Use this information pack to find the information to answer the questions in your Home Learning.
Graffiti is a form of art and expression but only when it is not offensive or crude like suburban
graffiti that simply has curse words and crude drawings.
The motivation for graffiti IS
NEVER VANDALISM, if that is the motive, then it simply is not graffiti. Motivation varies from
writer to writer, but is usually respect and fame (to see their work recognised). Graffiti artists
spend hours and hours sketching and practicing in sketchbooks before completing their
work. They use spray paint, markers, etc. to draw (or "tag" if you're using spray paint) on
public or private property.
Graffiti and the Law
Graffiti has existed for thousands of years in one form or another. It can be described as
anything from a simple scratch mark to an elaborate wall painting. However, many people
associate graffiti with anti-social behaviour and gang culture, rather than being considered
an art form.
Anyone caught doing graffiti can be arrested and prosecuted under the Criminal Damage Act
1971. Offenders can go to prison for ten years or fined if the damage costs more
than £5,000. If the damage caused is less than £5,000, they could face three months
imprisonment or a £2,500 fine.
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 introduced new powers for local councils to punish
offenders and to make them clear up illegal graffiti. These include:

On-the-spot fines of £50 to anyone caught doing graffiti on public property. These can be
given out by police officers, community support officers or local authority officials;

Making it an offence to sell spray paint to under-16s.
Lots of councils in the UK offer spaces for graffiti artists to legally do their art. These are
called 'free walls'. These can be an excellent way of practising your style and meeting other
graffiti artists in your area.
History of Graffiti
Graffiti has existed since ancient times, with examples going back to Ancient Greece and the
Roman Empire. The Romans carved graffiti on walls and monuments, with examples
surviving in Egypt including Latin curses, magic spells, declarations of love, alphabets,
political slogans and famous literary quotes, providing insight into ancient Roman street life.
Graffiti Styles
There are different styles that graffiti artists can use when producing their work. It depends
on their style and the method in which they will create the piece.
Tagging
Some of the most common styles of graffiti are the graffiti artists own name. A "tag" is the
most basic writing of an artist's name in either spray paint or marker. A graffiti writer's tag is
his or her personalized signature. "Tagging" is often the example given when opponents of
graffiti refer to vandalism, as they use it to label all acts of graffiti writing (it is by far the most
common form of graffiti). This of course is done at the expense of increasing the likelihood of
the artist getting caught.
Wildstyle
A more complex style is "wildstyle", a form of graffiti involving interlocking letters, arrows,
and connecting points. These pieces are often harder to read by non-graffiti artists as the
letters merge into one another. A "blockbuster" is a "fill-in" that intentionally takes up an
entire wall, sometimes with the whole purpose of blocking other "taggers" from painting on
the same wall. Doing wildstyle can take 8 hours to 2 days (depending on experience).