I bought this book for my 11 year old son who was interested in the art of graffiti. He experimented with it a little but after he received the book he was able to do so much more. It sale on Internet Shopping Store. Although he probably looks at the pictures (which are numerous and varied) more than read the text he has still learned a great deal about the various styles and techniques.

I even began to read it and was pleased with the easy to understand language and explanations throughout. It is a great learning tool.

Once viewed as merely a blemish on the urban landscape, graffiti today has evolved into a legitimate art form in its own right, influencing entertainment, advertising, fashion and other creative industries worldwide.

In this unprecedented book, master graffiti artist Scape Martinez shows how he does his thing, offering streetwise advice to help other "writers" create maximum-impact, legally sanctioned work. Step by step, he lays out the philosophies and realities of the genre. From picking a "tag" and developing letterforms, to the logistics of prepping a wall and working a spray can in a painterly fashion, Graff will help you find your style and leave your mark--large and loud.

- A breakdown of the fundamental elements of graffiti style letters, character, backgrounds - and how they work together and intermingle with arrows, symbols, quotes and tags
- From paper to wall, a start-to-finish approach for creating graffiti in various styles
- 5 on-site step-by-step demonstrations show the creation of various types of compositions, from throw ups to full-blown pieces.

Complete with a glossary and a timeline tracing graffiti history, Graff is the bible for street artists looking to elevate their work, graphic designers wanting to expand their vocabulary, and anyone interested in giving their work an edgy, urban look.

Read More......

Graffiti is a medium. It is like paper,canvas or pencil. You can use things to make art or you can use those thing to make a grocery list, it's all up to you and what you choose to express using those tools.

A lot of artist today and in the history of art have done graffiti (Kith Harring and Basquiette pops into my mind right now), with Swoon selling pieces to Momma and Shepard Ferry, Fail and Banksy having huge shows (as well as a lot of other artists that are a little less known but are getting there), I don't think that this is ever a question - street art, is art.

Does that means that every person who write their name on the wall is an artist?! not really, just like not everyone who write a grocery list in an author. I think that has to do more with the intention of the artist then with the medium they work in.

Read More......

As graffiti is usually a vandal's attempt at attracting attention to themselves, removing it as quickly as possible eliminates the satisfaction they receive knowing that people are viewing their name or whatever usually rude message they have left behind. If left alone, graffiti tends to multiply, as other vandals see the area as an easy target.

Therefore, especially in urban areas, but potentially anywhere, it is important that a property owner keep a can of paint on hand that matches their building's exterior color. Conducting a regular tour of the outside of the building, and requesting employees or tenants to inform you immediately if any graffiti is visible, will make sure you can nip any problem with this form of property vandalism in the bud before it becomes a major problem.

It is sometimes controversial whose responsibility it is to clean up graffiti: a property owner or city officials. While many cities conduct graffiti clean-up programs, these often happen only once or twice a year.

In addition, the volunteers or city staff responsible for the effort will likely only choose one or two colors with which to paint over graffiti, leaving an unsightly paint mark that isn't much better than the original eyesore—the graffiti. Therefore, while I would encourage any city to go forward with such graffiti clean-up measures, I assert that any responsible property owner will take removing graffiti upon themselves, and do it in a timely and affective manner.

Read More......

As for the brand new Louis Vuitton collection, Marc Jacobs the head designer of LV group made a command, saying that in the last days, I was told that I can not make any change from the classic monogram style, therefore, I tried my best to design just follow the rule. Until the season, I realized that I have to make something new. I hope I would be younger, cooler and more stylish. I clearly know what I really want so that I take the advantage of Graffiti style of Stephen”.

As a fact, since it has released, there comes with so many topics about fashion. Without any question, the Graffiti idea is another great success. At the same time, Terry Richardson screened series of photos of the collection that published on Harper’s Bazaar, Jan 2009, among which Marc Jacobs showed his stature with Graffiti all over the body. Very eye-catching!

Since 2001, the House of Louis Vuitton first cooperated with Stephen Sprouse and created the Graffiti collection. While, it is a great pity that Stephen Sprouse died in 2004. Till now, five years have past, Marc Jacobs released the collection again in order to momorialize the friend. In the collection, the colors of the Graffiti print against the classic Monogram Canvas background are all neon (lime green, shocking pink and bright orange) and there is also Rose-tattoo collection inspired by Sprouse’s past work.. Louis Vuitton is now drawing graffiti, what about you?

