An easy way to start a creative experiment is to study the variety of forms of pictorial poetry of the streets. Street art uses not only spray cans and brushes: you can draw with stencils or stickers, come up with three-dimensional installations and even add interactive elements to your drawings. This, for example, was done by artists from Yekaterinburg in the project "Street Dirt". It is dedicated to the attitude of society towards the homeless. With the help of a special projector and tape, the masters put photos of homeless people on white billboards. The portraits were simply left on the busy streets of the city. The faces appeared over time, when dirt from under the wheels, dust and small debris stuck to them. So the street and random passers-by turned into the authors of an acute social drawing.
It is equally important to learn how to develop a lot of vision and imagination. Rusty spots on garage doors can look like acid raindrops. Cracks on the facade of the house are reminiscent of baobab branches or fern leaves. A future street art artist needs to feel the city, find new details even in familiar routes and landscapes. Lanterns, trash cans, dilapidated bricks, traces of ads on the walls — everything has a story that can be shown and supplemented with art.
Street artists work in completely different genres. Realistic murals are closer to someone, and miniature abstraction is closer to someone. Some draw plant graffiti, others transform real "wounded" trees. Therefore, do not stop training and looking for your own style.
Sometimes the best way to find your way is to turn to the experience of colleagues. Looking through the works of other artists, try to ask yourself questions. How was this done? How can I do better? What is missing? Why do I like it? Or do you still not like it? The answers will help you find your own style and inspire you to experiment.
Watch the tutorial videos. Subscribe to famous artists on social networks. Follow the updates in the profile groups. It's easy to find out the latest news there, show your work and get acquainted with other masters. Someone will definitely be ready to share their experience, talk about cool locations and life hacks. And in such communities you can find like-minded people and create your own art team.
Those who prefer offline communication will appreciate street art exhibitions. At such events, it is not difficult to find "colleagues" and enlist the support of the community.
It is important to understand: the work is likely to be painted over if it is not agreed with the administration of your city. Unauthorized creativity may be considered an offense Administrative Code of the Russian Federation Article 7.17. "Destruction or damage to someone else's property" . In special cases, street art falls under the criminal article Criminal Code Article 214. "Vandalism" , for example, if you decide to practice on the walls of historical and cultural value. There is no federal law that would regulate the relations of street artists with the state. If you want to keep the drawing for a long time, you will have to contact the local housing and communal services and clarify the terms of cooperation.
For example, in Moscow The art of street art: how to coordinate graffiti in Moscow / Official website of the Mayor of Moscow you need to collect a package of documents, submit an application to the Department of Housing and Communal Services and Landscaping. In addition to the passport, written consent of the tenants or the owner of the non-residential building, a technical report on the condition of the wall, a design project and an explanatory note will be required.
In order not to waste time in vain and not to get upset because of the refusal, it is worthwhile to familiarize yourself with the list of topics approved for street painting in advance and check whether your idea does not fall into the list of strictly prohibited Decree of the Government of Moscow of July 16, 2019 No. 877-PP "On the application of inscriptions, images by painting, stickers, graffiti painting and other methods on the external"surfaces of non-residential buildings, structures, structures, apartment buildings in the city of Moscow" . Among the latter are images of everything related to smoking and alcohol, advertising, calls for violence and cruelty. Athletes, scientists, outstanding personalities — that's who will climb the city walls without obstacles. Caution should be taken with the heading "Historical events" — it is included in the list of approved ones, but it is important that there is no political propaganda in the sketch.
Even the cherished permission is not a panacea. Often artists with the honestly received approval of the administration suffer from the disapproval of the people. In such situations, it is better to avoid conflicts and remember that the street belongs to everyone and citizens are not obliged to share the aesthetic views of the author. Get ready for unpleasant comments and learn to focus on the process, not on evaluating the results.
A safe and quite profitable way to start painting on walls is cooperation with developers and owners of premises. Customers, of course, will limit the creator in ideas, but the artist is free to choose with whom to work. In the case of commercial painting, all approvals with city services are taken over by the employer — a nice bonus to the paid creative process.
For those who do not want to collect documents or draw to order, there is a third way — to participate in specialized events. Contests, festivals and biennales — finding a platform for your ambitions and resources is not as difficult as it seems. Contemporary art is now in price, so many organizers are ready to support emerging artists and give them the opportunity to develop in a safe environment. Contests are a place for dating and talent realization. And also the opportunity to declare yourself and earn, because the prizes can be grants or large commercial orders.
Art is no longer locked in the walls of galleries and museums, it is ready to enter the urban space. Modern street artists can leave their mark even on the walls of the Tretyakov Gallery and Gorky Park. Together with these venues, the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren and the Moscow International Biennale of Contemporary Art launched an open all-Russian street art competition. The laureates will participate in decorating the facades of famous Moscow landmarks. The selection of participants is carried out both among adult artists and among children. You can join until February 28.
