Tutorial : Make Simple Abstract Graffiti

 

Inverted image of simple abstract graffiti

People usually make a graffiti painting or drawing on walls with spray-paint such as pylox, but here are made using a graphics program INKSCAPE.

Graffiti artists usually have certain messages to be conveyed to the public through writing and drawing graffiti.

In order to draw a picture or writing graffiti images there are techniques that are unique and typical of graffiti images, such as graffiti style characters which are mostly bordered, bright and colorfull,  and graffiti images

with a clear border lines
.

Here the image of graffiti will be mixed with abstract background and the graffiti letters are also made semi-abstract. The messages delivered are 'GO GREEN' means make this world green to overcome global warming, 'GO VEG' means eat vegetarian or vegan diet, for most part of earth forests were cut cleared (to cultivate food farm for animals feeding) and if people stop eating meat the forests will be easily maintained, and 'SAVE OUR PLANET' means with this way we can overcome the damage to the Earth due to global warming and all animals were happy because no more massacre.
 

PHASE-1 MAKE GRAFFITI LETTERS AND COLORING
Step -1 

Download free graffiti letters (Reskagraf, Zit Graffit, Datatransfer etc..) from sites that offer free fonts download like dafonts.com, also download free 'dingbats' (such as Tattoo, CaliKat's Draws Path LT), ie clipart images that can be displayed by typing a specific letter.

Step 2 

Open a graphics program 'INKSCAPE' and then press the 'Create and edit text objects' and create wordings GO GREEN, GO VEG and SAVE OUR PLANET as in the example image. 

Step-3 

Still within the 'Create and edit text objects'  button, click on text  'SAVE OUR PLANET',   then click
the 'Select Font Family' screen and replace the font type with the font 'ReskaGraf'

Step-4 

Click 'Fill and Stroke' button and then click 'Stroke style' and set the stroke width to 20,000 px wide. Now click the 'Fill' button on the 'Fill and Stroke' screen and select the 'Flat color' button followed by clicking the 'Create and edit gradients' button select the color from the color screen, and set the gradient by moving the gradient handles, make trials and error to satisfy the colors arrangement.

Step-5 

Click the 'Create and edit text objects'  then click on text 'GO GREEN',  now click the screen 'Select Font Family' and replace the font with the font type 'Zit Graffiti', and set the stroke width and color, such as in Step-4

Step-6 

Same as Step-5, with the 'Create and edit text objects' button select text 'GO VEG, then click the 'Select Font Family' screen and replace the font with the font type  'Zit Graffiti', and set the stroke width and colors such as Step-4

PHASE-2 TO FORM POLYGON AND COLORING ABSTRACT BACKGROUND
Step-1 

Click the 'Draw Bezier curves and Stright lines' button and then make a random image 'polygon box' as in the example.

Step-2 

With the 'Select and transform objects' button click on the 'polygon box' picture, then press the' Fill and Stroke' and click the 'Stroke paint' screen and select  'No Paint'. Now click the 'Fill' button  on the 'Fill and Stroke' screen and  then click the 'Flat color' button and select the color from the Color bar by clicking on your color choice.

Step-3 

After the 'polygon' box is colored (red in the example) then continue to click the 'Linear Gradient' on ' Fill and Stroke'  screen to make gradient effect on the color

Step-4 

Proceed doing as in Step-3 for the other polygon boxes

Step-5 

Click the 'Create rectangles and squares' to create a box plan and put in dark color and make its gradient as in Step-3

Step-6 

Click the 'Create circles, ellipses and arcs' button and then make some circles, select and click one of the
circles and on the 'Fill and Stroke'  screen click 'Stroke paint' button and followed by clicking 'Flat color' button, and  now make larger stroke by clicking 'Stroke style' button (on'Fill and Stroke' screen) and then click the ' Width ' button to adjust larger pixels (px), depending on your taste and sense of art, make also circles without border or 'No paint' stroke

Step-7 

Create more polygons as in the example, and also make a trapezoidal image, give color and set its gradient as in step-5

PHASE-3 MAKE ABSTRACT BACKGROUND
Bring all  'polygon boxes', circles' and  'trapezoid'  into one box, as in the example to form an abstract background image.

PHASE-4 MAKE SEMI-ABSTRACT GRAFFITI LETTERS
Step-1
With the button 'Select and transform objects' select and click 'GO GREEN', then make a duplicate by clicking the 'Duplicate selected objects' button, proceed with clicking the duplicated 'GO GREEN' and slide it a little bit as in the example image to give the impression of a semi abstract object.

Step-2
Do again as in Step-1 for all wordings as in the example image, if necessary change the text stroke color
(in the example wording of 'SAVE OUR PLANET' stroke color was changed to white color).

STEP-5 MERGE THE GRAFFITI WORDINGS INTO THE ABSTRACT BACKGROUND
Step-1
Combine all the graffiti wordings on top of the abstract background box such as in the example.

Step-2 

Click the 'Select and transform objects' and then select one of the 'polygon boxes' and set the length,  the width, the color and also the gradient, make trials and error, use all the artistic feeling and sense to get a good abstract graffiti image.

Step-3 

Perform Step-2 as well for the other box images and the other polygon, draw and adjust width of the circles and if necessary add stars (click the 'Create stars and polygons'), and  adjust the images placement to form a good graffiti image.

STEP-6  INSERT 'DINGBATS' CLIPARTS
Select the 'Create and edit text objects' button and click the 'Select font family' screen and select 'CaliKat's Path Draws LT' font type, then load the 'dingbats' clipart by typing letter corresponding to the where the 'dingbats' is stored, and adjust the placement of 'dingbats' images to form a good graffiti picture.

STEP-7 FINALIZE THE ABSTRACT GRAFFITI PICTURE

Reset or change the graffiti characters type and other images to get a picture that best fit the abstract graffiti art and sense of  your  individual mood and satisfaction.