Graffiti Letter D Drawing Tutorial for Beginners
Ever wondered how to draw a graffiti D with markers but weren’t sure where to start? Graffiti lettering may look bold and intimidating at first, but with a few simple steps, it’s much more approachable than it seems.
In this tutorial, we’re focusing on just one letter, the “D”. Because learning graffiti one letter at a time makes the process easier and far less overwhelming. By slowing things down and working with a single shape, you’ll build confidence and skills you can use for other letters later on.
Grab your markers, take it at your own pace, and enjoy the process. Let’s get started.
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Art Supplies
- Thin black marker
- Paper or cardstock
- Markers
- Pencil
- Click Eraser, Pink Pearl Eraser
- White Gelly Roll pen
Learning Graffiti Letters One at a Time
Graffiti lettering is built around bold, simple shapes that are full of personality. Instead of aiming for perfection, graffiti artists focus on strong forms, smooth curves, and clear outlines that give each letter its own style.
In this tutorial, we’re focusing on how to draw a graffiti D with markers by practicing just one letter at a time. Working with a single letter helps you slow down and really understand the shapes without feeling overwhelmed. Once you’re comfortable with the “D,” you can use the same ideas and techniques to draw other graffiti letters later on.
Before you begin, give yourself permission to keep things loose. Your lines don’t need to be perfect, and every drawing doesn’t need to turn out exactly the same. This is about learning, practicing, and enjoying the process. One letter at a time.
Graffiti D Sketch Practice
Doing a quick sketch practice exercise is a great way to warm up before starting your actual drawing. But it’s totally optional.
It only takes a few minutes to do, but the benefits are well worth the little bit of extra time. Here’s how it’s done.
- Get some paper and something to sketch with (pencil, pen, marker, etc.)
- Pull up some reference photos of a graffiti letter D
- Set a timer for three or five minutes
Then quickly sketch out as many drawings of the letter D as you can before the timer goes off. When doing this you want to focus on the overall look of the letter. Don’t worry about the small details.
Keep your sketches quick and loose.
You could also keep sketching until you fill your paper and run out of room. Either way is fine, as long as you keep this exercise short and your lines loose.
Step by Step Graffiti Letter D
I’m doing my drawing on an artist trading card (ATC), which I make myself by cutting them from a standard size sheet of cardstock.
These cards are the perfect size for individual letters. They are a smaller size so it makes finishing the drawings so much easier.
Click here to learn more about artist trading cards
Step 1: Simple Shapes & Guides
The best way to start any drawing is with some basic shapes and guidelines. There are many benefits to doing this, but my favorite is that it helps to get over the blank page syndrome.
To begin your graffiti letter D, simply start by drawing out the letter as you would if you were writing it. You can draw it as an upper or lower case letter. Make it one single line without any thickness to it for this step.
But as you draw out your letter, think about the angles and how you can make it a bit more interesting. We don’t want to make boring graffiti letters.
Step 2: Graffiti D Sketch
The next step is to add some width to your letter. We will use the guidelines drawn in the previous step to make things easier.
Add additional lines to both sides of the guidelines. Sketch lightly so you can make adjustments as you go.
Find ways to make your letter more interesting. You can do this by making some sections of your letter wider and some more narrow.
Or you can make some of your lines cut in or push out.
Step 3: Extra Details
Finish your sketch by adding in any extra details for the letter itself or the background.
The background can be just as much fun as the letter itself. If you’re not sure what to do for the background try a brick wall or checkerboard pattern.
Or you can simply add some color, lines, or shapes.
Graffiti Letter D Outline
After you have your letter all drawn out you need to add an outline to your drawing using a black pen or marker. This is also known as inking your drawing. This step will help your graffiti D stand out and look more finished.
When you create your outline you can make your lines thick, thin, or a combination of line weights. All you need to do is trace over all of the pencil lines you want to keep, and ignore all the extra lines.
Take your time, move slowly, and let your hand relax as you trace the shape you’ve already drawn. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
When you’re finished inking your drawing, use a big eraser to remove all of the extra pencil lines.
How to Draw a Graffiti D with Markers
I love using markers for my drawings. Especially graffiti style art. They are perfect for this type of artwork.
You can use other media as well or create a mixed media piece.
I used alcohol markers for my graffiti D drawing. Alcohol markers are great because they allow you to mix and blend the colors together.
For my drawing I used a few different blue markers for the letter. And orange as my accent color. I chose this color combination because blue and orange are complimentary colors, which means they work together to create harmony.
For the letter I started with the lightest blue. Then added a medium blue. And finished with my darkest blue.
Use the lighter markers to blend the areas together if you want a smoother transition.
I then used three different orange markers for the background as well. All of the black was done with an outlining pen.
A white Gelly Roll pen can be used to add highlights.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
Learning how to draw a graffiti D with markers is less about getting everything perfect and more about becoming comfortable with the shapes and lines. By focusing on one letter at a time, you give yourself the space to practice, experiment, and build confidence at your own pace.
As a next step, try drawing the graffiti letter D a few more times using different line weights or slight shape changes. Try challenging yourself to a series of drawings and making one small change with each one .
Then, when you feel ready, move on to another letter and apply the same approach you used here. Or try drawing an entire word.
Most importantly, keep your practice short and enjoyable. Even a few minutes of drawing goes a long way when you’re consistent. Each letter you practice helps strengthen your skills and makes graffiti lettering feel more natural over time.
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