How to draw graffiti on paper: basic principles

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Although many people associate graffiti with tasteless vandalism, it is also an art and can be practiced without breaking the law. "Graffiti" means "to write", this concept was first used in ancient Rome. The term is used more loosely today, but still generally means artistic writing or drawing. Over the years, distinctive features have evolved that make graffiti instantly recognizable, even if it is improvised on a sheet of paper. As with all art, there is no one right way to draw graffiti. You should develop your own style. How to draw graffiti on paper is the first question that any novice graffiti artist faces. Graffiti on the walls is an improvisation in the rarest cases. It is advisable to have an idea in advance how it will look in general. Professional graffiti artists have a whole sketchbook, and not all of them are necessarily realized in the “field conditions”.

How to draw graffiti on paper with a pencil

Materials and tools. For starters, you can get by with just a sheet of paper, a simple pencil and an eraser. But you can also prepare markers (to drawthick and thin lines), felt-tip pens (provide rich color), colored pencils (do not give bright color, but contribute to the development of motor skills necessary for drawing).

Start with the theme of the picture. All of the graffiti looks modern and dynamic, but some are funny, some are slightly aggressive, and others seem to say, “Brace yourselves! Let's pick up speed! Determine the mood of the drawing 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 sparkle. Proceed to the drawing, taking care, first of all, that there are not too many details. The exuberance and 3D effect in the drawing is best left until the time when you gain experience. Find inspiration in comics.

The first thing to start with is the structure of the letters. It is very important. Before you pick up a pencil, you should be aware of how well you understand the scheme of future letters. A lot of novice graffiti artists take a pencil and begin to draw fantastic letters spread out in different directions, with arrows sticking out of different sides. This is not true! Graffiti shouldn't look like porridge. And so that it does not turn into chaos, you need to discipline your imagination. 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 different fonts by taking samples from Word, and then try drawing familiar letters in different styles. And only after you have drawn the base, you can start creating. Changes in the letter should follow logically from its classical style. Avoid absurdities, like: “here I will attach an arrow, and here I will 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 decorations - they should be minimal!

First graffiti drawing

Training is over, now try writing your first graffiti word. To do this, set the drawing area by outlining it with barely visible lines on top, bottom, left and right. It can be a regular or irregular rectangle, it can have smoothly curved or concave sides. It is better to start, of course, with the correct rectangle. Then mentally, or with light strokes, determine the space for each letter. Draw the letters themselves - simple, without decorations, leaving enough space between them for further detailing. The simplest letter 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”, make them very small. The letters will look like they are made of rubber and inflated.

How to draw graffiti on paper in different styles

In fact, there are a huge variety of styles, and nothing prevents you from inventing your own. Here we will describe some styles for example.

1. Letters as if carved with an axe. One of the most common and easy to learn for beginners. In order to draw such graffiti, it is enough to print out a word written in a regular font, for example, Arial Black bold. Then, focusing on the font, outline each letter with a new outline, enlarging some parts of the letters more than others. The letters should become heavy, cumbersome, the lines chopped, exaggerated. At the same time, make sure that the letters are stable, as if standing on a pedestal. They should not roll over or dance.
2. Gothic with paint smudges. To learn how to draw such letters, you can also print a sample first and carefully analyze it. The letters in this font have a predatory, prickly appearance, with sharp protruding parts.
3. Ribbon style. The letters seem to be lined with ribbons, with characteristic creases and folds. A fairly simple option for beginners.
4. Wild - wild style. Usually advanced graffiti artists draw in this style. The letters are so confusing that they can't even be read, but the drawing looks unusually dynamic.

How to draw beautiful graffiti? In addition to experience, the only thing that is needed for this, however strange it may seem, is moderation. Even the brightest and most crazy drawing contains one thought and clearly expresses it. Avoid sketch chaos when the viewer doesn't know what to think. If you take stylebubble, clearly follow it, if you are full of unspent energy, embody your thoughts about speed in graphite, but only about it. And, with constant practice, you yourself will not notice how gradually your drawings become more and more complex, but at the same time do not turn into a vinaigrette.