Graffiti Tips

Choosing a name:

1. you CANNOT have a name of any graffiti legend

2. you can pick literally anything, like actually any word works. Not only that but you can have multiple names so I'd personally play around with that a little bit.

3. don't change your primary tag name because its difficult, I've personally started to consider changing my name "GRRIM" completely for the simple fact that its hard to write. Eventually I found some flow in it and would've regretted it if I had changed it.

The Unwritten Graffiti Rules:

1. Don't snitch

2. Don't write on religious buildings or war memorials

3. don't write on peoples houses

4. don't write on cars

5. don't write on top of anyone's tag if they've been doing graffiti longer than you or if they're a part of a crew

6. never paint over a dead writers piece

7. don't paint over tribute pieces

8. don't ask to be put in a crew

9. learn about graffiti history

10. don't leave a trace

11. don't act tough 

Graffiti slang:

1. All city: this is a label you can gain by becoming a famous writer in your whole city

2. Angel: respected/famous writers that have passed away

3. Anti style: also known as hipster style or ignorant style, is a piece that doesn't follow traditional graffiti styles 

4. Toy: it means "poser" or someone that's bad at graffiti

5. Back Jump: a quickly executed graffiti piece usually made on a parked train

6. Back to back: graffiti that covers a wall from end to end

7. Bombing: when you hit an area hard with graffiti

8. Bite: to steal another writers work, name, color scheme or style

9. Burner: a large graffiti piece

10. Buffing: removing graffiti from a surface with a pressure washer or paint to cover it

11. Capping: destroying other writers work by painting lines on it

12. Crew: a group of graffiti writers working under the same crewname

13. Ghost: a graffiti piece that's been buffed but is still a bit visible on the wall

14: Going over: painting over another writers graffiti piece

15. Bencher: someone who takes photos of graffiti

16. Black book: a graffiti artists sketchbook used to sketch and plan out potential graffiti and to collect tags from other writers

17. Blockbuster: a graffiti piece with simple letters often using a brush or a roller

18. Bulls: security patrolling an area

19. Cannon(s): a slang term for spray cans

20. Clown or Ass Clown: a writer that is extremely careless to get caught or arrested

21. Dog: UK term for going over or dissing someone's piece

22. dropsy: a bribe

23. Dress-up: to write over a specific area like a doorway or a window that's been untouched

24. Dubs: London/UK style of graffiti executed in silver or chrome paint usually on railway walls or street locations, its done by a crew or a group of writers

25. Fills or Fill ins: a piece of graffiti that is either filled in a rush or a solid fill, also referred to as Bombs, Throw-ups, or Throwies.

26. Writer: a practitioner of graffiti who creates graffiti formats for the purpose of graffiti vandalism

27. Wildstyle: graffiti with text so stylized as it can be difficult to read, often with interlocking, three-dimensional type letters

28. Up: when writers become up their work becomes more widespread and well known

29. Topping: painting directly above but not over someone else's work - a slightly passive aggressive dis

30. Throw Up: a throw up or a "throwie" sits between a tag and a bomb in complexity and time investment, it generally consists of a one color outline and one layer of fill color, its usually an easy to paint bubble shape that often form letters a throw up is designed for quick execution to avoid attracting attention to the writer. throw ups are often utilized by writers who wish to achieve a large number of tags while competing with rival graffitists.  

31. Tag/scribble: a stylized signature usually done in one color, its the simplest type of graffiti.

32. Getting up: to develop "rep" through writing graffiti

33. Heaven Spots: spots that are challenging to reach but are in highly visible locations, for example, billboards, freeway signs, and tall bridges.

34. Hollows: also referred as "outlines" or "shells" a hollow is a throw up that consists of only an outline.

35. Stickers: stickers also referred as "labels" or "slaps" are often obtained by shipping companies stores etc. and have a writers name on it

There are more terms that I recommend learning, but that's the basics.

Now with that out of the way, here's how you make your own tag:

1. write your chosen name normally

2. make sure its letters you like to draw and write

3. make sure the name isn't taken

4. play around with the angles, thickness and the curvature of the letters

5. draw some add-ons if you'd like, just don't over do it here's some examples:

6. practice your tag, the more you practice the easier it will get