Graffiti

[GrandCentralParkway 1]

I agree.  I have seen some impressive pieces in railway tunnels... But I disagree with graffiti that is written just for the sake of vandalizing property...

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Graffiti can be either. Some cities authorize graffiti sites, and some commission them.

On the other hand, flannel mouth and pornographic graffiti are a crime.

There has been a great growth in the style of graffiti, and with the new styles and better media, it can be great art.

[Joesocwork 4]

It occurred to me that my wife and I used to let our kiddoes have a wall in their room devoted to whatever art they wanted to color on it.   I don't remember if I took pictures of it or not before we got our place painted, but I would like to think of it as precursory practice for future artistic genius!

[vidioman 21]

Grafitti that is die bin laden f*ck you f*ck bush or basically any other obscenity scribbled onto a wall in 5 seconds is a crime.

Grafitti that accumulates into a large picture/mural is more of an art.

Our city whitewashed a few walls on old buildings and let youth paint them, turned out some pretty interesting results. Then they tore down the building.

(It had mold, and was a source of rats)

[hdorriker 190]

I love graffiti.

Good graffiti, that is.

Basically, I like the multi-colored abstracted 2-dimensional lettering and the neo-cubist-looking murals depicting some kind of story or gestalt.

I have to say I've seen some good multi-colored blocky text tags around Denver on the overpasses and fences along north I25, that are tags... but very well-done tags with a lot of effort put into them.

As for hate graffiti, I think it ought to be cleaned up or painted-over outright. That's not art, it is vandalism AND it's not even aesthetically interesting.

As for the stuff I mentioned earlier, It may be vandalism, but I think it is most definately art, and I think it adds a lot of human character to a city.

I like THIS guy's work a lot.


And anyways, if it's pretty and interesting looking, I frankly don't care if they got permission to do it
I think guerilla art adds a lot to places which would otherwise be ugly, boring and completely uninteresting were they left only up to the property owners who put up the ugly/boring/depressing structures (and not maintain them) to begin with.
Seeing a massive, meaningful and colorful unauthorized mural on the front of a Walmart, A Mc Donalds, any chain-franchise store or a ugly seedy pawn-shop or bar would totally make my week.

I, of course, don't put graffiti on walls. I don't participate in vandalism even if I agree with it, or think of it as art.

[EAGCE 2]

It depends on what it is. If it's just someone writing their name, then no. If its a picture then maybe, depending on what the picture is. Basically, if it's in good taste, nothing too offensive, then yes.

And being illegal or not doesnt have anything to do with it.

[Ninja12 3]

i like this banksy i like the message in it

Segregation Wall, Palestine.

 

I Really love this one

http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/images/fallenangel.jpg width=371>

[Ninja12 3]

A new rage in Graffiti Calligraphy

I would like that on my wall its pretty nice

[Compromise 1]

I think picture's e.t.c done with permission of people affected and aims to brighten up the area avoiding the two p's is art, not graffit. But people just spraying in any blank space is graffiti and is definatley a crime.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Iv always wondered how some of those realy well done ones( the ones that take months to do)

get done with out some kind of permission. i mean does noone see them doing this over all the time it takes?

 

Basicly if you have permission to do your  thing one a wall or building can you call it graffiti?

 

But they have solved the problem of grafitti on busses  and othe large vehicles.

 

ADVERTISING !

 

most of The  DART busses ( Dallas area rapid transit) have those peel off plasctic  adds on them.

So i  guesss if someone scralls stuff on them it isnt on very long since they can just change the Ad every few months.

 

 

 

 

 

[Meg 368]

Date: 2/12/2006 2:31:43 PM Author: Easy Bakes

 

Basicly if you have permission to do your  thing one a wall or building can you call it graffiti?

quote>

I agree with you, EB.  Seems to me that, once the owner has agreed to it, it isn't graffiti.

www.dictionary.com disagrees with us.  It defines graffiti as A drawing or inscription made on a wall or other surface, usually so as to be seen by the public. Often used in the plural.

 

I imagine there are legal definitions that make the distinction, though.

[Compromise 1]

Date: 2/12/2006 3:04:52 PM Author: SkiGeek

Date: 2/12/2006 2:31:43 PM Author: Easy Bakes

Basicly if you have permission to do your  thing one a wall or building can you call it graffiti?

quote>

I agree with you, EB.  Seems to me that, once the owner has agreed to it, it isn't 'graffiti'.

www.dictionary.com disagrees with us.  It defines graffiti as 'A drawing or inscription made on a wall or other surface, usually so as to be seen by the public. Often used in the plural. '

I imagine there are legal definitions that make the distinction, though.

quote>

Yes its a bit down to opinion if you class all drwaings on walls e.t.c as grafiti or just the one's that most people would class as criminal.

[Joesocwork 4]

Date: 2/12/2006 3:04:52 PM Author: SkiGeek

Date: 2/12/2006 2:31:43 PM Author: Easy Bakes

Basicly if you have permission to do your  thing one a wall or building can you call it graffiti?

