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How to Tag the Alphabet

While many people dislike the act of graffiti and consider it vandalism at best, the earliest writing systems may find their origins in tagging, according to a University of Chicago article. With that in mind, modern graffiti artists can contribute to contemporary font styles. While the letters of graffiti tagging contain certain universal characteristics (they resemble quickly scribbled letters), each artist has the chance to develop her own alphabet -- a calling card of sorts.

Things You'll Need

  • Sketchpad
  • Pencils
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Instructions

  1. Tag-First Alphabet

    • 1

      Write the following sentence in your sketchpad, using your pencil: "A quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog." Write the sentence as quickly as possible, using all capital letters.

    • 2
      Some graffiti artists use "bubble lettering."

      Notice your line formation. Look for indicators of your future tagging style, such as extremely square letters, or a definite leftward slant. Match your writing style to the following graffiti styles: round letters to bubble graffiti, slanted letters to slanted graffiti, square letters to angular graffiti.

    • 3

      Rewrite your sentence, exaggerating the quality of your letters. For example, if you found that you tend to use square letters, and want to turn this into angular graffiti, start slanting those areas that were un-slanted in your first sentence.

    • 4

      Continue rewriting the sentence, adjusting minor lines each time until you find a letter style you enjoy.

    • 5

      Write your tag "handle" (name) in your new alphabet. Many graffiti artists spend a great deal of time developing an alphabet that is both expressive and individual.

    Inspiration-First Alphabet

    • 6

      Search the Internet or view local tags in order to find an alphabet you enjoy. Tagging alphabets vary from person to person and region to region. Often times, the alphabet consists of abruptly slanted letters or colorful bubble letters.

    • 7
      Slanted letters generally angle lines in the same direction.

      Practice writing the alphabet in your sketch pad with a pencil. Use your inspiration to start your alphabet, but change those things you don't like. For example, you may enjoy slanted styles of graffiti, but would rather use the "O" of bubble letters.

    • 8

      Practice writing your name in your new alphabet style. Continue doing this until you develop the look you want.

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