AY Honors/Street Art/Answer Key

Street Art

Skill Level

2

Year

2020

Version

25.12.2024

Approval authority

North American Division

1

Describe what is in a “tag” name. Everyone chooses a tag name.

Your tag name is everything! It is more than just the word given to you by your parents or the nice name your friends call you. It’s your identity. Different than your birth name because you’re not going to write that on a wall. It’s your brand. One of the first considerations when choosing a name is how it sounds. Where does the mind go when the name rolls off the tongue? What do you think of? How does it look like when it is written? How do the letters work together?

2

Summarize what God “painted” in six days of Creation and what He did on the seventh day.

God “painted” this world and “tagged” His name on this finished painting with His “tag” on the seventh day. Genesis 1-2

3

Explain the history of graffiti within the Hip Hop culture.

The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions and markings found on the walls of ancient ruins, such as in the civilizations of Greece and Rome. Graffiti was done by the ancient Egyptians, the Vikings, and even the Mayans. These people communicated with each other about daily life, current events, news, etc., offering us a direct look into their ancient street life. It is a tradition of communication. Even before this, there were caves in France where men left markings on the walls to let us know who was there. Over the centuries those caves changed into the tunnels of the New York subway system, other big city neighborhoods, and computer desktops.

The beginning of what we call modern graffiti was laid out in Philadelphia in the late 1960s. Two writers (taggers) named Cornbread and Cool Earl were credited with the first early efforts. They gained a lot of attention for leaving their names everywhere. Then somehow this idea traveled from Philly to New York around 1971, around the birth of the Hip Hop subculture. Soon after, New York produced one of the first writers to get even more attention -- Taki 183. After an interview with him, hundreds of kids started writing their names all over New York.

As graffiti became more and more popular, writers created new styles, and challenged new ways to stand apart from each other, and it continues today.

Graffiti art is a uniquely American art form. Today, it is influencing the work of creative individuals worldwide in areas as diverse as graphic design, photography, advertising, marketing, illustration, fine art, and even multimedia and technology.

Why are we attracted to graffiti? Part of it has to do with the psychology of affirmation. There is something inside of us that wants to take up space and proclaim our existence. We want to be famous, seen, recognized, acknowledged, and affirmed. Graffiti can do that. It has always been about rebellion, style, observation, and self-worth. Unfortunately, these descriptions are fed by negative actions.

4

What are three facts of graffiti?

Started by YOUTH of Philadelphia and New York in the late 1960s
An alternative to gang warfare
The 1980s were the Golden Age of graffiti
Pioneers of graffiti were Cornbread, Cool Earl, and Taki 183
Graffiti art was adopted into the Hip Hop culture which included rap music, disc jockeys and break dancing
By the 1990s, Hip Hop culture had lost its initial vibrancy, but had become known worldwide and accepted as a part of mainstream US culture
Two kinds of writing, public and private
Street art, as well as graffiti, is about styles

5

Define the following vocabulary terms:

5a

Tagger/writer

A practitioner of graffiti who creates graffiti formats for the purpose of vandalism

5b

Tag name

Your alter ego name/signature/brand; where your artistry starts

5c

Graffiti

Writings or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public space

5d

Can control

The ability to control the spray pressure and amount of paint sprayed

5e

Tag

Quick and stylish signatures of the individual person

5f

Throw-up/Throwie

A throw-up or “throwie” generally consists of a one-color outline and one layer of fill-color. Easy-to-paint bubble shapes often for letters.