I agree with you, EB. Seems to me that, once the owner has agreed to it, it isn't 'graffiti'.

www.dictionary.com disagrees with us. It defines graffiti as 'A drawing or inscription made on a wall or other surface, usually so as to be seen by the public. Often used in the plural. '

I imagine there are legal definitions that make the distinction, though.

Regardless of whatever the definition of graffiti itself may be, the way I look at is that if my children expressed themselves and colored on the wall we (my wife & I) gave them permission to, then it's art; if it's somewhere else, it's vandalism.  Oh, and I won't even go into fines that I would consider appropriate.

[sloppet 3]

This is crime:

And this is not

Very EASY!!

[your_adress_here 11]

I would say it's both.

At most of the skateparks in my city, there are walls for people to grafiti on (most of the time it's pretty ugly though, but from time to time theres some good stuff).

There are also some tunnels for bike paths that go under busy avenues that are allowed to be graffitied on. Theres usually nice stuff there, cause one time when i was biking I saw a group of about ten people painting on the walls.

If graffiti is used in areas where it shouldn't be used, then it's a crime.

[Ninja12 3]

graffiti's roots lie in a response to political oppression. in most areas graffiti started out as a response to the growing public messages posted in public places by political factions and corporations. it eventually developed into a culture and an art form and now, while still encompassing its roots, it has also moved on to focus on the graffiti community and not the outside world that influenced it. in other words, it started out as a protest and developed into an art form.

lets just think of the history here for a second. do you really think inner city youth have the resources for big canvases?

now you may reply with- its not only inner city youth- correct, but it is predominantly that way- and thats really how it originated.

next you may say- if they cant afford the canvas how do you afford the paint? good question. most times its stolen. those markers and spray cans are expensive!

finally- its part of the culture and done to be known. yes its art, but its also having everyone see your name

 

 

You say that Slipknot thing isnt Graffiti

 

ITS ADVERTISMENT!!!!!!!!!!

 

Maybe the Real Graffiti Is to LIGHT for you since you like dark things

 

[Easy Bakes 253]

Date: 2/13/2006 7:59:28 PM Author: Ninja12

.

lets just think of the history here for a second. do you really think inner city youth have the resources for big canvases? now you may reply with- its not only inner city youth- correct, but it is predominantly that way- and thats really how it originated. next you may say- if they cant afford the canvas how do you afford the paint? good question. most times its stolen. those markers and spray cans are expensive! finally- its part of the culture and done to be known. yes its art, but its also having everyone see your name

quote>

 

That is assuming they stole paint and markers to actualy paint with.

 

You say that Slipknot thing isnt Graffiti

ITS ADVERTISMENT!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe the Real Graffiti Is to LIGHT for you since you like dark things

quote>

 

Yea thats a pretty blantant ad there, the have a couple of those types in Downtown dallas

Not painted  on but a printed canvas/cloth type banner hanging on the side of the building.

 

 

 

 

[ChiTown847 0]

This is some graffiti insight a writer named "Nekromancer" did...all credit goes to him, interviews ect. GRAFFITI IS ART

Q: who are you? What do you do, what is you cultural background (social, economic, physical, regional) past and present.

A: I call myself Rom-Tetra, or Rom4 for short. I'm currently a graphic designer living in Miami, Florida, but to my closest peers I am a writer. Moreover, as a writer, I usually prefer to be called a piecer within the graff community. By piecer I mean one who is concerned with structure and the development of style to a given name, or "tag." What is essential to a piecer is how many ways he can express a name, which can be analyzed primarily to the letters that make it up. How is a letter constructed? Why does the construction look good? Is there a consistency throughout the name? These are few basic questions that worry the piecer in his practices. I dealt with much of these questions, and it is interesting that such a "construction" can be discovered along the way, or through time, as if it has always been there before you. In relation to this, graphic design has its principles of the use of space, but what is most relative to this study is its typographic discipline. Thus, I feel that graffiti has a sense of a formalistic kind, that is, an institutional kind of element, and yet it belongs outside of an institute. In can be described, but it seems to me that it is far from teaching it as a discipline like in Graphic Communications.

Q: define to me what you feel is this culture of graffiti in short.

A: The culture of graffiti is quite diverse, but we can try to simplify it in a unified sort. One of the main "trends", let's say, in this culture is the concept of identity. The bombers (vandals), the piecers, & gang-bangers (territorial gangs) all strive to achieve an identity for themselves. It is somewhat strange, however, that bombers usually tend to achieve this identity through writing on public surfaces when, the language of graffiti, in its own distinctive features can only be understood by the writers themselves. There is a constant debate between bombers and piecers as to how far graffiti is graffiti. That is to say, purified piecers look at graffiti in a very artistic outlook, on the other hand, the vandals see it quite the opposite. They see graffiti as exactly what the word has been generally defined, e.g. writing on walls. So aesthetics in this culture is very critical in what path a toy, an inexperienced writer, will choose in the end amongst his contemporaries. Generally speaking, in the commercial graffiti world e.g. MTV Raps, some shows on BET, Ecko Clothes, etc. is suppressed in its presentation of what graffiti really is. There is a blurring distinction between pure vandalism and "artistic" graffiti. In all of its culture, it is, indeed, very competitive and I think it is something that will become greater in size. A note comes to mind is if the commercializing of graffiti will ever present this distinction clearly, since what most of us think of graffiti we think of "New York", but of course, we must look at other means of intending the graffiti culture.

