Scape Martinez - GRAFF Color Master: Freestyle Color Techniques for GRAFFITI Art

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From the very beginning Ive always had a fascination with color. As a young child I was captivated by the bold colors found in nature. The yellows of sunflowers, the reds of roses, the blue of the sky, the deep blue of the night sky, how green that grass was. I wondered how to replicate those colors in my drawings and later how to replicate them in my paintings.

Even in my early days as a graffiti writer people would often comment, Bro, you do your colors weird! and Why do you blend colors? and Youre not supposed to blend! I would respond, Because I can! I always had this innate fascination with color, where it is in the world and where it is in my art, how I use it in my art. Its a very intimate and subconscious thing. These days I dont really think about how to use color, I just go. Its very much automatic.

From the very beginning Ive always had a fascination with color. As a young child I was captivated by the bold colors found in nature. The yellows of sunflowers, the reds of roses, the blue of the sky, the deep blue of the night sky, how green that grass was. I wondered how to replicate those colors in my drawings and later how to replicate them in my paintings.

Some may wonder what is the rationale for this book, what is its purpose, why write it? There are tons of books about color already. This book is an extension of me. This book is unique because no one has explored the nature of color usage within the universe of urban street art, and no one has explored his or her own color styles within this urban art universe. This is unique, this is breakthrough.

I learned many years ago that when others were concerned with their lettering styles, I was concerned with my color styles. When others were flexing arrows, I was flexing pink. When others where concerned with constructing their letters, I was deconstructing my letters. I was deconstructing mine to let those beautiful colors flow out, and over time my fill-ins became my backgrounds and a whole new form of expression opened up for me.

I learned that, yes, people do see color before anything, and it impacts them in many ways. Their moods, their feelings and ultimately their emotional wellness comes through color, so before people would wonder about what it says, they began to comment on how it made me feel. Bold use of color allowed me to communicate with people in a way that simple letter structure could not.

I learned more about skilled improvisation, I understood that my spray cans were instruments, my paintbrushes were instruments. Just like a musician, I learned to play them and play them well. My colors were sounds, making music in my mind, that I put on walls and canvas. I began to make color choices based on the immediate environment and my deeper inner feelings; everything else was sign painting to me. I began to go deeper with my color compositions. I began to paint in what I called my Graffiti Style Invention Cycle! Things became more complex and yet more melodic, and all in this universe that we call graffiti art, but steeped in abstract expressionist stylings. The doors flung open, and that is where this book comes from.

This book is not about how to do graffiti, but this is how I make art. These are my personal cave paintings. Trust and enjoy!

I frequently get asked the question, What is the importance of color in the art of graffiti? In my opinion, you cant have one without the other. Color is one of the ways we communicate as people. It crosses borders, languages and cultures. Color attracts attention, color commands power, color affects the senses and color informs. How many times have you seen a work of art and thought, I dont know what it is, but I sure do like the colors?

This chapter represents the building blocks of your color education. Well dig into some color theory and technique, then apply the rules through spray paint, acrylic and digital exercises. Lets start with the primary and secondary colors and take off from there!

When learning about color, even as it applies to street or graffiti art, it is important to understand and apply traditional concepts and supplies. To get the best color results, always work with the best resources. Experiment with traditional acrylics and oils because they have greater pigmentation than spray paint. Dont limit yourselfseek to understand and use as many different tools in your work as possible. Move beyond spray paint on walls and try out different mediums and surfaces, too. There are lots of rules and methods to using different suppliesyouve got to learn them to break them!

Paper comes in a variety of sizes, colors, textures and thicknesses (referred to as its weight). A papers surface ranges from smooth to medium to rough. I prefer working on heavy multimedia or rough watercolor paper, the bigger the better. Always keep a sketchbook on hand for jotting down ideas and fleshing out your concepts.

Canvas is a heavy duty woven fabric that artists use to paint on, and something you can never take too seriously. I prefer cotton over linen canvas. It is available pre-stretched or rolled, raw or primed, and comes in various widths, weights and textures. I prefer a very large raw cotton canvas with a heavy tooth. It must be primed with layers of gesso beforehand, enabling me to prepare the surface exactly how I want it.