How to Draw Graffiti for Beginners

Graffiti begins with letters and moves out from there.

Grafiti is an art style originally designed to make the most of a very finite amount of spray paint. However, the style of writing messages, names, and tagging areas with brands has evolved into a genuine art style. Like many other art styles, it's often best to observe existing graffiti (whether by going and looking at it or by finding entries in art books or on the Internet) and practicing your own style. Pencil and chalk are some of the best media, but there's no reason to limit your creativity.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil or chalk
• Paper
• Artist's examples

Instructions

1. Look at examples of graffiti for inspiration. If there's some in your neighborhood that you admire then use that as a starting place. If you'd prefer to do your research in the privacy of your home, art books are available, as well as websites dedicated to graffiti letters and art. One starting place is listed in the References section below.

2. Draw out the alphabet in capital letters. Letters should be slightly exaggerated so that they're easier to identify, with move defined curves and overlapping cross sections (such as the bar in the center of a capital A... for a graffiti letter you should let it extend past the left leg of the letter and stick out). This may take a few tries until you're satisfied with the basic look, but practice makes perfect.

3. Write out words in your graffiti letters. Graffiti was originally designed to use small space and conserve paint, so the letters tend to overlap. Decide which letters are in front and which are behind. Feel free to add artistic flourishes, such as the bottom bar of an L underlining a large part of a word. Other good places to add flourishes are the dots above i's, and the cross sections for t's.

4. Choose a style for your letters. Once you've begun to get the hang of the graffiti art style, you can make things more elaborate. Bubble letters are a common style, for instance. Feel free to mix and match colors and shades, making your graffiti as elaborate as you want it to be.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't actually practice your art style on public property. That's a crime, and you should avoid it regardless of the art form's history.

References

• Graffiti Source: How to Draw Graffiti Basic Tips
• Tipdeck: How to Do Graffiti Letters