DIY Street Art & Graffiti: Tutorials & How-Tos

It’s time for some more urban art link-tips today! This time I got some great new urbanism footage, a DIY paper toy guide, news about my Urban Artists in Action photo-series and more interesting street art and graffiti news from around the world. Here we go… For a few days, some selected pieces of my Urban Artists in Action photo-series are available as art prints via society6! Some more are going to be available soon - I would be pleased with your support… ...

After that nice Spray Paint Skateboard Interface by D*Face became popular (just check e.g. hypebeast, ukstreetart, urbanshit or welikethat) well-known, Berlin-based urban artist Dave the Chimp created his own DIY Skate & Paint Device and sent in that way some beef over to LA… You don’t need money, famous friends, and months of research and development to create something - you just need to think and to play. So switch off your computer, switch on your brain, and go create something fantastic yourself - you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve!!! (Dave the Chimp) ...

Narcelio Grud from Brasil came up with one of those amazing ideas, only DIY experts can hit on. He developed Splay, a simple but effective low-tech spray-can made of recycled spray-can parts and other commonly found resources like car tyres! Low-tech systems aim to develop strategies and mechanisms, bringing solutions that replace and expand the uses of material and techniques for street actions. I really like that idea although I can’t imagine to take some tyres with me the next time. But in times like these, when spray-cans are getting more and more expensive spray-can recycling is probably the best thing to save some cash…

City Documentary | Do you remember the ruins of Detroit, which are a paradise for urban explorers and artists from all over the globe? Right after I published that post I got a message by Bixentro from London, who informed me about a small documentary by Palladium Boots about the city of Detroit, in which Mister Knoxville himself explores abandoned areas and the new generation of creative people restructuring and reorganizing the public life… ...

I already wrote about the street art, skateboard and punk documentary series “DIY America” earlier this year, but yesterday I found that interesting Os Gêmeos interview you have to watch! The identical twin brothers from São Paulo talk about their art and their Sunday painting trips as well as about the consistent further development of graffiti. They started painting graffiti in 1987 and gradually became a major influence in the local scene, helping to define Brazil’s own style. Stylistically, Os Gêmeos are heavily influenced by the cryptic art of the São Paulo–based pixação graffiti movement as well as American hip-hop, which the twins grew up with in Brazil. The brothers have gained international fame, displaying their work in exhibitions in major cities in the US and Europe. ...

Street Art News | It’s urban art eye candy time and again I have some new and interesting info about street art, graffiti and urbanism from around the world. This time there are artist interviews, crazy urban inventions, astonishing photos, and of course a load of eye candy. Here we go! Chris Stain Interview Chris Stain, who became infected by graffiti’s bold color, striking form, and independent nature in the summer of 1984, did a short video interview for “No Longer Empty”, including some impressions of his new mural artwork. ...

In addition to “The Urban Cookbook” by writer and author King Adz, which is a collection of creative recipes for the graffiti generation, there’s another cookbook out now - It’s name: Street Art Cookbook. Street Art Cookbook is a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) bible on street art written by Benke Carlsson and Hop Louie and was published two weeks ago. It’s maybe the first street art handbook, containing dozens of different techniques, tips and tricks for creating urban art pieces. ...

The producers of the “Beautiful Losers” DIY documentary recently published their graffiti documentary series, which is part of the street art, skateboard and punk documentary, “DIY America”… Roots and Drive - Graffiti Part One: In the first part the well-known graffiti artists Craig Stecyk, KR, Todd James, Sleezer, Epso and Earsnot talk about the history and spread of graffiti, as well as what motivates them to create graffiti. Legal vs. Illegal - Graffiti Part Two: The second part is about the dangerousness of Graffiti action. Graffiti artists Sace, Abhor, Amaze, Deadcat, Sleezer and Earsnot talk about legal versus illegal graffiti. ...

I have some interesting news about the grandiose “Beautiful Losers” movie: The film, which had its global premier at SxSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas in March 2008, is available in its full length on Youtube since a few days ago… “Beautiful Losers” is a documentary film which gives some very special, entertaining and interesting insights into the live of some of the protagonists of the DIY (Do It Yourself) street art movement. It shows in an impressive way the creative life between skateboarding, punk, hip hop and graffiti. ...

The “Color Ink Book - The DIY Art Periodical” is - as I think - a very interesting piece of art magazines, because it showcases both, established artists as well as fresh faces. For four weeks, the sixth edition of the “Color Ink Book” is available, which includes artworks by and info about Project Detonate, El Gato Chimney, Andrew Council, Ron English, Vassilis Gogtzilas, Chuck Harrison, Jeff Lamm, Pat Moriarity, Kool Skull, McFaul Studio, Jon Vermilyea and Ben Walker. ...