[madwakfreek]

another little batch of help for y'all... been looking at a lot of people's peices. some of us are getting really good. keep at it! other's are newer to the game and need to keep practiceing and thats why i've written this. for those of us who need that extra little push.. even some of the better writers on the board could use this..


i've noticed a few things that've been missing or even out of place, and rather than just commenting on each individual peice, i'm gonna make something thats pretty general..

by the way, a lot of you should maybe print this out and try to stick to it.. a few things to consider when you sketch:

a checklist for peiceing:

(1)first, ask yourself what kind of style you'r going to go with, is it something gothic, maybe a 3D or a more digital looking peice? is it a wildstyle or something a little easier to paint?

the style of your peice should be consistant. if you do something different with one part, do the samething with the rest of it.

(2)does my peice FLOW?

in most (not all) cases, flow is a HUGE factor in a peice. the whole peice should come together cleanly without extentions jutting off into nowhere or un-neccesairy holes in the middle of your peice. flow makes your peice more visually appealing.

also, try dot to have things out of place.. like a single arrow or a big extention blasting off into nowhere..

(3) what kind of 3d/shadow do i want?

there are 2 basic styles of 3d. vanishing point and strait lines:

a VANISHING POINT is basically when you draw a dot somewhere on the page (usually centred and on top or bottom of the peice. in the middle isnt uncommon either) then you make all your 3d lines leading off towards that point.


the STRAIT LINE 3D is when you draw each line paralell to the others. it is a very simple form of 3D and a very effective one.

SHADOW is just that. it's a shadow behind the peice. it's more commonly used on bombs/throwups than on peices because it's simple yet effective. however, it dosent always look best.

(4) what colors am i going to use? will the fill have more than one color? will a force-feild be effective? will the fill be simple or complex?

your color scheme can make or break your peice.. use complimentary colors. take a look for color wheels on the net..

just that. when you color your peice, you want something that will work with the style you used in the peice.
if your peice is agressive, you will probably want brighter colors, or just the opposite, very dark colors with lighter outlines.perhaps the style is mellow and should call for cool and pastel colors.

sometimes you will want to fade one color into another.. perhaps yellow to red? maybe blue to green with a purple 3d?

sometimes you'll want to use a more complex fill with blocks of other colors and maybe bubbles or arrows within it... if you are good with these, they can also do wonders on a peice. however, if you dont do a good job, it can kill your peice and ruin hours of hard work..

maybe you want to add a econd outline of nother color to make it stand out more

(5) how could we forget LETTER STRUCTURE!

try not to distort your letters too much.. you can add bits here and there.


(6) is my peice clean?

outline your peice with a fine tipped sharpie marker and try to keep the lines crisp and even. i've won a few battles with a clean peice that i would have oterhwise lost. erase pencil lines and basically make the peice look tidy!

(7) what about a background?

a careful background adds color and charachter to your peice. it'll enhance the peice if done properly. maybe add a charachter?










theres 8 east steps to make sure you look good even if you really arent. all of us should take these into consideration with every peice.. hope you liked it.. it took a lot of work.. and please, take these into consideration.. it will make things a lot easier on yourself!

[Pop N Jay]

an important one...(if painting)

CAN I PULL IT OFF WITH CANS? it sucks to be in the middle of a piece and u look back and it looks like crap. it REALLY sucks


we'll prolly see a couple yellow-->red and blue-->green (with purple outline) pieces posted soon hahaha

[madwakfreek]

i hear that!.. painting is completely different then blackbooking.. you cant erase the lines if you screw up.. quick tip for that tho!

when painting, use a light color like grey to basically skatch a rough outline. it'll help things along the way.. very popular technique because it works!

other good color combos include:

blue/grey
blue/orange
blue/purple

yellow/green
yellow/red


red/orange
red/purple
red/brown

[aker88]

ive seen famous writers doing step by step peices starting off wit WHITE to sketch out, and then they use many defferent colors at the beggining and when they finish their peice u wont see non of these colors they used at the beggining i think these colors add good affect that u wont really notice.

[madwakfreek]

grey shows up better on white walls.. and if you're painting over throwies, it helps to see the outline.. i prefer a color that stands out more.. besides, i bomb with white paint... and i've just got cans of grey all over the place!

[aker88]

yo madwak
since u like bringin articles and useful stuff for the forum why dont u get somthing good bout letter structure I really need to improve my crap so i need useful tips (step by step peices would help alot) i would really apreciate it if u do that......(plus alot of others) thanks

[madwakfreek]

i'll see what i can do.. no guarantees though.. letter structure is something you kinda teach yourself..

gimme a few days i'll see what i can come up with...

[MC. SIK]

Originally posted by aker88
yo madwak
since u like bringin articles and useful stuff for the forum why dont u get somthing good bout letter structure I really need to improve my crap so i need useful tips (step by step peices would help alot) i would really apreciate it if u do that......(plus alot of others) thanks

i agree wit aker that you should make a guide for letter structure, my letters are the worst EVER

[F Stylz]

Like Madwak said, letter structure has a lot to do with doing stuff by yourself and experimenting. No guide can really teach you that.

A couple things that can be kept in mind is making different widths of letters. As a standard set up, when trying this, letters will look better with narrower tops and wider bases. This isn't always true, but for people just starting out, it'll make a large difference.

Also, as a reiteration of what Madwak said, arrows going nowhere, connections just for the sake of a connection and sloppy 3-Ding will bring a piece down quickly. When piecing in pencil, finish your piece, look at it and think: "Do I really need that arrow?" "Does that make it ten times doper, or just look wack?"

Connecting letters doesn't automatically mean dope, nor does having arrows at the end of each letter. A lot of times (in fact 9 times outta 10) I never connect my letters. I let each letter be it's own thing. If you start out thinking about the piece as a whole rather than one letter being it's own piece, you might have a problem.

Also, when I'm just messing around and shit, a lot of times I will start a letter, than think about the proceeding letter and think about how it might fit in, start drawing THAT letter, only to finish the first letter last. Naw mean?

Case in point: I start out with the top part of the K, think about how I might connect or add an L next to it without making it look all messed up, start the top and lower part of the L, start an O, than try to start the S. After that, I'll go back and finish the K.

In short, just because the K is the first letter, doesn't mean it has to be the first letter that's completed. Drawing lightly and erasing a lot figures heavily into this aspect of piecing.

Keep these things in mind, but above everything else, draw like it's your job. Do it all the time.

[madwakfreek]

F STYLZ!!! where've you been man? i never see you on the graff board anymore.

also F.. if you got the time after i finish this battle with bomb, wanna battle? ya know.. for old times sake lol

maybe this time i'll offer some challenge

[F Stylz]

Still got no access to scanner......

[madwakfreek]

harsh man.. you're the first graphic desingner i know without access to one lol.. even i got one!

[madwakfreek]

by the way kids.. if you need help on something, pm me and i'll see what i can do to help with your flow or coloring or whater.. i'll give suggestions, but i wont do yer peice for ya..

[talib kweli]

Mad PROPS to madwakfreek for a dope thread .... im gonna use this for sure, keep up the mad work ... peace_DiMe

[Lord Scrib]

y dont u show us the perfict pic to show us what u mean?just a thought

peace