No matter how rich or poor, small or large a city is, there is bound to be graffiti. Sometimes there are so many of them that our eyes no longer notice them! By the way, what do you know about the history of graffiti as an art and its different styles?

1. The word "graffiti" comes from Greek and Italian.: The Greek word "graphein" which means "to write" and the Italian word "graffito" which means "scratch".

2. Many graffiti artists prefer to remain anonymous. to avoid legal consequences of their activities.

3. Graffiti art originated in Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Initially, graffiti was primarily used to write political slogans and mark gang territory, and had little artistic value.

4. Most graffiti artists want to be called “writers.” and leave a unique signature on their work called a “tag”.

5. Nowadays, the most common graffiti materials are spray paints and marker pens.

6. Banksy is the most popular graffiti artist, known for his stencil art on political and anti-war themes.

His work can be seen all over the world. 7. The world record for the longest graffiti drawing is 2245 meters.

It was created in Dubai in 2014 by more than a hundred artists and contained scenes from the history of the United Arab Emirates. 8. Yarn Bombing is technically a form of graffiti that originated in Texas.

It consists of covering objects, structures, trees with knitted or knitted materials. 9. The first known example of “modern style” graffiti is in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus.

This is a handprint that somewhat resembles a heart, as well as a footprint and a number.

10. “Heaven spot” - these are graffiti drawings made in a hard-to-reach area, such as a roof or a bridge. 11. Graffiti writers have a so-called “black book”

, and this is an album with sketches of future works.

12. Graffiti is also a term used to refer to inscriptions and drawings found on the walls of ancient ruins such as Pompeii or the Roman catacombs. In the late 1960s, he and a group of friends began leaving their names on walls in Philadelphia, which started the graffiti movement.

14. Graffiti bombing is a term meaning the rapid application of large graffiti. Particularly popular is “trainbombing,” when a group of writers instantly paint a train before the police arrive.

15. There is a difference between graffiti and street art. In graffiti, writers generally have no interest in the public understanding their work; instead, they use it to communicate with other writers. Street art is for the community.

16. People who are new to graffiti are called toys.. Those who have more experience and respect among other writers are called kings or queens.

Bonus: Spray painting. How to paint graffiti on walls

You can get acquainted with this type of modern visual art in almost any city. Painted walls of houses, fences, barns will help you with this. And if you don’t immediately categorically reject this way of self-expression of young people, but look closely at the drawings, you can see that everything looks very beautiful.

From antiquity to modern times

The history of graffiti begins in the distant past. After all, our ancestors also made drawings and inscriptions, only mostly on rocks. And the word “graffiti” in Italian means “to scratch.”

Modern graffiti originated in the 70s of the 20th century among teenagers and was considered street art. The first graffiti drawings were made in the New York subway. The first writer appeared there, who put his signature under them and the number of the block in which he lived: “Taki 183.” By the way, writers are artists who draw. After Taki 183, teenagers appeared in the poor neighborhoods of New York and began to draw on city walls, in doorways, and trash cans. They came up with nicknames for themselves and wrote them in an incomprehensible font.

In Russia, graffiti appeared in the 90s. By the way, along with breakdancing. After all, all this is part of hip-hop. Writers didn’t just paint on walls and fences, they held hip-hop festivals where they showed their art.

What is graffiti?

This is one of the directions. The latter, by the way, is called street art and has a voluminous list of different types.

In different countries of the world, street art is treated differently. In France, for example, this type of art is legalized. Directly from the train cars you can see many drawings made in various styles of street art. In Russia, painting graffiti in public places is a criminal offense punishable by a fine or even imprisonment.

But this is in public places, and there are vacant lots, abandoned construction sites, dead-end back streets. In addition, sometimes construction companies themselves invite people to paint the fences around construction sites, and residents of high-rise buildings give graffiti artists freedom of action in their courtyards and entrances. There are also days of graffiti fests and other festivals, various exhibitions of writers, which provide an opportunity to show the art of graffiti in all its glory in public places.

