Graffiti drawings

Here are 36 graffiti drawings to copy, from easy bubble words for beginners to cool wildstyle and full pieces on brick and subway walls. Each one comes with a short tip, and every drawing opens in the generator with the same style, colors and background, so you can swap in your own word.

Easy graffiti drawings

Easy graffiti drawings use two to four letters, round or simple shapes and plain paper. Short words like HI, YES or FUN give you time to get every curve right, and bubble letters forgive shaky lines because there are no sharp corners to miss. Each drawing below takes a beginner about half an hour from pencil sketch to finished color.

Pick words with round letters (O, U, C, S). Letters with many corners, like K, M and W, are harder to balance.
Sketch in light pencil first and only ink the lines you keep.
Use one fill color and one outline color before you try fades.
Leave out 3D on your first try. Add a simple drop shadow on the second.

Easy graffiti drawing of the word HI in yellow-orange bubble letters — HI · Bubble · Classic Remix in the generator →

Simple bubble graffiti drawing of YES in lime green — **YES** · Bubble · Toxic Remix in the generator →

Easy throw-up drawing of FUN with pink fill and black outline — **FUN** · Throw-up · Candy Remix in the generator →

Easy graffiti drawing of COOL in icy blue bubble letters — **COOL** · Bubble · Ice Remix in the generator →

Blockbuster graffiti drawing of OK in orange and pink — OK · Blockbuster · Sunset Remix in the generator →

One-color graffiti tag drawing of the word SUN — **SUN** · Tag · Ink Remix in the generator →

Cool graffiti drawings

Cool graffiti drawings look busy on purpose: letters overlap, strokes end in arrows, a 3D block pushes the word off the page and paint drips from the bottom edge. A wall or night scene behind the word makes it feel like it was painted, not drawn. Start from one of these, then add one effect at a time.

Overlap each letter slightly over the next one, always in the same order.
Add one or two arrows per word. One per letter turns it into noise.
Point every 3D block the same way, away from a single light source.
Draw drips in different lengths, each ending in a round drop.

Cool wildstyle graffiti drawing of RAGE on a brick wall — **RAGE** · Wild · Sunset Remix in the generator →

Icy blue dripping graffiti drawing of NOVA on a night wall — **NOVA** · Drip · Ice Remix in the generator →

Dripping green graffiti drawing of DRIP on concrete — **DRIP** · Drip · Toxic Remix in the generator →

3D graffiti drawing of HYPER in pink and purple on a subway panel — **HYPER** · 3D · Candy Remix in the generator →

Wild style graffiti drawing of FLEX in green at night — **FLEX** · Wild · Toxic Remix in the generator →

ICON · Blockbuster · Chrome Remix in the generator →

Graffiti art drawings: full pieces

Graffiti art drawings, or full pieces, are longer words with every layer finished: a background, a fill-in with a fade or pattern, a clean outline, 3D, highlights and a keyline around the whole word. Writers sketch these in a blackbook before painting them on a legal wall or canvas. Six-letter words like STREET or SPLASH give you room to connect letters.

Draw the background last and keep it lower in contrast than the letters.
Try a pattern inside the fill-in: stripes, bubbles, cracks or a two-color split.
Put highlights on the same side of every letter so the light looks real.

Graffiti art drawing of STREET in deep 3D letters on brick — **STREET** · 3D · Sunset Remix in the generator →

Wildstyle graffiti piece of ATTACK in yellow and orange — **ATTACK** · Wild · Classic Remix in the generator →

Blockbuster graffiti piece of MASTER in green on a subway car — **MASTER** · Blockbuster · Toxic Remix in the generator →

Dripping blue graffiti piece of SPLASH on a brick wall — **SPLASH** · Drip · Ice Remix in the generator →

Old English graffiti lettering of Barrio in orange and pink — **Barrio** · Old English · Sunset Remix in the generator →

Chrome throw-up graffiti of SUBWAY on a subway panel — **SUBWAY** · Throw-up · Chrome Remix in the generator →

Graffiti name drawings

A graffiti name drawing works best when the style suits the letters in the name. Round names with O, U or A suit bubble letters; names with straight letters like L, N or E suit block or 3D styles; short names can take wildstyle without becoming unreadable. Open any name below in the generator and type your own to see it in the same style.

