Glossary

In the glossary below, you will find the meaning of the main terms used in the world of urban art. This glossary is of course not exhaustive.

A

Abstract

  • Artistic creation based on characteristics far removed from tangible reality.

B

Block Letters

  • Association of several massive and compact letters that form a graffiti.

Bomber

  • Author of a tag.

C

Calligraphy

  • An artistic technique that consists of drawing, painting, reproducing letters of alphabets of different origins to create an artwork.

Caps

  • Caps of aerosol cans with apertures larger or smaller to achieve thick or fine lines.

Character

  • Corresponds to the realization of different styles of characters like Bad Boys, Realists, Comics ....

Chrome

  • Lettering realized on a wall for example, with large letters of block style, mainly of silver color and with black outlines.

Clean

  • Cover another graffiti / tag with his.

Collage

  • Collage is an artistic technique that consists of drawing and painting on paper (kraft or other) and then cutting his creation to paste it on a wall.

Crew

  • A gang of tagging pals, graffiti artists recognizable by the initials of their group.

D

Drips

  • Artistic technique which consists of letting the paint run more liquid on the support to form vertical and parallel runs.

E

End to End

  • Graffiti covering a subway train from beginning to end.

G

Graffiti

  • Inscription or scribbled drawings on walls, doors ....

L

Letter

  • Letters that follow one another to form a word. We distinguish the Block Style, Bubble style, Drops, Semi Wild Style and Wild Style, which are in order, an increasingly complex and technical achievement.

M

Mixed technique

  • A so-called mixed creation consists of using different techniques to make an artwork (bomb, posca, acrylic, collage, stencil ...).

N

Nickname

  • Name or nickname of the bomber or writer.

P

Pop Art

  • An artistic movement born in the 1950s that uses visual elements of popular culture, from consumer goods to comic book superheroes.

Posca

  • Acrylic marker trade-mark whose name has become common for this type of marker.

S

Sketch

  • Drawing matrix of what will be reproduced on a wall.

Spray Can

  • Metal container containing paint under pressure used by bombers and writers.

Stencil

  • The stencil is a reusable support: a cardboard plate, metal, cut plastic that is fixed on the surface to be painted and which is filled with paint empty areas.

Street Art

  • Street Art is a contemporary artistic movement. It gathers all the forms of art realized in the street, or in public places, and includes various forms of art (graffiti, stencil, collage, mosaic, sticker, display…but also music, dance...). It is mainly an ephemeral art seen by a wide audience.

T

Tag

  • Coded signature representing a name, a nickname.

Throw-Up

  • Mix of tag and graffiti that is characterized by letters Bubbles more stylized than pure tags.

Top to Bottom

  • Graffiti covering a coach from top to bottom.

V

Vandalize

  • Action to massively paint a surface, a space, a train, a street, a city.

W

Whole Car

  • Graffiti covering the whole of a coach.

Writer

  • Author of a graffiti.