Graffiti: Street Hobby

 

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Graffiti is a humorous or critical artistic expression that is usually written and drawn on the public walls of urban spaces, and that reflect inscriptions or paintings of sometimes grotesque content, sometimes bordering on irony, which normally reflects popular ideology and social reality of the moment.

Graffiti is an artistic modality of free painting, which is generally anonymous and stands out for its illegality since it involves unauthorized graffiti on the walls of urban walls.

The graffiti has a high visual impact shaped in the form of large signs whose inscriptions, usually endowed with social and political content, are fused with images and drawings that express in an attractive way their rebellion or discontent. The graffiti is usually done with paint, spray and materials that are usually written with handwriting. The signature of the author or "tag" does not usually accompany the work stamped on the wall, however, it is common to find different streets and without any relation to any graffiti, the names or signatures written on public walls, an action that is known with the name of "tagger".

Graffiti has become a hobby for millions of people around the world, especially for the youth population. This art has become an excellent way to express feelings, expressions, protests and even a simple attractive design to "decorate" the city. There are even people who are recognized as legends for the time they have performing graffiti as their hobby. For some, it is simply a hobby, but for others, it is their life.

Some "graffers" are dedicated to this for a simple fashion or they do it for fun, however, the most recognized category do it for dedication and expression of art and protest. Graffiti is your life. To realize these works of arts it is also necessary to know the suitable materials and the techniques that can be used. Many graffers have developed their own techniques that make them stand out from others. Below we will present some materials that can be used to make the best graffiti.

Felt Pens

In the beginning, it was worth anything. For example, in the old New York, Pray used a key with which he scratched his name in the painted metals (later it would be discovered that Pray was a venerable old woman who was dedicated to putting his name to the purest writer style).

Over time, homemade markers have given way to more sophisticated markers. Apart from ink markers, there are tempera markers, so now, apart from having more colors, there are coverings, that is, there are clear colors suitable for writing on dark surfaces, which caused the number of surfaces to be broadened susceptible to being attacked.

Not only did the ink vary but also the thickness of the markers. From the 1.5x1 cm chameleon on the tip, passing through the 20mm of 2x1cm and reaching a 3x1cm lantern, which gives more signatures and greater size to the signatures. Towards 1998, the reckless original Inferno ink came to us from Italy to tint shoes and skins, which replaced the traditional Industrial that had been used in Europe until now. The writers load their markers with this ink, whose main characteristic is that of its penetration power in the pores of the most polished surfaces, making in some cases impossible the total elimination of the graffiti, turning its original black color into a gray of a pretty dark tone after a hard rub even with the strongest solvents. All this, especially the ink Inferno, brings head, on the one hand to the owners of the stores that demand a solution to the problem, and on the other places the authorities in check once again.

Aerosol Sprays

But without a doubt, the technique par excellence of graffiti is the spray. The reasons are its conventionalism, its abundant colors already mixed, its relative cleanliness, its easy use ... Although all these advantages that its users enjoy today are nothing else than the fruit of the evolution of the first technically very poor propellants. Although we will stick more specifically to the Spanish case, it is worth mentioning some of the marks that were used at the beginning of writing in New York for their importance: The genuine Krylon, the Rust-Oleum or the Red-Devil are the most prominent among many others (Lucas, Joke, Utilac, etc.).

In Europe in the mid-eighties, the Novelty brand stood out, which could be found in neighborhood stores, drugstores, etc. The cans were presented in 200 ml and 400 ml containers. Despite its large covering capacity the range of colors was very scarce, so it also began to use the brand Duplix, special paint for car, which was already in department stores and specialty stores, although this painting was more watery and It covered worse, since it was intended for retouching and not for large surfaces. Another mark to emphasize was Pictex, a very covering painting, so much that they were obstructed with the facility.

At the beginning of the nineties, the mythical Spray Color was improved by Felton Spray, getting to expand even more the range, but it was still insufficient. This, once again, touched the hearts of writers by bringing out their creative ingenuity.

Around 1992, an important change arises when two writers open Game Over, the first store in Spain specializing in graffiti. They dedicated themselves to the sale of Felton Spray and later began to hear the brand Montana, which is the world leader.

Today the most prominent and used caps worldwide are those of the Montana brand. The reason is that she is aware that the most common consumers of spray are graffiti writers and this has led her to make improvements in both the quality of the paint and the design of the cans, accessories, and products. Always leading them in this field. Other brands could be highlighted at European level such as Felton, CRC, Sparvar, Belton, Molotov, etc.

 

In conclusion, graffiti is considered as works of art and expression in most countries of the world. However, it is considered illegal in some, but this is not limiting for protesters who wish to express their wishes and problems in a striking way. In countries like the United States and in several of Europe, graffiti is really an art and even artists who have years decorating the streets of cities are recognized. Graffiti, more than a hobby, is an art. 

 

Related hobbies: Calligraphy, Drawing, Painting, Knapping

 

 

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