If you look back at Western culture, comic books have been around for a while, but only started to become mainstream, or even popular, around the 1950's. The same can be said of Eastern Culture including Japan and China. In Japan comics and cartoons are loosely termed Manga, which literally translates as "whimsical pictures".
Manga is often mistaken for Anime, which is similar but different. Anime is short for Animation and is a sort of subset of Manga which relates more to film. Though certainly the two forms have influenced and fed off of each other.
Just as comic strips have many applications in Western culture, Manga has a variety of uses in Eastern culture and regularly touches on sports, romance, history, science fiction, the business world, horror and politics and can be found in just about any aspect of Japanese life.
In recent years Manga has become huge in America and online. In 2006, Wikipedia reports that the U.S. market for manga was taking in around $200 million. Whereas during the 70's Japan only had a small influence on American cartoons (Speed Racer, etc), now many of the mainstream cartoons show a direct influence (Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, etc).
As Manga expands and becomes more and more popular and cross-cultural hundreds of new styles and subsets come into existence. You may have heard of Chibis, which are stylized Manga characters, or Q-version, a Chinese style where real life images are rendered in cartoon charictures. As the popularity of these styles increases the influences become more diluted and the boundaries between Eastern and Western animation and art styles will fade further and further.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monday, April 21, 2008
Different Types of Graffiti Art
A Graffiti Piece is a form of Graffiti that has a very complex design. Usually these pieces take a long time, therefore there are fewer pieces created illegally in public places because the artist would run the risk of being caught while making it. Many graffiti pieces can now be found in dedicated and professional galleries. Of course, there are always the brave few that still plaster their work on public and private walls. Graffiti tributes are also known as "pieces". Tributes pay homage to people who have passed away. For example Tupac, Mother Teresa and others could be seen all over New York after they died.
Graffiti Blockbusters are larger graffiti pieces that have been created to cover entire walls, usually with the intention of blocking other artists from using the same wall. The design is often simple and done quickly. Another form of Graffiti that is similar to Blockbuster is Graffiti Rollers. Rollers are Graffiti styles that involve blocking out an entire wall with a single color. This is considered to be lazy graffiti writing. Graffiti Stickers are also used in creating graffiti and is one of the quickest ways to post graffiti on the wall. Like "rollers", "stickers" are also considered to be a form of laziness on the part of the artist. But, more and more artists are coming up with elaborately designed stickers that combat even the most detailed pieces designed. Stencils are also commonly used in graffiti art. They provide the artist with a way to create presentable pieces without compromising time.
Throw-Ups and Fill-Ins are types of graffiti which are done very quickly, usually sacrificing detailed style for time. This is probably the most common form of graffiti. Usually the lettering is done in bubble or block letters and uses 1 to 3 colors. Throw-ups and fill-ins are also often easier to read because the designs are less complex. In some towns and cities it is common practice to do a Throw-up on a train as it pulls into a station. The artist only has a few minutes before the train fills up and moves off, usually resulting in rapid and wild lettering.
Wildstyle graffiti is a form of graffiti art that sports all sorts of arrows, interlocking letters and points and is becoming very popular. For the unfamiliar graffiti eye, Wildstyle pieces are often hard to read since the letters tend to blend in into one another and result in what looks like an uncomprehensible jumble. Wildstyle Graffiti art is often found in and around the bigger cities like New York, New Jersey and San Francisco.
Graffiti Blockbusters are larger graffiti pieces that have been created to cover entire walls, usually with the intention of blocking other artists from using the same wall. The design is often simple and done quickly. Another form of Graffiti that is similar to Blockbuster is Graffiti Rollers. Rollers are Graffiti styles that involve blocking out an entire wall with a single color. This is considered to be lazy graffiti writing. Graffiti Stickers are also used in creating graffiti and is one of the quickest ways to post graffiti on the wall. Like "rollers", "stickers" are also considered to be a form of laziness on the part of the artist. But, more and more artists are coming up with elaborately designed stickers that combat even the most detailed pieces designed. Stencils are also commonly used in graffiti art. They provide the artist with a way to create presentable pieces without compromising time.