Q: what's do you believe is the reason you do what you do? What drives a graffiti artist?

A: When I began learning about graffiti almost seven years ago, what astonished me most about this art form is its freedom. Ironically, it is somehow a restricted freedom, since it is an art form usually based around names, and if we will remember modern graffiti originating in the late 60's. But what I mean about this restricted freedom clearly is that is it a flight away from traditional forms of art. We cannot say with certainty that it can be construed generally as an impressionistic notion of the "art for art's sake", although it is possible that the piecers can be members of this class in some sense. On the contrary, the Conceptualist's, in the early 20th Century, simply state that anything we do is art in its strictest sense, which is amazingly close to the bombers we have described, watering down all aesthetics. As a piecer, I am entirely under the spell for human creativity. But, I don't believe in any of the maxims aforementioned above, since I believe that we are experimental by nature, and there is neither "art for art's sake" nor strictly "art is anything" but it is a way to comprehend ourselves in our means of expression, our language, that is, how we use our language, and how far can this language be developed, and ultimately, what lies beneath this language that we use intuitively; the structure, that is, if there is one to understand and explain. So this leaves space for all kinds of "Graff". In this sense, I am simply an Experimentalist, but I also have my convictions for the presentation of beauty as well.

Q: how did you learn to do what you do? Is graffiti in culture self-taught, apprentice or other?

A: I primarily began by having someone practice it right in front of me when I was in school, and drove my curiosity into what it really is. Most writers begin by their local influences. After experiencing graffiti, whether personally or by some outlet e.g. magazine, they begin to understand basic patterns in tag & piece structuring. They then tend to look for others personally to learn what is best. There are "biters", who are known as "toys" for copying someone else's work, and do not achieve there uniqueness within the graffiti circle. The question how a writer learns graffiti is duel; he is constantly looking for work to admire and what might influence him. It is like how artist's in traditional circles tend to look at other artworks. However, in the world of graffiti, what you express tends to be more critical. That is to say, it must be original and not "bitten." In effect, it seems to me that since it is so critical, there is a tendency to be contemporary and rather quick through out all of its development. So far, since the late 60's, there hasn't been an -ism to distinguish a particular style in the strict sense. Distinguishing styles in graffiti is very broad. We often name pieces by their use of three-dimensional principles and the contrary e.g. 2-D to 3-D. It gives the writer space to be have his own identity and makes contingency explicit, namely, that it doesn't matter if the style didnt exist. But perhaps graffiti isn't as publicized or criticized to be called a particular way of expressing an -ism. Given the contingency of graffiti and its forms of expressing, it escapes the writer in that it is very difficult to point out what is what in a rational sense. This leaves him self-taught, since the choosing of what kind of expression is broadened. But insofar that expressions in graffiti are broad, the criticism of being a biter and what-not is necessary for the writer to learn from someone and evolve.

Q: what is the process you go through to develop your style?

A: Let us begin having the blueprint of a piece in your mind, since influence has been briefly touched before and it is not that important for our purposes. Imagine a letter of any choosing, let's say, "A." We see that, ofcourse, the letter we percieve in our minds is understood by a semantic or a denotion, namely that "'A' means A in the English alphabet." We usually think of stems, the diagonals and the little stem that crosses the center of the diagonals. This is a necessary fundament into understanding this letter "A." Now given this, it is understood the formal nature of this letter, since if it will be pleasurable to see, it must be recognized by others as a general picture, which is why we can understand what the word what "Alpha" means, let's say. Demontrating this is the relation the letter has within its context, the word. Each word of what the writer thinks to construct a piece is like how we view sentences in literature. Really, it is not the meaning of the word, but it is how you make that word meaningful, hence the letter meaningful.So what we see here is a develoment of some creativity within this structure of the word. What is important for the writer to understand is this, "Is it possible for 'A___' to be pleasurable while I can give it a unique set of objects to my liking?" A unique set is, essentially, the tools of what the writer uses to create this "piece"; his style. That is, there are writers who use geometrical forms, like I do according to my peers (also Delta INC), and there are others who use organic forms (Ewok HM), others use cursive forms (Sever AM7 MSK), urban/street forms (Cope2 KD) and so on. It is the creativity that gives the word a meaning. Analogously speaking about graff and grammar respectively: a letter is a word, a word is predicate, the creative use of the style is the preposition, and the concept about the style the sentence. This is a good overview of what goes on in constructing the piece. Aristotle reminds me of how such constructions are possible by his so-called Four Causes: Material, Formal, Efficient, and Final. Material is that which the observer recognizes the material (the bronze). Formal, the idea of the end product (the man). Efficient, the act of making the idea work (process of the ideal man into a material, bronze man). And Final, the end product of the bronze actually shaped as a man. Metaphysics aside, the writer is organized in doing his ideal piece, with some help of his creativity. Through the years of performing this loop in making graffiti art, he becomes comfortable with expressing on any platform. Through practice is when the writer achieves his identity insofar that others can recognize him and, quite possibly, influence his local area, then onto the world.

