Graffiti is commonly thought of as mere public vandalism. However, it is not just that. There is more to it than what meets the eye. It is an art. In fact in some places in the world, there are walls where you can legally put graffiti art. It entails great creativity if you want to learn to draw graffiti letters. However, there is no right way to do it. In this kind of art, you have to develop your own style. Hence, here are some of the basics for you to do so.
Get To Know The Art
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the different graffiti styles. It doesn’t matter where you come from or live, for sure there is some graffiti nearby. However, if there aren’t any, you can try visiting another city. If you can’t go on hunting for the real thing, then you could resort to the Internet. Try browsing for different pictures of graffiti art work from different places in the world. This could get you exposed with the different styles.
Write Down A Name
Get a sheet of paper and write down a name. It is best if you use your name to start out with. Most serious graffiti artists started out by simply writing their names in a unique manner. For starters, it’s easiest to have the letters printed in all capital forms. Use a pencil. Try to draw as light as you can so it would be easy to erase details you don't like. You should leave enough space between your letters. Remember that you'll be expanding the letters and this space would be filled in later. Make your writing big enough so that it would be easy to work with, but not too big that it’d take you forever to finish your work.
Choose A Style
Next, you should choose a style that you'd want to use for your name. One of the most famous styles would be bubble letters. However, there still a lot of other styles out there. Don’t be afraid to explore. You can use rounded or sharp edges, same sized letters or have some big and others small, etc. It would be easier for you to emulate a given style. Once you get to learn the basics, it’s easier for you to naturally develop your own.
Outline
Once you’ve chosen a style, outline the letters of your name. Try to approximate it with the style you've chosen. Use a pencil and make sure you write lightly. If you make mistakes, which for sure you’ll do for a number of times, use your eraser. Remember to make use original letters as your guide and not your prison. Also, do not be afraid to change your letters past all recognition.
Line Thickness
One good way to vary your letters is by varying its line thickness. This is good if you want your letters to have a 3-D effect. Try to make lines thicker and thinner at different points. This also gives a perception of space and depth.
Add Details
To give your work a personal touch, add more details to your letters. For instance, a lightning bolt for your i’s dot would be good, or a pair of eyes peering out of your B’s hole. If you want, you can also put a bubble around the whole word, just like in comic books. It all depends on your preference and imagination. Try to explore and don’t be afraid to mix colors.
Flowers are another yet favorite subject of artists to draw. This is probably because they are easy to find, naturally beautiful and easy to position. Although you may think that drawing flowers is simple, this kind of artistic venture is actually a good training ground for drawing much more complex subjects.
There are different flowers all over the world and you can choose to draw all of them, if you please. However, you should understand that all of them are unique. Thus, you should approach drawing them differently. However, there are still some principles in drawing that are applicable for whatever kind it is you may be drawing. So, here are the basics for you to learn to draw flowers.
Don’t Get Too Excited, Learn To Observe!
Upon seeing a flower, your eyes are definitely drawn to its center. Hence, it is really tempting for you to start drawing coming from the center also. However, what most beginning artists do not understand is that starting out from the center is very complicated. It is tricky, since you would have to judge the overlapped forms and small distances in the center. If you do not figure it out right, one thing’s for sure. You get a misshapen bloom.
To avoid this, start from the flower’s outside features. This is so that you can look at its overall proportions. You can also use negative space to aid you in drawing the outer petals.
Be Sensitive With Your Lines
Progressively work in by following the line that you can see for each petal. Remember to go only as far as it goes. Do not shorten or lengthen just yet. Draw these edges quite firmly, but lightly on portions where the middle part curves out from you. Also, be prepared in trailing off a line. This means, lifting your pencil and starting a new line whenever you see an overlapping petal.
Sketch It Out
Pen and pencil drawings of flowers usually work well especially when drawn cleanly and smoothly. However, they also work pretty well when they are drawn in a much relaxed manner. Try to exaggerate the weight of the lines you would be using. Do not be afraid to lighten the pressure or make it heavier. You can add loose or even scribbled marks. This would suggest foliage and overlapping petals.
Draw Something In Between
If you’ll be sketching with line, it’s good to try drawing shadows underneath your petals, instead of outlining each petal precisely. You can place short, stippled marks. These can suggest stamens placed at the bloom’s center. If you’ll be observing different drawings, you’ll see that petal length and sizes vary greatly. This is very evident especially if the flower has a certain angle to its viewer.
Get A Light Source
You should also have one light source for your drawing. This is important so that you can determine the shadows and the lighter portions of your picture. This gives your drawing depth and a much realistic look to it.
Improve With Variety
If you want to improve with your drawing skills, you can do so through variety. Try to vary the position of your subject or model. Try sketching it at different angles. You should also try different light sources. Doing this would definitely improve your skill.
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