Joker

Well, the tried and true method is learning straight letters really well. Based on the first few pages you posted I’d say you’re obviously putting in the effort on that end, but I would encourage you to sketch single letters over and over, and not worry so much about how your D connects to your E, and so on. Just focus on how your letters look by themselves. Don’t worry about making them all Graffiti-like, just make them look simple, and smooth. Channel your inner MBER or GESER. Once you get decent at simple letters you can move onto stuff like the sketches below. From there it’s a slippery slope to semi-wilds and wildstyles. After that... you sell out completely and only do abstract art on canvas for galleries.

Laptop Drivers Glad this thread hasn't completely died... it's my "Community Service" thread. @glorydays- I'll spend some time tonight sketching out your name to show you some simple ways to build the word DENS out. The first handful of pages have potential, you just need some direction. The last two pages you've taken things too far without having that direction. I would hang onto those pages so in a couple months you can compare your progress and see where you were. I like that you're sketching out the simple letter shape before adding the Graffiti bits and bobs to the letter. That's definitely helping you keep your letter structure intact.

I only know of two formats for this sort of thing - tagging letters and piecing letters. I think everyone knows the Bombing Science format (posted below) which separates out each letter so viewers can clearly see the style. That said, I've been seeing the piecing style format for a few years and think it's pretty cool. A little more effort required but it could keep it interesting to mix it up from time to time - tagging style and piecing style. I can give some thought to contest ideas and get back to you @misteraven, even throwing in some of my personal stuff (prints, for example) as prizes. I know abstract Graffiti is not everyone's cup of tea, though. Maybe hand drawn blackbook page of the winner's name? Let me think on it.

I'll have to give that a try @misteraven I normally drink whiskey/bourbon neat @glorydays, but from time to time I'll throw in a big block of ice and let it sit for a sec. Mostly drink it neat, though.

Yeah, it's a little pricey for alcohol, but I'm at that age where this is the kind of crap I treat myself with. I suppose my wife appreciates it when you consider what most men in their 50s spend their money on. My takeaway was it was smooth, had a somewhat sweet taste but not overwhelming... like, barely sweet. Dry. I had this and Whistle Pig 12 year at a bar before the world shut down and I liked it best between the two. Though the Whistle Pig was damn good, too.

96.4

That 1984 shirt is pure fire...

In. Even though I’m retired I gotta keep my knives sharp...

Back in 2000 this guy I snowboarded with once said I should check it out, been here ever since.

I did a 12ozPROPHET shirt?!?!? Damn... that’s cool. I have no recollection of that. Oddly enough, I think I remember the forum tee... it was kinda baseball themed with caps as heads, right?

Persue has done something similar with his Bunny Kitty character. Definitely aimed at kids but with bits for parents to dig into as well. http://www.bunnykitty.com/bunnykitty-worksheets

Just went through four large totes full of photos and other family memorabilia. I’ll have some goods to share in about a week when I get home and have some time to sift through it. Mom saved everything...

That was a long day, but fun. Painting with all those guys was a good time. And Montana came out with a videographer and interviewed everyone, sponsored the wall, and really made the day. Really fucked up the line with the roller, didn't I... busted.

@misteraven- my Mom has the heat photos from the 70s and a few from the 80s, but unfortunately I have nothing to speak of that is a photo of myself as a teen. I know some old friends have some photos but I haven't seen or talked to any of them in twenty years or more. I'll have to dig through what I have and see if anything will qualify. But just so I'm sharing something... here's one from 1992 when I worked as the in-store artist at Tower Records in Dublin, CA.

Just watched this last week... loved it.

