In graffiti culture, getting up means taking your tag or piece to the streets or any public space. It’s all about making your name visible and gaining respect from the act of risking your life and freedom to get your name in more spots. It’s not about a single artwork on paper; it’s about presence. In short, it’s fame-building through taking risks: graffiti is one of the few art forms where fame comes from getting your moniker up on walls, billboards, rooftops, anywhere people can see it.

Getting up isn’t a legal gig, it’s risky and illegal. Simply drawing in a sketchbook or uploading art online usually doesn’t count as “getting up,” but some new artists seem to disagree. Newer artists believe that posting YouTube video about graffiti equates to getting up, and some think posting your black book, or i pad sketches on social media is getting up.

Graffiti artists are a resourceful bunch who’ll find any way to get their names out there! Today we’re going to check out 5 methods graffiti artists use to tag, but there’s a catch. We’ll exclude common things such as using markers, spray paint, and stickers because these are common and obvious enough to anyone spending more than a day in graffiti.