Research different styles of graffiti. Familiarize yourself with as many different designs as you can find. By exploring different styles, you can begin to get an idea of what direction you want your graffiti to take. Try browsing the Internet or buying a graffiti book with a collection of different artists' work. Think about what elements of their designs you like; this will help you find inspiration for your own design.
Draw out your design it its most basic form. Write out the letters or draw out the design with minimal detail. Try not to think about the end result at this stage; instead, concentrate on the sizing and spacing between words and shapes. Use simple, single lines to construct your composition, leaving plenty of room between parts of your design so you can build your design up at a later stage.
Begin to build up your design. Once you have your initial sketch finished, it is time to develop your design. Experiment with various sizes and styles. Use solid straight lines, softer, curvier lines or even broken dotted lines to build up your outline. Use pencil and keep an eraser handy so that you can make changes to your composition. You might want to work in a sketchbook so you can draw multiple designs and see which one you prefer. This is also a good way of watching your graffiti progress through each stage.
Add detail. Work on the outline by thickening the lines. This will make your design stand out from the page and look more like graffiti. Add color to your design. Use a combination of bright colors to bring your graffiti to life. Try to make it eye-catching but avoid clashing colors as this can be unpleasant to view. Feel free to add further details like shading and highlights to make your design 3D.
Keep practicing. If at first you find you are lacking inspiration or you feel unhappy with your first attempt, don’t give up. Try researching even more styles of graffiti until you find one that you connect with. Keep working in a sketchbook so you can keep track of your ideas and measure your improvement. Mastering graffiti is not easy; just keep practicing.