How to Do Graffiti Murals

With any art form, the hallmark of success is often in the preparation. This also goes for creating a graffiti mural. Here are some things you can do to ensure that your masterpiece will turn out the way you want it to.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Spray paint
• Plywood or fiberboard

1. Find a location. Because graffiti murals are often seen as vandalism, the most legitimate way to do a graffiti mural is to either have it commissioned by a business, or to paint on your own private property. If you opt to do one inside, be sure to work in a well ventilated area.
2. Connect with local graffiti groups in your area. Many communities have walls set aside for people to legally paint graffiti murals. It's a great way to meet people, get involved and create something beautiful.
3. Decide on a design or design concept. Know your design before you start. Having a detailed painting or drawing beforehand can help the novice graffiti artist avoid the pitfalls of running out of space on your work area or ending up with incorrect proportions or colors. Consider doing a practice run on a large piece of wood or fiberboard.
4. Determine size and limitations of workspace. If you are working on a textured surface with different depths like brick, consider how this will affect your end design. Optical illusions can be created if you are putting a 2-dimensional image over a surface of different depths. When painting over these areas, be sure to take a step back to review how it looks, so you don't end up with warped images.
5. Outline your design on your work surface using base colors. With murals, you want a skeleton to go back and fill in later so you can have a better idea of what the finished product will look like when it's done.
6. Add color and depth. Layer color over your initial working outline. This will give body to your design. Once you have done this, go back and add darker shadows and highlights to give your image depth.

Who Can Help:

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