On January 19th, 2020 I embarked on an ambitious project of exploration and discovery. The goal--bring a graffiti-style to the 150 words in level one of the HSK. I knew I wanted to work with some general guidelines when I started this challenge (more on that in a bit), but I really had no idea what was going to happen along the way or how things would turn out.
As it goes with anything you spend a significant amount of time on, things evolved over time. I started drawing inspiration from Chinese calligraphy and took the time to study and learn from Graffiti artists all over the world. I studied graffiti's history and origins, and while I'm certainly still a "toy" (someone new to graffiti), I do appreciate the art form so much more after this challenge.
Around 20 days into the project, I shifted my mindset a lot. Each word became a "piece," and it needed more than just a simple contrasting color behind it. Backgrounds got more elaborate, and I pushed my form boundaries into "wild style," "block lettering," and and "throw-ups," depending on my mood.
Near the 100-day mark, you'll notice a shift into black backgrounds. This was to provide some cohesion to what I was doing, and it also allowed me to push each piece's style a lot further with accepts, bubbles, drips, chips, and more!
The constant through it all was one rule-- each character would always have a base-color, depending on its pronunciation (Chinese has four primary tones and a neutral tone). The color key is such:
1st tone: red
2nd tone: green
3rd tone: blue
4th tone: purple
neutral tone: grey
The 10x15 layout below is both "raw" and also complete. It is the culmination of all my hard work. One hundred and fifty days of individual pieces brought together and essentially unedited.
It certainly tells a story, but it also feels fractured and a bit chaotic. It is the result of 150 days of showing up, and tells the story of my progress along the way.
❤️ Design made with love in San Jose, CA❤️
Museum-quality posters made on thick and durable matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment.
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Opacity: 94%