So what is graffiti? To be precise, these are just inscriptions on the walls using three-dimensional images of the letters of the alphabet. But graffiti is constantly evolving. Old ones are being improved and new original letter styles are being invented, and spray paint cans are being modernized. Full-fledged drawings were added to the inscriptions. Now some artists are using spray paint to create real works of art.

Graffiti: how to learn to draw

Experienced artists advise starting with writing your nickname, then you should experiment with the “third” dimension and make the signature three-dimensional. You can safely add arrows, bubbles, and mix paints from different cans. The incomprehensibility and complexity of the drawing will attract more attention to it, and will help you get a feel for what graffiti is.

Still, the best advice for those starting to do graffiti is to first use a pencil, not a spray can. Draw houses on sheets of paper, copying some pictures or inventing your own characters.

Once you are satisfied with the result of drawing on paper, consider creating a sketch of the drawing, which you can then transfer to the wall.

Over time, you will learn how to make stencils for graffiti, accurately use the technique of shadows and bright colors, learn what markers, airbrushes and caps are for, what paint is best to buy and why you should not paint in windy weather. Only knowing all these subtleties can you clearly understand what graffiti is.

Graffiti culture

It turns out there is such a concept. It includes two main rules. First, the writer never spoils truly good buildings. He can create only where it is really necessary to revive the gloomy and bland landscape of an industrial zone or abandoned wastelands and backyards.

Secondly, a writer never paints over the drawings of other writers, otherwise this will bring shame and hostility from his colleagues.

Details Category: Variety of styles and movements in art and their features Published 12/09/2014 18:43 Views: 4877

Today, graffiti is considered a form of street art and one of the most popular forms of artistic expression around the world.

There are different styles and types of graffiti. Graffiti has already established itself as an independent genre of contemporary art and as part of culture and urban lifestyle. In many countries and cities, writers create real masterpieces on city streets.

Graffiti is often used to convey political and social messages. However, you should be aware that in most countries of the world, applying graffiti to someone's property without the permission of the owner of that property is considered vandalism and is punishable by law.
The history of graffiti goes back a long way. But first things first.

Origin of the term

(from Italian graffito, plural graffiti) - images, drawings or inscriptions scratched or drawn with paint (ink) on walls and other surfaces. Graffiare (Italian) – “to scratch.”
And currently the most popular spray art, drawing graffiti using spray paint. In ancient times, graffiti was applied to walls using a sharp object, chalk or coal.

History of graffiti

Everyone knows that wall inscriptions existed in the countries of the Ancient East, in Greece, in Rome.
The earliest graffiti dates back to the 30th millennium BC. These are prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs painted on walls. The drawings were made in ritual and sacred places inside the caves. Most often they depicted animals or hunting scenes. The Safan language, which existed from the 1st century. BC. to the 4th century n. e., only survived in the form of graffiti - inscriptions scratched on rocks in southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia.

Graffiti in ancient Pompeii: caricature of an official
Ancient graffiti has also been preserved in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (the territory of modern Turkey). There is Viking graffiti.

What did ancient people write about? About the same things they write about now: about love, about politics and about other pressing matters. They wrote the same way: with grammatical and spelling errors. There are inscriptions like “Vasya was here.” There's nothing new under the sun!
What was the situation with graffiti in Rus'? Wonderful! In Novgorod there are 10 graffiti of the 11th century, and in Kyiv (Ancient Rus') there are about 300 graffiti of the 11th-15th centuries. are located in the Cathedral of St. Sofia. They talk about the political events of that time.
In its modern form, graffiti appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. - in the New York subway, and then on freight cars and in underground passages. Since then, graffiti has become part of pop culture and has become associated with hip-hop, hardcore, beatdown and breakdancing music. For many, graffiti is a way of life, hidden from the public and incomprehensible to others. Political activists used graffiti to spread their ideas.
By the 1970s, the popularity of graffiti had grown greatly, and new styles began to be distinguished. The first writer to gain fame was TAKI 183, a teenager from the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan. His tag TAKI 183 consisted of his name Demetrius (or Demetraki, Taki) and the number of the street where he lived - 183. Taki worked as a courier, and wherever he went by subway, he left his tags everywhere. He gained a lot of followers.
Gradually, the style of tagging began to become more complex, new styles of graffiti began to appear, and the movement itself acquired a competitive nature.

