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The Ultimate Graffiti Buyers' Guide
by Adam de Angeli


This is pretty much everything I could tell you about graffiti products.  Since I run a graffiti shop, I hear tons of feedback about the different paint brands and the different caps, and I've compiled all of their opinions, as well as my conclusions based upon them, and the results of various tests. 

Not only that, I found that as I wrote it, I wanted to tell people as much as I could.  It's almost like a textbook of graffiti now.

I make no claim that anything is 100% accurate.  These are just my honest observations.  Email me if you would like to offer suggestions for improvement.  I want this to lead to further understanding of graffiti and hope to publish newer additions.  The more information you give me, the better.

This work, less the illustrations, is the intellectual property of the author.  It may be freely reproduced, in whole or in part, if and only if full credit is given to www.a2planet.com and this legal notice is included.






DTC burner



Contents
Introduction: Graffiti culture in transition

Part 1: The Tools of Graffiti

1.1     Protection
1.2     Spray Paint
    1.2.1    Terminology
    1.2.2     Properties of Spray Paint  
    1.2.2.1     Can sizes
    1.2.2.2     Chromes and Fluorescents
   1.2.3     Brands of Spray Paint
        1.2.3.1     Morality
        Paint properties
        Generic Paint v. Name-brand Paint
        Krylon vs. Rustoleum
        The Two Montanas
        Montana vs. Molotow
        The True Colors of Molotow
    The best and worst colors

    Conclusions 		Caps
    A warning before proceeding
    Detailed descriptions of various caps
    Valve systems
    Cap compatibility
       Caps that are completely incompatible with certain brands
       Caps that don't work well with certain brands
    The most popular caps

Markers
    Marker properties
    Markers by brand

Ink

Graffiti Culture

Part 2: The Techniques of Graffiti

Graffiti and the Law: What everyone should know

Afterword: The Educated Graffiti Artist




Introduction: Graffiti culture in transition
It's popularly believed that graffiti originated in New York, also it's popularly believed that it started in L.A. or Europe.    Nonsense.  Graffiti originated with civilization iself.  Perhaps it even pre-dated it!

After all, who were the first letter-writers?  Probably whoever could find the pigments (the oldest pigments and inks were extracted naturally, from indigo plants, blueberries--anything that had a color stain)  would be inclined to use them somehow.  Before any written language developed, isn't it likely that some people invented a mark to put on their property and applied it?  Isn't it likely that some of the same people also left their marks wherever they could, such as, on others' property?

Human history is remarkably connected to technology.  I bet there is no historical event of any significance where technology was not a factor.  The technology to mark a surface must have pre-dated the development of written language, because written language cannot exist without ink or similar marking devices.

Which means, graffiti is probably the oldest form of written communication. 

It's a little daunting to realize, but graffiti is an ancient art.  Sure, only since spray paint has it really developed.  Or has it?

Banksy once said, "Some people say that graffiti writers are only out for some pathetic kind of fame...but if that's true, it's just because graffiti writers are just like everyone else in this fucking country."

If you think about it, that little network logo in the bottom-right corner of your TV screen, the company logo on everything you wear, all of those logos are basically corporate tags.

You see their names everywhere: Bank of America, McDonalds, Dell, Ford.  They get into your head.

But their tagging is paid for and stamped for approval by the corporate government.  Yours can land you in jail.  Even though yours is ten times more artistic than their moronic logos and slogans.

Doesn't seem fair, does it?

Graffiti has always been despised by rulers; adored by rebels.

To some, "graffiti" is a dirty word associated with gang violence and wanton destruction of property.  To others it is a new and unbound form of artwork.  To others still, it is a weapon of information warfare, a means for the underground to force the public to recognize its existance.  In varying ways, graffiti is all this and more.

While graffiti has been around since ancient history, it has only been since the advent of the spraycan that graffiti culture has begun to really develop.

What we have today comes from three general places: protest movements, hip hop movements, and of course, the ancient practice of scribbling your name, initials, or moniker on someone else's property.  The detailed history of graffiti is too rich for me to review here, but I'd like to say a few words about where the culture is going.

Today, graffiti culture seems to be undergoing a transition from underground to mainstream in the U.S.  While the mainstream once did all it could to exclude graffiti from the growing mainstream hip hop culture (few people in America these days even know what the "four sacred elements of hip hop" are), today it is breaking through at last. 

