Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Tips

Here are some tips for street art.

  • Choose good quality paint. It can be bought at specialty paint stores that sell street art paint or hardware stores (although this isn't designed for street art; it will run more and be hard to paint with). The more expensive the paint is, the better quality it is.
  • Wear old clothes when painting. You don't want to get your favourite shirt dirty.
  • Experiment with different techniques before you paint. Find a style you like and build on from that.
  • Do a rough design on a sheet of paper before you start. This will help you to choose the right colours when you come to do a piece.
  • Choose colours that go well together, ones that contrast, such as blue and red or purple and orange. You could also choose colours that are different shades of the same colour.
  • Be yourself and don't copy other people's work!
  • Don't do it illegally!

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Paint

If you are planning to do a piece, make sure you have good paint. Get it from special paint stores and make sure it is not water based, as it won't be as weather resistant. Price range is from about $4.00 to $20.00, depending on the quality.
There is also a good shop in West Richmond that sells good paint specifically designed fo street art. It is called This is it.

Here are some good paint brands:

Ironlak (really good, they even have their own website - http://www.ironlak.com/)

White Knight Squirts

Dy-Mark

Fiddly Bits

Montana

If you have used others please post!!!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Technique

You will see many good pieces on walls in some places and some not. Why? The good ones are done by people with permits and who are older. They also have certain techniques.

  • The paint thickness can be varied depending on what you need to do. For filling large areas, hold the can far away from the surface and for lines, hold closer with shorter, quicker movements.
  • A really cool thing to do if you are not that great at spraying is to make a stencil. Draw a design or get a picture off the internet, cut it out and spray over it. Sometimes the most effective pieces of art on the street are stencils.
  • Use different shades of the same colour by mixing paint or finding all the different shades at the shop.
  • Blend colours for a 3D effect by slightly overlapping the colours softly.

Are you a Street Artist?

Think of a name or word. Something that might reflect you. This is your "tag". Make sure no one else has the same one as you; do a bit of research before you decide by looking around.

Pics

If you do go to see street art sometime, please post! Have a look at the pics on my site!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Street Art Hotspots

If you are looking for really good street art and don't want to go on the internet, there are many places you can check out. Listed are some great spots in Melbourne and other areas. See what you can find. If you are wondering what to do on a sunny Saturday, I would highly recommend visiting one of these places.

Union Lane (off Bourke St Mall)

Hosier Lane (across from Federation Square)

Chinatown (just look around, you'll find one, very good art)

Frankston Line (from about Cheltenham to Melbourne)

Epping Line

Balaclava Station (Near St Kilda)

ACDC Lane (near Hosier Lane)

Caledonian Lane (near new development and Bourke St Mall)

These are all the ones I have visited so far, if you have been to others please post :)

Street Art Intro

Street art. What do you think when you hear the word? Vandalism? Graffiti? It's easy to think that when all you see on the street are words scrawled on walls in nothing more than cheap permanent marker. Sad.

However if you know where to look, street art can be pretty fantastic. In fact it's not that hard at all. Next time you go on the train, just look out the window. It's like going to an art gallery, only you can come and go as you please, and it doesn't cost anything! (except for the train fare, of course)