10 Types of Graffiti

So I've laid out 10 graffiti types
on this piece of paper,

and we're going to go through
all 10 today, with examples.

By "types," I mean ways of basically
putting up your graffiti name.

The first 5, which you can see
indicated with the arrow,

are basically an evolution--
meaning they kind of adapt

in chronological order from each other.

The last 5 are less conventional
ways of doing graffiti.

So keep that in mind,
and let's get into it.

Number 1: The tag.

The tag is the simplest form of graffiti.

It is the backbone for basically all
the other types that I'm going to explain.

This is a must for
those first learning graffiti,

and can be characterized
as using only lines

to form a signature handstyle
for your graffiti word.

Whether it's with a marker
or with a spray can,

it can be seen as a stylized
writing of these letters.

Number 2: The hollow.

The hollow is the next step up,

where you're representing your word
at a larger scale,

by simplifying the letters
to form gestural and bubbly shapes.

It should almost be thought of as
an easy and quick logo for your word,

sometimes only showcasing
two letters out of your name.

This is basically the essence of
a throw up, which we will explain next.

The only distinction with a hollow
is that it is only

the outline of these bubbly letters,
with no shadow and no fill.

Number 3: The throw up.

In explaining the hollow,
the next step is the full throw up.

To be considered a throw up,
the bubble letters should be

filled in with one color,
and then outlined with a second.

Usually, throw ups can also include

a shadow effect and an
outline around the whole shape,

but for the most part,
the colors are limited to two colors.

Number 4: The straight letter.

Whereas the throw up
kind of disguises letters

by representing them in a bubbly style,

the straight letter is
all about readability:

trying to represent your word
as clean and as legible as possible,

in an attempt to quickly
have people understand your name.

The majority of the focus is
allowing people to understand the letters,

with little add-ons of style
coming second.

Number 5: The piece.

The piece is perhaps
the most evolved form of graffiti,

where nothing is off-limits.

This is where people can let loose
in representing their names,

with as many colors, connections,
effects, shadows, characters,

and add-ons as they want.

Pieces can be simple and readable,

or super-detailed and
unrecognizable as letters.

The more detailed you get,
it can be considered a masterpiece,

but this is quite subjective.

Number 6: The roller.

So, from the tag to the piece,

that was a chronological evolution
of graffiti types.

Now we enter the left-of-field types
that people still use,

but they are less conventional.

The roller is the first: basically using
a paint roller to apply paint to a building,

from an overhanging position;
or with an extension pole, facing up.

These rollers can range anywhere from
one color, that looks similar to tags,

to multiple colors,
that look like block-style pieces,

and anywhere in between.

Number 7: The extinguisher.

A bit of a wacky graffiti type,
but it's essentially

filling a fire extinguisher with paint

to then create large and often
elongated tags on a building.

These have evolved into also
representing throw ups at huge scales,

but for the most part,
they're used for really large tags.

Number 8: The stomper.

A stomper is a simplified piece where the
letters have been thickened and fattened up,

so they can be represented at huge scales,

sometimes double the normal
height and length of a normal piece.

The objective is to go
as large as possible,

for pure readability, with
little add-ons of style being used.

Sometimes these stompers are
filled with roller paint,

but are usually outlined with spray paint.

Number 9: The blockbuster.

The blockbuster, or blocky for short,

is another form of representing
graffiti at a large scale--

but the style is a lot more blocky
or squared-off than usual.

Whereas graffiti pieces
usually incorporate curves,

the blocky almost looks like
a very straight and linear "font"

applied to the wall in a huge manner.

And number 10: Stickers.

The sticker is a very
quick and easy form of getting up,

and it's simply tagging or
doing an artwork on an adhesive sticker

that you then go out and
stick somewhere for others to see.

This has even evolved in recent years

where graffiti writers have their word
custom-printed on a sticker,

and place hundreds if not thousands
of them everywhere,

as a very easy method
of getting recognized.

All right, guys,
with all that said and done,

I've gone through 10 types of graffiti.

If you liked the video, if you enjoyed it,
if you learned something,

be sure to give it a like, a comment,
and of course subscribe.

I do a lot of other videos
related to tagging, throw ups,

pieces, tutorials, graffiti reviews...

so go ahead and subscribe,

and stay tuned for all that
good content coming through.

Thanks again, and peace out.