STREET ART

Intro to Graffiti & Street Art

Name: Intro to Graffiti & Street Art
Brand: Deks
Price: 545.0 CAD
Availability: InStock

Spend six weeks building real graffiti skills while developing your own tag, lettering and visual style. Working with markers, mop markers, specialized caps, stencils and spray paint, you’ll move from graffiti culture and tool control through tags, bombs, stencil work, finished pieces and character design. You’ll get hands-on spray experience in UAC’s dedicated ventilated paint room and leave with several completed artworks plus a stronger understanding of the tools, techniques and visual language behind graffiti and street art.

All Materials Included

Spray paint, graffiti markers, specialized caps, stencil materials, vinyl records, canvases, cardstock and project supplies are provided.

ART HUB

Hands-on classes at the Urban Art Collective Art Hub, including access to UAC’s dedicated ventilated paint room.

Small Class Size

6 minimum · 12 maximum

SKILL LEVEL

No Experience Needed

COURSE RUNDOWN

Week 1: Graffiti & Street Art Culture

Explore graffiti and street art as distinct creative mediums while looking at their history, culture, terminology and visual styles in Ottawa and around the world. Begin working with spray paint by creating backgrounds that will become the foundation for later projects.

Week 2: Marker & Can Control

Explore graffiti lettering while developing your own alter ego and personal tag. Experiment with chisel-tip markers, mop markers, spray cans and different cap styles while building greater control and confidence with the tools.

Week 3: Stencil Street Art

Explore the history and techniques of stencil-based street art, then design and spray your own stencil work. Put those techniques into practice by creating a finished stencil piece on a prepared vinyl record.

Week 4: Tags & Bombs

Refine your tag until you develop a consistent core style, then explore the difference between tags and graffiti bombs. Experiment with lettering, structure and style while developing your own bomb design.

Week 5: Graffiti Pieces

Break down how finished graffiti pieces are built through outlines, fills, dimensional effects and final details. Explore styles from established artists, identify approaches that appeal to you and create a straight-letter piece using metallic marker on black cardstock.

Week 6: Character Work

Explore different approaches to graffiti character design and develop a character of your own. Take part in a collaborative character battle, then complete a finished character piece using paint markers on canvas.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

By The End Of This Course, You Will:

Understand the origins, evolution and cultural significance of graffiti and street art.
Understand the fundamentals of graffiti lettering, tags, bombs, pieces and character design.
Develop your own graffiti tag and bomb style.
Use chisel-tip markers, mop markers, paint markers and spray cans with greater confidence.
Understand how different spray caps affect line width, coverage and control.
Create stencil work, lettering pieces and original graffiti characters.
Complete several finished artworks using different graffiti and street-art techniques.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Deks

DEKS is a local graffiti artist working across lettering, characters, stencil work and spray-paint techniques. He brings hands-on experience with graffiti tools, styles and culture into the classroom, helping students build control, confidence and their own visual language.

Blackbook: Bring a dedicated sketchbook for lettering, tags, character ideas and course exercises.
Drawing Tools: Bring pencils and any other drawing tools you enjoy working with.
Paint-Friendly Clothing: Wear clothes and shoes that can handle spray paint and permanent markers.

Have a question about the course or need to discuss accessibility or accommodations before class? Contact us at learn@urbanartcollective.ca.

Parking is available at 1088 Somerset St W at the UAC Art Gallery, as well as at 50 Bayswater Ave. The parking area at 50 Bayswater is accessed from Somerset St W, not from Bayswater Avenue.

Cancellation Policy

14+ days before the first class: Full refund to your original payment method.
7–13 days before: Full-value UAC LAB credit.
Less than 7 days before: No refund or credit.

Registrations can be transferred to another person at no charge before the class begins. Missed classes or sessions are not eligible for refunds, credits or individual make-up classes.

If UAC LAB cancels a class, you can choose a full refund or full-value UAC LAB credit. If we reschedule and the new date does not work for you, you may also request a refund or credit.

UAC LAB Class Registration, Cancellation & Refund Policy