Looking for a mentor

[Millertime]

I'm obviously a toy and i'm looking to better myself. I'm looking for someone who is willing to teach me the tips of the trade. I'm willing to devote a lot of my time learning and I know i wont get better overnight. So if you can mentor me post a reply or pm me.

[watson]

http://brandon.scumcreativelabs.com/qbn/lol.jpg

[Pistol]

Either find people in your area with the same interests as you so you can feed off each other r if no one is into the stuff your into go at it yourself. /nh

Asking for a mentor on the internet is not going to help.

By the way do you tag ROCK1T?

[Millertime]

nah i tag pure

[Rustofills]

Don't ask anymore stupid questions online. Doods will just hate on you.
http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll193/drypickle/thpunch_you_thru_the_internets_.jpg

[561!]

I'm obviously a toy and i'm looking to better myself. I'm looking for someone who is willing to teach me the tips of the trade. I'm willing to devote a lot of my time learning and I know i wont get better overnight. So if you can mentor me post a reply or pm me.

I'll blow a hole in your face then go inside and sleep like a baby.

[Rustofills]

I'll blow a hole in your face then go inside and sleep like a baby.

Ha
I laughed at that, It might have been the herb,

[Pistol]

BOTH OF YOU ARE LAME FAGGOTS!

[the radiologist]

GO GET THE BOOK SUBWAY ART.

NEVER GO ON THE INTERNET AGAIN IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE.




....YOU JUST RECIEVED THE ONLY MENTORING YOU'LL EVER NEED.

[Swindle]

nah i tag pure

not anymore you dont.

if you take graffiti seriously, spend 5 years learning the history, practising hands and sketching. they are more important than actually painting.

then after 5 years when you have some clean simples and show some kind of committment and originality then do you have the right to ask for mentoring.


im still learning the old fashioned way so you can shut the fuck up and put in work like everyone else.

i learn basically nothing from people on the internet. i learn the most from flicks and books and other peoples pieces.

[The_Sexorcist]

hahahahhahahahahhahhahhahahhahahahahhahahhahahahah hahahahhahahahha


il be your mentor send me a couple boxes of paint and il show u how to bust a tag.

[lefty2]

mentor my balls , son!

[DaOnlyQue]

:facepalm:

and nigga aint no one gonna mentor your dumb ass.
ITS CALLED

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
LA PRACTICA HACE LA PERFECCION
EN FORGEANT QU'ON DEVIENT FORGERON

said it in three languages for ya'

[Zed_Eastwood]

regardless of what these fools say, this is the actuall tradition of writing graffiti. seeking a mentor is actually legit and noble. doing it on 12oz may be a little gay, but you are still on the right track....which is more than i can say for most cats who just try to jump right in and say "fuck that son, learn on your own like i did, and dont bite, word, yo!".

.....and yeah, you cant write Pure.

[deado]

^^word. start filling those blackbooks. dead letters all day. and stay off this site unless you want to be jaded before ur time

[Swindle]

which is more than i can say for most cats who just try to jump right in and say "fuck that son, learn on your own like i did, and dont bite, word, yo!".

.....and yeah, you cant write Pure.

coz learning on you're own is totally a bad thing and all

[Zed_Eastwood]

you cant learn on your own...in order to learn you have to look at other graffiti to get an idea of how it is supposed to look. but if you JUST look at other graffiti and are never taught the ropes by someone who has experience you are liable to make a lot of dumb mistakes that could have been avoided.

if someone told you hey dont write in other people shit before you got your ass beat - that would be a good thing.

if someone told you hey dont write on the all the buildings and what not in the yard before you got arrested that would be a good thing.

if someone said start simple and develop your handstyle before you just looked ant all the pretty wild style pieces on 12oz before you made a complete ass of yourself - that would be a good thing.

and the list goes on...

so really if your so cool that you want to go throguh all the dumb shit that you could easily avoid just to one day say "i learned on my own" then no, thats not a bad thing....thats just a fucking dumbass thing!

