Graffiti: a work of art or vandalism?

Graffiti represents an art form that is unrestricted, one that

rebels against conventional forms of artwork. Graffiti is

intertwined into human history, dating back to the Roman

Empire. They made political statements and satirize current

events.

Modern graffiti achieves many of the same things – to state a

message that doesn’t necessarily fit into the norms of society.

Of course, graffiti isn’t new, it has been found in Greek and

Roman towns from 2,000 years ago, the people who lived in

caves drew on their walls before language existed….

Graffiti also known as Street-Art or Urban-Art has come

a long way from the simple cave-paintings of our ancient

past, to the amazing diversity of today’s graffiti.

A BRIEF HISTORYThe American History of Graffiti:

From subway to gallery

http://video.pbs.org/video/1864784580

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Keith Haring

Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work

responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.

Haring achieved his first public attention with chalk drawings in

the subways of New York (see public art). These were his first

recognized pieces of pop art. His bold lines, vivid colors, and

active figures carry strong messages of life and unity.

SpaceshipDog

Radiating BabyFiguresPyramid

Dolphins Symbolize peace

and love

Two humans holding a heart means romantic love

Three-eyed smiling face means greed

Taggers vs. Artist

• Taggers scribble • Artists create art

Positive aspects of Graffiti art

BANKSYBanksy is a pseudonymous English graffiti artist, political activist, film

director, and painter.

Stencils are traditionally hand drawn or printed onto sheets of acetate or

card, before being cut out by hand. Because of the secretive nature of

Banksy's work and identity, it is uncertain what techniques he uses to

generate the images in his stencils, though it is assumed he uses

computers for some images due to the photocopy nature of much of

his work.

Banksy is never seen ,unless in disguise, and does not give interviews at all

Banksy in Chicago

Celtic Knotwork

• The history of the Celts goes back for thousands of

years. The Celtic people were recognized far and

wide for their first-class skills in jewelry, artwork,

arms and even metalworking. Celtic knot designs

have become a symbol of cultural pride for those

with Welsh, Irish or Scottish heritage

The bulk of Celtic tattoo designs and artwork come

from Ireland where the history of the Celts is still

very strong to this day.

Celtic knot tattoos are amongst some of the most favorite and most common designs,sporting loops with no end that symbolize an cycle of death and rebirth.

Graffiti and Celtic Knotwork

• What are some similarities you see ?

• What are some differences?

How its Made

• The graffitist first does a sketch.

• Then he or she plans out characters and

selects colors.

• Next, the artist selects his or her "canvas"

or surface.

• Then they create a preliminary outline

followed by a filling in of colors and

ornamentation.

• Finally the graffitist does a final outline.

For your next project we will be looking at graffiti art and Celtic Knotwork to inspire

us to create our own Work of Art.

Your Graffiti Inspired Drawing

Will be a Personal Commentary on…

An issue/concept that is important in your life.

Can be inspired by an event/personal challenge/events occurring in the world/ a struggle/ music lyrics/poems/ your own writing/ dreams/ books

Etc- the possibilities are endless!

* If you can’t think of an idea- let’s start by drawing some Celtic knots and graffiti Lines

• There are many ways an artist can communicate their

ideas, including:

• Use a particular style (e.g. abstraction)

• Create links with a particular historical art movement

(e.g. surrealism)

• Use symbolism/signs

• Manipulate materials and techniques

• Manipulate art elements and principles

• Consider the ways the artwork may be interpreted by

the audience

Symbols

• Symbols may have profound meaning for some, yet no meaning for others. For a symbol to have significance, its meaning must be known to the viewer. Take, for example, the Chinese symbol for yin and yang. To those who understand its origins as a philosophical explanation of the workings of the universe, it is a symbol that represents a concrete idea. To those who know nothing of the symbol's origins in Chinese philosophy, it's merely a circular design with opposing colors and shapes.

• For a symbol to have meaning, it's important to understand what it represents.

• This principle is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites, for example female-male, dark-light and old-young

Symbols

• Symbolism is humankind’s oldest form of visual communication. Artists have incorporated symbols into their work since man first began to delve into the world of visual expression.

• To this day, people are still using realistic and abstract symbols to represent countless human thoughts and emotions. Graffiti artists, though often criticized for their defacement of public property, are contemporary examples of this early human need to create a symbol language of visual representation.

• In art, a symbol is usually a solid, recognizable

thing—an animal, a plant, an object, etc.—that

stands for something that would be hard to show in a

picture or a sculpture. A force of nature, for

example, or an idea.

Juxtaposition of

objects/symbols

to create new

meaning

Placement of objects that wouldn’t

necessarily belong together to create new

meaning/hidden meaning/mystery in

order to evoke emotions/feeling.

Symbols can represent a group of people

Symbols can be personal

Your Graffiti Inspired DrawingCreate a Personal Commentary/Statement

- Brainstorm Ideas (when? NOW)

- Find Reference Photos

- Create sketches in Sketchbook-

There needs to be overlapping lines that help unify the

drawing.

You should use symbols/create symbols to represent your ideas.

- Trace onto drawing paper

- Use Ebony/sharpie to create lines/values/textures on final draft

Your Drawing

• NEED Not look as if it is graffiti! nor the Celtic

knot work. We are just using the concepts graffiti

artists’ use in the creation of an artwork.

Let’s Brainstorm

The purpose of any artwork is to communicate a message:

to comment or scream or sing about the world in which

we find ourselves in. If there is no emotion behind the

work, there is no driving force – nothing to direct and

shape your decision making. Write down the things that

you care about; that move you.

Include topics that are unusual, challenging,

controversial, gritty or inspiring: those that fill you

with passion.

Evaluate your ideas

• Think carefully about the topics that you have

written down.

• Eliminate those which are ‘cheesy’ (i.e involving

pink hearts and Brad Pitt),insincere (i.e. a theme of

‘World Peace’, when really this is something you

couldn’t care less about) and overly “pretty” or

lacking in substance (i.e. bunches of roses).

Imagery

• What Symbols/ text/ images are you going to use to

portray the idea you have chosen

• How will you Unify these subjects together in a

harmonious way? (Overlap, line, repetition)

• In your sketchbook, draw out at least 2

thumbnails of what your drawing might look

like. Show your ideas to your teacher and

discuss.

Your Graffiti Inspired DrawingSTEPS

Brainstorm/ Sketch Ideas in sketchbook (2 thumbnails-small

versions of finished piece)

Trace Sketch on Drawing Paper

Start Drawing- Contour

Then add value/texture/contrast

Your Graffiti-Inspired DrawingYou will be graded on the use of:

Creativity/ Concept

Overlap/Connection of imagery

Symbols (minimum 2)

Variation of Line(s)

Value

Texture

Composition (Elements/Principles)

MEDIA- Pencil, Ebony, Sharpie

We call a use of a variety of media MIXED MEDIA

Looking for fonts?

• Check out Dafont.com or fontspace.com