Step by Step Graffiti Drawing of the Word PEACE
In this lesson I’ll be showing you how I did a Peace Graffiti Drawing. I’ll share with you my process for creating graffiti art from start to finish.
Graffiti art is a great way to work on developing your art and drawing skills. And it’s perfect for all levels of artists.
Let’s grab some supplies and get started on our “Peace” graffiti drawing.
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Art Supplies
- Thin black marker
- Paper or cardstock
- Markers
- Pencil
- Click Eraser, Pink Pearl Eraser
- White Gelly Roll pen
About Graffiti Art
Graffiti art is a form of visual expression typically created by spray-painting, drawing, or tagging on public surfaces such as walls, buildings, or streets. It often involves vibrant colors, intricate designs, and bold lettering.
Graffiti artists use their work to convey social or political messages, showcase their artistic skills, or simply leave their mark on the urban landscape.
While graffiti has faced criticism for its perceived illegality and vandalism, it’s also celebrated as a legitimate art form that adds vibrancy and character to urban environments.
Graffiti Art Thumbnail Sketching
A great way to get started with your graffiti art is with some quick thumbnail sketches. By doing this first you can generate some ideas for composition and layout designs.
And, it’s an easy way to get warmed up before working on your actual drawing. Doing some thumbnail sketches will only take you a few extra minutes. But they can actually save you a ton of time in the long run.
To learn more about how to do this check out, How to Make Thumbnail Sketches for Your Art.
“Peace” Graffiti Drawing (Step by Step)
The first thing you need to do when making a graffiti drawing is to know what word you’re going to be using in your artwork. For this drawing the word is “Peace”.
The next thing you need to decide is what style of letters you’re going to be drawing and where you want them on your paper. This is where the thumbnail sketching really helps out.
I also go over different layout ideas in my FREE Graffiti Guide for Beginners.
Step 1: Lettering
Start by drawing your lettering on your paper. When doing this pay attention to the size and placement of your word. You’ll also need to know if you want your letters to flow on a straight line or follow a curve.
The best way to control all of this is with some simple guidelines for the placement and flow of your letters.
If you did some thumbnail sketches you should already know all of this. If not, then just decide on how you want your letters to look.
For my Peace graffiti drawing I decided on a simple style letter that I feel goes with the theme of my drawing. Since I knew I wanted to use a hippie theme, I chose letters that had a little flare at the bottom.
Step 2: Background Images
The next step is to add in your background images. Since I was doing a hippie theme, I drew sunflowers, a peace symbol, a VW bus, and a hippie guy. These are all things that come to mind when I hear the word peace.
You want your graffiti drawing to make sense so choose images that work together. Then start sketching them into your background.
Keep in mind that the entire image doesn’t have to fit onto your paper. You can have part of it going off the edge of your paper.
And, it usually looks better if your images are partially behind your letters so they’re not all just floating on the paper. This is a good opportunity to practice overlapping.
Step 3: Negative Space
After you have all of your images sketched in, you’ll be left with some negative space. You can leave the negative space there and simply color it in.
Or, you can fill the areas in with designs and patterns. Either way is fine and they both look good. It just depends on how you want your drawing to look.
Peace Graffiti Drawing Outline
After you have your peace graffiti drawing sketched out you’ll need to add an outline to everything. This is usually done with a black pen or marker.
You could also try using a colored pen or marker and see how that looks. Again, it comes down to your personal preference and the overall look you’re going for.
When making your outlines you can use thick or thin lines. You can also use a combination of line weights, which usually looks the best.
Simply trace over your pencil lines with your pen or marker. Then use a block eraser to clean up any remaining pencil lines.
How to Draw Peace in Graffiti with Markers
The final step to completing your peace graffiti drawing is to add some color. This can be done with markers, colored pencils, paint, or whatever medium you prefer to use.
If you want to use markers there’s a few things to keep in mind.
First, if you want to have the ability to blend your markers together you’ll need to use alcohol based markers.
When blending your markers you’ll also want to work on small sections at a time so they’ll stay wet. Once the alcohol evaporates you won’t be able to blend the markers anymore.
You’ll also need to use markers that are similar in color if you want them to blend smoothly. If there’s too much of a difference in the color of your markers you’ll have a sharper edge where the two colors meet.
I usually start with the letters then work my way around the background. However, if there’s something that will need to be a specific color, I’ll often start with that.
There’s really no right or wrong way to go about adding your color. Just do whatever feels, and looks, good to you. And that fits with your style.
A white Gelly Roll pen can be used to add highlights.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
That’s it for this peace graffiti drawing tutorial. I hope you feel inspired to make your own artwork.
I use this process for all of my graffiti art. You can follow these steps for any theme or word.
If you want to get better at drawing graffiti art, or any other style of art, you just need to practice. The more you practice the better you will get.
Get your FREE Graffiti Guide and learn the steps to creating your own graffiti art.
