[Bboy Blessed]

Yo I dont want to be a biter/toy and Im new to the graffiti thing since I mainly bboy and Ive already racked some paint with my crew. So, I seen a lot of letters and stuff and I think I got the basics down. But do u guys have any advice on making ur own letters up?

[dbaznxdragon]

practice, practice, practice. check out other people's work for inspiration and then work on ur own stuff w/o looking at their work so u'll know for sure u won't be biting the same, exact letter style. i can't say anything other than keep ur eyes open for inspiration and to keep practicing.

[snoopy8]

just play around with your letters...... if u want to come up wit ur own style, they have to feel like if they r ur letters.... they ur letters by the way u play wit them, just add random stuff and move stuff and twist stuff and do all of that stuff.....

[Ninja_Bboy[IUC]]

You already bboy so you know the deal.

Just like bboying it takes time and dedication and a lot of practice. Eventually you develop some style but there aren't shortcuts. Teachers can help but you have to do the work yourself.

[bboyjevon]

just keep writing a piece you got now, slowly you will do something different, might be an accident but you just got to keep writing until it evolves into something else

[Leshaun]

Originally Posted by zuloon

Why are you asking other people to help you develop your own style?

Why do you never write anything constructive?

Originally Posted by Ninja_Bboy[IUC]

You already bboy so you know the deal.

Just like bboying it takes time and dedication and a lot of practice. Eventually you develop some style but there aren't shortcuts. Teachers can help but you have to do the work yourself.

Like my man above said, you know the deal. My advice,practice block and bubble letters. Then get all the pics you can of nice pieces (preferably WildStyle) and copy them as much as you can in your black book - try to figure out what they say as well. And do it line for line. After a while, you'll
develope you're own ideas and it'll be easy for you to get the ideas down.

That's strictly ideas though, actually spraying it out is a different story. I'd suggest some cardboard or plywood in the back yard.

[Pop N Jay]

why wildstyle? why is everybody so friggin obsessed with wildstyle?

and to copy a piece line for line is about the wackest shit you can do...sure bite a letter or extensions or something here and there while you're learning, but biting line for line just teaches you how to bite.

look at pieces. sketch. repeat. BAM. in a few years you'll be developing your own style, most likely with bits of those old pieces (now "influence") you were looking at while you were a toy.

[cide]

get ur self a blackbook nd a nice pen nd just chill, lay sum music on in the background nd just let it flow... ul get the hang ov it but it takes time

[TASHi]

yea. get a sketchbook or something to draw in. draw in it. repeat process. do blocks. do bubbles. do w/e you want. do characters. handies. etc. if you want add music. yum.

biting not good. haha, i sound like a cavewoman. but take things that influence you and interpret it in a different way... feel how they did it..

and ha. for a changed of pace, when i'm so bored i take my tracing paper... and copy. i call it the book of biting. *just for fun*[BOB] then i go back to sketching and doing my own thing.

[Leshaun]

Originally Posted by Pop N Jay

why wildstyle? why is everybody so friggin obsessed with wildstyle?

and to copy a piece line for line is about the wackest shit you can do...sure bite a letter or extensions or something here and there while you're learning, but biting line for line just teaches you how to bite.

Dude, you know Graffiti is art, right? If you've ever been in an art class, they teach you that same thing. You have to be able to disect the work that's been done before you in order to master your own ideas. I said wildstyle because it's hard to figure out, knowing how to do wildstyle makes everything else easier because of the complications. It's simple art logic, and Graffiti is art. I don't know why you're gettin' all worked up about someone mentioning wildstyle ONCE; did someone tell you yours was wack or something? If so, don't let it bother you so much. Don't hate on my two sense, 'cause I don't hate on yours.

[Pop N Jay]

a) i don't rock wildstyle, i'm more into the east coast shit
b) it seems every other thread in here is about wildstyle or some mess of "letters" that looks like a pile of crap
c) dissecting doesn't consist of straight up copying. yes, i've been to art class. yes, we looked at at copied some aspects of compositions. but never have i been told to straight up copy a composition. steal bits and pieces, even whole letters, sure. it's learning. but you won't ever understand why a connection makes sense if you're just copying it. you have to make your own mistakes and learn why what works, works.

[Ninja_Bboy[IUC]]

Originally Posted by Pop N Jay

but never have i been told to straight up copy a composition. steal bits and pieces, even whole letters, sure. it's learning. but you won't ever understand why a connection makes sense if you're just copying it. you have to make your own mistakes and learn why what works, works.

I agree with you but then there is another side. It is very difficult for people starting out in graff to improve with all the contradictions flying around from more experienced writers.

On the one hand, 'never bite never copy be original', on the other hand 'do things a certain way or else we won't even consider what you do to be graff - instead it is 'street art'.'

There must be some element of copying no matter what anyone says. Not stealing whole outlines or pieces but learning 'that thing' that makes them eye catching. Never forget that all of us writers are copying the generations before. The generations before did not invent painting either they borrowed techniques from elsewhere (traditional art, pop art, comic books) and added them to their letters.

[Leshaun]

When I say line for line, I mean do it damn close, because the reason that's art isn't just the design itself, but the effect used and whatnot. That's what you get from it, you train your head to remember the repeated techniques and it gives you an idea of what's been done. Creativity comes from what we've seen before, which is why nothing is ever completely original. So the actual style comes from a mix what we've done before. Think about it, if you were use to 10 different writers' styles, then when you make something, it's from the inspiration of all 10. Plus, depending on how close yours is to the original can define how well your technical ability is, which is second most important ability in art.

[xkrooksx]

Couldnt have said it better myself Leshaun