Tutorial

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If you want to use elements of street art in your commercial work, they need to be authentic. One of Londons best-known grafti writers, ROUGH, shows you how
ough is a professional grafti artist: Im that guy who creative agencies call up to produce that ever so cool urban chic that a lot of clients seem to be after nowadays, he explains. Well that was until Computer Arts Projects contacted me asking me to give away all my secrets. I thought about it and, as any good Jedi master knows, you can teach the apprentice all your knowledge but you remain the master. So I thought, Ah, what the heck. Im going to take you through the ve simple(ish) ways to incorporate a grafti/street art style into your digital artwork. Mastering the art of using a spray can is no easy task and has so far taken me 23 years to get my head around. So dont think youre going to be the next Futura or Banksy

Fro pa m int sp to ray pix el

once youve read the following guide. You will, on the other hand, be on the right track The main thing youll need is spray paint. Alien and Belton are my favourite brands, but have a go with Monster and Montana too. Youll also need a selection of different caps for your cans. Available in fat, skinny or super skinny, they help achieve the different thicknesses you see on most grafti art. Youll also need some nice chisel-tip markers that use either ink or paint, and some good thick card, a sheet of acetate, a cutting mat and a scalpel.

Find our more about Rough on page 63 and see more of his work at www.roughe.com.

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Technique 1: Drips
Drips are a central element of grafti they look great but are difcult to get right
If you want a line of drips, slowly move the can from left to right and adjust the amount of paint you want dripping from certain areas. Itll take some practice to control where you want the drips to go. Scan your drips into Photoshop, then adjust your levels to remove any grey areas. Hey presto digital drips which can be re-sized, re-coloured and incorporated into any image.

Protect yourself
Always use spray paint in a wellventilated area and wear a mask when painting indoors.

Take one can of black spray paint (you can always change colours once your image is scanned) and one sheet of thick A4 card. The paper stock you use is important here and needs to be thick enough so the paint doesnt bleed through. Tape the card to a wall at an angle, in a position that is comfortable to work with. Now spray directly onto the centre of the card and continue spraying in a xed position until your drips appear. If you just want a single drip, keep the can in a xed position for some time.

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Technique 2: The fade (gradients)

The lush mixing of spray paint colours is far more difcult than in Photoshop or Illustrator

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Take your can of black paint and spray a at area of colour on half the surface youre using. Spray condently and evenly. Weve used black and grey here to achieve better effects once the images are scanned.

Take a can of grey paint and carefully dust onto the black from two to three inches away from the surface. Angling the direction slightly so the paint moves sideways can achieve a much easier fade. Pull back very slightly on the nozzle as you press it down to make a slightly spattered effect. This will take a lot of practice, but stick with it and eventually youll get the results youre after. Back to black
Always use a black for your spray techniques. You can easily re-colour your images on your computer.

Once youre happy with your fade and the paint has dried, scan your painted sheet over a layer of clear acetate just to be safe. Now you can save to Photoshop.

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Now you can adjust the colours in Photoshop to suit your piece of work.

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Technique 3: The paint splash

Throwing paint is great fun and can achieve a really nice effect

First youll need a large, clear workspace preferably outside. This can get quite messy. Its also a good idea to wear a mask the best ones are produced by 3M. Take the lid of a can of black paint and spray about two tablespoons worth of paint into the lid. Its important to use spray paint rather than any other kind of paint so your splashes look authentic. Flick the lid onto your surface in a very quick motion. Alternatively, pour the paint from your lid onto your surface youll have a lot more control over the splashes if you do it this way. Once you have a splash on your surface, continue icking the dregs to build up your image, which should gradually fade until you have a beautiful chaotic splash of paint. Try before you spray
Different brands of paints work in different ways, so try out various brands to get the effects you want.

With such a thick layer of paint, this will take a long time to dry. Just to be sure, before you place it on your scanner bed, put down a sheet of clear acetate to protect the glass in case it hasnt dried completely.

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Technique 4: The perfect tag lettering

The tag is the entry point for all grafti artists. Its as much about style and technique as anything

For tagging, nothing works better than a good oldfashioned chisel tip marker. Ive been writing with markers for 23 years (ahem, not always on sheets of paper). There are many different makes and brands out there, so see which one suits you best and experiment with them. Place the long edge of your marker down on your surface and then angle the pen slightly. Strike your lines in a very uid movement. Executing a great tag is all about condence any hesitation in your line will show. Dont start simply writing in your own hand writing; exaggerate certain letter sizes and shapes and feel free to underline your letters or add stars, inverted commas or even halos. Make your writing more elaborate and decorative. There are no rules with this, and readability is not usually an issue.

Scan your end result into Photoshop. Adjust the levels, again removing any unwanted marks or greyness. Create a duplicate layer and then lighten the duplicate by 50 per cent and send to back. Making your mark
Markers come in different varieties. Lots of grafti artists customise their own. Take a look at what Krink offer: www.krink.com

Place the tag at a 45-degree angle just slightly behind the original layer this will make a shadow (an effect used on a daily basis in all grafti paintings). Adjust both layers to your desired positioning and you have your fresh tag-style letters.

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Technique 5: Stencils
Stencils are an easy way to present a more complicated image

Scan or upload your desired image into Photoshop. The image choice is up to you, but bear in mind that the more complicated your image, the harder your stencil will be to cut and also to work. Open your levels in Photoshop and adjust them until your image has absolutely no grey areas and looks almost like a photocopy. This will make it easier to cut. Print your image onto a nice thick card, lay your sheet on your cutting mat and then cut out the dark areas only. Be very careful not to accidentally cut out any negative white spaces.

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Once youve made your stencil, spray the wrong side with a light dusting of PhotoMount adhesive, so the card doesnt move.

Place your stencil onto your desired surface and then evenly spray onto it. Dont worry too much if the edges raise up slightly, because any overspray makes it look even more like an authentic grafti stencil. Re-scan, digitise, levels job done. ca p Patience needed
Always allow plenty of time for the paint to dry before you do anything with it. Otherwise youll end up with messy equipment and smudged work.

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Expert prole: Remi/Rough

Grafti artist, designer, musician and television presenter, Rough boasts clients such as Red Bull, Nike and Ministry of Sound
LOCATION: The dark depths of South London. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A WRITER? Twenty-three years. I started painting walls in 1984. DO YOU DO COMMERCIAL WORK: I like to think that I achieve a healthy balance of both personal and commercial work and I am lucky enough that the commercial work I do get offered is very nearly always fun and creative. WHERE IS GRAFFITI HEADING NEXT? Its hard to speak for an entire scene, but for me personally I am making a move into lm and animation. I have just nished a script for a short lm that is heavily visually inuenced by my involvement within the grafti movement. I imagine people bombing walls with light and lasers as opposed to ink and paint, and galleries and agencies becoming more and more engrossed in what grafti artists are doing and creating. Maybe even some big agencies will start a grafti artist consultation branch. I think the days of it being a fad or that thing from the 1980s are long gone thank goodness... So, in short, grafti is heading towards the consumer market, the galleries and a billboard near you soon... (but maybe not legally). URL: www.roughe.com

ABOVE: Cover design for issue 002 of Skinnycap magazine. TOP LEFT: Album cover artwork for Rob Sonic. LEFT: Recent piece showing Roughs rened drip techniques.

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