Getting the hang of things...

Here is a re-post of Indigo graffiti design I did earlier.  I took a few weeks off to discover a method of drawing graffiti that works for me.  Now all I have to do is learn how to create those awesome authentic graffiti backgrounds. 

The one tool that helped me out the most was the graffiti alphabet that shows beginners what the letters should look like and how creative they look.  here is a picture...

Right now I'm working on a kick ass graffiti character that's both simplistic, but effective.

New Graffiti

I found my tag artist name... Indigo.  Cute, favorite color and kind of androgynous.

My Fist Attempts at Graffiti!!!!

No definate style yet, but I'm working on it.  Thanks to the help of my teacher Cl.sR, I'm learning a lot and fast.  I hope I can bring forth more drawings in days to come.

An Interview with a REAL artist!!!

1. What made you start drawing graffiti?

My first contact with graffiti art was in 2007, when i was i related with a really crackbrained girl. One evening, she packed some cans and took me to the abandoned halls of an old assembly yard.
There were all kinds of pictures and writings on the walls, from ugly tags up to amazing masterpieces. It was new to me, it was forbidden and it was fun. I watched her working on a piece, then grabbed a can and wrote some slogans... i cant decribe how great it felt. The smell of fresh paint, the danger of getting caught and that great feeling of being alive out there in the night, while other people are sleeping and dreaming their little dreams - all that left an impression that big, i had no chance to get away from graffiti ever again.
The next days and weeks, i felt like i had been blind until then - graffiti was like everywhere i just hadnt payed attention before - i d been blind for it. Now i cant walk the streets without recognizing every new tag, piece or stencil.

2. Who taught you? Are you self-taught?

That crazy girl taught me just the basics, she wasnt that much into graffiti and just had started it few month ago. I met a lot of funny interesting people these days, and everyone of them had another more or less helpfull advice. But the best advice i got was "Sit down, sketch, have fun." And thats what i did.
I sat, i sketched and i had fun. A lot. More and more. By now, I can (and do) spend whole days on sketching a single word or cutting out a detailed stencil.

3. What's your artist name or street name?

My artist name is CL.SR, or CLSR1. It actually is the short form of "CLOSER", wich i quickly first changed into CLOS'R, then into CL.SR.
The more we all try daring to get closer to our fellow men, the less fighting there will be. Among many other things, art is about bringing people closer together.
 

4. Do you have any pictures I can post on my blog?

Sure, i will upload some the next days and send you the links.

5. How long did it take you to become so good?

Took me more than two years of almost daily practice, until i got confidend and started to work on my own style. But its never good enough. Ever. So i have to go on, trying to improve with every line i draw.

6. What advice would you give to a beginner like me?

Advice 1: Screw expensive tools. Get any piece of paper and a cheap pen and just start scribbling what you want.
Advice 2: Sit down, sketch, have fun.
Advice 3: Dont listen to advices.

7. How long does it take you to draw a piece?

Depends on the size of the piece, the lenght of the word, the style and the colors used. A quick "bombing"-sketch usually doesnt take more than 10 minutes, a detailed wildstyle can take several hours.

8. Who inspires your art? Who is your mentor?

I m inspired by several things, but not certain artists. To me, the artist is not as important as his work. I have deep respect for everyone who is able to get a picture out of his head into this world and inspire other people.
I dont have a mentor, but i love to have sessions with other writers (or any artists) to share ideas.

9. Why did you start your tutorials on youtube?

When i recorded the first "Graffiti Sketch Drawing" video, i was simply bored and thought it might look funny to see a timelapse of myself drawing a sketch. Had a unbelievable slow internet connection back then and absolutely no ideo that there where many videos like this on the web. Well, i wanted to get some feedback, so i created a channel and put it up.
All the kind words, suggestions, comments and messegas i got after that made me continue recording and uploading. Soon i got the first requests and i tried to do as mansy of them as possible. But there more i did, the more requests came in and i couldnt handle it anymore.
Meanwhile, i had gotten lots of messages with questions like "How do you..." or "Can you tell/show me...". I recorded a video with a little excercise for absolute beginners and it became one of my most watched ones. So i did another one...