I'm not sure what caused this, but I can name three factors that probably had a lot to do with it.  The first is that many rappers seem to have noticed that the mainstream was neglecting graffiti and started speaking out about the disappearing history of hip hop.  The second is that the satanic babykillers in the U.S. government and the Corporate Mafia that put them into power have provoked an enormous backlash in response to their crimes, resulting in more graffiti.  The third is that Mark Ecko, a very popular fashion designer, took it upon himself to launch a video game about graffiti, "Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure," which was a big hit with the kids.  Apart from that, I think that just because pop culture has been trying to get "edgier" these days, it's been more supportive of graffiti--not as an art, but as a condition of violence.

But with popularity comes responsibility.  Every art form today is at war with the mainstream, whether fake-thug-shit-rap versus real hip hop, fake-Hollywood-garbage versus real filmmaking, etc.  Will the mainstream capture the art of graffiti and turn it into a sanitized, commercial product?  Or will the art form resist?

For some reason, people seem more open-minded to graffiti art than before.  I have seen parents come with their kids to shop for graffiti supplies, and seen schools, libraries, and art groups sponsoring graffiti events.  This may be a good thing, but the new generation of graffiti writers need to understand where the culture came from, what is represents, and what it strives for. 

In my mind, graffiti is an anarchist movement: we don't need somebody else to buy our art, we don't need somebody to "authorize" our art.  The artists doesn't depend on anybody to say where the art does or doesn't belong.  It's truly a D.I.Y. movement. 

Public opinion of graffiti runs with public opinion of direction action.  Today seems like a turning point, where graffiti art can either prove itself or continue to be stigmatized.

The solution, of course, is simply for artists and admirers to do everything possible to help people create better art.  That is the purpose of this document, and, to that end, I hope you find it useful.

Apex?


PART 1

The Tools of Graffiti

In this part, we will cover spray paint, caps, regular paint, protection, and other supplies the artist might use.


1.1     Protection
Spray paint is toxic, and spray painting is often illegal.  For long-term success, minding one's health and safety is critical.

Respirator:  Yes, you need one.  Laugh all you want about how nice spray paint smells, and about getting high on the fumes.  But in the long term, spray paint fumes are quite toxic.  Wear a respirator.  It's a critical investment in your future health.  And besides, it concelas your facial features should you have a fugitive situation.

Gloves:  Often overlooked!  But wizened old graff writers insist, they got health problems on their hands from not wearing gloves.  Paint is toxic.  Wear gloves!  Fingerprints are a major risk: wear gloves!

Clothes: Police can be nasty to people who look like they're spray painters.  Don't wear your writing clothes to school!  In fact, if you're in any school, keep your painting practice to a low at all times.

Vehicle:  Bicycle!  

Magnets: The amazing can silencer!  Major hardware stores sell these circular magnets than can fit right on the bottom of the can and keep the ball-bearings ("peas") from rolling around and making noise.  Good for avoiding dirty looks.

BONUS TIP:  Get a bunch of these magnets,and some heavy cord, and fashion a sort of "cat o' nine tails" with magnets on the end of the cords, so you can hold one handle and tow 9+ silent cans.  Handy!  Plus it turns your palette into a weapon of self-defense!

Intercom:  Helpful!

Climbing Gear:  Reach new heights!











1.2     Spray Paint
Graffiti would be nothing without the spraycan.  To spray with skill you have to know your cans.  There are many brand choices (subject to availability, of course), and every brand performs differently.  It's best to know as much as you can about the paint you are using before you begin painting with it.  This way you will know what to expect.

There are certain characteristics of various paint brands that you should be aware of.  Within the brands, there are certain products lines and certain colors that are better than others.  Here I hope to give you the best information about that possible.  But first, some definitions.




1.2.1     Terminology
Can: duh.

Cap: For clarity, the "cap" refers to the piece that you push down on and the paint comes out of, not the big plastic cylinder that encases the top of the can on the shelf.  We call that the "top."

Top: The plastic shell protecting the cap from being accidentally pressed.

Tip: A cap.

Nozzle: This term is ambiguous; don't use it.

Ring: Spanish Montana and Belton Molotow have rings that indicate the color of the paint, designed to stay attached with the top removed (see illustration at right for the Belton example).  Generally Spanish Montana (MTN)'s rings are less likely to be lost.

Valve: The valve is the hatch that opens when you push down on the cap.  There are different valve systems with properties discussed below.

Propellant: Propellant is compressed gas in the can that makes it spray.  More propellant means heavier spray. 