What is Graffiti? It is recognized that Graffiti origined from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania of America in 1966. At the first beginning, graffiti is simply a symbol. Graffiti writers during that time just tag their nickname, doorplate number and the like. From 1971 to 1974, more and more writers began to make effort on the tyle and effect of the words. Maybe you cannot describe very well toward the Graffiti, we have to admit that now Graffiti has developed into a form of art which has received a great deal of recent attention.

Besides Louis Vuitton, there still are so many brands which have special favor toward Graffiti.

Read More......

Very cool use of interactive media to engage people, but keeps it socially acceptable for those that find graffiti to be a nuisance. This would be great to find in bars, libraries, hotels, restaraunts, and other various places around the nation. How cool would it be to see stuff like this at places like bus stops? VDO of a big touch screen display that acts as a wall for writing graffiti.

Read More......

Graffiti Wall Calendar: Graffiti is as old as cities—from the political slogans that were scribbled on public buildings in ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum, to anonymous spray-can art that began to appear on city walls on the streets of New York

See More Detail : Graffiti 2009 Deluxe Wall Calendar

Read More......

Graffiti art has a loose feel about it. There are no strict rules to creating graffiti art, except a few distinct characteristics that always make graffiti art appear stylish. Let's see what those characteristics are.

First, graffiti art are usually loose forms. But these forms are usually just clear enough to represent what they're supposed to represent. The shapes are loosely created, and the subjects overlap one another in a rather random manner. Highlights are applied to the image if needed but again, these are loosely applied.

Second, texts are usually visible, and drawn in an embossed manner that gives a 3D impression. These texts usually form a few words or a short phrase, and makes up a part of the entire graffiti artwork.

And finally, graffiti art is usually created with a wide variety of colors. Bright and luminous colors like red, orange, yellow, green and blue are preferred. There's little or no intention for color harmony and the goal here is to create a dazzling array of colors that draw attention to the graffiti art itself.

Due to these characteristics, it's no surprise that we see so many teenagers being drawn to graffiti art. But once you recognize these characteristics, you'll also come to understand that it's not all that hard to create a piece of graffiti art, even if you know little about drawing.

For a start, you may want to look up some tattoo images to use as reference images or to draw inspiration. Images like skulls or roses make great subjects for graffiti art.

Once you have your image ready, you'll need some magic markers as well. Try out the same image using different colors and see which end result you prefer. You may also wish to add in some texts.

Glittering markers make an excellent drawing tool for graffiti art. I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with these markers. And don't forget, never draw on public property without permission!

Read More......

Ever since I was little I have loved going to different cities and countries to learn from people and places that were different than what I was familiar with. My love for travel and for learning about different cultures only grew as I got older and eventually I went to university to study Urban and International Development. I chose this major simply because it would teach me about two of my favorite things: cities and other countries. I will never forget entering my first urban studies class and looking at the chalk board that said "Don't Look Past Graffiti Art." on it.

I rolled my eyes and wondered what kind of crazy situation I had gotten myself into with this class. I was intrigued that any real professor whose expertise is in urban studies would encourage let alone mandate that his students pay attention to the graffiti art that practically ruined the look and feel of many major cities in our country and around the world.

After a brief introduction of himself, the professor of that class began the semester by showing us a slide show of graffiti art from around the world. He played the entire show without saying a word of explanation. When it was finished he simply walked over to the chalk board and wrote another line underneath what he had already written about paying attention to graffiti art. He wrote: "Because it reveals the major issues of that culture's youth."

I got out my notebook for the first time that semester and wrote those two phrases onto the top of the first page. I was still hesitant about where the professor could possibly be taking an introduction like this, but I was more intrigued than before after watching the slide show of graffiti art and realizing just how artistic it truly was.

Our first assignment for that urban studies class was to find a photograph of graffiti art that was from a major U.S. city and to write a two page reflection on what we thought the graffiti art revealed about that particular city's youth. I had no idea when I chose a picture from Chicago and wrote about it just what I was doing to shape the rest of my life.

To make a long story short, that urban studies class and specifically our discussion of graffiti art revolutionized my thinking about the peoples of the world. I learned that a culture is revealed by small things like graffiti art that we usually take as annoying when we visit somewhere. All that to say, the next time you travel don't discount a city's graffiti art as something ugly or offensive. Instead, see what you can learn about the youth of that city through the graffiti art because I guarentee there is much to be learned.

Read More......