Graffiti Styles

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There are many styles of graffiti art in the world. The most basic style was random carvings or paintings that are depictions of the artist’s life, ideals, or values. Through out history, from cave paintings to depictions of life in Pompeii, graffiti gives archeologists and sociologists an idea of the mindset of the general population. Even though in modern cultures, graffiti is considered vandalism, it still leaves a clear message of the education, political mindset, and overall vision of the artists.

The first kind and most popular graffiti is called “tagging” or “bombing”. This was created in the early 70’s when the artist would develop a signature and a handle. Tak182 was the first one credited to start the “bombing” movement. Being a foot messenger, he would ride subways and mark the trains he would ride with his signature “Tak182 was here” The popularity of bombing grew and an artist’s reputation was increased with the number of places (and more difficult) they could tag.

Subway cars were the prime canvas for New York graffiti artists until the anti-graffiti movement in the 80’s. People would break into the stations when the subway cars were stationed for the night and have time to do elaborate murals and even decorate a full car.

This was the start of the “Piece” or masterpiece. An artist would use three or more colors to create block or bubble letters for their signature, along with background images and even some characters to represent the artist.

Another form of graffiti is the “throw-up”. This is similar to the “tag” but uses a few more colors to outline and highlight the work. Speed was the key, as the artist usually does not want to get caught.

The last most common form is stencils. The artist usually will create a stencil from cardboard and will hold it up to their “canvas” and spray over it. This from requires no real artistic talent, but it does make up for speed and intricacy of design.