Spray Paint Art
You hear the words "spray paint," and you automatically think "graffiti." True enough, but there's so much more to the medium, and spray paint artists know it. They use spray paint to create beautiful works of art by manipulating the paint on poster board while it's still wet. Since surreal landscapes are a common subject in spray paint art, the steps below will teach you how to create a planet painting plus give you tips on techniques and help you find ways to make your mark as an artist. Let's get spraying!
Contents
Steps
Creating a Painting
- Find a flat, well-ventilated area to paint in. Exposure to the pigment, binder and solvent in spray paint can cause eye and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness and nausea, so care must be taken when using this medium.
- Set up outdoors to cut down on your exposure to the spray paint vapors. If there's a breeze, be sure it's at your back so that it doesn't blow the fumes into your face.
- Open a window if you spray indoors and set up a fan to blow the vapors out.
- Wear a full-face or half-face respirator to greatly minimize your exposure to solvent fumes; this is strongly recommended. At the very least, consider wearing a paper particle mask.
- Use paper plates or other round objects for the planets. Can lids, old Frisbees, buckets and empty plastic containers work well. Compose your painting by laying the plates out where you want the planets to appear on the poster board.
- Outline your planets. Use black spray paint and lightly mist around the edges of the plates to create the outlines of the planets.
- Fill in your planets. Remove the plates and spray the inside of your planets with whatever color you'd like. Red, yellow and orange are good choices, but it's entirely up to you. Don't worry about staying inside the lines; overspray a bit and go over your outline to ensure the color is completely filled in.
- Add texture. Spray a light layer of black over some areas of your planets' color. Gently place a piece of magazine on top of the black layer while it's still wet. Take your hand and run it across the magazine, tug from one corner about an inch, then pull away from the poster board. You should have a pretty cool texture on your planet.
- Get creative with materials. Besides magazine pages, you can use paper towels, plastic bags, sponges, pieces of terry cloth towels and lots of other items to create different textures.
- Keep it nontraditional. Stay away from brushes or other tools associated with traditional oil painting; these are frowned upon by purists of the spray art genre.
- Create the sky. Put the plates back in place and spray around them to create the sky. Fill in all the space between the plates with black and spray around the plates again to make the planets complete circles. Spray some blue in places to add another layer of color.
- Add stars. Grab a can of white paint, hold it at an angle and mist lightly. It can be challenging to know just how much pressure to apply in order to create a light mist, so practice on some scrap paper first. Another option would be to spray some paint directly on your finger and flick it onto your painting.
- Take off the plates to see your finished painting. This first planetary painting should give you a good idea of what you can do with spray art. Keep practicing to perfect your techniques.
Working on your Technique
- Understand the structure of a spray paint can. There is a little tube going from the valve at the top of the can to the bottom. The tube must sit in the paint so the paint can be drawn up through it and out the cap.
- Hold the can vertically to ensure an even spray; otherwise, you might spray mostly or only propellant.
- Experiment to see what works. When there is plenty of paint in a can, you should be able to hold it whatever way you’d like—even upside down for a few seconds.
- Keep the can from clogging. When it sits around, the spray paint pigment separates from the solvent and thickens, causing clogs. To prevent clogging, shaking the can hard is a must.
- Keep in flowing. Cans have a “pea” inside that breaks up and redistributes the paint particles so the paint mixes well and can flow freely. That “ping-ping-ping” sound you hear when you shake a can of spray paint is the sound of the pea hitting the sides of the can.
- Hold the can upside down when you shake it; this gets the paint particles back into the liquid solvent quicker. Shake for about a minute.
- Make thin lines. Being able to create thin lines will allow you to add detail and outline objects in your painting. Follow a few simple techniques to get your lines nice and thin.
- Stand closer to your paper to get your lines thin. If your paper is mounted to the wall, you may need to tilt the can to come in really close.
- Get very sharp lines by holding the can so that the upper side points in the direction you’re painting. In other words, hold the can vertically when you’re drawing vertical lines, horizontally for drawing horizontal lines.
- Move quickly. You must paint fast to create very thin lines. Besides, spraying too long on the same place will leave drips.
- Learn how to fill in. Thick layers applied at once tend to get flaws when drying or after being exposed to weather. The key to filling in is to use fat lines and to layer the paint. In fact, spray paint art in general is all about layering, so this is an important technique to learn.