Base: The base is the liquid that carries the paint's pigment and attaches it to the surface.  A base can be water, oil, latex, alcohol, or other things.  Spray paint is usually oil or latex based.  Markers are often oil or alcohol based.  Water-based paint is good for the environment but not good for resisting drips.

Pigment: Pigment is the ingredient that gives paint its color.  It is an insoluble powder, as opposed to dyes, which are soluble liquids.

Pea: The industry term for the ball(s) inside the can that mix the paint when you shake the can.  Various brands have one, two, or three in each can.

Hue: The "color" of the color (red, blue, etc)

Saturation: The "boldness" or "value" of the color, from pure color to grey.

Lightness (or brightness or intensity): The color's position on a scale from pure light to pure dark.  On a modern computer monitor or color printer, its is thought that every visible color can be defined by its hue, saturation, and lightness.

Thickness: This is a general term for how "thick" the paint seems to be.  It varies by the density and cohesion of the base as well as the amount of pigment in the paint.  Paints that are too thin will cover poorly and tend to drip.

Opacity: Similar to thickness, opacity is the opposite of transparency.  An opaque line leaves no indication what color is underneath it, while a line with poor opacity will be tinted by the color below it.  A more opaque paint can be less thick and get the same result as a less opaque paint.






1.2.2     Properties of Spray Paint
Coverage

Some paints completely replace any color beneath them with their color.  Other can let the undercoat show through.  "Coverage" means how much area can be covered by a given amount of paint; which correlates to how opaque the paint is, among other things.

Coverage is important because a $3.99 can of Krylon is no better value than a $6.99 can of Molotow, if the Molotow can give you twice as much coverage.

Within all brands, certain colors cover better than others; see below for details.

Valve System: Fixed-pressure vs. variable-pressure

There are two valve types; fixed-pressure and variable-pressure.  With fixed-pressure valves (often called "high-pressure valves"), the can is either spraying or it is not; with variable pressure valves (often called "low-pressure valves"), the can may spray lightly or heavily depending on how hard you press down on the cap.

The technique for using fixed-pressure versus variable-pressure cans is a bit different; if you're used to one type of valve and try the other, take some time to get the feel of the other system.

The difference between high/low versus fixed/variable pressure

Many companies garble the difference between these two classification of pressure systems.  Variable/fixed pressure distinguishes between having and not having control of the can pressure as described above.  High/low pressure simply describes how much paint will be coming out. 

Pressure is determined by a few factors, including:

-The amount of propellant in the can;
-The amount of space for propellant in the can, left over from the space taken up by the paint; and
-The density (thickness) of the paint in the can; among other more technical ones.

This sounds confusing but it basically comes down to this:

If your can has too much pressure, you can reduce it by turning the can upside-down and spraying out the excess pressure.
If your can has too little pressure, enjoy it while it lasts, or shake the can until the pressure's back up.

High/low pressure varies from one product line to the next; for example, Rustoleum paint is more pressurized than Belton paint.

Also, pressure varies by the size of the can.  Larger cans are higher pressure than smaller cans.


Working temperature

Some brands of paint simply do not work in extreme temperatures.  Montana MTN does not work below the freezing point, while Belton Molotow does.  Check your can, most state their temperature range.

Pigmentation

Some brands use more pigment than others, and some colors have more pigment than others.  Most pigments these days are synthetic, as opposed to the olden days when indigo pigment was actually harvested from indigo.  Many colors are blends of different pigments, for example, MTN's Solar Orange is a yellow pigment mixed with an orange pigment.  Paint companies use different amounts of pigment, and the ones that use the most generally have the brightest colors.

Different pigments, for lack of a better scientific understanding, "just sometimes work better than others" and you will find that some colors are just better than others.  The only way to find out for yourself is to experiment.  We will name some best and worst colors later.

Color Selection

Naturally the artist prefers having the most possible choices of color.

Peas

We just noticed this, but some brands have one or more peas.  Having more peas makes it quicker and quieter to stir the paint around.  Montana MTN Hardcore has two peas, Molotow has three, while Rustoleum and Krylon only have one.
1.2.2.1     Can Sizes: High-pressure vs. low-pressure

Spray paint is available in a wide variety of can sizes, all the way from 30ml (picture of a shot of liquor) to 750ml (picture a fifth of liquor).

As can size increases, the unit price of the paint ($/volume) goes down, but the pressure goes up.  With a tiny can, you will get less paint for your money; with a huge can, you will be unable to create detailed lines. 

