Philippine Street ARTillery

So you want to get tagging but have no idea where to get your stuff. You probably just got interested thanks to Banksy or some local pieces at that underpass. Now we won’t tell you to go figure it out because like you we needed an ABC on prime Tagging Gear. So here’s a grocery list you might wanna check out.

---

Spray Paint 

Good solid spray paint is your bread and butter. Spray paint is a quick but effective means to making a good piece or a simple tag. It comes in various colors and sticks to most surfaces. You can find plenty at your local hardware store and sometimes in art stores. But if you’re a serious graffiti artist, then you’ll need to do some extra hunting. Most spray cans don’t have the precision needed for those fine detail work. In the 70s, graffiti artists would swap out caps to create thick and thin lines. Nowadays, you’ll find spray cans that tailor to graffiti work and you will need to keep an eye on those.

 Markers

The cheaper tagging tool. Sharpies are a good set and Posca pens can do wonders but watch out for the permanent ink markers. Unless you wanna do stall vandalism, you’d best stick to the cheaper markers. School supply stores and art stores got enough to fill your pockets. Solid Paint Markers and Hobo Markers will write on any surface so watch out for those when shopping for pens.

Stencils

If you wanna go stenciling, you will need the following: Stencil board or screen, cutter, and art tape. Almost anything can be used as a stencil but the best ones are portable and can be sprayed on indefinitely. If you can find stencil paper or paper designed for spray work, good job. Otherwise, you can improvise with other types of paper and fabric. Also, you’re gonna need art tape. It’s a special type of tape that doesn’t stick too well but stays sticky anyway. It won’t ruin the stencil making it ideal for your art. But if you need stronger tape then any masking tape or electrical tape will do.

Stickers

 Lots of materials for this one. You will need your design printed out, backing paper, sticker tape, glue(optional), scissors, a small hard card, and lots of patience. Unlike painting and spraying, you’ll be making these at home. If you plan on making a lot then prepare to do lots of repetitive work because most of the time you’ll be cutting and pasting them on paper.

 

Roller Paint

You’ll need newspapers and rollers for the classic paint. You’ll also need paint brushes, a paint tray, primer, buckets of water, painting tape, roller extension, and a ladder incase your piece is big. Most of these materials are easy to find at an art store or hardware store but of all the painting styles, these ones will cost you.

---

That’s it for materials. The most important thing to remember is to have fun and be creative. Stay cool and brand it your way. Nobody else will tag like you.

A Toys Guide to Royalty

Graffiti, the hated form of vandalism of any wall cleaner. It is the bane of the janitor, the annoyance of the police and the triumph of the anarchist and Avant-Garde. But that was ten years ago. Nowadays, it is another form of expression giving color and life in a progressive world. Unfortunately, to the locals, when they think graffiti, they still remember it as scrawling with sharpies on walls and drawing a man’s unmentionables is all there is to graffiti and anybody can do it.

They can’t be any more wrong.

Graffiti comes in different styles from the simple tags to the complex paintings that not just shock but awe the crowd. Here’s a good list to look out for incase your local 9-5’ers starts generalizing.

---

 

Tags

 

 The old scrawl and run. It’s the artists name stylized in one color. Spray paint, markers and pens are all it takes. It’s easy to do and takes a couple of seconds so it’s the most common type around. Usually if the artist rolls with a crew, the crew’s initials are somewhere there in the tag. But once a tag’s on the wall, tagging over it becomes a no-no and disrespects the original tagger so watch out when you wanna tag the same space.

---

Throw Up

  Now it ain’t seeing what you ate for lunch. It’s a more complicated tag that comes with two to three colors. It’s no masterpiece but it’s a lot more creative than a tag and takes a little more effort to pull off. Usually, it’s done in a retro bubble style font with a different color for the outline and the font color. When artists wanna bomb a little bigger, they start mixing in Throw Ups on the streets.

---

 

Stencil

No self-respecting Street Artist forgets about the stencil. You make your shapes on your material like cardboard or tarps cut out those shapes, place your homemade tracer on your space and paint it like a pro. Famous artists like Banksy and Blek le rat brought this genius to the scene in the 90’s and have made good works including the infamous one on the West Banks Barrier.

Stencils are a quick way to get a good piece in a short amount of time. Spray cans are your weapon of choice and make quick work of details with reasonable accuracy. Even if you got more than one layer, spraying on stencils will still give you detail in a few minutes.

---

 

Stickers

It’s cheap but easier to post than the other types. In layman terms, it’s an artistic sticker. Older school artists used to use the ‘Hi my name is…’ sticker and design on it making it their expression piece. Of course, its more likely the sticker artist is gonna make their own. The great thing about stickers is that you can take your time honing your craft at home then stick em’ up fast wherever you want.

---

 Wildstyle

 The real deal when it comes to expressing on the street canvas. It’s a complicated and heavily stylized tag almost to the point of illiteracy. It’s not something that can be done in a few minutes and has to be planned and well designed as many non-graffiti elements like arrows, curves, spikes, and other stuff are part of the piece. Some good examples of Wildstyle are pieces done by Tracy 168, Stay High 149, and Zephyr. If your planning a Wildstyle, make sure you have enough time and space to place this 3D looking painting cause you don’t wanna get caught doing a half-finished blob.

---

 

 Piece

  Short for “Masterpiece”. Enough said. More complex than a tag and a minimum of three colors, this is a painting that takes time to get right. Doing it illegally is a bad choice. I highly suggest you get permission for this one as it garners respect from other artists and ups your status in the local community.

---

Blockbuster

 
It’s used to cover the maximum space in the minimum amount of time. Big blocks of letters done with paint rollers gets this one fixed on your canvas. Usually, its done to cover up someone’s work or block other artists from writing on that space. Don’t be disrespectful with this. Blockbusters are large but they don’t need to bump out other artists. Stay in love people.

 

---

 Heaven

Your stairway to respect. It’s a piece done in a hard to reach place, usually on roofs, tops of tall buildings, and freeway signs. The artist who can pull this off will get more than applauses and golden stars from the community. Fail, and the only thing they’ll remember is some crazy fool who fell short of greatness.

---

 So now you know what types of graffiti may be painting your walls. There are many more types out there but what’s important is not the style, but the freedom of expression. It’s your art that matters and your responsibility to carry the torch of progress. Never forget, Brand it Your way.

Your Guide to Street Art Hotspots in the Philippines

Around the world, graffiti is a dedicated art form with lots of love from many countries. The Philippines is no exception. Tags, throw ups, and some pieces litter the streets of the concrete jungle adding a dash of color in the grey landscape of urbanized centers. But not just any wall will do. It’s gotta be a wall that you won’t get shot for or easily arrested and it has to be in a populated vicinity where people can actually see it. So I give you some good hotspots when tagging in Manila.

---

 

Intramuros has pockets left untapped for the graffiti artist. Some walls have been legally tagged so getting a spot will not be a problem.

The Fort/ Taguig is known to promote the street art form. Many walls in the city have been done making it an official zone for street art.

Katipunan is a good place. Lots of places already have some good murals and there’s plenty more room for a few tags.

Marikina has some good walls to write on. Lots of murals have been done on those walls and with proper permission, your mural could go on the stretch of wall.

Mandaluyong has good spots as well. The city comprises of tags, throw ups, block busters, wild styles, and even pieces. Mandaluyong is a great place if you want to remain anonymous. Tag with caution.

---

 As you can see, the Philippines is a good place to get graffiti art exposed. With the growing street art community, it isn’t that hard to get involved and find places now.