Make the first letter a little bigger than the rest. It anchors the whole name.
If a name has a repeated letter, change the second copy slightly so it does not look stamped.
Use a nickname or initials if your full name is longer than seven letters.

The name MIA drawn in pink bubble graffiti letters — **MIA** · Bubble · Candy Remix in the generator →

The name LIAM in blue 3D graffiti letters — **LIAM** · 3D · Ice Remix in the generator →

The name ZOE in wildstyle graffiti on brick — **ZOE** · Wild · Candy Remix in the generator →

The name NOAH in yellow blockbuster graffiti — **NOAH** · Blockbuster · Classic Remix in the generator →

The name LUNA in dripping orange graffiti at night — **LUNA** · Drip · Sunset Remix in the generator →

The name Leo in Old English graffiti lettering — **Leo** · Old English · Ink Remix in the generator →

Graffiti word drawings

Graffiti word drawings pick a word for its meaning and match the style to its vibe. Soft, positive words like SMILE or DREAMS look right in round bubble letters and candy colors; loud words like BRAVE suit heavy blockbusters; a word like FREE can drip. When the style and the meaning agree, the drawing feels finished even without extras.

Write down what the word should feel like (calm, loud, happy) before you choose a style.
Let color carry the mood: warm fades for energy, blues for calm.
Add one symbol that fits the word, such as a heart next to FAMILY or a star next to DREAMS.

Graffiti drawing of SMILE in bubble letters on brick — **SMILE** · Bubble · Classic Remix in the generator →

Graffiti drawing of FAMILY in 3D letters — **FAMILY** · 3D · Classic Remix in the generator →

Graffiti throw-up of HOPE in light blue — **HOPE** · Throw-up · Ice Remix in the generator →

Pink bubble graffiti drawing of DREAMS on a night wall — **DREAMS** · Bubble · Candy Remix in the generator →

Blockbuster graffiti drawing of BRAVE in sunset colors — **BRAVE** · Blockbuster · Sunset Remix in the generator →

Dripping pink graffiti of FREE on brick — **FREE** · Drip · Candy Remix in the generator →

Graffiti drawings to color

Graffiti drawings to color are black outlines with a white fill, so you can print them and add your own colors with markers or pencils. They are a fast way to test color schemes and fades without drawing the letters first. Click a drawing to remix it, download it as a PNG, and print it on smooth, heavy paper.

Print on cardstock or marker paper so ink does not bleed through.
Color the fill first, light to dark, then go over the outline again with a black marker.
Leave small white gaps in the top corners of each letter as ready-made highlights.
For whole alphabets, use the printable sheets on the coloring pages instead.

Need full alphabets? See the graffiti coloring pages.

Graffiti drawing of PARTY to color, black outline bubble letters — **PARTY** · Bubble · Coloring page Remix in the generator →

Wildstyle graffiti drawing of WILD to color in — **WILD** · Wild · Coloring page Remix in the generator →

Blockbuster graffiti drawing of ROCK as a coloring page — **ROCK** · Blockbuster · Coloring page Remix in the generator →

3D graffiti drawing of STAR as an outline to color — **STAR** · 3D · Coloring page Remix in the generator →

Throw-up graffiti drawing of GAME to color — **GAME** · Throw-up · Coloring page Remix in the generator →

Dripping graffiti drawing of JOY as a coloring outline — **JOY** · Drip · Coloring page Remix in the generator →

What makes a graffiti drawing look good?

A good graffiti drawing has a readable skeleton, letters that flow into each other, one steady outline weight, 3D that points one way and highlights on the side facing the light. Get those five right and even a simple word looks finished. Get one wrong and no amount of color will fix it.

Skeleton. Under every graffiti letter is a plain letter. If the skeleton is off, the drawing reads wrong.
Flow. Letters lean the same way, sit on a shared baseline and touch or overlap, so the word reads as one shape.
Outline weight. One thick, even outline holds the piece together. Wobbly or mixed line widths look unsure.
3D direction. Pick one direction for the depth, usually down and right, and use it on every letter.
Highlights. Thin white lines and a shine star on the lit edges make flat color look glossy.