Q: the "tag", vandalism or art?

A: This is a tough question. However, there are two views of which I can point out, and hopefully most will agree. There is the naive view that graffiti is, and only, reduced to a mark on wall e.g. to get up by any means. Trivial as it may sound, there are heavy consequences to this definition. It does not matter how the tag looks, because the mark is what is most important. It is a symbol, where people can see and have it simply burned into their memory. It is a repetition. To follow Andy Warhol's maxim, "Fame is achieved through its repetition." The other view is the artistic. These writers believe that graffiti is a form of art and not simply a mark. A mark for them is a mark that carries with it an identity, but an identity with an acknowledgment of the creative individual. It is a creative identity. Freedom is known through both of these views, but freedom in the naive view is not quite respected throughout the majority of the people. In the artistic sense, most people gain pleasure from graffiti as it gives each observer a sense of a message coming across. What happens, through the difference of the naive mark and the artistic mark, is a certain contrast being formed that the naive simply says in his mark that "Someone was here" to his audience. However if we look closely, a beautiful peice does not say much about the person who did it, since it is an external way of looking graffiti, e.g. a style "given" to the public. In other words, we can imagine a layer overlapping a basis (the individual). A naive mark is too "raw" for it to be properly respected, which is where the connotation comes from; that it is a mark on property. On the other hand, we can see a writer who practice his pieces artistically creates a new "layer" of his identity in an explicit and exposed way that "hides" his raw self-hood. Interestingly, influencing other writers is done in this way. The artistic mark makes the writer "disappear" and people will often imitate his work. Ofcourse, I must mention that in the naive view, there are occasional talented individuals who become an influence within graffiti circles, but I believe it is very limited in its form of expression, since it is simply a mark, and no more, watering out all aesthetic pleasure. Bombers and piecers alike usually hold these views in a proper correspondance: Bombing - Naive, Piecers - Artistic. I say "usually" because there can be a bomber who can always change his mark artistically, but this is very rare in the graffiti world. The debate goes far in having constant graffiti wars, or "Beef", between writers and crews. Bombers often criticize Piecers as being too much of a "poser" in the name of graffiti; that they are too concerned of making a piece look "pretty." Piecer's, in contrast, criticize bombers in that they simply destroy the name of graffiti, and the hope of spreading it in giving a good presentation for the city; at least, is down from minimal to impossible. As I said above, it is a very difficult question to answer. A piece can encourage a city to be tolerant of graffiti and embrace the people away from graffiti culture, but a bombing mark can lessen tolerance of the city and try to throw away its graffiti culture while it embraces more of the graffiti community. Our time has passed for naive views. With respect to the oldschool writers, the pioneers, I can't say much but to thank them for starting this rich culture, but we cannot be stuck in that era. The Europeans has given the culture a new age in piecing since the first half of the 90's, beginning with Daim and Loomit with their revolutionary 3-Dimensional approach to piecing. Since the Golden Age in the 80's in New York, writers have become more rational and more expressive since. California is now, as of 2006, becoming a center for graffiti in the United States, with such leaders as Saber, Retna, Push, and a handful of others, who are experimenting beyond the traditional 2-Dimensional styles of the New York style in the 80's, into a clever use of letter structuring and design that has not been ever achieved in the United States, or graffiti in general (See the El Mac & Retna Collaboration, and Rukus). We must learn knowledge into these movements and end stagnancy if we wish to keep this culture strong.

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Interview ..2

I decided to do an interview on the vocabulary that many graffiti artists use to communicate with each other in an almost code talk to be able to refer to their work and the tools to the spot. I know a lot of "writers" and I sat down with one of them to ask about what his slang terms were for his lifestyle. Meet Graffiti Artist and close friend, "ASE" representing KGS, MCB, LIT, crews. 20 years old and employed as a cook at a local restaurant. He is of Hispanic decent and speaks English and Spanish, Spanish being his first language. I began my interview on February 12th, 2006 in my apartment.

Text of Item:

Q: so what do you graffiti artists call yourselves?

A: we call ourselves....anything but graffiti "artist" ...vandals, graffers, mislead youth, homies.... whatever floats your boat..."gang" members is one of my favorites though. Yea sure being considered an artist isn't bad ya know.

Q: what do you call the things you paint?

A: The things I paint are for the most party my "alias" ya know who I am....sure its just a made up name...but I for one take that name as part of myself...an alter ego... Jekyll and hide ya know....when I write that name, or whatever on that wall its not just some word or picture.....its me I am reppin ME ME ME ME ME cuz that's why I go out and risk being arrested. That's why I go out and steal paint.....that's why I stroll around at late night. So yea I paint what I feel represents me.

Q: what do you call what you do? Names of styles and their meanings.

