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Graffiti by Shaka, France. Check out an interview with the guy at Fatcap.com.

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BLAZE

And now for the part of graffiti that the majority of people hate the most, and that I – of course – love the most: TAGS! I was about to write something pretentious about the beauty and individuality of the tag, when I found German writer REW had done just that in the magnificent book Writing – Urban Calligraphy and Beyond, so I just copied parts of his text…
Watch the videos, check the pictures (click on them for larger size) and read his writings. Give it a try. There’s more than meets the eye.

…to the majority of people, who hardly ever think about this aspect or simply don’t understand it, the shapes and histories of tags mean absolutely nothing, least of all appeal to them. ”I enjoy those large, vidid images! But I don’t see the point of the small, black scribbles on the wall. Those are ugly!” Sound familiar?
[…]
I should point out that there will always be people who, even if they are familiar with the subject of tags, simply don’t like their aesthetics and would rather see a pristine wall. These people get extremely upset when it gets ”soiled” again. This is a topic that should be considered in a different discussion on property and personal values. I would like to talk about the tag itself instead, its form and its essence. I’d like to talk about the fact that a tag is very different from banal ”smears” such as a few random brushstrokes in a room that’s about to be repainted anyway. Tags are the result of very specific needs that have accompanied humanity for thousands of years. Tags are about spreading a message, about drawing attention to something.
[…]
No matter if 74,000 posters all over the city shout out that a new Volvo is finally available, or if Peter lets Maria know that he has fallen for her on the wall that’s on her way to school, or if a writer leaves his tag at representative locations – the parallels are obvious. Especially when it comes to writing, there are a number of different reasons for tagging. The most obvious one is fame and recognition from simply generating as many tags as possible at many conspicuous locations in different parts of a city or districts. Another big motivation for tagging, and this aspect I’d like to emphasize here, is working with different styles!
In addition to spreading their own name, there are some writers who place a lot of importance on the form and the individual style of a tag. This might be about how an ”R” or an ”S” should be shaped, what the ideal proportions are, if it would look better broad and long or slim and tall, if a certain line of a letter should be long or short, if it should be round and curved or straight and angular, if the transition between the letters should be gradual or distinctly separate, or which, if any, further elements or other ornaments should appear next to the tag. Such criteria and viewpoints are used to define and measure the quality of your own tags and those of other writers.
Based on this, it is easy to see and understand that not each and every one, but a large number of the tags we encounter in the streets (and fortunately every once in a while still on trains) possess individuality and beauty as defined by the studied commitment to the task and the constant evolution of an individual, stylish tag honed by years of practice.

OXBOE

DELTA ONE

ZASD (onelines where the pen never leaves the surface)

Alphabet by ZASD

Alphabet by AKIM

BABBO

But then again, sometimes it’s all about All Out Destruction…

>If you dislike this hardcore post but enjoy the softcore post, bear in mind that the stuff featured in both posts are equally illegal. Seems like it’s mostly a matter of taste and understanding, right?

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Before we check the throw-ups, let’s celebrate 20 years of VIM hardcore action. Yes, I believe this legendary Swedish crew has been around for 20 years now. Truly unbelievable!
This clip demonstrates their top notch style. It’s cut from the Friendly Fire movie released in 2005.

And now, enjoy the throw-ups! The clips are rough cuts from the State Your Name movie. The pics are from all over the place.

>This is the kind of graffiti/street art that even the average dork usually appreciates. Why? Because the dorks can relate to this stuff, because they understand (kind of) what’s going on, and then – all of a sudden – that kind of graffiti is acceptable to these dorks. Of course, that’s just a normal dork reaction and you should be free to feel that way… You’re still a dork, though.

The next graffiti post will focus on tags and hardcore stuff that the dorks don’t get at all and thus they immediately start raving about how graffiti should be stopped because it all looks the same, it’s ugly, linear and destructive. The problem here usually is that the dorks don’t understand how to draw a tag, how to build a piece and what it’s like doing that stuff in the dark – with the police constantly breathing down your neck. Tags and throw-ups obviously looks like shit to them, because they don’t get the picture.
That’s what I think bothers people the most about graffiti. They don’t get it and it’s in their face.

I guess I’m just tired of those lazy hypocritical bastards who always complain, but never make an effort. Now for the softcore stuff. Hope you like it! And don’t forget to check the video at the end of this post.

All photos stolen from the Fat Cap site. Please go there.

And here’s a pretty cool video, a wall-painted animation.