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Tutorial

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Rough is a professional graffiti artist: Im

that guy who creative agencies call up

to produce that ever so cool urban

chic that a lot of clients seem to be after

nowadays, he explains. Well that was until

Computer Arts Projectscontacted me asking me to

give away all my secrets. I thought about it and, as

any good Jedi master knows, you can teach the

apprentice all your knowledge but you remain the

master. So I thought, Ah, what the heck.

Im going to take you through the five

simple(ish) ways to incorporate a graffiti/street art

style into your digital artwork. Mastering the art of

using a spray can is no easy task and has so far

taken me 23 years to get my head around. So dont

think youre going to be the next Futura or Banksy

once youve read the following guide. You will, on

the other hand, be on the right track

The main thing youll need is spray paint. Alien

and Belton are my favourite brands, but have a go

with Monster and Montana too. Youll also need a

selection of different caps for your cans. Available

in fat, skinny or super skinny, they help achieve the

different thicknesses you see on most graffiti art.

Youll also need some nice chisel-tip markers

that use either ink or paint, and some

good thick card, a sheet of

acetate, a cutting

mat and a

scalpel.

If you want to use elements of streetart in your commercial work, they needto be authentic. One of Londons best-known

graffiti writers, ROUGH, shows you how

Find our more about Rough on page 63 and

see more of his work at www.roughe.com.

Fromspray

painttopixe

l

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2If you want a line of drips, slowly move the canfrom left to right and adjust the amount of paintyou want dripping from certain areas. Itll take some

practice to control where you want the drips to go.

Scan your drips into Photoshop, then adjust your levels

to remove any grey areas. Hey presto digital drips

which can be re-sized, re-coloured and incorporated

into any image.

Technique 1: DripsDrips are a central element of graffiti they look great but are difficult to get right

1Take one can of black spray paint (you can always

change colours once your image is scanned) and

one sheet of thick A4 card. The paper stock you use is

important here and needs to be thick enough so the

paint doesnt bleed through. Tape the card to a wall at

an angle, in a position that is comfortable to work with.

Now spray directly onto the centre of the card and

continue spraying in a fixed position until your drips

appear. If you just want a single drip, keep the can in

a fixed position for some time.

Always use spray paint in a well-

ventilated area and wear a mask

when painting indoors.

Protect yourself

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Always use a black for your spray techniques. You can

easily re-colour your images on your computer.

Back to black

Technique 2: The fade (gradients)The lush mixing of spray paint colours is far more difficult than in Photoshopor Illustrator

1Take your can of black paintand spray a flat area of colouron half the surface youre using.

Spray confidently and evenly.

Weve used black and grey here

to achieve better effects once the

images are scanned.

2Take a can of grey paint andcarefully dust onto the blackfrom two to three inches away from

the surface. Angling the direction

slightly so the paint moves

sideways can achieve a much easier

fade. Pull back very slightly on the

nozzle as you press it down to

make a slightly spattered effect.

This will ta ke a lot of practice, but

stick with it and eventually youll

get the results youre after.

3Once youre happy with yourfade and the paint has dried,scan your painted sheet over a layer

of clear acetate just to be safe. Now

you can save to Photoshop.

4 Now you can adjust thecolours in Photoshopto suityour piece of work.

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Technique 4: The perfect tag letteringThe tag is the entry point for all graffiti artists. Its as much about style and technique as anything

1For tagging, nothing worksbetter than a good old-fashioned chisel tip marker. Ive

been writing with markers for 23

years (ahem, not always on sheets

of paper). There are many different

makes and brands out there, so see

which one suits you best and

experiment with them.

Place the long edge of your

marker down on your surface and

then angle the pen slightly. Strike

your lines in a very fluid movement.

Executing a great tag is all about

confidence any hesitation in your

line will show. Dont start simply

writing in your own hand writing;

exaggerate certain letter sizes and

shapes and feel free to underline

your letters or add stars, inverted

commas or even halos. Make your

writing more elaborate anddecorative. There are no rules

with this, and readability is not

usually an issue.

2Scan your end result intoPhotoshop. Adjust the levels,again removing any unwanted

marks or greyness. Create a

duplicate layer and then lighten

the duplicate by 50 per cent and

send to back.

3Place the tag at a 45-degree angle just slightly behind the originallayer this will make a shadow (an effect used on a daily basis in al lgraffiti paintings). Adjust both layers to your desired positioning and you

have your fresh tag-style letters.

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Markers come in different varieties.

Lots of graffiti artists customise their

own. Take a look at what Krink offer:

www.krink.com

Making your mark

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1Scan or upload your desiredimage into Photoshop. Theimage choice is up to you, but bear

in mind that the more complicated

your image, the harder your stencil

will be to cut and a lso to work.

Open your levels in Photoshopand

adjust them until your image has

absolutely no grey areas and looks

almost like a photocopy. This will

make it easier to cut.

2Print your image onto a nicethick card, lay your sheet onyour cutting mat and then cut out

the dark areas only. Be very careful

not to accidentally cut out any

negative white spaces.

3Once youve made your stencil,spray the wrong side with alight dusting of PhotoMountadhesive, so the card doesnt move.

4 Place your stencil onto yourdesired surface and thenevenly spray onto it. Dont worry

too much if the edges raise up

slightly, because any overspray

makes it look even more like an

authentic graffiti stencil. Re-scan,

digitise, levels job done. ca p

Technique 5: StencilsStencils are an easy way to present a more complicated image

Always allow plenty of time for the

paint to dry before you do anything

with it. Otherwise youll end up with

messy equipment and smudged work.

Patience needed

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Expert profile: Remi/RoughGraffiti artist, designer, musician and television presenter, Rough boasts clients such as Red Bull, Nike and Ministry of Sound

LOCATION:The dark depths of South London.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A WRITER?Twenty-three years. I started painting walls in 1984.

DO YOU DO COMMERCIAL WORK:I like to think that I achieve a healthy balance of both personal and

commercial work and I am lucky enough that the commercial work

I do get offered is very nearly always fun and creative.

WHERE IS GRAFFITI HEADING NEXT?

Its hard to speak for an entire scene, but for me personally I am making amove into film and animation. I have just finished a script for a short film

that is heavily visually influenced by my involvement within the graffiti

movement. I imagine people bombing walls with light and lasers as

opposed to ink and paint, and galleries and agencies becoming more and

more engrossed in what graffiti artists are doing and creating. Maybe even

some big agencies will start a graffiti artist consultation branch. I think the

days of it being a fad or that thing from the 1980s are long gone thank

goodness... So, in short, graffiti is heading towards the consumer market,

the galleries and a billboard near you soon... (but maybe not legally).

URL:www.roughe.com

ABOVE:Cover design for issue 002 ofSkinnycapmagazine.

TOP LEFT:Album cover artwork for Rob Sonic.

LEFT:Recent piece showing Roughs refined drip techniques.

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