How Long Does it Take to Master Graffiti

Graffiti has a problem, “how long does it take to master graffiti” is a loaded question to answer, because it doesn’t need to take as long as it does for most graffiti artists. Let’s begin by establishing what qualifies as “Mastering” so that we’re on the same page. To classify as a master in something, the individual needs to have not only a professional skill level (meaning their fundamentals are correct and done expertly) but also need a high knowledge level for the topic. This is the standard to master just about anything in life, and unfortunately, it takes graffiti artists decades to reach this point if they’re lucky. Most never reach this point. Sure many get to a professional skill level after 10, 20, or 30 years, but almost none get to a professional knowledge level. Even so, 10 years is an abysmally long time to learn graffiti, it doesn’t have to take this long.

If you follow the professional standard of any other art form, and you study and practice as they do, then it will take you 3-5 years to reach a pro level, and by 10 years you could easily be a master.

So why does it take graffiti to make progress? Modern graffiti is a relatively new art form with less than a century under it’s belt. In the early days of graffiti, artists focused more on getting their names up on walls, and they focused on the culture of things rather than breaking down the science of how the artworks. Add on top of that, most artists at the time were not only teens but even the adults who did it, weren’t experienced in art fields. The ones who did take an interest in fine arts either dropped graffiti entirely or didn’t bother to dig into the science of graffiti nor were they teachers. This means the information on graffiti was primarily based on intuition, feelings, trial and error, and few facts or evidence to back any information. This lack of info lead people to spend years practicing with no direction, no foundation to work off of and they cemented bad habits with each practice. These cemented bad habits would be passed down from one generation to another and presented as fact. This is why it takes the average graffiti artist decades to get to an average or pro level.

So how do pro-level and master-level artists in other fields go about reaching mastery? Well to be direct, they keep their practice simple, with no style, and they practice the basics. This allows them to focus on learning the science behind the fundamentals they’re studying, and then when they go to draw, they’ll be able to use this new knowledge and skill in their work. Possibly the most important thing to understand an artist needs to practice as well as study. The information they study will fuel their practice. It’s that simple, there’s nothing else to it other than practicing the basics. The fundamentals are the only place progress happens. Want to know the fundamentals of graffiti, then check out our graffiti online store for e-books that teach simple pieces so you can begin creating your very own graffiti artworks. You can also check our playlist that walks you through all of graffiti’s fundamentals.