400 ml cans are most common size, and this is a good balance between value and can pressure. 

With 600 ml cans, you get 50% more paint for only a dollar more.  But, the pressure issue is a problem.  In a 600 ml can, the spray will be very powerful for the first half of the can's life.  Once the can is about half empty, the pressure eases up a bit.  But since 600 ml cans generally only make wide spray, they're really only good for fill-ins.  But most companies offer only black, metallics, and a few colors in the bigger sizes.  Blacks and metallics are not popular fill colors, so your choices are limited.

With a little creativity one can find a good use for the large cans, but in smaller 400 ml cans are generally better.

Smaller cans have the opposite problem.  You can do great work with 250 ml cans, but you get less paint out of them.  The lower pressure means you will have more control over the spray (particularly with variable-pressure systems like Montana Alien Art Concept), and this yields a hidden benefit: with lower pressure cans, you can hold the can closer to the surface you're spraying, and thus lose less paint into the air. 

Still, smaller cans are less paint for the money.

Conclusion: The 400 ml can is your workhorse, the 250 ml can is good for touches and effects, the 600 ml can is good for filling in large undetailed areas.

Paint companies determine how much propellant to put in the can by trying many amounts and choosing the one that is the best balance of desirable pressure, and balance of pressure.  Balance of pressure is how even the pressure remains from a new can to a depleted one.  As a can is used, the amount of propellant goes down as the space for it increases, so generally, a new can will spray more vigorously than an almost-exhausted one.  There is a greater change in cans with less propellant than cans with lots of propellant, making higher pressure cans more desirable, but on the other hand, cans with too much pressure cannot do detailed work precisely. 

So, companies try to make their cans with as much pressure as possible, without being too pressurized to use effectively.

It generally comes that larger cans have more pressure than smaller ones.  Big cans are dynamite and small cans can do incredible detail work.  400ml is the most popular size because it seems to have the most popular balance of control and size value. 

But remember, this is not the same as fixed-pressure and variable-pressure.  F/V determines the user's amount of control over the flow of paint; H/L determines how much pressure is in the can.  Please use these terms correctly even though the leading manufacturers of spray paint do not.



1.2.2.2     Metallics and Fluorescents
Metallics and fluorescents look really cool in the catalogs.  The fluorescents appear staggeringly bright, and some metallic paints look great for adding that "bling."

But when you actually use them, problems emerge.

With metallics, the problem is that they cannot be painted over until they are totally dry, and metallics take longer to dry.  I don't know why, but if you try to paint over chrome colors with ordinary colors, the metallic color sort of "eats" the wet color.  This makes metallic paints tricky to use when piecing.

It's a pity, but that's how it is, with every brand of paint.

With fluorescents, the problem is that they don't show up properly on anything except white. And even then, the coverage is terrible.  This is true with all brands of fluorescent paint; it takes like three coats for it to show up well. 

Also, metallic and fluorescent paints smell foul.  Wear a mask!

Metallics and fluorescents may still be used for special projects, but for typical piecing, they do not work well.

Still, you should try them out; you may find them useful.





1.2.3     Brands of Spray Paint
Two brands of spray paint that are available in almost every town in America are Rustoleum and Krylon.  Additionally there are many "off-brands" one might find at superstores like Home Depot or Wal*Mart for fractional prices.  Then, there are premium brands available in select stores.  The most popular of these are Montana and Belton Molotow.  Also, there are what are called "hobby paints" or "craft paints" which include many brands.

Even many top graffiti artists have totally different opinions about each brand.  Some artists prefer various brands for different reasons: I know one who likes Montana's colors but prefers Belton's black and white.  You will have to decide for yourself what brand you prefer.

Here are some qualities to look for that may help you decide.


1.2.3.1     Morality

This should be important to every consumer.  Some companies support graffiti culture, while others support its enemies.  Some companies follow or even exceed strict health and safety regulations, while other companies are apparently trying to kill you.