5g

Piece/burner

A large, complex, and labor-intensive graffiti painting consisting of letters; because they take so much time and effort, burners in downtown areas are more likely to be legal pieces, painted with the consent of the property owner

5h

Mural

A large picture painted or affixed directly on a wall or ceiling

5i

Going over

To “go over” a piece of graffiti simply means to paint on top of it

5j

Cap/tip

The nozzle for the aerosol paint can, also referred to as “tips”; different kinds are used for different styles

5k

Crew/krew/cru

A group of associated graffitists that often work together; crews are differentiated from gangs in that their main objective is to paint graffiti

5l

Buff

To remove painted graffiti with chemicals and other instruments, or to paint over it with a flat color

5m

Wild style

Graffiti with text so stylized as to be difficult to read; often with interlocking three-dimensional type

5n

Bomb

To bomb or hit is to paint over many surfaces in an area

5o

Street art

A legalized form of artistic vandalism, where the artwork often depicts a message

6

Identify the following materials:

6a

Spray can

6b

Blackbook

6c

Caps/tips

6d

Gloves

6e

Mask

6f

Buff paint

6g

Rollers

6h

Sponges

6i

Pencil

6j

Markers

6k

Wall

6l

Plastic wrap

7

Identify and explain (with pictures) the different forms of:

7a

Private graffiti

Doodling: graffiti that we all did/do on our desk growing up in school
Latrinalia: graffiti we see at rest stops or gas station restrooms

7b

Public graffiti

Gang graffiti:graffiti written in public areas by local gangs; purpose of this is to mark territory and cause terror in the community
Tags: quick and stylish signatures of the individual person
Throw ups: a throw-up or “throwie” generally consists of a one-color outline and one layer of fill-color. Easy-to-paint bubble shapes often for 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. Most graffitists have both a tag and a throw-up that are essentially fixed compared to pieces. It is mostly so because they need to have a recognizable logo for others to identify them and their own individual style.
Walls/pieces: a large, complex, and labor-intensive graffiti painting consisting of letters. Pieces often incorporate 3D effects, and many colors and color transitions, as well as various other effects. These will usually be done by writers with more experience. A piece requires more time to paint than a throw-up. If placed in a difficult location and well executed, it will earn the writer more respect. Piece can also be used as a verb that means “to write.”
Murals/street art: a large picture painted or affixed directly on a wall or ceiling

8

Describe three differences between graffiti and street art. Explain the difference between graffiti and street art and the consequences for painting without permission.

Street art adorns the landscape; graffiti tagging scars it and accelerates urban decay.
Street art stretches your mind; graffiti closes it.
Street art is about the audience; graffiti is about the tagger/writer.
Street art says “have you thought about this?”; graffiti says “I tag, therefore I exist”.
Street art is done with a smile; graffiti is done with a scowl.
Street art takes skill; graffiti takes guts.
Street art delivers a message; graffiti delivers a mess.
We mourn losing street art and celebrate losing graffiti tagging.

Influence:
Kids ages 13-18 are more sensitive to graffiti
Teens living in the city
Described as “taggers,” “writers,” “bombers”
Cry for attention
It is an adrenaline rush
It is about respect
This rebellious attitude against society is often manifested in their defiance against authority
Media and subculture have a strong role

9

Draw:

9a

Practice your name/tag (on paper)

9b

Draw your name in block or bubble letters

9c

Draw then build an R

9d

Partner with another artist and make a drawing with a positive message on one piece of paper

10

Paint:

10a

Practice different sprays

10b

Use a fat and thin cap/tip (if available) to demonstrate and experiment making different sized lines

Practice, practice, practice

Note: Always spray by strokes (have a 1, 2.1, 2.1, 2 count), not a consistent spray. This prevents overspray and drips.

10c

Practice your name/tag (on a wall)

10d

Paint then build an R

10e

Buff the wall

11

Collaborate with a group of artists to paint a mural with a positive message.

Note: Always draw out your first initial drawing with a very light color then do the final drawing with a slightly darker color. Similar to how one would first draw with a pencil and follow it with a pen.

12

Read 1 Peter 2:9 and Romans 13:1, and discuss how these two verses relate to street art.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
— 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
— Romans 13:1 (NKJV)

13

Share how this artistic form of communication can be used as a tool for evangelism.

References

• Graffiti Glossary