How to Become Good at Graffiti

Practicing the Graffiti

Find a spare room or space to do all your graffiti in. This will be your own personal space to express your feelings and things.

Get supplies together. You'll need old clothes, paper, spray paint or markers and a space to work in. Find an old tray or box that can fit loads of the paper most of your graffiti will be on. This will be where you put all of your graffiti work (even if you don't like them, it is important to keep them to find out how much you have improved later on.) Don't think expensive markers will make your drawings better. If you only have some cheap markers, you can still make great graffiti with them.

Practice often. If you think your work is not yet sufficiently formed in both style and technique, no amount of positive thinking will improve it. You have to work hard at it, practicing often and not simply bloating your ego with crazy affirmations. Practice, destroy, practice again, destroy again, practice some more. Remember your work is like a masterpiece that can only improve with repeated attempts. Learn tags, learn throw ups or quick bubble letters and learn pieces.

Continue to practice. If you don't practice, you may never improve.

Honing the Graffiti Artist Attitude

Have respect. Respect is a huge part of the graffiti culture. You need to be courteous to other graffiti artists and expect respect in return. Never use someone else's name. Any name not taken is fair game and don't paint random or the same stuff every time; be creative, as that how this way of life was started.

Have respect for where you do the graffiti. There are places that you do not graffiti because it lacks respect. These are: Places of worship such as churches, synagogues, mosques and graveyards. This includes shrines, temples and natural areas of worship. Wherever people practice and display their worship and beliefs, do not do graffiti art. Places of learning and education, such as schools, universities and mobile schooling vans. Education is important for raising the standards of humanity and since part of the art of graffiti is to inform, don't override other people's reasonable attempts to inform. Moreover, you will likely be caught and shamed for this. Places of residence such as lived-in houses, holiday houses, apartments, etc. Also, do not place graffiti on personal property such as cars, mailboxes, garage doors and the like. It is yet another form of disrespect to graffiti any of these items and gives graffiti a bad name.

Plan to the last detail where you are going to graffiti. Know where or what time it is good to spray paint. This includes considering the weather.

Enjoy the graffiti art. Have fun, learn and don't make it serious. Be loose and stealthy. Get in shape and most of all, plan well. Don't follow every little rule––you can find be yourself, take risks or be careful, no matter what don't let people bring you down by calling you a toy.