Feature 10: Swek

Swek Sketches

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Swek SWS D-30 KBN has a lot of great lettering ideas in every piece, and has been doing it for years. He has been absolutely killing it on sketches, and apparently when he has a sketchbook, It's filled from end to end with full color different styled jams like you will see below. I'm happy to highlight one of the most innovative dudes in the graffiti game in North America.

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How do you start a sketch?
I sketch alot with pencil, I usually have an idea or spark a vibe off the mode im in at the time.. standard pencil then outline..

What are some of your biggest influences as far as letters?
My influences are from a lot of different people, but I like letters that have movement. I'm going with people in my crew for this one, SWS, D-30, KBN.... I've been schooled by all of them.

What gives a letter style?
A letter should be able to stand on its own without color, then you can see its true beauty, but to judge a letter on style lies in the person who's looking at it. It depends on if that person likes that style, or if they can relate to that particular style.

What is different about a piece on a train, what are the characteristics you are shooting for?
Well I've done a lot of trains and prefer them to walls, but at this time I'm not to active in that area, soon though. Pieces on trains are really fun, I like the way it can be messy or done really fast but still have style. The Freight movement, the fact that they move around are the best things about them.

What non graffiti lettering do you pay attention to or draw inspiration from?
I pay attention to sign art and logos for stores, usually fine print or cursive. I like the movement in that style.

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Dissect a piece
On this piece I was going for a thin/thick style with some connections, I try to make it so that each letter can stand on its own, usually with the bottoms fat for extra support, then the tops with thin connections for fast movement. As far as the design and fill I went a little overboard with fades checkers, robes, stars, drips and of course bubbles. Some parts of the fill change color as if the bar or peice would be behind, as if the bar still went though, as done on the hallow on the letter e,..

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Links:
12 Oz Prophet | SWS Crew
Flickr

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Interview by Kel Troughton for Expresh.com 2012. Photographs copyright Expresh.com and from submissions by the artist and the Homie contributor, Thanks C. Go get some markers and step your sketch game up. Repost, but link the blog dogs.

Feature 09: Dmote

Dmote

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I linked up with Dmote on a New York trip this summer to photograph his studio space and talk letters. I've Been a fan of the Sydney based graffiti champ and fine artist since about 2000 because of the access to australian graffiti magazines as a young kid (RIP Tower Records). Dude is one of the more classic graffiti figures I can think of. His work is always clean, all of his pieces have new ideas, hella friendly, and his style gives a nod to the classics. After a few years in New York and a ton of walls, he is just starting to get the recognition he deserves in the states.

You started writing in 1984? talk a little bit about the influences you had back then, who were you looking up to, what kind of style were you interested in at the time?
I started in 85 at age 15, at that point i hadnt been exposed to much graff/hip hop media, just the usual bits and pieces, so i was influenced locally, my high school had raised some good writers so they were the dudes i looked up to.

I noticed you are into old cursive fonts and logos, what other kinds of typography are you interested in?
Yeah i like hand drawn lettering a lot, for me its more human and interesting than computer generated fonts, they always seem to have something that not quite right, since moving here ive been more into the great american logos and lettering from the 50's etc...

What do you consider the characteristics to style on a letter? (how would you describe a letter with style vs. one without)
The computer example is a good one, style - letters should fit together and make compensations for the letters around it, like extending a nice swoosh on an R or pinching and stretching certain areas to make the negative space work and become less regimented, the computer spaces strangely and all letters are to a grid so they become stiff and cold.

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Critique a recent piece:
Ok theres not much to the piece below, its pretty simple, in saying that its easy to fuck the simple styles up, im trying to make these ones perfect, its inspired by the tmt, tds era, tmt's black cloud cars, the actual letters themselves im happy with, not perfect but ok, the bottom end of the 'k" could be bigger and i fucked up the flow of the arrow because i couldn't be bothered to find a crate, and i could easily add more swing and movement to it.

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Links:
Website
Blog
Flickr

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Interview and photographs by Kel Troughton. Expresh.com 2011

Feature 06: 123Klan

123 Klan

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123Klan consists of Scien and Klor, a husband and wife duo of graffiti writers, and graphic design champs. Scien and Klor opened a studio in 2007 in Montreal, after allready establishing their design work on a global level. The work speaks for itself, and clients seek them out, as one of the visual representations of new handmade lettering and graphics. Peep Game:

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You came from graffiti first, then graphic design, explain the similarities and differences between making something on a computer or on a wall? (I.E. do you start from a sketch always, or can you freehand a letter right on a surface/screen?)

Similarities between graffiti and graphic design are just the fact we focus our creativity onto letters, characters, and the art of how to lay out elements in a certain given space. the tools are just a detail, now the big difference between graffiti and graphic design is the fact that you don't have to communicate a clear and understandable message to a largest audience as possible. So graffiti offers you more freedom to create, feel letters and to lay out them the way you want.

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In your design work as 123Klan, it seems like your able to keep your same look and style through each project. How do you describe your work to prospective clients?

Well, We don't have to, in general, most of our clients approach us because they saw our artworks online in books or magazines and feel like they need our skills to help them to look good or simply to grow up their branding. Like they certainly do with other designers as well. Your artwork must talk for yourself, we are image makers, so if you have to explain to somebody a picture there is 2 options, you do abstract pictures that need to be explained with a concept behind or you simply do bad pictures. In our case it speaks for itself.

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Most of your design has custom type in the work, and the few fonts that you use seem very legible. What fonts do you like?

It depends, we usually love to use classic legible fonts, like the Bebas Neue, Frutiger, Futura condensed medium or Century gothic bold. We use them as a 2nd detail plan, like to write something inside a swoosh or as a small head line like "Style is the Message " for example. But all our logos are hand made, then cleaned up with illustrator. It is really important to create as much as possible yourself, it looks better and different. I guess it also for that same reason our clients approach us.

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Talk a little about the process of your graffiti lettering, how in depth are you sketches/ how much of the piece is made up on the wall?

Because we have a daily creative job we don't paint as much as we would like to, but we still draw a lot, so most of our pieces are sketched first then painted. Also we are now living in Montreal, and winters are long over here, so you have no choice to sketch home. Back in the days we use to paint straight on the wall, but you have to paint a lot to do that, not to be good, just because you are not frustrated to paint everything that comes in your mind, coz finally everything comes from your mind, a sketch or a piece. But sketching everyday it's good to practice and to keep yourself evolving.

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What are the characteristics to style on a letter? (how would you describe a letter with style vs. one without)

It's really hard to say... We personally love things by following our feelings and instinct, so it seems we do feel some and others don't. We try to spend our energy in everything that catch our attention, so when something we don't feel comes to us we prefer to skip it rather to focus our attention to criticize it. No time to hate on anything or anybody.

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Links

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123 Klan | Expresh Letters | Inspiration

123 Klan | Website

Scien | Flickr

Interview by Kel Troughton for Expresh Letters 2011, the images used are owned by 123Klan and shown here under permission of the artists. Respect