A: ok Graffiti can be broken down, ya know into styles that vary in appearance and difficulty....for the most part both can be used to achieve the fame one desires....ok the simplest thing you can do is a "tag" cuz its in a since your signature...this is the 1st step. then comes the "bomb" ya know 2 colors for the most part bubbly simple letters ...can take less than 3 min to paint then you start getting into hard stuff man...like blockbusters. Simple readable letters ya know these are like illegal billboards....the bigger the better when it comes to these......and then there's the part of graff that really turns heads. The pieces those can have many different styles from the retro N.Y rooted simple steez......to the wild flared up L.A styles...to even the crazy 3-Ds some Europe heads be coming up with. Bombing is still a challenge though cuz like I said quantity and quality son. Cuz like you can be the old master of peaces....but if you put something good out every 6 months your name isn't going be as known as the next cat that hits up all city so it all depends man on what you feel you need to do to get known.

Q: what are some of the nicknames for the tools you guys use?

A: yea cans, streaks, etch, magnums, decos, slaps, and short cuts are some that I use ....different people have different slang ya know depends where your from..... Can, Spray, A-sol, HEAT, just some of the words used to describe a spray paint can. Then you can go into the brand; like Krylon, Painters touch, Montana and Wal-Mart paint. Scribes are anything that's sharp from a compass end to a rock...these are used to scribe your name into windows....real permanent but kind of noisy. Etch is an acid like liquid that will burn itself into windows or smooth plastics....its kind of dangerous stuff but leaves a nice milky like stain on the windows that's permanent. Caps, tips, heads, coats.....these are the tips you insert into the spray paint can.....you use these to change the line value in your work. streaks are like a more solid/quick drying version of oil pastels.....they are slim and real soft...go on almost anything and can be spliced to make multi color versions. umm slaps....stickers ya know just grab draw and stick.

Q: What do you call the places you paint at?

A: Yards...Are places that have been painted in abundance by several writers......mostly safe spots away from pedestrians ya know? Roofies...are.....roofs lol. Heavens....are tall ass spots ya know....like billboards or big buildings, free way signs ya know tall spots that are closer to heaven. Frogers.....are freeway dividers...we call them that cuz you gotta hop across with cars coming like that video game froger ya know. Freights, Tanks, Steel....all are slang related to trains. Writes are just you know...spots you tagged up with your hand styles or signature if you will writes are usually everyday spots form bathrooms to McDonalds windows.

Q: How do you differentiate between other graffiti writers?

A: well if you're starting out....your toy. A lot of people take toy as ....YOU SUCK quit writing. But being toy doesn't mean lack of having any talent, being toy is not having any experience. Lack of knowledge ya know. All you people reading this for info, your toy. You are lacking knowledge of graffiti. But on the other end of the spectrum....if have put in work in the streets and your name is known in infamy...then your king. King of your block of your city or even of your state or country this is list with only a few names on it.

Tag bangers are people who relate to graffiti as a territorial thing, who want to beat you down and break your hands so you never "disrespect" them ya know. Most tag bangers don't care much for style more than they do drama. if your a bomber your into doing one consistent work over and over and over again as to get your name known in mass quantity. Bombers are about fame, getting hard spots or a bunch of spots with the same simple design. Bombers are all about the illegal and rush of the experience. piecers are about the thought and skill that takes into the work, most piecers spend a long time on one single work. Usually done in legal or safe spots. A piecer's style is subject to change more than a bomber's.

Q: What do you call the law enforcement?

A: THE LAW... has many names like pigs,5-0, popo, justice, hura, placa ,boys in blue, cinco cero, sheriff, quick draw magraw...*laughs* you name it. then there's the "heroes" ya know people who watch 2 much cops episodes.....people who say ...EY YOU STOP VANDALIZING...COME HERE....as if you were stupid enough to do so....those are the people that piss me off the most people who are out to hunt you down...I have gotten chased on foot and in a car by these folks....it sucks cuz it can happen at random. Heroes just show up out of nowhere and think they as good law fallowing civilians have to STOP you from "Destroying" city property. ***** heroes. but then there's the Snitches....the people who get caught up.....tagging and end up singing like a bird to the cops.....telling them all your info...that's why graffiti writers at least the smart ones don't go out babbling their name left and right cuz u don't know who might be out to get you...or who will end up slipping and spilling the beans, snitches are easy to avoid...just watch the company you keep. Then there are the gang bangers....those foos are the militia of the streets. Since the streets are your surface....you gotta to know the rules that come with it. Kinda like a manual ya know theirs does and don'ts if you fallow the instructions you will assemble a good rep in the streets instead of a negative one. No disrespecting...no crossing things out no going over anything you're not sure of because most likely you will hear from that person later on. The streets talk man.... so yea watch where you write 2...cuz your name might not be wanted in some spots it might get crossed out or dissed by gang members. Graffiti writers and gang members don't really get along as best of friends. Cuz again they both trying to control the streets...in one way or another. Gang members or graffiti on graffiti writer beef is what you have to watch the most. Cuz that's under the table *****.....a cop or a hero won't flat out smack you upside the head for messing up...

Q: Where do you see graffiti going in the next couple years?

A: Graff is blowing up...like skating did when Tony hawk came out....a lot of kids are starting to write...when I say kids I mean kids like jr. high school kids and freshmen.... they for the most part are ignorant to all the stuff I have been talking about....so they are like lil eager creatures wanting to write on anything. So i'm expecting to see a lot of more names and squiggles out in the streets....random names here and there instead of a consistent community of writers. As for style...umm a lot of writers are adopting a simple "retro" style but the wild style is still out there...

