development...
The picture on the left is the first ever large scale graffiti piece I did. Before this I had only sprayed on pieces of board, so it was important to me to produce a piece that was at least the size of a person and on a proper wall.
I did this piece at a local shop called Alfreshco. I'm really lucky having these guys so near to were I live because it is actually one of the biggest paint stores in the country. They are a big warehouse and painters go there from all over the world. It isn't just a warehouse of paint, they also have lots of walls that anyone can go and paint, so all I had to do to get permission was to call them and ask. One of the artists based there offered to do a workshop with me and I was able to do this piece and get lots of advice on what I should consider when doing graffiti.
I learned things like: what caps were best to use; decisions I would need to make before I started to paint; how to use the pressure in a can to help me get different effects with the paint; the process of doing a piece, so, starting with an outline, filling the space and then going back to the outline and highlights etc.; how to work on filling my letters; options for using different colours in the fill and perhaps most importantly, how to get a clean crisp line.
At the time I was very exited and couldn't wait to spray some paint. I was also very pleased with the results, although it didn't take me long before I realised how limited the work was and I wanted to get out there and do another piece very quickly.
Ever since this piece I knew I wanted to carry it on and I want to become a big artist. Since then, I've kept on practising, both at workshops when I can get back to Alfreshco, but also on boards at my own house and my work has started to develop. My passion for the art has grown with me and although I was interested in graffiti before the Arts Award, I'm happy to say that because of doing this I am still painting and now moving on to bigger and better pieces.
Since that first workshop I have learnt a lot of things. For example, my can control, how to cut back to make the lines look extra sharp and much more. I have also noticed how much more I need to learn and I can't wait to make the most of it.
With the support of my local youth club I am able to take part and get work experience in many things to do with graffiti, which means I can teach younger ones what I've learned and try my best to inspire them. I have also worked with the local primary school to do a stencil project for their summer club. This was my first opportunity to run a project myself and helped me with my own project idea later. The school were happy with the results and the children all got to take a small canvas of their artwork home.
I also get the opportunity to take part in the big murals that we are now being asked to do at different places around Cambridgeshire. Below are some photos of workshops I've been involved in helping and a few murals I did with others who are interested in spray art.
The photo with the group of 8 of us is from a mural we did in the car park of a doctors surgery in Cambridge. Below is a link to the write up we received from the Cambridge News:
Here is a link to the Alfreshco website and Facebook page:
