Reflection

Overall, my journey has been interesting and fun. I have faced some challenges such as changing my mind between freehand graffiti and stencil graffiti and experimenting with materials. Next time, I would like to attempt to draw more of my own stencils in order to develop my drawing skills. By completing this project, I would like to develop my skills further and attempt free hand graffiti so I can take some photographs of my own work.

Stencil graffiti history

Stencil graffiti subculture has been around for the last thirty years. Artists such as Banksy, John Fekner and Jef Aresol are famous stencil graffiti artists. Stencilling is an easy method to produce a political message. Many artists appreciate the publicity that their artwork can receive. Some just want their work to be seen. Since the stencil stays uniform throughout its use, it is easier for an artist to quickly replicate what could be a complicated piece at a very quick rate, when compared to other conventional tagging methods.

Over the years this form of graffiti has become a worldwide subculture. The members are linked through the Internet and the images spray-painted on the urban canvas they place throughout the world. Many of its members connect through blogs and websites that are specifically built to display works, get feedback on posted works, and receive news of what is going on in the world of stencil graffiti.

Final pieces

Working on the final piece

Today I began working on my five final stencil graffiti pieces. Previously I tested the stencils to work out which ones I would like to use. First I taped the stencils onto the black canvas and then I sprayed them. When it came to stencilling the words, I decided to trace the letters first before spraying them. When I was experimenting with the lettering, it was all over the place. By tracing them beforehand helped me get the letters straight and proportioned. The process was successful and the pieces turned out the way I had expected.

Making a start

Today I decided to begin spraying the 5 canvas' in order for them to dry for tommorrow. Tommorrow I will be finishing my final art pieces.

Starting the final piece

I began a brainstorm on the stencils, text and colours I would like to use for my final art piece. I have decided that the 5 flat canvas' will all be sprayed black because the colourful graffiti will stand out on the background.

The final 5 pieces are:

1. Rose - Love (Red stencil on a black background)
My connection: It is my favourite flower

2. Turtle -Luck (Green stencil on a black background)
My connection: It is my favourite animal and it is my good luck charm

3. SLR Camera - Passion (Blue on a black background)
My conection: My passion and interest in photography

4. Marilyn Monroe - Inspire (Silver on a black background)
My connection: A person I admire

5. Apple - Wisom (Green on a black background)
My connection: Traditional representation of a teacher

Testing new stencils

Today I tested out the new stencils that I have created in order to determine which ones I will be using for my final piece. I experiemented using different colours in order to work out how I would like my final pieces to look. I am really happy with the way the stencils worked out, however, I need to work on the text because my trials were really messy and the letters were all over the place.

Experimenting with new stencils

This weekend I am going to experiement with the new stencils that I have created. I want to focus on colours and which stencil design and text would suit each colour. I will be focussing on colour associations and linking them to each design.

I have bought 5 flat canvas' that I will be using for my final art piece. My final art piece will be one piece made up of 5 30cmx40cm canvas' displaying an image and a word which displays a personal association to the image. The colour of the canvas, object and text will be determind by colour association and emotive colours.

Color Symbolism Chart
	Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate.
	Pink symbolizes love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm.
	Beige and ivory symbolize unification. Ivory symbolizes quiet and pleasantness. Beige symbolizes calm and simplicity.
	Joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship.
	Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.
	Turquoise symbolizes calm. Teal symbolizes sophistication. Aquamarine symbolizes water. Lighter turquoise has a feminine appeal.
	Royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning.
	Lavender symbolizes femininity, grace and elegance.
	Energy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention.
	Nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigor.
	Earth, stability, hearth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, simplicity, and comfort.
	Inspiration,Security, reliability, intelligence, staid, modesty, dignity, maturity, solid, conservative, practical, old age, sadness, boring. Silver symbolizes calm.
	Reverence, purity, birth, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical.
	Power, Inspire, sophistication, respect, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, depth, style, memory,evil, sadness, remorse, anger, anonymity, underground, good technical color, mourning, death (Western cultures).

New stencils

Here are some new stencils that I have created. I attempted to draw some of these stencils although the Marilyn Monroe and Mickey Mouse image was from the internet. I drew the turtle stencil. These three images will be apart of my final piece. I will test out these stencils sometime this week to work out what colours I will use and what words I will associate with them.

Experimenting with new stencils

I experiemented with the new stencils that I have created. They worked out better using acetate rather than hard cardboard. I noticed that the rose stencil was hard to use because the centre of the rose was really detailed so its hard to see the middle of it. I tried three different fonts for the text which all turned out good. The camera stencil turned out fantastic and I will definetly use this stencil as part of my final artpiece.