[ChiTown847 0]

HERES THE MAIN ARTICLE

Graffiti

"Art to some yet crime to others, from its birth to its current state. The history of graffiti will be covered as will its aspects of styles, attitudes by society around the world and of the graffiti writers, to ask the question that many wonder on why someone would risk doing an illegal activity to place ones moniker to be seen by the public. Graffiti's ancient origins from ancient cities up to more recent times during the 1960's and to the present will be looked into for their historical impact. A look into the life of the real graffiti writers based on who they really are and not who they are commonly thought to be and the break up of different graffiti styles from the basic four forms: tag, throw-up, piece, and production. Many do not know what specialized items are used to inscribe names and tools that have been engineered for the sole purpose of achieving the alias in the most permanent ways.

Even though many associate graffiti being a new wave, it has been around since ancient times, from the first time man learned to draw and leave the written word.

The word graffiti means to place deliberate markings on private or public property without the owners own consent. The word graffiti originates from the Greek "graphein" meaning "to write." The definition can be traced back to ancient cave paintings but many come to conclude that modern graffiti "vandalism." It existed in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus. There, oldest known graffiti marking is written on an ancient walkway announcing prostitution in the area. Many other ancient forms have been found all over the world, from ancient Mayan ruins in Tikal Yucatan to Viking graffiti in Rome. Many of these markings include curses, love declarations, and even "beware of dog" inscriptions. In many ancient Roman sites there are Latin inscriptions of insults and political views, this has helped many archeologists find insights into ancient society of the time of the graffiti.

The 1960's saw great change in society and one of them was the evolution of graffiti. It no longer was rare among areas. It began to grow at an alarming rate due to the invention of the spray paint can. Edward Seymour first created the spray paint can during 1949 in only aluminum colors. In time during the 1950's gangs were reported to use spray paint in the Los Angeles area. Over time spray paint graffiti was gang related up until the 1960's when the "Philly Wicked Style" was born. The Style consisted of large stylized letters with quotations stars that latter evolved into the most basic form of graffiti the tag. Philadelphia is the city were many regard the most recent form of graffiti to be born in. It was pioneered by the mystery graffiti writers "cornbread" and "cool earl." They are the two men considered to be the first to write graffiti for seeing who can get their alias name everywhere. Others began to copy them and the graffiti writer "top cat" took this to New York City. There others saw this and began to write their "alias, " but it did not reach its popularity until Demetrius a Greek American foot messenger began to write graffiti. He called himself "Taki183, " Taki being a nickname and 183 for the street he lived on. Being a foot messenger he was able to travel great distances and place his alias everywhere he went. In time the New York Times caught attention to this name and did an article on it, leading to the city seeing it and created a an explosion of others copying him with their alias and street numbers. In time it spread through the streets and became an urban movement, where it was spread even further by the media and rap music to a world wide level during the 1980's.

Over the years graffiti has grown out of its simplistic roots and into a world wide community spanning all races and corners of the globe. Growing with that is also the variety of thousands of styles from each individual. Today graffiti has reached its panicle level. Spreading to every continent populated by man. It is said that in just the United States it costs $8 Billion per year to clean up. 35% of all property vandalism in the United States is graffiti related according to the Buroe of Justice. In contrast to the common misconception only under 10% of graffiti are gang related and 78% "tagger" related while 5% is generic and 7% other. A sharp misconception of graffiti in the United States is that it's the minority low-income adolescent committing the graffiti crimes but in fact it is 50-70% committed by suburban middle class adolescents of the 16-18 age groups. In the United States it is estimated that 60% of all graffiti writers are Caucasian and 30% Hispanic while 8% is African American and the other 2% is other. Fewer than 2% of all graffiti writers are female according to surveys done by pro-graffiti paint companies. Most graffiti writers are within 12-21 year old age groups but it is not rare for a 25 or older graffiti writers to exist. It has been known to recent studies to be actually addictive, some graffiti writers have been known to choose graffiti as their new "fix" powerful drugs like cocaine. Many companies have seen graffiti as a new market and have begun to capitalize on it; many new brands of paint have been created for the graffiti writer in mind in Europe named Montana, Belton, and Blubber paint.

