Although many people associate graffiti with tasteless vandalism, this is also an art, it can be practiced without breaking the law. "Graffiti" means "write", this concept was first used in ancient Rome. Today, the term is used more freely, but it still generally means literary writing or drawing. Over the years, distinctive features have developed that can instantly identify graffiti, even if it is improvisation on a piece of paper. As with any art, there is no one true way to draw graffiti. You should develop your own style. How to draw graffiti on paper is the first question that any aspiring graffiti artist faces. Graffiti on the walls is improvisation in the rarest cases. It is advisable to have an idea in advance how this will look in general. Professional graffiti artists have a whole album with sketches, and not all of them are necessarily implemented in the "field conditions".
How to draw graffiti on paper with pencil
Materials and tools. To get started, you can do only a sheet of paper, a simple pencil and an eraser. But you can cook and markers (to draw thick and thin lines), felt-tip pens (give a juicy color), colored pencils (do not give a bright color, but contribute to the development of motility necessary for drawing).
Start with the theme of the picture. All graffiti looks modern and dynamic, but some of them are funny, others are slightly aggressive, and others seem to say: “Fasten your seat belt! We are picking up speed! ” Determine the mood of the picture and mentally distribute the light and dark areas. It is not necessary to achieve the effect of volume, but without contrast, not a single graffiti will play. Proceed to the drawing, taking care first of all that there are not too many details. The abundance and effect of 3D in the picture is better left until those times when you gain experience. Inspiration can be found in the comics.
The first thing to start is the structure of the letters. It is very important. Before you take up a pencil, you should be aware of how well you understand the outline of future letters. A lot of beginner graffiti artists take a pencil and begin to draw fantastic letters that are spread out in different directions, with arrows sticking out from different sides. This is not true! Graffiti should not resemble porridge. And so that it does not turn into chaos, your imagination must be disciplined. The structure of letters is ordinary printed or written letters, and if you are wondering how to draw graffiti on paper, you need to start by drawing the most ordinary letters! You can print various fonts by taking samples from Word, and then try to draw familiar letters in different styles. And only after you have drawn the foundation, you can begin to work. Changes to the letter should flow logically from its classical style. Avoid absurdities, like: "here I attach a little arrow, and here I add smooth lines." “Here” and “here” should be clearly defined based on the structure of the letter. At first, do not get carried away with jewelry - they should be minimal!
First graffiti drawing
The training is over, now try writing your first word in graffiti style. To do this, set the drawing area, outlining it with barely noticeable lines at the top, bottom, left and right. It can be a regular or irregular rectangle, it can have smoothly curved or concave sides. Better to start, of course, with the right rectangle. Then, mentally, or with light strokes, define the space for each letter. Draw the letters themselves - simple, without decorations, leaving enough space between them for their further detailing. The simplest lettering design is the bubble style. How to draw graffiti on paper in such a cartoon style? Circle the already drawn simple letters far enough with a rounded soft and smooth outline, and make the internal elements - such as the windows in the letters "P" or "B" - very small. The letters will turn out as if they were made of rubber and inflated.
How to draw graffiti on paper in various styles
In fact, there are a huge variety of styles, and nothing prevents you from inventing your own. Here we describe a few styles for example.
- Letters as if cut down with an ax. One of the most common and easy to learn for beginners. In order to draw such graffiti, it is enough to print a word written in ordinary font, for example, Arial Black bold. Then, focusing on the font, circle each letter with a new outline, increasing some parts of the letters more than others. Letters should become heavy, bulky, lines chopped, exaggerated. At the same time, make sure that the letters are stable, as if standing on a pedestal. They should not roll sideways or dance.
- In the Gothic style with smudges of paint. To learn how to draw such letters, first you can also print a sample and carefully analyze it. The letters in this font have a predatory, spiny appearance, with sharp protruding parts.
- Style ribbon. The letters seem to be lined with ribbons, with characteristic creases and folds. A fairly simple option for beginners.
- Wild - wild style. Usually, advanced graffitists draw in this style. The letters are so confused that they can not even be read, but the picture looks unusually dynamic.
How to draw beautiful graffiti? Besides experience, the only thing needed for this, oddly enough as it may seem, is moderation. Even the brightest and craziest drawing contains any one thought and clearly expresses it. Avoid chaos in the sketch when the viewer does not know what to think. If you take the style of the bubble, clearly follow it, if you are full of unspent energy, realize in graphite your thoughts about speed, but only about it. And, constantly practicing, you yourself will not notice how gradually your drawings become more and more complex, but at the same time they do not turn into vinaigrette.