More complex tag
In this regard, city authorities began to fight graffiti artists. After all, not all the work was skillful enough, and graffiti began to be identified with the littering of city streets - scribbles on the walls were equated with garbage, landfills and desolation. Huge amounts of money were spent on combating graffiti. But at the same time, sometimes writers created such complex and beautiful graffiti on store facades that store owners did not dare to paint over them. In some countries, special places were allocated for writers on the streets, in underground passages, etc., where they could freely express themselves.

“Legal graffiti” in Stroud (England)
The question of whether graffiti is an art form began to be seriously discussed. Meanwhile, graffiti began to conquer more and more space: it began to be used in computer advertising, in video games, in the design of skateboards, clothing and shoes.
Graffiti has become widespread throughout the world. Today, Sao Paulo (Brazil) is considered the capital of graffiti and a place of inspiration for writers from all over the world.

Graffiti in Olinda (Brazil)

What about in Russia?

The massive movement of modern graffiti in Russia dates back to the 1980s. In 2006, an international graffiti festival was held in St. Petersburg. And in large cities of Russia, annual graffiti festivals are held. Let's talk about one of them.

Snickers Urbania (SNICKERS URBANIA)– annual youth festival of street culture. The festival was first held in 2001 and includes the main areas of street culture: extreme sports, graffiti, breakdancing, beatboxing, freestyle. Its goal: to give modern youth a chance to express themselves and their talent, as well as provide an opportunity to try their hand at professional equipment for extreme sports. The festival was held in the largest cities of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Samara, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, as well as in Kazakhstan - Almaty.

BombART site
In the early 1980s. stencil graffiti was also born. It is created by cutting shapes from a hard, dense material. The finished stencil is applied to the canvas and aerosol paint is sprayed over it with quick, light and precise movements. This technique has become popular due to its fast execution.
The most important tool in graffiti is spray paint in cans. Use paint rollers and stencils, brushes, markers, wax rods, crayons, etc.

Graffiti in the modern world

Most graffiti is done on the streets (building walls, underground passages, garages, payphone booths, parked cars, asphalt pavement in courtyards, etc.); on transport; in entrances and staircases (including apartment doors, mailboxes, etc.); in the interiors of institutions.
Very slowly, but graffiti is beginning to acquire the status of a socially neutral phenomenon and is perceived as an integral element of a modern metropolis, a mass cultural phenomenon. It loses the meaning of protest. The language of graffiti is becoming a universal code of urban communication.

Types and styles of graffiti

Tagging is a quick application of the author's signature on a surface. A separate signature is called a “tag” (from the English tag - mark). Teggers are not very interested in the meaning and aesthetics of their creations; the main thing is to leave as many “autographs” as possible. Often tags are incomprehensible to people not privy to the details.
Writers value tags placed in hard-to-reach but visible places. The command tag is called "single".
Lettering is usually applied using spray paint or thick markers. Experienced writers can write a tag in 2-3 seconds.

Wild(English: Wildstyle - wild style). The main features of this style are intricate tangles of letters, sharp corners, fragments and arrows. The name of the style was given by the character of the drawing: wild, incomprehensible, since often the letters are so intertwined and many extraneous elements are introduced that readability becomes zero. From the wild there is a 3D Wildstyle (volume is added to the regular wild).

The public still cannot decide what graffiti is - a form of art, a way of self-expression or an act of vandalism. However, it still does not lose its popularity, and the facades of houses with fences continue to be overgrown with all kinds of drawings and inscriptions. How it all started, what styles of graffiti exist and how to draw them - read on.

