How to create a Piece Part 1

The word Piece comes from 'Master Piece' and was the original term used by graffiti writers for doing their name in a more elaborate way then say bubble letters (throw-up) or a signature (tag). There are many ways to create a piece (good & bad) and of course there are many, many styles within graffiti hip hop culture.

Here are some simple steps toward creating a piece: Start with the line-up. This is a basic outline of what your design looks like. The better artists will use a light colour (white) for their first sketch and then improve on it with a secondary line up colour (Blue in this case) to make it perfect.


The 3D: Pick your colours and fill in the 3D drop down or block shadow section. This give a 3 dimensional effect as the name suggests. There are many ways to fill in the 3D, it can be simple or complicated and is usually a contrasting colour to the letters. You can see that the beginning of the background (black) has also been added here after the 3D is completed.


The Fill: Next post will continue the project with the next elements, the base & detail fills, outlines and more.