Think symmetry. You want your graffiti to be balanced and eye-catching. [1] X Research source Play around with the letters so they fit together well; they don’t have to be the same size. Mix up capital and lowercase letters to make them fit together nicely. The first and last letter should balance each other out. For example, if you’re writing the name “JOSEPH,” play with the “J” and the “H” to create a frame for the rest of the letters. You can add a hook to the second leg on the “h” so it matches the hook on the “J. " A lot of graffiti artists write words in an arch, rather than a straight line, to give the design some extra punch.
Make some bends in the straight lines. If you’ve got an “L,” for example, you can make it look more artistic by bending both lines instead of keeping them boringly straight. Make the letters fit together like puzzle pieces. For example, in the name “KARLOS,” you could tuck the “A” into the crook of the “K” and tuck the “O” into the corner of the “L. "
Don’t necessarily connect letters that are right next to each other. In the word “SKYLAR,” you might create a rectangular block that extends from the second leg of the “K” under the “Y” to connect with the “L. " Take a look at your name and figure out which letters you could connect to make it more interesting. Make the original words you wrote your guide, not your prison. Don’t be afraid to alter the letters beyond all recognition.
A foot is a blocky piece added to the bottom of a straight line. So if you’ve got an “E” with a bend in the bottom line, create a joint at the end of the line with a vertical line jutting up. A seraph is like a foot, but it juts from an upper line instead. On an “E” you’d add a seraph to the end of the top line. Bits are like blocky dots trailing off the end of a line. You can add them to any letter. Arrows also trail off the end of lines. A letter like “T” could have an arrow extending from the bottom line or either side of the top line.
You can do each letter in a different color or make the added details a different color than the letters. Try an ombre-style work of art with colors that gradually fade from one to the next. To create a sunset-like appearance, make the top part of the letters red, then blend that into orange, and fade into yellow at the bottom. For a bolder 3-D effect, color in the shaded edges of the letters with a darker color than the faces of the letters.