[IntoTheGrave]

I agree that finding a mentor on 12oz or any website is pretty gay, but I think that it's a different time than when you and I ( Zed) came out. Though you were out before me, we both came out at time when there was no such thing as the internet,nor were there all of these videos, magazines, books,etc. Finding a mentor was way harder. You had to not only find a more established writer that knew how to do things the right way (which that in itself was a mission), but also find someone who was cool enough to associate with a toy, and willing to teach. Keep in mind that this was a time when most writers weren't nearly as friendly as today. That whole peace, love, and unity vibe that a lot of the older cats are on today was way different in the 80s.

Millertime. I would suggest keeping an eye open in your area, and see who some of the more established writers might be. Maybe try to link up with someone like that closer to home instead of some guy you don't know writing you emails on how to do things.

Oh yeah. Zed is right about writing "Pure". There already is a guy writing that has been for over 20 years, and is very established. The last thing that you want to do when you first start writing is to take a name that someone already has (and is practically a style master at that). You will get enough slack being a toy. Having someone elses name will just put you behind the ball before it even gets rolling.

[Pistol]

If you want to learn how to ball you go to the local courts jump in some pick up games or go chill out at a practice for a AAU or high school team.

You wouldnt go to Lakers.com and ask Phil to teach you the triangle and be your mentor.

[Zed_Eastwood]

if you want to continue to ball on local courts then yes that should be your approach. If you want to move beyond that; i.e. go to college, play professional ball, then you are better served to learn smoe real important shit from some ball players with experience. coaches, MENTORS, trainers etc. I understand we are of a generation where it is looked down upon to humble yourself enough to ask a motherfucker "man howd you do that", but 99% of the toy ass behavior you see exhibited today is by cats that said "im going to learn this on my own"
im not pushing the whole mentor this or saying in order to become an established writer you NEED a mentor. just sayin tho - in my day this was the order of things....but i guess that day is long gone, and so yeah, fuck that, learn this shit on your own, yo.

[MomentIsNow]

@intothegrace

Lol, so you two came out... of the closet.
At the same time?
/joke

Zed, I get what you're getting at but your disagreeing with your first para and its starts getting confusing therefore pointless.

There's mentors and INFLUENCES
Mentors are great, we all know that.
The thing about mentors though, they can be hard to get.
Especially nowadays where everyones all like, Fuck off you toy.
People now take their knowledge and keep it to themselves.
Unlike back then, as you said.
Practicing on your own, getting a feel for the can and the whole movement naturally.
That's a great thing to do.
If you had a mentor though, they might have a different approach to this stuff and try to force their approach on you.
Like, people always said to flick your wrist when flaring but I don't even flick my wrist at all.
Mentors might teach you something you didn't know before and you'll never get your kind of natural motion to it because you think that the mentors way, is the right way.

Truth is, what you need are influences.
If you spot flares on the street and you decide to try flaring.
You'll practice for a while to get the whole motion of moving the can.
It's like being a automotive technician.
You won't learn how to do it by being taught in a classroom.
You might learn the basics in a classroom but the best way to learn it is by doing it first hand.

You didn't learn to write because someone held your hand and moved it for you.
You learned to write by picking up a crayon and scribbling on your mom's wall.

[Pistol]

continuing with the metaphors.
dude cant even make a lay-up but he's ready to start asking Michael how to slam from the freethrow line.

really he needs influences and needs to get up on his own or with peers.
once he bounces off ideas styles techniques with those close to him he might be ready to move up and on. but if he has to ask for a mentor on 12ozprophet.com then im going out on a limb here and saying son aint ready.

[IntoTheGrave]

@intothegrace

Lol, so you two came out... of the closet.
At the same time?
/joke

Zed, I get what you're getting at but your disagreeing with your first para and its starts getting confusing therefore pointless.

