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[Guide] Basic Photoshop Graffiti / Stop Using Fonts.


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Ayup lads, this could be a shambles or a great tutorial, let's discover it together.

 

I get asked how to do basic graffiti quite a bit on Faction Discords, so figured why not show you guys. You need to have some sort of basic knowledge in PS for this to work, I'll guide you as much as I can.


Example here:
unknown.pngunknown.png
(These are obvs basic for the tutorial purposes)

Requirements:
x1 Photoshop
(GIMP/Photopea can work too, but for this tutorial I'm using PS)
x1 Screenshot
x1 Brain
Spraypaint Brushes
https://www.brusheezy.com/free/spray
(Be aware, some come with effects so you may have to play around for desired result)


Reference material can also help, base it on LA Gangs for full effects. Surenos/Hoovers/Crips, etc are all a good point.

Spoiler

Quiet Gravesend Block Defaced With Gang Graffiti, Cops Shrug - Bklyner83 Hoover Criminals Gang - Los Santos Roleplay


Alright, so first things first, you can use a multitude of brushes, spraypaint ones for the full effect. But for all tutorial purposes, I'll use the basics so you get an understanding. I'll be using the following brush:


zhUKks.png

You don't need to do any fancy brush effects, just keep it simple.

So, you'll want to create a layer, rename it to paint layer to avoid any confusion.
(Lock the background later, trust me)
xkToUt.png

On the paint layer, you'll want to draw out your basic idea over the top of the image. I'm using Sureno Art as an inspiration, remember keep it simple, if you want to make large memorials then that's another thing entirely, we'll purely keep it tag-banging and tags only.

zJNRhr.png
(Don't be afraid with imperfections, these can add to the tag authenticity)

Now obviously, this doesn't fit at all, so you're going to have to edit the layer. 
CTRL + T is your friend here. 

(If you have a slanted wall like mine then you'll need to use CTRL when adjusting the tag as this activates perspective mode. A flat tag on a slanted wall will look stupid.)
Lvz6KD.png

 

Now, we need to start using the environment, sun positions and opacity to mess around so this looks good. If you're looking for a quick one, "Overlay" "Linear Burn" & "Soft Light" all work really well for this effect.

fQ8qng.png

Now remember, paint fades in the baking LA sun, so you're going to want to drop the opacity down some more. There is no specific opacity that works better than others as it depends on the scene lighting, time and so on.
For this tutorial I've dropped it down to 67%.
hU34ln.png

8GXmHY.png

It's getting there, but more tweaks are needed, this is where the environment will come into play. As you can see, we have white fences blocking spray locations and the bottom of the wall should be slanted a little bit more.

There's two ways you can go about this, especially with fences, the fences themselves would be sprayed, but the colour would be degraded slightly more. 
So you can get this effect by dropping your Eraser Tool to about 30% and erasing small areas.
pRC2In.png

If executed, you'll get an effect like this
(Rushed but its there)
sEDvyB.png

OR 
You can outright just remove them from there as if the tagger themselves took a little bit of time on it like so,
1LNaCa.png

And wallah, you're done.
Remember you can get real creative with it, you don't always need to use the environment, especially if it's a flat wall and such.


Any questions, drop me a message on Discord or here I guess.

  • Upvote 10
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4 hours ago, Rascal Doporto said:

Good stuff and also as an addition don't be afraid to play around with your brush settings. A good one to use but also might take some time getting right is the Fade, can make a huge difference depending on what style you're going for.

 

Without fade above and with fade below.

c257f1b0d8618f820090477fcfb27cda.png

yeah i'm gonna need that brush too.

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2 hours ago, Glitch said:

Solid guide, I like it. I’ve been doing some graffiti here and there in photoshop and I’m using a different technique but for beginners this is great. 
 

also voila* not wallah. 
 

*don’t kill me*

I was drunk when I wrote this, so thanks for the correct spelling haha.

  • Upvote 1
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  • 3 months later...
On 3/30/2021 at 6:24 PM, Rascal Doporto said:

Good stuff and also as an addition don't be afraid to play around with your brush settings. A good one to use but also might take some time getting right is the Fade, can make a huge difference depending on what style you're going for.

 

Without fade above and with fade below.

c257f1b0d8618f820090477fcfb27cda.png

  On 3/30/2021 at 6:24 PM, Rascal Doporto said:

c257f1b0d8618f820090477fcfb27cda.png

What brush are you using in this picture?

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