in graffiti art is all about style—style in the way you depict your ideas and in the way you deliver it.

While political and social satire may be a large part of Banksy’s style, not all graffiti art needs to be quite so controversial or hard-hitting. As a process of starting to learn to graffiti, as long as the artist remains true to himself or herself, their own unique style will develop. Unlike the ability to learn to graffiti, style can’t be learnt, it is something that comes from an individuals personality, their interests and a number of other factors that may influence and inspire their work.

Graffiti art has traditionally been mostly illegal and can also be highly dangerous, the increased exposure and acceptance of graffiti as an art form has enabled it to be ‘brought indoors’ so to speak. An increasing amount of art galleries are exhibiting collections of graffiti art and representing a number of graffiti artists. While many may argue that this commercial acceptance of graffiti art may in turn dilute and undermine its true meaning and soul, this acceptance has also provided safer and more profitable opportunities for graffiti artists.

Not one to take a biased view, but, graffiti often is art and not vandalism. The way in which it is sometimes delivered can be questionable. But, in all honesty, what could be more exciting than art happening all around us in our everyday lives? In many graffiti artists quests to learn to graffiti they have also learnt a way to merge a part of their world with ours.

Learn to graffiti is a site dedicated to celebrating and promoting graffiti art and its new place in the art world. We’re inviting everyone to take part! http://learntograffiti.com