For depth options, see 3D graffiti letters. For letter shapes one by one, use the graffiti alphabet.

Supplies for copying these drawings

Canson XL Mix Media sketchbook Heavy paper that takes markers and light paint, a solid first blackbook. See at Blick
Copic Sketch markers Alcohol markers that blend smoothly, for fills and fades in a sketchbook. See at Blick
Posca PC-5M paint markers (8 colors) Opaque water-based markers for blackbooks, highlights and painting on wood, stone and fabric. See at Blick

I earn a commission from Blick purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. It costs you nothing extra. Affiliate disclosure.

How do you copy a graffiti drawing step by step?

To copy a graffiti drawing, look at its overall shape first, sketch the skeleton of the word in pencil, then build the letters, fill, outline, 3D and highlights in that order. Copying the big shape before the details keeps the proportions right.

Pick a drawing above and open it in the generator. Print it or keep it on screen next to your paper.
Draw a light box the size of the whole word, then mark where each letter starts and ends.
Sketch the skeleton: the plain letters in thin pencil lines.
Build the letter shapes around the skeleton, matching how much they overlap in the original.
Fill with color, then ink the outline with a thick black marker and erase the pencil.
Add the 3D block, then the highlights.
Draw it a second time from memory and change one thing, such as the colors or an arrow. That is how a copy becomes your own.

The full method with pictures of every stage is in how to draw graffiti step by step.

What simple symbols can you draw next to graffiti letters?

The easiest things to draw next to graffiti letters are simple symbols: a crown, arrows, stars, drips, a spray can or a speech bubble. They take a minute each, fill empty space and make a word look like a full piece.

Crown: three or five points on a band, tilted on top of the first letter.
Arrows: a curved line with a triangle head, coming out of the last letter.
Stars: four-point shine stars on the letters, five-point stars around them.
Drips: straight runs of different lengths from the bottom edge, each ending in a round drop.
Spray can: a tall rounded rectangle, a cap, a nozzle and a small cloud of dots.
Speech bubble: a rounded cloud with a tail, holding a short word like WOW or HEY.

Want a face or figure next to your word? The guide to drawing graffiti characters starts from simple shapes. For more words to draw, browse the graffiti ideas page.

Draw on paper, in a sketchbook or on canvas. If you paint a drawing on a wall, use a legal wall or get the owner's permission first.

Put your own word in any of these styles

Open the generator

Questions people ask

Is it okay to copy graffiti drawings from this page?

Yes. Copying is how most people learn lettering, and these drawings are here for practice. Use them in your sketchbook, for school work or as a gift. Once you can draw one cleanly, change the word, colors or 3D so the result is yours. Copying another writer's style exactly and passing it off as your own is called biting.

What is the difference between a graffiti drawing and a graffiti sketch?

A sketch is the pencil stage: loose lines where you work out letter shapes, overlaps and arrows. A drawing is the finished version, outlined in marker with color, 3D and highlights. Writers often fill several sketch pages before one becomes a finished drawing in their blackbook, and only the best ones get painted.

Can I change the word in one of these graffiti drawings?

Yes. Click "Remix in the generator" under any drawing. It opens with the same style, colors and background, and you can type any word or name. You can then try other styles, change the wall and download the result as a PNG or SVG for personal use.

How long does a graffiti drawing take to finish?

A short bubble word on paper takes about 20 to 40 minutes from sketch to color. A full piece with a background, fill pattern, 3D and highlights can take a few hours, often spread over more than one sitting. Speed comes with repetition, so draw the same word several times instead of starting a new one each day.

What should I color graffiti drawings with?

Alcohol markers give the smoothest fades, and paint markers like Posca give flat, bright color that can go over dark areas. Colored pencils work for kids and quick tests. Use a black marker last to sharpen the outline. The graffiti markers guide compares the main types.

Are graffiti drawings a good art class project?

Yes. Drawing a name or a word in graffiti letters teaches letter structure, spacing, color theory and 3D in one project. Students can start from a drawing here, print a coloring version, or design their own in the generator. Keep the work on paper or canvas and talk about legal walls and permission.