There's mentors and INFLUENCES
Mentors are great, we all know that.
The thing about mentors though, they can be hard to get.
Especially nowadays where everyones all like, Fuck off you toy.
People now take their knowledge and keep it to themselves.
Unlike back then, as you said.
Practicing on your own, getting a feel for the can and the whole movement naturally.
That's a great thing to do.
If you had a mentor though, they might have a different approach to this stuff and try to force their approach on you.
Like, people always said to flick your wrist when flaring but I don't even flick my wrist at all.
Mentors might teach you something you didn't know before and you'll never get your kind of natural motion to it because you think that the mentors way, is the right way.

Truth is, what you need are influences.
If you spot flares on the street and you decide to try flaring.
You'll practice for a while to get the whole motion of moving the can.
It's like being a automotive technician.
You won't learn how to do it by being taught in a classroom.
You might learn the basics in a classroom but the best way to learn it is by doing it first hand.

You didn't learn to write because someone held your hand and moved it for you.
You learned to write by picking up a crayon and scribbling on your mom's wall.

I agree with you to an extent as far as the actual techniques of painting go. Everyone has their way of painting. Some guys want to throw an outline on their piece, and then do a cloud or force field after. Other guys want to do that cloud first, and then outline. Some guys like to paint very close to a wall, while others don't, etc. I think if your goal is to just do pretty pieces on legal walls, then a mentor might not be so important. Now days you can learn a lot just from the internet. Back in the days you didn't have that tool. You also didn't have "jams" where you could go as a spectator, and watch a group of people that were good painting, and learn how things are done. Today you can just watch someone paint, or go on Youtube and learn shit.

I think a mentor is good if you plan on being a real writer. Going out at night, and putting work in the field. Someone that breaks it down for you. Trains roll by, and you have to hide, the proper way to scope spots out, and walk into them, etc. Things that seem like common sense, or 2nd hand to people that painted for years might not to someone that is just starting out. That's just my take on it though.

[MomentIsNow]

Exactly.

The painting aspect and getting better at it, comes with practice.
Thats it.

With learning techniques to GET to the spot.
That's a whole different story.
I agree with you 100% on having someone teach you how to do yards properly.
Some vet cats out there have a sense for when to do something.
The truth is though, the internet isn't a good place to find a mentor.
I say you gotta get your painting skills on lock first.
Then on the way you'll meet your mentor.

[VICIOUS->147]

Fuck getting taught, I never did..whats to teach? can position/cap choice? can control comes with alot of painting, real original style comes with alot of sketching..being suss is just common sence and not being a stupid toy with no idea, doing graffiti isnt taking the dog for a walk.

[!@#$%]

this thread has some interesting discussion in it so for now i'll be leaving it open.

mentors don't just come by. i'd say people that have them are lucky.
i was self taught and for many years also had to go out and do this shit on my own
now that years have gone by and i know what i'm doing, i'm reluctant to mentor people for so many reasons, not least of which the risk you open yourself up to

i also think it weeds people out who are into this for some bullshit reasons/

funny though how nowadays, you can come to a site like this and just troll for someone to help you or glean tips and tricks off shit you read.

[johnneh7]

Well put.

[aeroteooper149]

not anymore you dont.

if you take graffiti seriously, spend 5 years learning the history, practising hands and sketching. they are more important than actually painting.

then after 5 years when you have some clean simples and show some kind of committment and originality then do you have the right to ask for mentoring.


im still learning the old fashioned way so you can shut the fuck up and put in work like everyone else.

i learn basically nothing from people on the internet. i learn the most from flicks and books and other peoples pieces.

I support you on the whole taking your time to find out the history and to see if others have your names but 5 years? really i say learn and paint as you go. that way you'll be getting up and you get practice on the way while learning your shit...

[Cheve]

hahahaha Ill be your mentor! And then we can go get ice cream, and hold hands in the park! hahahaha

No but seriously. Having a mentor has its ups and downs. You learn shit. But youll basically end up biting his style.

knamtalkinbout?

