ne x t lev el
GR A FF F I F T I
sca pe ma r t inez
techniques
C ont ent s INTRODUCTION
8
A brief brief conver conversation sation about human expression * a brief history of letters
1
DEEPER ELEMENTS OF GRAFFITI STYLE 13
Names & Letters * 3D Wildstyle Wildstyle Explained * Hand Styles * Glows * Characters & Objects * Radical Backgrounds * Letter Manipulation * Letter Development * Advanced Color Composition Composition * Advanced Piece Composition
WORKING ON WALLS 70
Graff on Objects Supplies Step-by-Step Demos
CONCLUSION 120 GALLERY 122 EXPANDED GLOSSARY 124 Index 126
s g a T e r o M d n a s g Ta gs, Ta Basic This is the basic statement. When doing your
The tag is the the writer’ writer’s identif identifying ying mark. It is the the artist’ artist’s
tag, make sure that your ink is juicy is juicy , or filled
signature. When working in the tag space you will
to capacity with ink. This will prevent streaks
understand certain nuances that most casual fans
in your work. Apply enough pressure to get an
will not pay attention to, such as the proper spacing between your letters, forming your letters, and the
opaque mark without drips.
differences between quotes and sentences.
Angled Ang led A variation variation on the basic basic theme. theme. Unlike the basic tag, write this one at a sharp 45 degree angle with the letters starting small and exploding in size as you go.
Tag T ag Clou Clouds ds Tag clouds will make your tag stand out even more. They are cloudlike lines surrounding tags to give them added effects and a sense of depth. They are not only a cool way to capture your signature, but also a great way to add a quote or statement to your work, allowing you to introduce more expressive lines and even symbols.
Elements of Graffiti Style: Glows
w ow o l Gl as ic G B a Sometimes called a strok stroke e or a force field , glows are an extra effect meant to add pop and life to your work. Glows are solid bands of color that wrap around your letters, characters, or even objects. They should be done with colors that contrast or compliment the color scheme of the object you are wrapping them around. Glows can make your colors seem to shine or even glow in the dark. Your glows can start as basic strokes but can grow from there.
1
Begin with a black and white letter outline. Here we have a semi-wildstyle letter “E.” It does not have to look
like this; begin with something you feel comfortable with.
Add a simple simple drop drop shadow to the letter letter.. Take the
shadow and drop it down behind the letter and shift it slightly to the right. Also add a few random black bubbles for added flavor.
Materials list SURFACE
Acid-free Acid-fr ee art art paper paper MARKERS
Black, green, magenta and purple
Drop in your first glow. Keep it basic here. Just add the
magenta in a single stroke of color.Stroke around the letters, not the black dots.
Here the fun begins. Leave the magenta and reach for the purple. This stroke is a bit thicker in line weight than the first one. Again, focus on the letter not the dots.
Finally we get loose! In this final step, let your creativity out. Add arrows shooting out from the magenta strokes, and magenta dots behind the black dots. With the purple, add some filaments and extra bits to extend out from the main strokes of purple. Finally, add the black arrows to seal the deal, and voilá!
Elemen ts of Graffit i Style: Characters & Objects
o t as ic R o b B a Your choice of characters and how you execute them tell a story, so give them some thought. Traditionally Traditio nally characters have been used as a f orm of decoration, off to the side, but if you integrate them into your piece, it will make it memorable. For example, let your character replace a letter by embedding the character in the letters. A nd do some research when adopting well-known characters or objects so you know their meaning and social connotation. Characters don’t have to be hyper realistic, either. Be creative. A cartoon character can carry a lot of stylizations that you can work into your total composition.
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Do a rough sketch of basic shapes. Use your favorite light pencil. Break up your robot into its most basic shapes—cylinders, tubes and spheres, and be as free, open, and loose as possible. Don’t worry about your line strokes. Use simple lines and keep them balanced. Use these as the skeleton for your shapes.
Go over the initial sketch with a heavier leaded pencil. Keep the basic lines and shapes that you want, and erase the lines outside the character. Don’t worry about anything else besides fleshing out your character.
Materials list SURFACE
Acid-free Acid-f ree art paper paper MARKERS
Black permanent marker Red, yellow and blue waterbased
Please make sure you use a black permanent marker here and not a waterbased ink pen, as it will bleed later and potentially ruin your artwork. Go over the lines from step 2, remembering to keep the ones you want, and change the line weight as you go over the pencil lines. I prefer to keep the lines thick towards the edges and thinner as I go into the robot. I also like to add a thick black stroke around the entire character to make it pop. Erase all other pencil lines.
The first level of color is added here. Use a basic blue for the body, yellow for the visor for contrast, and red for the elbow joints and the plate on the stomach. It is entirely up to you as to how the robot looks or how the joints are put together together.. Use a waterbased marker or watercolor paints to do your fills.
Add graphic graphics s and shadows underneath the arms arms and the shoulders. Think of elements and areas of your character that are over or in front of other areas. For example, see how the torso is over the waist? It’s safe to add shadows there. Finally, add a bright red stroke and some bubbles to finish it off. Now you can place your character in its place within your piece.
Graff Next Level
GRAFFITI Techniques Scape Martinez
Features • Second book from Scape Martinez that teaches how to create your own legallysanctioned graffiti art • The author’s author’s first book, Graff , has sold more than 18,000 copies since February 2009
About the Author • 6 demonstrations show the creation of 2 wall pieces from start to finish
Scape Martinez has created murals and designs for countless public art projects such as the East Palo Alto Public Mural
• Packed with step-by-step step-by-step instructions instructions demonstrating graffiti art and technique with easy-to-access materials such as markers and paper
Project. His work has been featured in publications such as Artweek, and shown in several galleries including the Berkeley Art Center Center and the Institut Institute e of Conte Contempomporary Art, San Jose. He owns and operates
• Learn 3D wildstyle, characters, characters, objects, and letter manipulation
two youth clothing lines, Liquidscape and Respect, Inc., and is an arts advocate for kids, having worked with the Teen Arts Pro-
• Provides explanations explanations on color, color, composition, design and a glossary of common graffiti terms not covered in the first book
gram at the San Jose Museum of Art. He is the author of the original graffiti art and technique book, GRAFF .
Category . . . . . . . . . . . Art Tec Technique hnique Price. . US $22.99, $22.99, CAN $25.99, $25.99, UK £14.99 £14.99 UPC . . . . . . . . . . . 0 35313 65029 1 Trim . . . . . . 11"w × 8.5"h (landscape) EAN . . . . . . . . . . .9 781440 308277 Page count. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 SRN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z8819 Binding . . . . . . . . . Paperback w/flaps ISBN IS BN 13. 13. . . . . . . . 978978-11-44 4403 03-0 -082 8277-7 7
ISBN IS BN 10. . . . . . . . . . 11-44 4403 03-0 -082 8277-6 6
an imprint of F+W Media, inc.
by Scape Martinez Graff 2 by
Publicatio Publ i cationn mon month. th. . . Word cou ount nt.. . . . . . # of color illustrations llustrations . # of b/w illustrati llustrations ons . Interior color . . . . .
. . . . . May 201 20111 . . . . . . . 31,500 . . . . . . . . 250 . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . . . . . 4c
