1. Name: ___________________________
Date: ________________
Grade: _________
GIMNASIO CAMPESTRE
ART DEPARTMENT
Silhouettes, stencil, and graffiti
Silhouette: “A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene
consisting of the outline and a featureless interior, with the silhouetted
object usually being black. Traditionally, a silhouette is a form of artwork,
the term originating in the 18th century and applied to portraits or other
pictorial representations cut from thin black card.”
1. Draw a silhouette of an animal in the space below:
Stencil: “The first stencils are paintings in caves dating over +10,000BC, where hands were used to
create hand print outlines amongst other artwork, such as paintings of animals. The artist would
spray pigment around his hand with his mouth.”
“A stencil is a template used to draw or paint identical letters, numbers, symbols, shapes, or
patterns every time it is used. Stencils are formed by removing sections from template material in
the form of text or an image. This creates what is essentially a physical negative. The template can
then be used to create impressions of the stenciled image, by applying pigment on the surface of
the template and through the removed sections, leaving a reproduction of the stencil on the
underlying surface. Sections of the remaining template which are isolated inside removed parts of
the image are called islands. All islands must be connected to other parts of the template with
bridges.”

2. Cueva de las Manos
Santa Cruz, Argentina
2. In your own words, describe how a stencil is used:
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3. Give examples, apart from street graffiti, where you think stencils are used:
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Graffiti has evolved into a pop culture existence
Graffiti: “The earliest forms of graffiti date back to 30,000 BCE in the
form of prehistoric cave paintings and pictographs using tools such as
animal bones and pigments. These illustrations were often placed in
ceremonial and sacred locations inside of the caves. The images
drawn on the walls showed scenes of animal wildlife and hunting
expeditions in most circumstances.”
“Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled,
painted or marked in any manner on property. Graffiti is any type of
public markings that may appear in the forms of simple written words
to elaborate wall paintings. Graffiti has existed since ancient times,
with examples dating back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.
In modern times paint, particularly spray paint, and marker pens have
become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries,
marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is
considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.
Sometimes graffiti expresses social and political messages and a
whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti
styles. To some, it is an art form worthy of display in galleries and
exhibitions; to others it is merely vandalism.”

3. Forms of Graffiti:
 Some of the most common styles of graffiti have their own names. A "tag" is the most
basic writing of an artist's name, it is simply a handstyle.
 "Throw-up", also known as a "bombing" which is normally painted very quickly with two or
three colors, sacrificing aesthetics for speed.
 A "piece" is a more elaborate representation of the artist's name, incorporating more
stylized letters, usually incorporating a much larger range of colors.
 "Wildstyle", is a form of graffiti usually involving interlocking letters and connecting points.
These pieces are often harder to read by non-graffiti artists as the letters merge into one
another in an often undecipherable manner.
4. Do you think graffiti has become a powerful way of communication and/or expression? Why?
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5. Sketch your own “tag” in the space below:
6. In a separate piece of paper, cut out the “tag” you designed above and make it a
stencil. Use it with paint to print it on a colored paper with a contrasting color.
Definitions in this workshop were taken from Wikipedia.