Graffiti: what is it?

In a historical context, graffiti refers to drawings and inscriptions applied in some way to various surfaces. But in the modern understanding, graffiti is considered a type of street art, which consists of applying drawings and inscriptions using paint, often aerosol, on all kinds of surfaces, mainly on walls. The people who draw them are called writers.

The attention of the masses was drawn to this area in 1971, when what graffiti is was first mentioned in a printed publication. It was about a writer named Demetraki, who worked as a courier and left his signature in all corners of New York. This signature was the tag Taki183, where Taki is part of his name and 183 is the name of the street where he lived.

Later, inscriptions began to appear more often within the metro and railway depots. The movement took on a competitive nature, with street artists trying to leave as many of their tags as possible.

Types of graffiti

TO Writing, in fact, includes what we most often now understand as graffiti - drawings on walls made in various styles; More sophisticated than just tags, they are distinguished by thoughtfulness and three-dimensional image.

Bombing they paint on transport and in other extreme places, and the artists are called bombers. This type of graffiti is not particularly complex or accurate in execution, since the main task of the bomber is to make sure that he is not caught while applying the drawing.

This also includes inscriptions in the style Scratching— they are scratched out with a grindstone, usually on glass.

Graffiti styles

The simplest style is Throw-up. This graffiti consists of two contrasting colors: the fill of the inscription and its outline, usually black. It has a round shape.

Another simple style - Blockbuster- made of no more than three colors and distinguished by large angular letters.

Style Bubbles characterized by large letters resembling the shape of bubbles. Refers to the old school, not common today.

Wild Style It is distinguished by large-scale, hard-to-read text, with sharp, elongated letters, often interlaced. The style is complex and therefore performed only by experienced writers.

Character Style- drawings on the walls in comic book style. Not everyone can do it, because it requires certain drawing skills.

A subspecies that has now become popular is 3D graffiti - large drawings on the floor that look three-dimensional from a certain vantage point.

Not every graffiti can be boxed into a specific style; there are many street works that sometimes amaze with their beauty and look like real paintings, with their own original semantic content.

How to learn to draw graffiti

If you want to start creating your own graffiti, you will have to practice a lot. And before you go out with paint in search of a convenient, unstained wall, your canvas will be plain paper, and you will draw with pencils.

Sketches on paper

Any drawing begins with a sketch. First of all, you must decide on the style in which you want to execute your future drawing. Then choose a word. Write it down on a piece of paper, spacing the letters apart.

After this, use strokes to shape the letters in accordance with the chosen style.


Don’t forget about light and volume: in some places the letters will be thinner to create a shadow effect, and in others they will be more convex.


Now you can slowly add elements that interest you, add volume and darkness to the letters.


When the shape is ready, fill it with color. Use several colors, paint with felt-tip pens or paints - this graffiti will look brighter and more expressive.


We invite you to watch a training video with simple graffiti for beginners:

Remember: the process of sketching with pencil on paper trains your skills in drawing graffiti in a specific style and technique, but does not practice the ability to draw on street surfaces using spray paint.

After enough practice on paper, you should start thinking about drawing graffiti on walls.

If you have never held a can in your hands before, then you will need to understand what kind of tool it is and what its operating principle is. Practice spraying on a separate surface, test the operation of the can, the strength and thickness of the paint jet.

Choose a simpler wall, flat, primed, and best of all, made of porous concrete. You need to work on the drawing on a warm, dry day.

In addition to cans of paint and your sketch, do not forget that appropriate equipment is required: thick clothing, a respirator, gloves. You will also need caps - special caps for spraying, changed directly on the can. They come in different types, for drawing thin and thick lines, dots and outlines.

The sketch should be made in the color of your main background so that you can always correct a mistake. Only then add an outline and form the volume of the drawing.

Beginning writers can use auxiliary stencils with entire inscriptions, letters or individual elements.

