Sunday, June 21, 2009

Useful and Fun : GRAFF: The Art & Technique of Graffiti

I bought this book for my 11 year old son who was interested in the art of graffiti. He experimented with it a little but after he received the book he was able to do so much more. It sale on Internet Shopping Store. Although he probably looks at the pictures (which are numerous and varied) more than read the text he has still learned a great deal about the various styles and techniques.



I even began to read it and was pleased with the easy to understand language and explanations throughout. It is a great learning tool.

Once viewed as merely a blemish on the urban landscape, graffiti today has evolved into a legitimate art form in its own right, influencing entertainment, advertising, fashion and other creative industries worldwide.

In this unprecedented book, master graffiti artist Scape Martinez shows how he does his thing, offering streetwise advice to help other "writers" create maximum-impact, legally sanctioned work. Step by step, he lays out the philosophies and realities of the genre. From picking a "tag" and developing letterforms, to the logistics of prepping a wall and working a spray can in a painterly fashion, Graff will help you find your style and leave your mark--large and loud.

- A breakdown of the fundamental elements of graffiti style letters, character, backgrounds - and how they work together and intermingle with arrows, symbols, quotes and tags
- From paper to wall, a start-to-finish approach for creating graffiti in various styles
- 5 on-site step-by-step demonstrations show the creation of various types of compositions, from throw ups to full-blown pieces.

Complete with a glossary and a timeline tracing graffiti history, Graff is the bible for street artists looking to elevate their work, graphic designers wanting to expand their vocabulary, and anyone interested in giving their work an edgy, urban look.



Saturday, June 20, 2009

More Efficient

Reprogrammed the drawing algorithm for the Graffiti. Previously, whenever the view needed to be updated, the mini iPhone background was redrawn along with the Graffiti. However, this resulted in the iPhone losing memory quickly and slow redraw times, as the image that depicted the iPhone background had to get stored to memory, drawn, and then the Graffiti would be drawn.

Now, whenever the Graffiti preview view needs to be redrawn, only that view is redrawn, resulting in WAY better performance.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Obligatory New Post

I just found a new outdoor gallery of Taichung graffiti art & will get out and get shooting just as soon as time permits. It's a motherlode. Looks like a kilometer of riverbank colored up on two sides.

In the meantime, check out Craig's "Wall Art Korea." Good stuff.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Possible Background Image

Upon using and creating Graffiti with Graffiti Creator, the importance of having a background image has dawned on me, especially to enhance the appeal of saving Graffiti and using it as your wallpaper.

Will probably update after release, as this functionality is not too hard to add.

Comment.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Is Graffiti An Art?

Graffiti is a medium. It is like paper,canvas or pencil. You can use things to make art or you can use those thing to make a grocery list, it's all up to you and what you choose to express using those tools.


A lot of artist today and in the history of art have done graffiti (Kith Harring and Basquiette pops into my mind right now), with Swoon selling pieces to Momma and Shepard Ferry, Fail and Banksy having huge shows (as well as a lot of other artists that are a little less known but are getting there), I don't think that this is ever a question - street art, is art.

Does that means that every person who write their name on the wall is an artist?! not really, just like not everyone who write a grocery list in an author. I think that has to do more with the intention of the artist then with the medium they work in.




Sunday, June 7, 2009

Pre-Development

As of June 7, 2009, Graffiti Creator is close to release. I need to add some graphics for the pattern selector and maybe change the algorithm that repositions the shadow. Other than that, I am hoping for a smooth App Store submission, as I have heard that it can be quite complicated.

Graffiti Creator for iPhone Official Blog

Hello, and welcome to the official blog of Graffiti Creator for iPhone. I want to first thank you for downloading my app, hopefully it is the first of many to come. 

Here, you may post comments and feedback concerning the App. Did the app crash? Post what happened here.

Also, any suggested improvements are gladly welcomed, as I plan to provide some updates should the need arise.

Thanks again, and may your graffiti's be live and your tag's be monsters!