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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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