Graffiti in the interior

The word “graffiti” was borrowed from Italian, where it means “scratched”. For many older people, this concept causes unpleasant associations with a crowd of self-affirmed teenagers, who spoil the architecture of the city with their creative endeavors. In fact, graffiti is a modern art form, and professional graffiti artists are genuine masters of their work, whose works are admirable, not censured. Beautiful drawings can not disfigure, and decorate the city: the facades of houses, factories, unattractive and boring fences. Graffiti in the interior began to be used recently, since this art has long been considered exclusively street. We will talk about how to choose an original sketch for the design style and consider a detailed master class for beginners on wall decor using paint in cans.

Appearance history

There is no consensus about the age of graffiti as an art. A relatively new word is associated exclusively with the drawings on brick walls that hooligan teens entertain with. Scratched paintings, that is, primitive rock art is considered the first manifestation of art in the history of mankind. People tried to express their emotions, inform them about victories, save significant moments of their lives. Then the painting went along a different path, acquiring graceful forms and special spirituality, and the graffiti gradually began to deteriorate, until it completely dropped to the love confessions on brick walls, inscriptions against the current regime and reminders from the category “Here was ...”. Decline was replaced by flourishing only in the second half of the last century in New York. Representatives of the younger generation, full of nihilism, spoiled the city property - subway train cars. Since any master wants to be recognized, teenagers put their autographs - “tags”, which in English means “label”. Compared with the signatures of modern graffiti artists, made in a complex technique, these "tags" look very primitive. But as time went on, and the level of skill increased. Graffiti artists were knocked down in separate gangs, each of which sought to win a conventional competition. Of course, their activities were considered to be a direct violation of the law, so many people, being caught, paid fines or even years in prison. Others voluntarily left, unable to constantly monitor the destruction of their wall works. In the 70s and 80s, street art of graffiti was divided into stylistic directions. Toward the beginning of the new century, the authorities began to react less acutely to the work of recalcitrant artists, and instead of damaging property, their works began to decorate the city. From the USA, street art has leaked to the UK, Italy, France, Germany. When a new youth dance, break dance, appeared, the graffiti artists decorated the scenery on the venues where the performances took place. In the USSR, street art appeared around the 80s and 90s, but its development was painful because of the collapse of the country. Graffiti was mainly used to protest what was happening.

Mentioning the history of street art, one can not forget Banksy. This is the most famous underground graffiti artist, whose works on topical issues are always filled with subtle irony. No one knows who hides behind the mask of the elusive king of “rock art”. Behind Banksy, the pioneers Jean-Baptiste Basquiat, Stash, Keith Haring and our contemporary Shepard Fairy settled on an improvised pedestal.

Materials used for drawing

The toolkit of an experienced graffiti artist includes the following items:

• Spray can of paint. This is the main working tool, without which the masters of street art, as without hands. To work with him will require a certain skill that can be obtained during hard training on flat surfaces. In the minds of modern man, a can of paint and street art united into one concept.
• Roller. With it, primer the surface before applying the picture or use it as an independent artistic tool when large-scale work is planned with the creation of huge images. Also roller, fixed on a long stick, paint over hard to reach places.
• Marker. The same important tool, as well as spray paint. With it, you can create a drawing from scratch or correct an existing one. Street art professionals use both tools. Although stationery stores have a wide range of these products, there is a tradition in the culture of graffiti artists: many of them make hand-made markers. For these purposes use empty bottles from under cosmetics or household chemicals of an oblong form, and fill them with stamp or shoe paint. Finish the process by fixing a homemade applicator.
• Respirator. Needed when working with spray paint, as it easily clogs the airways.
• Fire extinguisher. The original tool, which began to be used instead of the brush just a couple of decades ago. With the help of a fire extinguisher you can get a powerful jet of paint. Many artists of street art prefer this option, rather than spray paint, if they plan to put a large picture on the wall. It is inconvenient only because reloading it is problematic.
• Spray bottle. Replaced by less practical fire extinguishers. This is not about the bottle with a nozzle, which is sprayed with indoor flowers. In this case, use a large unit with a balloon, which is mounted behind the spray. With such equipment, gardeners walk along potato rows to get rid of the invasion of striped pests. Spray guns are convenient because they can regulate pressure, and accordingly, the force of emission of a jet of paint. They are easily rechargeable, and the unit is placed in a back pack.

Also among the inventory of street artists there is a separate group of "scratchers", that is, "scratches". This type includes any sharpened objects, which can be applied embossed pattern on the surface. Some graffiti artists consider this tool to be barbaric, as it unambiguously spoils the city property and will not manage by one painting over of the power.

Graffiti and style

In street art, there are the following main areas:

• Bombing Extreme art, because the images are applied in a fast way on moving “canvases” (trains, buses).
• Writing. The main style, which is characterized by the inscription of a different font.
• Tagging. Concise image of their signatures.
• Scratching. Scratching an image, not its panache.
• Advertising. Graffiti artists also need to eat, so they are increasingly hired by advertising agencies to carry information about their products or services to the masses.

