GRAFFITI NAMES ages 9 & up
Spotlight Artist:
Banksy
Supplies:
pencils, copy paper, eraser, graffiti font sheet, markers, color pencils, oil pastels
Welcome to Art Class. This podcast will cover an art lesson on creating your name in graffiti and discussing the artist, Banksy.
Today’s spotlight artist is shrouded in mystery. Although he is famous worldwide, no one knows his real identity... ok, a friend accidentally outed him in an interview, but don’t tell your students about the particulars... where’s the fun in that?
We are talking about Banksy. He and other street artists help start an art movement that took graffiti off the streets and into fine art museums and prestigious auction houses. The street art movement is happening during our lifetime, which is easier to get students to relate to the renaissance in the 1400s.
Begin the lesson by asking your students, “Is Graffiti Art”? Get a discussion going about what makes it legal or illegal. All art communicates something. The street art movement is known for communicating social injustice and dark humor.
Show your students, “Girl with Balloon” and have them comment on it. Ask, “How does it feel to a young child when they lose their grip on a balloon and watch as it flies away? Why do you suppose Banksy chose to paint a balloon in the shape of a heart? Why do you think the artist chose to use one color and use it sparingly? Near the mural you can read the phrase, ‘There is always hope’. Why include that phrase in the piece?”
Banksy is legendary for visiting a city undercover and leaving his mark all around town for people to discover. In Park City, Utah, the owner of a coffee shop opened up one morning and encountered a Banksy on the side of the building. Show students, “Camera Man and Flower”. See if the kids can figure out what Banksy is trying to communicate through this piece. Again, there is only one color and it is used in one small area.
Notice the expression on the camera man’s face. Is he happy, sad, indifferent? What is happening to the flower? Point out the protective covering with Banksy’s name on it. People have gone to great lengths to either disassemble a wall in order to sell it at auction or destroy a Banksy with their own graffiti. How do you think Banksy feels about both? Being a graffiti artist, do you think he cares that another graffiti artist leaves their mark on his?
If you are able to show a video in your classroom, you must play the “girl with balloon” that recently sold at auction for $1.4 million. As the auctioneer slammed his gavel down and shouted, “sold”, Banksy pressed a remote control that lowered the artwork through a paper shredder that was secretly built into the picture frame. The people standing around it can’t grasp what is happening right away. The irony of Banksy protesting his art being owned by the wealthy few is that the piece was worth more after being shredded.
The lesson:
Students will create street art - legally- by drawing and coloring their name
in a graffiti font. Work in pencil first since they will be arranging and
rearranging the letters. Find graffiti alphabet sheets on line or use the link in the show description. Lettering is difficult for most students so have them trace the letters to spell their name or a word or short phrase. Show students samples of graffiti or even a book on graffiti art. Notice how the letters overlap each other to turn individual letters into a unified piece of art. Outlining the letters in black mimics spray painting them. Don’t worry if the outline gets colored on. The final step is to go over the outline one last time.
Also difficult for kids is the concept of a drop shadow. Ask students to notice that the thick black shadow cast by each letter is always below and always on the right (or left, but pick one). The drop shadow makes the piece look 3-D. Trace the overlapping letters first, then consider that a letter in front will cast a shadow onto the letter directly behind it. Have students give their lettering their own unique touch by adding drips of paint, an underline, arrows,
rainbows, or splashes and streaks of paint.
The nature of spray paint is that the colors blend together smoothly. Help students choose a medium to color the lettering. Markers, colored pencil, and oil pastel work well. They have vibrant color that is easily blended. This artwork looks super-cool when cut out and glued onto a notebook cover or sketchbook cover. A background can also be added. Have fun creating legal graffiti art and remind the kids that without permission it is vandalism. We want law-abiding artists in this class.