Throw-Ups and Fill-Ins are types of graffiti which are done very quickly, usually sacrificing detailed style for time. This is probably the most common form of graffiti. Usually the lettering is done in bubble or block letters and uses 1 to 3 colors. Throw-ups and fill-ins are also often easier to read because the designs are less complex. In some towns and cities it is common practice to do a Throw-up on a train as it pulls into a station. The artist only has a few minutes before the train fills up and moves off, usually resulting in rapid and wild lettering.
Wildstyle graffiti is a form of graffiti art that sports all sorts of arrows, interlocking letters and points and is becoming very popular. For the unfamiliar graffiti eye, Wildstyle pieces are often hard to read since the letters tend to blend in into one another and result in what looks like an uncomprehensible jumble. Wildstyle Graffiti art is often found in and around the bigger cities like New York, New Jersey and San Francisco.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Domestic graffiti
By learning how to graffiti you can accomplish some awesome effects. Check out these amazing pictures of domestic graffiti:
Please check out the whole gallery at Worth1000, there are some amazing images.
Also check out this really cool Graffiti Creator flash program. While it doesn't help you learn how to graffiti it lets you create some really cool tags!
Please check out the whole gallery at Worth1000, there are some amazing images.
Also check out this really cool Graffiti Creator flash program. While it doesn't help you learn how to graffiti it lets you create some really cool tags!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
More research & taking it further
While learning how to graffiti online I found some awesome free resources. Definately check out google image results for how to graffiti and other search terms you're interested in. Here you can get large amounts of free examples of existing graffiti.
On my quest to learn how to graffiti I found a few free step by step guides on creating graffiti. You can usually compliment these by copying images from google and others and mixing them into your style.
Free online information on how to graffiti:
First up there's eHow.com's step by step graffiti how to which is pretty basic but is very straight forward. A good starting place.
Also take a look at WikiHow.com/Graffiti which has a bunch of tips as well as links to other ideas like bubble lettering, etc.
There are a few other bits and pieces of information scattered around the internet, but if you're serious in your efforts to learn how to graffiti then eventually you'll need to shell out some of your hard-earned cash and buy some books on how to graffiti, or if you're a more visual person like me you might want to try out some of the DVDs available. These are usually pretty cheap and contain more information than most of the books. Keep in mind though that books are better for taking sketches and copying examples.
But it doesn't end there, after you've got yourself set up with some good books you'll need to think about getting supplies. Supplies include canvas, paint respirator (very important), markers, woods and cardboards and of course spraypaint! That's the best thing about having an instructional DVD or book, 9 times out of 10 they'll supply you with a basic list of items that you'll need.
On my quest to learn how to graffiti I found a few free step by step guides on creating graffiti. You can usually compliment these by copying images from google and others and mixing them into your style.
Free online information on how to graffiti:
First up there's eHow.com's step by step graffiti how to which is pretty basic but is very straight forward. A good starting place.
Also take a look at WikiHow.com/Graffiti which has a bunch of tips as well as links to other ideas like bubble lettering, etc.
There are a few other bits and pieces of information scattered around the internet, but if you're serious in your efforts to learn how to graffiti then eventually you'll need to shell out some of your hard-earned cash and buy some books on how to graffiti, or if you're a more visual person like me you might want to try out some of the DVDs available. These are usually pretty cheap and contain more information than most of the books. Keep in mind though that books are better for taking sketches and copying examples.But it doesn't end there, after you've got yourself set up with some good books you'll need to think about getting supplies. Supplies include canvas, paint respirator (very important), markers, woods and cardboards and of course spraypaint! That's the best thing about having an instructional DVD or book, 9 times out of 10 they'll supply you with a basic list of items that you'll need.
Learning how to graffiti - Paper & Pencil
After you've collected a couple of pictures and examples of graffiti you're ready to put pencil to paper. While this wont give you a feel for what it's like to use a spraycan in a public area, it will help you learn how to graffiti by mastering your tag and some simple sketches.