Many people have the misconceptions of graffiti being a mindless act of rebellion. But in reality the movement is very deep concerning, rules, style, balance, and respect. Graffiti is no longer the minority but instead neighbors in you area. Constantly evolving the style and revolutionizing the graffiti movement one by one. But the average person has no idea of the different styles and varieties of writers and their works. Graffiti breaks down into two main forms, gang-graffiti and tagger "hip-hop" graffiti. Most people associate graffiti into all being gang related but the reality is 78% is the "hip-hop" related graffiti. While gang related graffiti is only done for the purpose of marking territory and recruitment and confined to their territory, tagger related graffiti's goal is to be everywhere and be seen by the public. Tagger graffiti is all about the fame within their sub-culture on who can have their name up the most. Due to that, that form of graffiti is much more common and visible than the gang related kind. Tagger graffiti is broken up into four different forms. The "tag" is the most common and least appealing and is basically handwriting with a style and decorations. It serves only the purpose of having your name placed somewhere and is not meant to be "pretty." This form is the most common and is what everyone thinks of when the word graffiti comes up. It is also the oldest and most basic form. The next level up is the "throw-up." The throw-up is letter work in a bubble letter like form usually consisting of two to three colors an outline and a fill color. The lettering is simple to read and very easy to reproduce without consuming much time, most take under ten minutes to produce. This form came after the tag but has been used now for just putting your name in places that are very hard to reach or dangerous and very visible to the public. It was overshadowed by the more complex works so it needed to be moved into riskier places to still be seen as respectable to other graffiti writers. From this form comes the slang term to "bombing" which means to go out and paint an area with a large quantity of tags and throw-ups. It was given that name due to the idea that those styles are not meant to be good looking but very destructive, thus giving it the name of "bombing." The next level up is the "piece" short for masterpiece. This form is where many could begin to consider it art, it is very complex and deals with many artistic aesthetics like color, balance, composition, and technique. These are usually not seen by the public because it is very hard to produce something like this without being caught since it takes three to eight hours. This can be found in creeks tunnels and other out of public sight spots hidden around cities. The whole purpose of painting one would be to show off ones personal skills to other graffiti writers and is considered better than tags and throw-ups. Some places have legal ones painted in larger cities. The piece can be broken up into three styles. The "wild style" which consists of a maze of letter work and decorations like arrows, yet keeps its balance and flow. The "NY old school" style is a semi-complex but very detailed colorful and balanced like the wild style. The newer and latest style is 3D pieces. These receive the utmost respect for their very artistic, complex and extremely difficult to produce due the idea that it has to look as if it has true depth on a flat surface. A lot of graffiti artist have been able to produce things that look actually real and hanging off the wall but in reality it is just a 2D painting. The ultimate form of graffiti is the production, this is when a group of graffiti writers come together to paint a large spot with multiple pieces, characters of the theme, and a themed background. These take hours if not days to produce and are seen by the public artistic and acceptable, they are basically murals done with spray paint. Most of these are done on buildings and walls which are legal, thus giving the graffiti writers all the time necessary to paint it without the problem of being caught. They usually paint the mural in theme with the business as a deal with the owners of the wall. These styles are the building blocks on which all other graffiti writers build up on and begin to evolve it further.

With most things comes ethic and rules and few know of the rules that many graffiti writers place on one another. Many graffiti writers have morals when it comes to where he is painting. Many graffiti writers leave alone actual homes of people, churches or places of worship and small businesses. Yet they do target large corporations and government property largely due to the fact that most of the sub-culture of graffiti writers are against government control and against large corporate entities. Many have the idea that corruption is growing amongst the government and people are being abused by the system. One graffiti writer once said that if he put up his work on a billboard officials would call it an eye soar for advertising himself, but then aren't big companies adds everywhere just as bad, he said that at least they had a common respect for certain things while big business only cares to generate profits and everything and everyone else comes behind that. A graffiti writer named Sonik wrote "There are academics galore who are ready and willing with theses and desertions linking rap to griot culture, spirituals, blues music and toasting, but as yet there are few art theorists who are willing to trace a path in graffiti with hieroglyphics, Persian miniatures, Chinese calligraphy, Fin de Siecle lettering, soviet posters, and pop art. Instead, what graffiti attracts are criminologists and sociologists linking graffiti with broken window neighborhood decline theory and ritual transgression in young males."

Graffiti writers are extremely resourceful with the ability to use any tool available and even create everything from complex letters to photo-realistic characters using a wide array of spray paint cans, caps and techniques. Through cunning many graffiti artists have been able to keep mysterious yet have crafted a laser sharp assault on society. Graffiti writers have been known to use rocks to inscribe their names on glass and even use glass etching acids and put them into pens to write on glass. Another homemade device is filling up a coke bottle with dark ink and sticking a pin hole on the cap, thus being able to leak out ink to do tags on surfaces. Anything that can be used to write with will be used to tag, its been known that some people have emptied out deodorant sticks and filled them with ink then glued dry erase board erasers as nips and glued on creating a extra wide marker. There are a wide variety of paint brands that are imported from Europe that are at a much higher standard for spray paint. It is very thick in cover, very smooth and they have a much wider array of colors to choose from. Those paint brands are specifically made for the graffiti writer in mind, and they also produce a large amount of spray paint caps for different uses. The caps specialize on different aspects of spray you need. The caps differ from having calligraphy style strokes to extremely wide sprays ranging from 14-20 fingers wide. Nicknamed fat caps for their very wide spray widths and are used a lot for throw-ups due to their speed of filling large areas quickly. There are also caps that are very thing in width for detailed work and shading that have widths down to a finger nail. Those are used a lot for painting pieces and characters that require very small details and clean crisp lines. Both of those cap styles have variations of hardness of sprays, the harder spraying the better for solid crisp lines while the soft spraying ones are for 3D work and detailed shading. Even with these caps it still takes a massive amount of eye hand coordination to be able to achieve clean and well crafted works and years of technique to master the control of the paint flowing from the can to the wall with the same feel one would have on using a pencil on paper.

