Graffiti Lesson 4 - Detail & Finish

Teck completes the piece, adding shadows, highlights and more...

The rise in popularity of graffiti.

It is only recently that graffiti and the street art scene have
been viewed as something more than just an underground artistic
movement. The image of the lone writer has been transformed from a
deviant character to someone who should be showcased and promoted
for his or her talents.

With the emergence of street art collectives such as Cable Street,
Scrawl Collective and Monorex, a niche has opened in the market for
popular graffiti. Almost every night in London, a gallery space or
bar is exhibiting the work of an individual graffiti artist. From
the world-famous to the new and upcoming, it has never been easier
to promote your talents as an artist.

Take Secret Wars, for example, one of the many creations sprung
from the London-based company, Monorex. It is a dedicated street
art event hosted in Shoreditch, east London, and is designed to
showcase the art of approximately 16 artists from around the
country, through the medium of a battle.

Following in the path of previous battle events such as Jump Off and Throwdown (which are solely about beat boxing, rapping and break dancing), Secret Wars has stretched the concept of street art even further by using the event to broaden interest in graffiti and character art.

Designed like an FA Cup knockout competition, every event sees two
artists chucked out of the tournament. The night has had such
amazing feedback that almost double the number of artists have
requested to be involved in series 2. Even a European tour is in the pipeline. Although numerous attractive prizes are on offer, it is without a doubt the coveted title of Secret Wars champion that spurs the artists on and draws the crowds each month.

Even without events like Secret Wars to boost its popularity,
graffiti is making a name for itself with popular brand companies
seeking the services of art collectives like Monorex to help
promote their latest products. If companies want to target a
younger crowd, the successful marketing and branding of a product
is key.

Graffiti and everything associated with it, from the music to the
fashion, is the new cool. The once vilified vandals now have fan
bases the size of a pop star's. People in all four corners of the
earth have heard of the likes of Banksy and D*face.

Magazines are quick to pick up on the next big thing, and often request
interviews with upcoming art collectives or selected artists. Vinyl
toy designers celebrate the talent of graffiti and often produce
limited-edition toy designs by the next big name in graff.
 

With graffiti becoming ever more popular, some people believe that
its eventual demise is inevitable. However, if the artists stay
true to what graffiti is about then it can undoubtedly still
prosper on an underground level even when the big brands move on to the next latest craze. Graffiti is really about the art and that's
how it will always be appreciated, no matter how popular it gets.