Creativity and repetition are key here. Being creative is the most important step when learning how to graffiti. Experiment with your tag, adapt different styles from your photos/internet/whatever resources you've collected and apply them to your tag. Keep what feels and looks right, ditch the rest. Try a few simple sketches. This doesn't have to be just your tag, try faces, objects, designs, anything you want. Remember, experimentation and creativity are key.
You'll want to step up to markers after this, since this will give your work a more chunky and pronounced feel. Feel free to add colour and see how it looks too. Again, we're not learning how to graffiti just yet, we're still at the testing and experimenting phase.
Creativity and repetition are key here. Being creative is the most important step when learning how to graffiti. Experiment with your tag, adapt different styles from your photos/internet/whatever resources you've collected and apply them to your tag. Keep what feels and looks right, ditch the rest. Try a few simple sketches. This doesn't have to be just your tag, try faces, objects, designs, anything you want. Remember, experimentation and creativity are key.
You'll want to step up to markers after this, since this will give your work a more chunky and pronounced feel. Feel free to add colour and see how it looks too. Again, we're not learning how to graffiti just yet, we're still at the testing and experimenting phase.
How to Graffiti - First steps
How to Graffiti, as with most art, requires that you find and copy existing works. This may sound like plagerism (stealing other peoples work) but it's not. It's simply learning by example.
The best place for this is to simply take a walk around your town. If you live in a small town or village, take a trip to a city. Any decent sized city in the world will have Graffiti (it's universal!). Check it out, see the different styles, try and work out how they've done what they've done and the techniques behind the art. If you look close you'll be able to spot where the same guy has done more than one piece of work (most people will tag all their work somewhere). Keep in mind that if you're new to Graffiti you should be checking out the simpler stuff. 2D works and line art, usually just one colour. This will give you a starting point that you can copy then eventually adapt to your own style.
Don't feel stupid taking photos of graffiti, it's a great free resource.
The next best thing is the internet, although it's not up close and personal, you can find many great pictures and designs to learn from. Again you want to search for the simpler works. If you're serious about learning how to graffiti and taking it further, you can find (like I did) some really good books on how to graffiti and other subjects at Amazon and other sites.
Almost all graffiti artists start out with one design that they repeat over and over til they get it perfect. Almost always this is a tag. A tag is just what you call yourself. Experiment with different tags and letter designs til you get something that feels right. After you have a basic 2D line design, you can begin to take it forward and bulk it up.
The best place for this is to simply take a walk around your town. If you live in a small town or village, take a trip to a city. Any decent sized city in the world will have Graffiti (it's universal!). Check it out, see the different styles, try and work out how they've done what they've done and the techniques behind the art. If you look close you'll be able to spot where the same guy has done more than one piece of work (most people will tag all their work somewhere). Keep in mind that if you're new to Graffiti you should be checking out the simpler stuff. 2D works and line art, usually just one colour. This will give you a starting point that you can copy then eventually adapt to your own style.
Don't feel stupid taking photos of graffiti, it's a great free resource.
The next best thing is the internet, although it's not up close and personal, you can find many great pictures and designs to learn from. Again you want to search for the simpler works. If you're serious about learning how to graffiti and taking it further, you can find (like I did) some really good books on how to graffiti and other subjects at Amazon and other sites.
Almost all graffiti artists start out with one design that they repeat over and over til they get it perfect. Almost always this is a tag. A tag is just what you call yourself. Experiment with different tags and letter designs til you get something that feels right. After you have a basic 2D line design, you can begin to take it forward and bulk it up.
Is Graffiti mindless vandalism?
Graffiti is often associated with gangs, guns and crime. But it's important to understand why. Graffiti is used by gangs in L.A., Mexico and many other large cities. It's used to mark off gang territory and control. Often gangs will spray their tags over the enemies tag to provoke violence. As such, it's no wonder that graffiti is associated with the negative aspects of culture and society.But it doesn't have to be so. In my area, for example, one primary school let all the children 'Graffiti' over the walls of the school and park. Not only did this create an amazing piece of cheap art, but the children felt proud of their work. Instead of vandalizing the school they wished to protect and preserve their creation. This is but one small example of a huge variety of positive sides to Graffiti.
After all, Graffiti is a form of art, and art is creative, never destructive.
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