Learn to layer: this graffiti will retain the brightness of the color, but the layers must be thin, otherwise they will take a long time to dry. Don't try to fill out the letters in one motion, draw line by line.

To understand how to draw graffiti in the Throw-up style, you can watch the following video:

Remember that we do not have officially approved places for street art, so your creation will most likely be considered an act of vandalism, and you will be considered a trespasser.

But if you are already an experienced artist and have prepared a decent sketch, then you can try your luck and win the right to design a residential building, a store, or a kindergarten. Sometimes art festivals are also held, where experienced writers demonstrate their skills in specially designated areas.

What are the different types and styles of graffiti called? The drawings on the walls are not created in a chaotic manner. Let's take a closer look at the main trends in this type of street art.

Main types of graffiti

Writing- This is one of the main styles of graffiti. All graffiti artists are called “writers.” This direction can be considered the founder of all styles. There are no restrictions or specific techniques; The artist himself determines for himself which style is best for him to paint. This direction includes the use of:

• spray paint;
• wall markers;
• ready-made stencils;
• roller rollers, brushes, etc.

Works done in this style are usually called sketches. Sketch can be prepared in advance on paper or using a special program.

Tagging– tagging is used to indicate a name and is often used as a caption for a work. Calligraphy techniques and mixed writing technologies are often used here. Moreover, tags can only be placed under your own works; chaotic application of your own signature on various objects is usually classified as vandalism. Tags can also be drawn by hand or prepared in a special program.

Bombing- This is an extreme direction of graffiti. The essence of this method is to draw an image as quickly as possible on moving objects or in dangerous conditions. For example, on the edge of a bridge or on a high balcony. This style tends to have poor rendering of small details, since graffiti artists do not have enough time and opportunity to work out small details.

Scratching/Scrabbing– involves applying images through scratches. This style of execution is not very respected among writers. This style always involves damaging the surface of various objects and objects, and most graffiti artists agree that this style will not lead to anything worthy.

Clean Advertising– this is a relatively new direction that relates to commercial activities; another way to advertise, as well as a source of income for commercial artists.

Graffiti drawing styles

Bubble Letter– “bubble” translated from English means “bubble”. And, as the name implies, this style is characterized by round and puffy shapes. In this style, primitive drawings are made and words are created. Also one of the first types of graffiti. When using the Bubble Letter technique, two similar colors are combined to give the drawing volume.

Throw-up– this style of graffiti is usually considered one of the simplest. He first appeared in New York. A characteristic feature of this style is the use of two colors and simple lines. Such drawings are usually very large and voluminous.

Blockbusters– was invented in Los Angeles. Used by street gangs to mark their territories. The key feature of this painting style is the use of one or two colors. The drawing should be as simple and concise as possible and display the symbolism of the author’s group.

Characters– drawing of various characters from cartoons, famous films and books. This trend can also include characters created independently in another universe, for example, in comics. This is one of the most difficult styles as it requires artistic skills. Often this technique uses a thin needle with paint to draw small details.

Messiah Style– this style of graffiti was invented by a famous writer from New York nicknamed Vulcan. This style uses letters with an effect similar to layering.

Wild Style– one of the most difficult styles to read. When creating it, three or more colors are used. Often the weaves are so complex that only the authors themselves can decipher them. Preparing such a drawing takes a lot of time and requires a high level of skill. Even after the drawing is thought out to the smallest detail, it will take a lot of time to realize the image.

Computer Roc Style– the author’s idea of ​​another performer from New York under the pseudonym Case2. The second name for this style is “perel”. This style is characterized by separating different fragments of the design and tilting them in different directions.

3D/FX Style– one of the new (relatively) varieties, which involves applying images in 3D format. Optical illusions look very advantageous on wall surfaces; it is for this reason that many graffiti artists create works in this style.

New drawing techniques are being developed every day and the development of this art direction does not stand still. Perhaps in the future we will be able to see a new style of performance and the most daring decisions.