10. What are your goals as a graffiti artist?

My goal as a writer was clear since i took my first close look at a real masterpiece. I stood there, staring at that beautiful painted wall and all i could say or think was "Wow... This is SO gorgeous!" Since that moment, my goal is to create artworks that maybe have a similar effect on others.
I want to create art that makes people stop, look closer and say "Wow!".
I want to leave impressions.
Screw fame, I just want to make people smile.

Cl.Sr's youtube channel can be found here....http://www.youtube.com/user/ChaosHirn
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 Notes from KeitaChan

I started off trying to learn more about graffiti art and the culture, but doing this interview.... I think I want to start doing it myself.  I'm going to take Cl.Sr's advice and practice my butt off and share my art with anyone who wants to see it... 

Stay tuned.....

Keita

P.S.  As I go through my learning phases, I will go use Japanese titles.  I'm a graffiti student, so I'll call myself KeitaChan.  As I progress I will become Keita-San, and once I feel like I'm an expert, I will call myself KeitaSama.  Then I may choose a street name for myself  :) 

What the Heck is Graffiti?

To better acquaint myself with the culture, I thought I should first, learn more about it.... Ah hem..

Wikipedia.org defines graffiti as the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is any type of public markings that may appear in the forms of simple written words to elaborate wall paintings.

Tag is defined in the Urban dictionary as; a personal signature, usually vandalism with spray paint, but can be any graffiti.

That being said, I kept reading and discovered that there is a traveling box car graffiti called TEXINO that started in the 1920's and is still being spotted to this day.  I continued reading the history of the mixing of graffiti and modern society.  First there was graffiti and politics, then graffiti in punk rock culture and finally graffiti used in commercialation/marketing. 

Chicago stencil artist.  This was found

behind Old Navy on Sate street.

Now that I've finished that, I come to itneresting part....common styles of graffiti.  Many artists involved with Graffiti also are concerned with the similar activity of Stencilling.

Some of the most common styles of graffiti have their own names.  [From Wikipedia.org ]A "tag" is the most basic writing of an artist's name, it is simply a handstyle. A graffiti writer's tag is his or her personalized signature. Tagging is often the example given when opponents of graffiti refer to any acts of handstyle graffiti writing (it is by far the most common form of graffiti). Tags can contain subtle and sometimes cryptic messages, and might incorporate the artist's crew initials or other letters. One form of tagging known as "pissing" is the act of taking a refillable fire extinguisher and replacing the contents inside with paint, allowing for tags as high as around 20 feet. Aiming and keeping a handstyle steady in this form of tagging is very difficult, usually coming out wavy and sloppy.

Another form is the "throw-up", also known as a "bombing" which is normally painted very quickly with two or three colors, sacrificing aesthetics for speed. Throw-ups can also be outlined on a surface with one color. A "piece" is a more elaborate representation of the artist's name, incorporating more stylized letters, usually incorporating a much larger range of colors. This of course is more time consuming and increases the likelihood of the artist getting caught. A "blockbuster" or "roller" is a large piece, almost always done in a block shaped style, done simply to cover a large area solidly with two contrasting colours, sometimes with the whole purpose of blocking other writers from painting on the same wall. These are usually accomplished with extended paint rollers and gallons of cheap exterior paint.

A more complex style is "wildstyle", a form of graffiti usually involving interlocking letters and connecting points. These pieces are often harder to read by non-graffiti artists as the letters merge into one another in an often undecipherable manner. Some artists also use stickers as a quick way to catch ups. While certain critics from within graffiti culture consider this lazy, stickers can be quite detailed in their own right, and are often used in conjunction with other materials. Sticker tags are commonly done on blank postage stickers, as these can be easily acquired with no cost on the writers part.

Many graffiti artists believe that doing complex pieces involves too great an investment of time to justify the practice. Doing a piece can take (depending on experience and size) 30 minutes to months on end, as was the case for Saber MSK while working on the worlds largest graffiti piece on the LA river. Another graffiti artist can go over a piece in a matter of minutes with a simple throw up. This was exemplified by the writer "CAP" in the documentary Style Wars, who, other writers complain, ruins pieces with his quick throw ups. This became known as "capping" and is often done when there is "beef", conflict between writers.


***Home work for me... Watch Graffiti documentaries.
****Find and interview tag artists...