Whether it is called art or destruction, graffiti has been around civilization since man could write and will not cease to exist with the coming changes in time. Instead it will only be reborn only in different forms. One graffiti writer said that graffiti would always be a problem to society until they begin to accept it more and see it as an art form only then will it flourish as murals and abolish the tags which they so much hate. In a graffiti writers perspective he wants to society to work with them and not against him, most graffiti writers would give up the tags and throw-ups for the more artistic murals if they could have move places and opportunities for them but our culture in America wants to abolish it and that only creates more rage among the graffiti writers to destroy things. But on the other end the property owners see it as all one in the same, pure vandalism and it does cost cities millions to remove it and has become plague to many officials. It is here that people are fought over and divided into three categories. The one who chooses to understand it, see it for a deeper meaning and side with the graffiti writer. The one who does not understand it but doesn't acknowledge it nor hate it, and the one who has disgust for it and chooses to eradicate it. Those three will decide the fate of the current evolution of graffiti and it is up to others to come to a conclusion of the controversial idea whether its vandalism or an artistic expression outlet."

[RobledoRessainance 36]

It's very relative and vague... trying to defite what's art and what isn't is just too subjective. I've found, though, that many of the tags have an interesting aesthetic design (but when hundreds of them invade a wall it looks too busy and saturated-- then it loses its aesthetic value). The murals are very respectable, though.

I think context is very important in such ways of public creation. I wouldn't want to see bold letters on a 15th-century-open chapel, but on the walls of an underpass it 'can' acquire a better visual value.

In my country graffitti is considered a crime because of the visual pollution it generates; though I ask myself why advertising is not illegal.

[Voar Tok 4]

How this thread was revived is beyond me.

Personally, I think that graffiti is garbage - if the property owner was OK with it going up there, then it isn't graffiti, just weird art.

Although I've always wanted to know what the desire is to spray graffiti all over train cars.

[toxicpiano 125]

graffiti can be done so it does look like a form of art, there is some incredibely colourful graffiti around the world, if it looks half decent, then I would class it as 'disgusting' bla bla bla. There is the other side of graffiti, people's tags and random swear words and just words are definately criminal.

[Cjah 15]

Originally posted by: Voar Tok

Although I've always wanted to know what the desire is to spray graffiti all over train cars.quote>

 

Same here....I bet its hard to do,but I know people that bust pretty good stuff in tunnels....

Hmm maybe it is being sprayed on in a train yard....like when the trains need repairs....

but I have also seen taggers just go up to the train and spray....

[Kippis05 2]

I think it really depends on where the grafitti is displayed. It would be really cool to see an entire wall covered in it, you know what i mean.

[ChiTown847 0]

you guys done get it? lol the point of "spraying all over things" is to get up, so everyone knows who you are, the more ups and skill you have the more respect you have in the graffiti world

[hamsterTK 93]

Sometimes graffiti can be art, if it is well done, and it only adds to the urban ambience.

Gang/hate/badly done graffiti is ugly and is vandalism

As for where it shouldnt go, i hate it when trains/buses/etc get tagged. But if its a very well done piece on the side of a train tunnel that once was a dreary old concrete wall, then cool.

What i hate the most is when graffiti is painted on nature. Near my old town was a massive granite dome that looked like a giant orange rock(sorta like ayers rock, only surrounded by hills). it was a really cool rock formation thats somewhat unusual and somewhat unique to my part of the world. It WAS beautiful, till some punks ruined it with huge ugly graffiti all over it. Doubt it can be washed off, i imagine it will be at least a century maybe more before erosion removes it

[Duke87 1,070]

Check this work out:

http://www.collegehumor.com/pictures/1685699/

The sign in the backround reveals that this is the NYC subway. I'd like to know more specifically where so I could go see it myself. Heh.

[capitol1 1]

me being an ameteur graffittier has learnt something....in the city i use to graffitti in the "ART" was fairly popular and suprisingly..they made legal wallls for graff...im mostly a tagger..making small tags on rails and such..mostly on the desks at my school.....but anyways back to the thing that i learnt..that you sort of get a rush when you go to a freight yard and start spraying a giant mural...trying not to be seenor noticed...its exciting...but i dont do it anymore..my brother is still a very active graffittier..im just a small time tagger now..with my crappy bomb art....

Edit:Good site for canadian art is www.bombingscience.com

I havent been to the site in awhile butits a forum/graffitti viewing, site...

[Cjah 15]

My house got tagged on last night....you don't see me painting over it..even tho its a stupid little gang symbol...like 3 weak little letters....maybe I will paint over it.....but with something cooler.....lol

You never know where spots will light up....man my nieghborhood has been seeing some real sick stuff on the walls by the freeways....outlined and everything.....also good quality paint...not like some little posers that will use marker....lol i actaully know posers like that and these use this white paint like crap....

[poops2u 2]

As long as grafitti isn't used to enhance criminal methods, I think it's ok--but don't do it on someone's private property. I'd be pretty mad!

-P2U