@Schnitzel- yep, that is me. Judging from the looks of the magazine layout/style - I think that is City Slicker, correct? So the story with that is I had recently moved to the Bay Area after a very short stint in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I had met a few writers in the Bay but most notably was Raevyn of TWS crew. His style was wild as hell, I’d seen nothing like it, but I wanted every part of it. I was still in touch with Mesk from the DC area and he was really putting in a lot of work, but his outlines at the time were this cool mix of traditional Graffiti and HR Giger. So between the two writers I was constantly inspired to come up with something that was my own. So I went super-wild, mean, and poke your eye out sharp. I only drew/painted a handful of pieces in this style as it turned out to be really time consuming, but the effort put in was well worth it. It was one of many stepping stones that led me to being the writer I am, or rather became. You’ll notice that under my tag it says Esoterics... this was the precursor to Transcend. At the time it was just me and Mesk. Once I had met Carl123 from Manchester, England the three of us started Transcend, and shortly after put in SheOne, Req, Persue, Poesia, and a few others - some of whom were gallery artists, not writers. About five years later guys like Mune, Kema, Ouija, OTwo, and a photographer named Anna Antik were added. In the last ten years folks like Augustine Kofie and Duncan Jago have been added due to their unique styles and pushing the genre in new directions. Guys like Poesia were key in Transcend’s survival and continued presence as a leader in abstract Graffiti, especially after half of the group had retired. When he started Graffuturism things just skyrocketed from there. It’s good to see a lot of those folks still producing inspirational and original work that continues the ethos of Transcend, which has always been about pushing yourself. You’ll also notice the little character to the left of the Ryze piece - that’s by Felon IHU. He hasn’t done characters like that in years. Thanks for sharing the memories!

I loved the Boy with the Red Balloon... but it’s from the 50s, not 80s-90s.

@glorydays- do people see the police as military because that's all the media shows? Because that's all people who spend half their day sifting through social media see? Because scared citizens who use Nextdoor as their news source are only reading third hand stories by their concerned "woke" neighbor? I won't argue that police in major cities are armed to the teeth for something that may happen, but having so few police that only one squad car controls an 80 block square that has several gangs within in it seems like bullshit, to me. That's allowing criminals to run the neighborhoods, which is exactly what's happening. I won't even get into the homeless situation that has led to some of them turning to crime to survive, and it's been allowed to run out of control with no consequences.

Speaking to a sea of old white people in a rural area, of course her mostly conservative ideas are going to resonate. Yes, I live in a very liberal city, and it's always been that way... well, for as far back as I've dug into its history. That said, I really feel like it's deep dive into the current climate we (my city) live in has been forming in the last ten to fifteen years. When I first moved here ('94) the city was liberal but not far leaning like it is now. There were community gardens everywhere, hippies, most folks rode their bike to get around instead of drive, political bumper stickers were majority democrat, etc. This led to a hug influx of people with a similar mindset - if not a more extreme mindset. This influx of folks have voted into place the current system and it has unfortunately failed us like so many other liberal leaning cities (San Francisco for example). Downtown is awful, there are less police on staff due to an anti-police view by some city officials, which has led to more crime, less convictions, and a somewhat lawless city. As a twenty-something writer... that would be an ideal environment to do work, but as an old dude who is just trying to get to work/home... I don't want to constantly be in fear that some wackjob will have that final eye-twitch and lose his shit while I stand waiting for the bus. The city itself has gotten so bad that after a year of owning a really cool mid-century home with an in-ground kidney-shaped pool, spending over $100k remodeling it myself... my wife and I sold it and moved into a lesser home in a better neighborhood that has it's own police force that takes no shit. Sure, my property taxes are higher but knowing my wife and I can sit on our patio and not have to listen to gun shots all day or constantly pick up garbage folks have thrown over my fence into my backyard or... I'm getting off topic and just ranting. I'm not even really adding to the conversation, and for the record I've never voted in my life, but I will say that I personally fall somewhere in the middle. I would suppose that's where most common sense people fall. Strassel's views are a little cringe-worthy at times but some of the things she said I can get behind. I personally don't know what the answer is that the whole nation would agree on, and I'm not even going to try.

How about 1980? Just before Minor Threat gets going.

All of... Pearl Jam Red Hot Chili Peppers Ian MacKaye The band Cake I could fill up this thread for hours...

For those looking for help with Drop Shadow and 3D...

@Ray40- those last two for the win. Both look pretty good to me for someone just starting out. A few thoughts... Do your fill-in and embellishments before you do your final outline. This includes your stars and bubbles. Also, once you're done with your outer outline (example, the yellow outline on the bottom image) go back in with the black and clean up your final outline so that's perfect. Your drop shadow needs some help but overall this is great progress!