In the interior design graffiti leaked not so long ago. At first, thematic establishments began to decorate with inscriptions and drawings: cafes and bars. Then the pioneers among designers who were not afraid to take risks began to combine street art with styles that are flexible to modern solutions. These include loft, hi-tech, pop art, futurism, avant-garde, fusion and even minimalism. In apartments, street art has replaced boring wallpaper. The most spectacular of all are street drawings in modern studios, where there are usually high walls.

Graffiti in the interior of different rooms

Author's drawings on the walls will make any interior unique and create a special atmosphere. At will graffiti can be bright and challenging or gentle, romantic. In street art, not only inscriptions are used, but also full-scale pictures: futuristic, avant-garde, minimalist or surreal. For each room, they select their own design that will be in harmony with the rest of the situation and fit into the design concept.

Living room

In the living room, graffiti will be a stylish decoration of the accent wall. When the situation is sustained in calm, pastel colors, the picture can literally "blow up" a serious atmosphere, if it is done in bright colors. In the halls, designed in the style of pop art, use a popular technique with the transfer of pages of comics on the decorated surface. Acid colors are considered mandatory when creating collages from images of Warhol, Monroe, Liverpool Four. And the pictures must be duplicated in a different range. Surprisingly, modern graffiti can even approach modern (a more recent version of the classical style) if the painting or engraving of a famous artist (Jan Vermeer, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Hieronymus Bosch, Van Gogh) is chosen as a model.

In the loft living room, graffiti is applied directly on the brickwork. As a result, the effect of presence on the street only increases. The wall will be perfectly combined with expensive furniture and surfaces of luxury finishing materials.

Bedroom

The theme for sleeping graffiti is not recommended to choose from aggressive or overly catchy options. Still, they rest in this room, and acid lettering is unlikely to stimulate healthy sleep. The brainchild of street art is usually placed on the wall at the head of the bed. City panoramas, musical themes, and natural landscapes will look stylish and romantic. Graffiti culture is less categorical, as many may think. It is characterized by an image of absolutely any objects, so even pink hearts or landscapes with ears of corn and field grass under the night sky can be depicted in this technique.

If the master draws a corridor or a continuation of the room, the room will become visually larger. This simple technique works at the expense of perspective.

Children's

Graffiti in the children's room is a great way for both young men and girls to express themselves. Far-sighted parents, letting the child paint the wall in his room on his own, will arrange it for themselves, show that they are able to encourage their ideas. Perhaps, after such a young graffiti artist, he will be carried away by street-art at a professional level, but street artists are not the worst company. For teenage bedrooms, images of favorite superheroes, portraits of performers and groups, bright potpourri paintings of characters mixed with animals are suitable. For children's rooms, where the crumb lives, they use less catchy themes and simply decorate the walls with cartoon and fairy-tale characters.

Kitchen

In the kitchen, street art decorates not only the wall near the dining area, but also the apron, the lower part of the bar counter or the headset. In rooms in which the modern variant of furnishing is used, where the height of objects does not exceed 1-1.3 m, three-dimensional images with “ragged edges” are used. They horizontally pass through the entire surface of one wall and partially affect the other. If the kitchen is too small a window, then on a piece of brickwork draw a second with a magnificent view of the street or a quiet backyard. Griffiti can be applied to any surface. Street art is even combined with tile. An unusual solution would be to place graffiti paintings on a wall in a roughly hemmed metal or wood frame. Creative guests will appreciate the ironic attempt of the owners to squeeze free street art in the home frame.

Bathroom

Enter street art in the bathroom should be with great caution. Standard bathrooms have too small footage, and an incorrectly selected design can visually narrow the space. Surprising and unusual look solid decor in soothing shades of green, blue, yellow. Panorama of the underwater world adorn all the walls and ceiling on purpose, without focusing on the corners and transitions. Round window-blende will play the role of the windows of the bathyscaphe.

We draw with our own hands - the method of work

Beginners are recommended to use templates or stencils. This method will facilitate the work and allow you to focus on the correct selection of colors. After the graffiti artist fills her hand and feels more confident, you can apply drawings manually. By the way, this is the method Banksy uses. In order not to be noticed at work, he prepares a template for the author's picture in advance, and on the spot only fills it with paints. If you want a drawing to be portable, then instead of a brick wall it is recommended to use a sheet of hardboard. Before working with spray paint, you need to prepare the surface. It is cleaned of dirt and degreased. This will ensure good adhesion between the wall and the pigments. Before work, the can is thoroughly shaken so that its contents are mixed until smooth. A respirator and goggles are worn on the face. The test stream is released to a foreign object in order to assess the color saturation. The distance from the canister to the wall to be decorated should be about 25 cm. You shouldn’t stay in one place for a long time, as excess paint will begin to drain, if, of course, smudges are not part of the composition. When working with a vertical surface, they start drawing from above and gradually move down. If you need to apply two layers, then between the first stage of dyeing and the second make a break in half an hour. The effect of the spray is created with a brush dipped in paint.

Conclusion

Graffiti has long passed from the category of vandalism to the status of a full flow in art. The youth of the 80s, who expressed themselves by painting the walls and other “inconspicuous” looking surfaces, should thank for this. With the help of graffiti, you can not only create a stylish, unique decoration for the interior, but also discover new talents in yourself, because art tends to drag your head.