How to Draw Really Good Graffiti

Graffiti often features bright colors with the illusion of depth.

While graffiti has long been considered an inner-city form of expression associated with vandalism, it has come into its own in the world of art. Graffiti has been legitimized, or accepted, as a valid and creative form of expression, no longer restricted to the sides of bridges, buildings and railroad cars. Create graffiti by combining letters and sometimes images with bold colors to form eye-catching art.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Sketch pad
• Markers

Instructions

1. Sketch some ideas on paper. Don't worry about colors yet. The idea is to find the form of the letters or images you want to draw. In general, graffiti takes on a sharp appearance or a smooth, rounded look with fat characters. Work in one of those styles in each of your images.

2. Choose the colors for your image. Three or four contrasting colors work well for graffiti. The more these colors accent one another, the better. High contrast is your goal. Also, think about colors that are considered hot, including anything bright or "neon." Black and gray provide shadows and depth.

3. Find your medium such as markers or paint. Draw graffiti on paper, canvas, a wall, or even furniture. Start with something simple. Sketch your name in pencil first just to get the composition right. Choose the sharp or round approach, and stay with it as you go. If you choose rounded letters, relax your wrist as you draw and exaggerate each letter. Give the letters a plump appearance and leave very little space between them.

4. Color the face of the letters with bright colors, like neon green or hot pink. Outline each letter in black to give it depth, creating the three-dimensional effect found in graffiti art. Apply black marker over each of the letters, tracing the shape of the letter slightly offset from the original lines to form a drop shadow.

5. Add some texture to your lettering with a gray marker. Placing little lines in the corners of each letter creates the wrinkle effect characteristic of fat letters. Adding these lines on top of your colored letters helps exaggerate them.

References

• How to Draw Graffiti: Graffiti Drawing techniques
• Drawing Now: How to Draw Graffiti Letters