[!@#$%]

i spent 3 years sketching before i started piecing.
after that, i started painting at least half way decent shit rather than starting on paint as a complete toy. 5 years is not an unrealistic amount of time to spend learning and practicing, especially if you wanna set the world on fire when you start.

shit is a lot harder these days too, you need to do a lot more recon and scoping at so many places to find even a good practice spot, much less a place to do a piece, if you still aren't very good.

after that shit, i started painting and have been for 12 years. so, a few years spent in preparation could be good for a person.

cheve is right too, if you have a mentor it will be extremely difficult to carve out your own niche. it is sometimes better to just get al the influence you can

[Rustofills]

You dont need a mentor. You need pratice.

Shit I was toy and painting like a toy for my first 5 years. This was way before the internet. So I didnt see alot of REAL GRAFFITI ART until I was a little older. I was young, and only when I got old enough to actualy venture out to places where there was actual graff that looked good, did I notice how toy I was. Fuck I was so toy for my first 2 ana half ta 3 years of getting up that I didnt know what a toy was. As most 12 and 13 year olds even these days dont know what real graff is. I just tagged because it felt good and I liked seeing my tag. I thought it was like. ( See I was here and here's my message.)

5 years to really get you style tight and right isnt unreal. You new school kiddys got it made. You got so many venues for veiwing graff that its changed the entire face of the art form.
From graff mags, Books, Video/DVDs and the web. To spray paint made exclusively for graff. In alot of ways the best years of writing are your toy years. So I suggest you sit back and enjoy them. Practice on paper at first for a while, then a little can time at some spot you find chill enough. Recon spots now way before you actually try paint them with something beyond your ability and for fucks sake. WALK SOME TRACKS GET OFF THE COMPUTER!

Also I have only learned 2 things from other writers. One was this trick to make little electric bult looking looking shit and the other is that most writers are total asshole, cock sucker, farther fucking drama queens. Everything else I learnd on my own with a can in hand.

Guess what? Im still learning shit and its been at this nonsence for a long fucking time.

I will end this post with the same thing I tell every toy I have ever met. Good luck with that and keep on working at it. That and fuck off toy.

[Swindle]

I support you on the whole taking your time to find out the history and to see if others have your names but 5 years? really i say learn and paint as you go. that way you'll be getting up and you get practice on the way while learning your shit...

you don't sit in your room and sketch for 5 years then one day walk outside and go "it feels good to stretch my wings, my cocoon state is complete!"

just the same as you dont go and crush every single building and sign with your super cool tag.

you paint chill spots. go exploring. throw down some good tags


if someone told you hey dont write in other people shit before you got your ass beat - that would be a good thing.
if someone told you hey dont write on the all the buildings and what not in the yard before you got arrested that would be a good thing.
if someone said start simple and develop your handstyle before you just looked ant all the pretty wild style pieces on 12oz before you made a complete ass of yourself - that would be a good thing.


this isn't learnt from mentors. this is common sense. if people can't comprehend this they won't last long in graffiti anyway and should go back to skateboarding or guitar hero.

[Rustofills]

you don't sit in your room and sketch for 5 years then one day walk outside and go "it feels good to stretch my wings, my cocoon state is complete!"

just the same as you dont go and crush every single building and sign with your super cool tag.

you paint chill spots. go exploring. throw down some good tags

this isn't learnt from mentors. this is common sense. if people can't comprehend this they won't last long in graffiti anyway and should go back to skateboarding or guitar hero.

Agreed.

[emergONE]

http://www.sturdywings.org/

[iloveboxcars]

fuck all the bullshit.

this is how you start.

do tags. walk around and fucking tag. on everything. just write on shit constantly. always have a marker with you. any time you get a chance take it. only practice tags. tags tags tags tags tags tags. tags are the basis of graffiti. learn them. learn your letters. dont try to make your tag all "graffiti" looking. do some straight ass letters until you got that shit down and it actually looks good. keep doing tags. tags tags tags tags tags.

after that you'll have to get into some other shit, but dont worry about that because
a) you'll probably never get there seeing as how most people drop out the game before they get anywhere near not-horrible
b) you'll meet some other cats that do the same shit that will be willing to chill and show you a thing or two.
c) you get caught and will probably decide it isnt for you.


buy a map of your city. go on all night missions covering a 10 block radius and just crush that shit. walk up and down the same street 3 times to make sure you didnt miss anything you could put your name on. quantity is important. be that guy.

