E_B_A

Also: VARE nailed it. Good job, yo.

SOW: How about is I say you suck? Wanna check my shit and see if the same is true for me? http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/crumbly_rocks.jpg Cuz I burn your ass on a slow day. How about taking the advice and deflate that ego? SIMPLES are the only thing that will get you better. Talking shit on the internet is not going to help you progress at all, dumbass. Step off and go practice. Or do you want to battle?

amsone: DON'T WRITE PEST. There already is a PEST and he burns you hard... http://www.graffiti.org/pest/pestnoutline.jpg I'd stick with straightline simples right now until you truly master those before I ventured to try ANY stylish shit like those points or that boxy piece.

Damn Jank. That's one of your best right there...

Those SAROES look tight. Toxus... the first letters are great but the last letter... B? It needs work. Don't make it so hollow. It looks strange with the other letters being so thick. You need to maintain a constant style.

Damn Saint... all that shit is fresh like Krispy Kreme. Anyone got any feedback for my shit on the bottom of the last page?

http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/carol_s.jpg[/url] http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/red_flap.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/red_flap_open.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/war_transparencies.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/war_transparencies_revealed.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/heaven_and_hell.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/iraqi_man.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/wild_yellow_wild_purple.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/crumbly_rocks.jpg

Not really sketch related but some of you might be interested... I put together this continuous mix of mostly true-school hip hop and lots of surprises... http://www.violentnation.com/mp3opendir/mixes/E_B_A%20-%20050906%20Mix.mp3 Very scratch-happy. A few blends. Some hard to find songs. Some shit most of you would not have considered listening too (which is a good thing). Check checkit checkitout... Download is free... I just thought there were some people up in here who might appreciate it.

It's worth repeating... good markers don't make shit letters look good. If you have sick letters, they will burn even if you're filling them with Rosearts from Wal Mart. Skill, talent and ability will always win out. That's why you got some lame-ass toys out there putting up shit with Montana spray paint and wondering why it doesn't look like Ewok1. Well it's simple... they suck and Ewok1 doesn't. Prismacolors are great... don't get me wrong. I use prismacolors... but I use Sharpies too. http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/unfinished_sev_pieces.jpg The fills and outlines on those pieces are all Sharpies. No Prismas. I used some paint markers for hilights but that's it. But if you think Prismas are going to make toy letters start looking good, you need to smack yourself. Not saying anyone here has toy letters. Just setting the record straight is all.

shy: ouch! Oh! Stop that! Do you understand 3 dimensions at all? Pick a vanishing point and run with it. Really guys, I know it's tempting but avoid trying to inject style into your letters right now. Just work on understanding how 3 dimensions work and memorize your letterforms. Here's a straight-letter piece I did a while back that shows you EXACTLY what you should be doing... Never mind the streaky marker fill: http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/01_satire.jpg You'll notice that, aside from the "I," all the letters are the same width, height, there are no connections, no arrows or anything fancy like extensions... just clean, simple letters. No style at all. Just simple letters. You have to practice that to understand how the letters work so you can start to develop style. It's a step by step process. It's taken me three years to get where I'm at. THREE YEARS. This is where I'm at now... and I still don't feel like I'm completely there: http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/unfinished_sev_pieces.jpg If you can't understand these basics, quit today.

That's not to say AVOID is a toy, by the way. Motherfucker burns hard and is up like crazy. Just saying, study the style and do something the same. SIMPLE block letters. You have to master that before you can do anything else.

quadra: that last one is painful... do block letters. Here's my man AVOID: http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/graffiti/avoid_riverwalk_pkwy_piece.jpg Notice all the letters are the same width and height and he didn't do any connections, arrows, etc. SIMPLE. Mimic THAT.

REND and DISTRACT: both good examples of keeping it simple and coming off. Let's see some more shit like that. Good job.

http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/unfinished_sev_pieces.jpg http://www.shapelessmass.com/visuals/blackbook/white_hands.jpg

knowme: I thought that too but look REALLY careful at the image... you can see the lines of print through it...

I think Amir and Totem are the same person... I know paint pens go over shit good. I use paint pens. What kind of paint pens get that smooth kind of blending? And you can see the print under it just barely showing through... I don't think it's regular paint pens like you'd pick up at Michael's or some shit.

Nah... for real, I do have a toy question... What the fuck kind of markers does Totem use to do shit like this: Before you get all wise-ass, notice it's drawn OVER some sort of karate instruction manual and yet the colors are smoothly blended and VERY precise. I have yet to find any markers opaque enough to do that and still blend over something printed like this. Anyone know? Cuz I'll buy them shits with the quickness.

My blackbooks are all illustrated in the blood of screaming, female virgins under the pale moonlight.

Please sticky this thread. I want to read it again and again and again and again.

Vose: E and O on that first one straight rock shit. It all looks good 'cept for the last one... work on that.

Start by posting your images here: http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97319 YOU don't do wildstyle. YOU do simples until you've mastered them.

Hey.... thanks everybody. I got more sketches coming. In the mean time, here's something I just finished like an hour ago... legal and paint... I know it's the sketch thread... still, don't feel like posting somewhere else. I feel my paint skills are kind of toy but maybe I'm just being hard on myself. I got a long way to come up. I know that.

Hey... thanks everybody. Too much fresh shit on this page to call out. Looks like everybody came with it. Not graff but check out what I finished yesterday. I'll have more graff stuff up soon...