- Fill in using lines. Don’t release a continuous stream of paint when filling in an area. Use lines to gradually cover the space.
- Release the cap after each line to avoid patches with a thick layer of paint.
- Embrace thin layers. They dry more quickly and result in a finish that lasts longer.
- Create small dots. This is difficult because it can't be well controlled, but with some practice, you should be able to create the effect you want. Hold the can upside down and spray as if you’re blowing the cap clean. Stop spraying at the moment the paint stops flowing and only propellant is being expelled. With the can still upside down, press down on the cap to spray a perfect dot. Practice several times before using this technique. The trick is to stop the spray at exactly the right moment before spraying again to create a dot.
- Purchase an assortment of spray can caps. Sure, your can of spray paint comes with a cap, but that doesn’t mean it’s the cap you have to stick with. A number of specialty caps that will give you the effect you’re looking for are available for sale.
- Spray paint cans have “male” or “female valves, so before you purchase a cap, be sure it’s compatible with the brand of spray paint you’re using.
- Whether the spray paint is a foreign or domestic brand will also determine its cap compatibility. Here are a few of the popular cap styles:
- Fat caps are good for creating medium to fat lines and are considered to be all-around useful caps, especially for filling in.
- Stencil caps are used to create ultra-thin lines. They actually sit in front of the nozzle and stop the flow of most of the paint being dispensed from the can and create the thinnest possible line.
- Outline caps do exactly what their name suggests; they're used to outline and add details.
- Remove and replace caps properly. Twist or screw the cap off of or on to the can. Cover the dot with one finger to avoid a spray of paint from escaping during this process.
Making your Mark
- Experiment with different surfaces. One way to get your work seen is to put in on articles that have a public profile. Spray paint artists work on high gloss surfaces or surfaces that are semi- to non-porous. That means you can create not only on poster board but on windows, skateboards and car hoods.
- Look for legal places to paint. Creating with a can of spray paint is not necessarily seen as vandalism; in some cases, it’s considered to be an important contribution to a city as a form of public art.
- Look for mural art projects to be a part of. Many cities have mural art programs that create wall art as a way of beautifying neighborhoods. These groups may not use spray paint to create their art, but they’re worth investigating.
- Cities around the world have designated areas where graffiti and spray paint artists are welcome to work. These include Venice, California; Queens, New York; Melbourne, Australia, Warsaw, Poland; Paris, France and Taipei, Taiwan to name a few. Do some research to find areas where your artwork is welcome.
- Offer your work for sale. Since spray art is a fairly new genre, many traditional galleries don’t accept it, but you can take a more DIY approach to getting paid for your paintings.
- Rent a booth at a local arts fair or flea market. Many areas have art shows that are well-attended annual events. In some cases, you’ll have to submit your work to a panel of judges in order to be accepted. In other cases, you simply have to pay the fee for a booth. Many communities have weekly or monthly flea markets. Double check that the one you’re interested in allows for artwork to be sold.
- Create a website or online gallery to showcase your canvases. This allows people from all over to browse through your work and find something that appeals to them. You can also offer your work for sale on eBay.
- Set your sights high. Find inspiration in the story of Hugo Montero, one of the major innovators of spray paint art. At the peak of his popularity, he had shows at the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center and the Smithsonian in Washington DC, collaborated with MTV and continued painting on the street. A journalist gave him the nickname CanGogh, which stuck with him from that time forward.
Tips
- Rubber gloves will save your hands from paint. Not necessary but a recommendation
- Wear old clothing that you don't mind getting dirty.
- When you buy your paint cans, make sure they're all the same brand.
- Don't paint on other people's property or vandalize things.
Warnings
- Avoid breathing the fumes as much as possible. If you begin to feel dizzy or nauseated, stop painting immediately and move to an outdoor or well-ventilated area.
- Some locations require a buyer to be 18 years or older to purchase spray paint; check the laws in your area.
- Do not paint if you are pregnant or have any respiratory condition.
Things You'll Need
- Respirator or paper particle mask
- Latex gloves (vinyl if you're allergic)
- Glossy spray paint
- Glossy poster board
- Paper plates and other round objects of different sizes
- Magazines and sponges to create a textured effect
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