It’s Big, It’s Bold:
Graffiti Street Art
A California Graffiti Artist Tells How to Go Pro
Author:
José Leal, Julio Alvarez
To some, it is only known as an act of vandalism. For
others, graffiti is a form of art. It can become an
act of vandalism when artists do not get any support
from their community and have to do it illegally.
However, graffiti can also be legal. To learn more
about the differences between graffiti art and
vandalism, ShoutOut spoke with Erik about his
experiences being a Californian graffiti artist who
has done both illegal and legal graffiti art.
According to Erik, there are different styles of
graffiti art. “There are people that tag, people that
just do pieces, people that do characters, and people
that do letters,” he says.
Another important distinction is that while taggers
like to leave initials on public property, graffiti
artists use their talent and their pieces to express
themselves in the cities they live in. “It’s a way to
create a space that is beautiful,” Erik
explains. “You go into a dirty alley, an abandoned
warehouse, some stinky sewer and that’s where you run
into some of the most creative art.”
Erik is a 26 year-old artists who was born in
Zacatecas, Mexico. He was raised in Los Angeles,
California where he was brought up in a booming
graffiti scene. Erik says he has been artistic since
he was a young boy. He started by drawing comics and
trying to duplicate onto paper everything he saw. He
even started painting at an early age.
Once Erik hit 13, he did his first piece in his
friend’s back yard on a brick wall. Erik believes it
was on this day that he realized he is an artist. But
not just any artist—an artist whose work would one day
be known around the US.
Back when Erik first became a graffiti artist, most of
his work was done illegally. He got caught and was
fined $500 in community restitution. “Now it’s
worse,” says Erik. Today, a similar crime could cost
up to $1,000 and up to one year in jail.
Erik is now a single parent who can’t afford to get
into trouble. “That’s risking too much,” he
says. “Even when I did illegal stuff, we did it where
it wouldn’t hurt anyone. I wasn’t into city
bombing.” From fences to walls, Erik and his buddy
would ask if they could paint over bad graffiti and
make it look nice. If it was vandalized again they
would come back and do it over.
Soon, people started asking Erik to paint for
money. “Younger business owners who grew up with
graffiti have learned to appreciate it more,” Erik
says. “Instead of ignoring it, they learned what it
is. It’s an art form.”
Erik has since painted hundreds of pictures and has
received awards for his pieces. Legal graffiti has
given him a chance to travel across America showing
his work alongside artists he admires. Some day he
hopes to travel overseas to do shows as well.
For those of you who are interested in graffiti art,
Erik says that legal painting is the way to go. With
illegal graffiti, you can spend a few hours doing a
piece and the next day someone paints over it. Legal
graffiti, on the other hand, gets more exposure and
stays up.
Doing graffiti art can also be hazardous to your
health. Artists need to protect themselves,
especially when painting interior walls. Protective
clothes such as gloves and long sleeve shirts will
help protect your skin. Wear a ventilating facemask
that protects from breathing in the toxins that are in
paints. And be sure to change your filters, Erik
warns.
Erik’s final words: “Tagging makes real graffiti look
bad. Just be aware of the consequences.”