[Swindle]

walk up and down the same street 3 times to make sure you didnt miss anything you could put your name on.

the only gripe i had with the entire post was this. this is ludicrous to me. go check out the spot in the day time and make mental notes of where you want to paint. then at night come back and do it in one run, you cant afford to walk up and down a freshly painted street waiting for someone to notice you. apart from that the post was spot on.

its not uncommon to fill up entire black books just with tags (and not improve) but dont let that discourage you. thats my job

[wisetuxedo]

agree with boxcars, but for the non city writers, find the highway, drive down till you find a bridge/overpass, pull off and explore that area/make a note and find it on google maps later take pictures, shitloads of pictures and get them physically printed if you get a photoalbums worth of flicks from your area then you can see whos who,
not gonna lie ive always had a mentor and the shit was awesome, /nh
going out to paint with other people makes it more fun and while you loose a bit of your own style its good to have someone else there to tell you where you fucked up so you can change it before other people see it,

[iloveboxcars]

the only gripe i had with the entire post was this. this is ludicrous to me. go check out the spot in the day time and make mental notes of where you want to paint. then at night come back and do it in one run, you cant afford to walk up and down a freshly painted street waiting for someone to notice you. apart from that the post was spot on.

its not uncommon to fill up entire black books just with tags (and not improve) but dont let that discourage you. thats my job

well, im used to big cities where even if something is freshly painted the police wont notice.

3 times was a bit of an exaggeration. i was just trying to get my point across.

and that point is crush shit.

[abcs]

i used to smoke brunts and watch cartoons
to laugh but the yard is so much better...
I wasnt introduced to some drawing on walls shit
didn't have any friends that were doing it.
More than half my life its been a comfort zone
and something thats kept me going and
im thinking that if you need a mentor to
inspire you to do your thing then whats the
point?
in all actuality this sounds like some Rok1t
ass shit.

[YTG]

do you need friends or a mentor?

[JustHereForTheNight]

do you need friends or a mentor?

ha ha ha ha

best reply

[tells]

not anymore you dont.

if you take graffiti seriously, spend 5 years learning the history, practising hands and sketching. they are more important than actually painting.

then after 5 years when you have some clean simples and show some kind of committment and originality then do you have the right to ask for mentoring.


im still learning the old fashioned way so you can shut the fuck up and put in work like everyone else.

i learn basically nothing from people on the internet. i learn the most from flicks and books and other peoples pieces.


You serious kid? 5 years reading books about graffiti? Hahahah. People get so serious about writing on walls.

[iorts3]

cmon man you just opened up a big can of worms for everyone to bust your chops.. me and my dude in high school would snatch a 12pack, sit on grand ave and watch the trains roll by.. those freights were mentors.. just look around you, pick up styles from the swirls on a coke can, look at everything like your peice should be on it.. wait, wait, wait.. the Mickeys got me buzzn.. kid, mentor your fukn self.. take what you know and expand on it, if you dont know shyt, then expand your knowledge before you pick up a can and decide to wreck shit..

[Edward Orenthal Norton]

http://www.childrensbookbank.org/Portals/3/big-brothers-big-sisters.gif

[P3ZS]

look. i dont have a mentor. there are people who are better than me who talk to me about it. there is one or two people that tend to help out. but i mean. would you call the dude selling you training wheels a mentor? honestly ive had to learn what i know(wich im not saying is much) on my own. i guess you could say im just kept in line by my friends. idk why im telling you this. your clearly some form of retarded. you just told potentially everyone in the world with access to the internet what you write/wrote. and it aint hard to track someone down. keep your shit low key for a while. observe dont be observed.