Alright, so I finally took the plunge into graffiti wall art last week. Always wanted to try this but kept putting it off. Figured I’d document the whole messy journey since you might learn from my screwups.
Getting Stuff Ready
First things first – I hit up the local art store with zero clue. Asked the dude working there for starter gear. He hooked me up with:
- Cheap practice spray paint: Got Montana MTN 94 cans ’cause they said it’s good for beginners.
- Rust-Oleum primer: The guy insisted primer matters unless I wanted my art peeling off next month.
- Respirator mask: Smelled that paint fumes instantly – no way was I skipping this.
- Painter’s tape & cardboard: Stole some broken-down boxes from behind the store for stencils.
Wall Drama Begins
Chose my garage back wall ’cause if it went bad, nobody would see it daily. Washed that concrete wall hard with soapy water. Let it dry overnight – impatiently watched it like a dumb movie.
Next day slapped on primer with cheap rollers. Learned fast that concrete drinks paint like crazy. Used two whole cans just for base layer. Waited another day – longest 24 hours ever.
First Spray Fail
Made my stencil super simple: a wobbly lightning bolt cut from pizza box cardboard. Taped it up shaking – pressed that can nozzle… Paint splattered everywhere like a sneeze! Way too close. Ended up with drippy mess leaking under the stencil.
Tried again holding the can farther. Sprayed in quick passes instead of spraying and praying. Worked way better – cleaner lines, no puddles. Still messed up the corners but whatever.
Freehand Freakout
Decided to go rogue and try writing “TEST” freehand. Forgot caps lock graffiti fonts exist. Drew pencil guide lines but shook like crazy. First attempt looked like a toddler wrote it after three juice boxes.
Switched to wider nozzle caps – game changer! Lines flowed smoother. Did the “T” ten times till it looked kinda sharp. Used cheap acrylic paint and brushes to add splatter effects – covered some oops spots too.
Final Takeaways
- Buy extra primer: Concrete walls are vampires.
- Masking tape is your god: Screw up once? Tape fixes everything.
- Distance matters: 6-12 inches away saved my sanity.
- Cheap first: Glad I practiced on garage wall instead of bedroom.
End result? Looks like a drunk robot did my wall. But hey, the drip marks give it character right? Now I’m eyeballing my neighbor’s boring fence… Kidding! (Sorta.)
