What's up everybody. Looking to get some critique on my handstyle. The brief introduction, I've been writing graffiti for 10 years but it hasn't been until the last year so where I've been trying to get get more serious with my style. I mostly catch tags in broad daylight so speed is key. I'm happy with what I've been producing but I'd like some help identifying areas for improvement. Thanks for looking.
Try doing each letter with one stroke, that will help the flow. In your blackbook draw a baseline, midline and headline (you know, like a child's workbook) and keep your letters consistent with those lines . Then ditch the arrows. Start simple and keep practicing.
Those are pretty nice there bobby h...i like #4 the beat it looks clean! Mine are the 2 post above git any crits on mine...and how do you feel about adding numbers to your tag to add some length?
My opinion, the 'i' would look cleaner and more balanced with a • rather than a X. Also check your kearning (the spacing between the letters). The SL are much more closely spaced than the LIM. I can't really critique the letter themselves, they are simple which is never a bad quality. Just mind the gaps. Lots of tags are crammed together for aesthetics, just be consistent with them. Also try a different marker . Your drip mop isn't doing you any favors. I'd recommend start out with a white out pen, then move up to a Uni broad or similar pump marker.
Thanks for the response. Yea, your second flick, the U looks more like an O to me. I'd say think more about the start and end points of each stroke. For example, on the U do an upstroke from the midline to start, then double back as you swoop the U. That will help keep those vertical lines straight. Kinda line you're already doing your S and G, you have the down stroke before going back up for the top loop. Try overlapping that down stroke with the up stroke, so they're pretty much right on top of each other. I think that will make them more consistent with each other. Also try starting your S from the bottom just to try something new. That helped my get my S much more stylish and at the same time let's you connect it to the next letter. You could do the S and U in one line with that approach . Start S at the bottom, from the end of the S go upward for a smidge, then back down and around. I personally love oneline tags, they are fast and clean once refined. This is how I'd approach your letters:
!!!Warning!!! !!!noob opinion!!! like those "S" of urs esspecially at left bottom , 2nd one at b left got nice "R" as well, but in my opinion u can work a bit with ur "K". Did u think to put some small circle dot above ur "i" ? I wondering how it will looks with it
Agreed, a toy can hide behind simplicity until one learns how to add Style. Trying to step up to Advanced Techniques before you have learned the basics will never work out, no matter what you are doing. Ollues before kickflips, free throws before 3-pointers. Also if your day to day handwriting is garbage, don't expect to be some hand style wizard as soon as you weild a chisel tip pilot. If you're still in school, take hella notes and actually learn some shit while practicing your handwriting at the same time.
I don't know man. Some basic connections (such as the types used in cursive) can work since everyone (should) know those, aslong as you passed elementary school
Damn, this is so much better. Nice improvement. The letters are nice and tightly knit, they overlap each other but they still have enough room to the legible. I think the curly que underline can can work, but I'd say start with a straight, or slightly arched line. Or no line at all. Less is more when you're just starting out. You could try doing a dot or a dash at the beginning and end of your name to add balance and symmetry if you want. I'd suggest starting with a straight Baseline because in real world scenarios you want most if your tags to be straight and you want to learn the letters and how to balance them straight before moving to angles. I still struggle with getting my angle tags looking as good as my Straight ones. Are you using digital media to write these? This is how I would practice:. Get your black book and a bullet tip marker. Chisels are dope, but I think bullet tips are better for studying the letters. Fill a page completely with tags (letters only) and keep them small, maybe 1 inch tall. You'll be able to increase the size easily once you have the muscle memory. Then look over them and select one that you think stands out, is the most balanced and clean. Circle it, and then use that as a reference to fill another page. Then repeat, repeat, repeat. Think of each page as a new generation of your tag. Do at least 100 Generations, and once you have something that you're happy with, (something that looks so good thst it looks like someone else wrote it) grab some tracing paper and trace it, shift the paper, trace again, and again, and again and again. It's important to do like 2000 tags before you start tracing, otherwise you'll waste time practicing a tag that is not your full potential. At the end of this process you should have a a consistent tag that you can reproduce rapidly and perfectly with your eyes closed. Not until you get to this point should you start exploring different styles . Remember that your tag is your signature, they're your foot soldiers and they should all look like they came from the same hand. Through this exercise, little things will reveal themselves naturally that you will then integrate into your tag effortlessly. Once you get your straight tag down, start experimenting with stretching the tops, writing on angles etc. You can draw a shape like an oval or a slanted box and use that shape to fill with your letters. This will give you different styles without changing the way you actually perform the Stokes. Just think of pen strokes like ancient Chinese calligraphy. Each stroke should be an unbroken motion like you're slicing a watermelon with a ninja sword or something. Clean, confident, consistent. You should also just practice the whole alphabet one letter at a time to see if other letters stand out that you feel more strongly about. I'm not suggesting you change your name, but you might find that youre drawn toward certain letters more once you start really improving. It's always good to reevaluate yourself. Also, you were asking about numbers to lengthen your name. You should try SUGER. I use four to six letters depending on how much space I have to fill and how much time I have to pull the stunt. I write GEAR, GEARS, GEARSO, and sometimes GEARSONE. But don't worry about that just yet. Start with your three letters. Anyways, go through that process and then post your results. I'm eager to see what kind of improvements you'll make
One other General tip, grab a dry erase marker and practice tags on a window or mirror. This way you can practice on a vertical surface.
Thanks much appreciated! And yea those tags were done on my phone cause i was at work...lol but i do also practice in my blackbook, and yea i have thought that about other letters like m. I have a dry erase board that is on my fridge so i practice on that alot...because i have noticed i tag better standing up on a vertical surface. Man thanks for all the tips and stuff sorry i dont have much feedback for you, ill definitely keep you updated with what i work on thanks!