Well, why aren't you? They're all the rage in pop culture right now, what with The Avengers blowing away audiences and the finale to the Batman trilogy coming out soon. Not to mention that Marvel is remaking Spider-Man! The original is only like, what, less than ten years old? Jeez. Now, I know what you're saying, "But, Henry! Comics are for nerds! We're waaaay cooler than that!"
Ink & Paint was originally intended to provide a place for the sharing of graffiti and street art related news and the spreading of the street art culture. However in recent months I have noticed a distinct lack of "lowbrow" art in the WHT community. Don't get me wrong though, I'm a HUGE nerd. I love null byte, I love the Minecraft world, and all the tech posts that are becoming increasingly more common. It's awesome. However the nerd in me and the artist in me both want to see more comics,...
Although most religions have inspired a variety of art, Buddhism seems to have a special relationship with the arts. Something about the endless circle of birth and rebirth seems to intrigue the minds of artists. Of course even if the art is not directly related to Buddhism, the Buddha has always been a fan of art. The Buddha has been quoted several times speaking about art, and most of his sayings are truly profound:
MOCA's Art in The Street gallery was one of the first large scale street art related museum shows ever. It's not a point of debate whether this did or did not bring street art to a much wider audience, it most certainly did. It united the old graffiti artist of the seventies with the new street artists of the last twenty years. It was a big night with many famous artists attending the opening, including but certainly not limited to, L.A. native Shepard Fairey and the ever exciting Mr. Brainwash...
Largely thanks to Banksy's critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated docu Exit Through the Gift Shop, the pseudonymous British graffiti artist's notoriety has skyrocketed—so much so that there's now an app for geo-locating a Banksy-near-you. If you've got an iPhone and you're a fan of the artist, you're in luck. For $1.99, Banksy-Locations detects your current location and if there's a piece nearby, drops a pin on the map, locating and identifying the name of the work. The app also contains...
propper tagging etiquette? i'm new to this, and i would like to get into it the proper way. are there any universal "rules" out there i should be aware of? eg. tagging over an already existing tag.
The philosophy of street art is a long and complex one. This is just the first in a series of the individual street art philosophys i have come across.
"Mind Your Step" is a gargantuan street illusion staged in Stockholm's most public square, Sergels torg. Created by artist Erik Johansson, the illusion will be up until June 12th, so swing by if you happen to be in Sweden. Erik has documented his entire creative process here, including this great little tutorial on how to create your own optical illusion.
Banksy, Cope2, Invader, Retna, Mr.cartoon, They all have a few things in common. Firstly, they are all extremely talented and well known urban artists. Secondly, they all have very memorable and very, very cool names.
Dangers abound in the world of srteet art, however one danger stands out as increasingly dangerous. Gangs around the country use graffiti to mark their terriotory and do not take kindly to street artists. In several parts of los angelos gang members will stop you in the middle of the street and ask you if you have spray paint if you are wearing a backpack or a messenger bag. If you answer in the affirmitive (or if they take your bag and find spray paint or markers) its very likely they will...
For most street artists, it takes a considerable amount of time to paint large art installments on the walls of urban structures. The more time it takes, the better chance there is of getting caught, since nearly all of the rogue artwork is slapped on the sides of city and privately owned buildings.
Although in recent years street art has reached a high point of public appeal many of the great artists are over shadowed by the likes of banksy and shepard fairey (who are amazing artists for sure, just not the only amazing artists out there). Some of the best urban artists have never had a gallery show or exihbit, and most have only been out of their own country once or twice. But of course, thanks to the internet and movies, i )along with many others) have been lucky enough to see the work...
Inspired by the beauty of traditional signage printed on doors and buildings, Rero is a French graffiti artist who makes a simple, yet heavy mark. Using the universally common Verdena typeface, Rero brands abandoned public spaces in extreme disarray with his own codified messages based on theories of public use of imagery and private property.
I found this great strip while browsing. I know Henry's a big fan of Calvin & Hobbes, as am I. Pants Are Overrated is a webcomic; the artist decided to do a few strips that re-envision Calvin & Hobbes, when Calvin's all grown up, married to Susie, with a daughter named Bacon!
Anti-graffiti councilman Peter Vallone Jr. has previously helped push through laws restricting the sale of spray-paint cans and broad-tipped markers. He now seeks to get fat caps banned.
With the Oscar nomination of "Exit Through the Gift Shop" and Banksys rise to global fame, street art is becoming more and more accepted into the global art establishment and mainstream culture. Shepard Faireys "Hope" poster is now one of the most recognized posters in the world, some experts saying that it will become just as unmistakably american as uncle Sams "i want you!" WWII army recruitment poster. Banksys work sells for thousands of dollars in auctions, and has fans in mainstream...
First, I have to apologize—this is really old news. But when it comes to Nele Azevedo's Minimum Monument project, it's well worth digging into the archives. It's one of the most amazing street art installations I've ever seen.
I've decided to write this post so some of the fledgling street artists who may or may not follow this world in the future are informed about two things in the urban art world that are either not discussed at all, or distorted (intentionally or otherwise) to the point of misinformation. Those two things are, as the title says, the dangers of street art, and the morals of street art.
The bombing science website is a real cool place to browse through more that a thousand flicks of street art, and has an awesome blog for keeping up to date in the urban art community. Check it out!
F.A.T. Lab (Free Art and Technology) is a network of artists, engineers, scientists, lawyers, and musicians dedicated to the research and development of new technologies and creative media. They are "committed to supporting open values and the public domain through the use of emerging open licenses, support for open entrepreneurship and the admonishment of secrecy, copyright monopolies and patents."
In case you've been living under a rock for the last couple of years let me begin by explaining who banksy is. Bansky, is the pseudonym of one of the most popular street artists in the world. banksy has put his work up in various major locations in the around the world. this Includes places like on the isreal/palestine wall, Goverment buildings, inside virgin records stores, and has even managed to slip his work into the lourve and many other major muesems (by gluing his paintings to the walls...