Fortunately, it seems that the only toxic spray paint is the generic stuff; the brands listed in the table below are all clean.  Yet they still have some serious concerns in other areas.  Here is what we've found about the brands:

Rustoleum

Rust-Oleum receives anti-graffiti award

Home Channel News,  July 17, 2000 


The National Council to Prevent Delinquency gave the paint maker the Partner in Prevention award, in recognition of Rust-Oleum's active role in the national Anti-Graffiti project. The project helps local governments and citizen groups prevent graffiti vandalism and restore defaced property. Rust-Oleum's contributions have included paint for neighborhood cleanups, money for retail theft prevention and volunteers for various anti-graffiti efforts. The company has also promoted the Council's Responsible Retailing program, designed to block theft and illegal purchasing of products such as spray paint.
Krylon
 From www.krylon.com:

"Krylon® Products Group is more than just paint and projects. We care about you and your community. Along with Keep America Beautiful, Krylon Products Group has created a national program called Graffiti Hurts® designed to address the growing graffiti problem in urban areas and small towns."
Montana Spain (MTN):
A can of Montana paint
 Montana Spain (MTN) sponsors some graffiti artists and contains links to other graffiti sites from theirs.  The company states that it was founded by graffiti writers Moockie and Kapi.  It sponsors many graffiti magazines in many countries.  Montana's sincere dedication to the art is evidenced by the quality of the product.

"I heard Spanish Montana contains lead and other harmful chemicals, Is this true?" MTN: "No, this is an unfounded rumor started by our competitor. Our Paint has been sent to the US EPA and they have reported that it is less toxic than some of the well known American brands of paint. They have stated furthermore that Montana Colors (Spain) is well within the regulated legal standards for paint in the United States. Succesfull Chemical analysis's conducted in Europe can be viewed by Clicking Here."
Montana Germany (Dupli)
 The German Montana company committed the greatest crime in the world of graffiti, and on a massive scale, by stealing the Spanish Montana company's name. 

That says a lot about the company in istelf, but moreover, when pressed an explanation, the company claimed that it did it "for the artists' sake" because the Spanish Montana company put toxic chemicals in its product.

As it turns out, the opposite is true, and the German Montana company is now doing all it possibly can to avoid even mentioning the existance of the Spanish Montana company.

The confusion between the two companies is, as you will see, a huge headache for everybody, and the company really shouldn't be forgiven for this.

The German Montana company is owned and controlled by Motip Dupli, a.k.a. Dupli-color, a multinational corporation primarily in the automotive paint industry.  They feature a slick youth-targeted corporate website, with lots of pro-graffiti tones that conceal the slimy corporate face behind it.

In some instances, some shown in the "Write and Unite" DVD, Dupli-Montana seems to be deliberately confusing their brand with the Spanish company's.  This is, in my view, totally opposed to the culture of graffiti.  The brand is a total fraud, good paint or not.
Belton Molotow
 The Belton company named their product "Molotow," which is the German spelling for "Molotov" like the cocktail, hence even their name is a reference to graffiti.

Belton sponsors many artists and their paint was developed by artists.  Several of their colors are named for the artists who helped develop them.  The U.S. distributor of Belton sponsor many graffiti magazines in many countries.

Belton's sincere dedication to the art is evidenced by the quality of the product.
Generic / Other Brands
 Read the label carefully.  Many off-brands do not meet the chemical safety standards of the brands above.  Some of them are covered in warnings about toxic chemicals.  If you use these brands, be sure to wear a mask and gloves.

As you can see from the table, Spanish Montana (MTN) and Belton Molotow seem to be the only brands that have honesty, decency, and respect.





1.2.3.2     Product Quality / Performance

Rustoleum
 Quality varies considerably from one color and sub-brand to the next.  The "stops rust" black is exceptionally good and favored by artists everywhere.  Run-resistant and generally covers well, though some colors do not.  Works with almost every type of cap out there, though some hi-pressure caps do not work well.  Offers about 100 colors.
Krylon
 Again, quality is not consistent with every color.   Watermelon is one of their best, Tomato and Stonewash Denim are among their worst, along with many ugly pastels. 

As quality is concerned, Krylon is not bad, though it is far from the best.  Some colors cover poorly; on a white wall, this will not matter, but when covering previous lines, the color beneath may show through.  This is important, because if you don't want undercoats showing through, you will have to go back over the line again (thus using double the paint and also possibly creating deviations from the original line.) 

One of the biggest concerns (especially for novices, but pros as well) is drippiness.  Krylon is definitely less drippy than generic paint, but compared with premium paints discussed below it is definitely more drippy.

You can make a can of Krylon much better by simply turning a new can upside-down and spraying propellent for about 10 seconds.  (spray cans have a straw that runs from the nozzle to the bottom of the can, so by turning a can upside-down, you spray out the propellent without the paint, thus reducing the pressure in the can).  This will give you much better control of the spray.

Krylon offers many lines of paint, but their "All-purpose spray paint" line is by far the largest with 52 colors, and when people say Krylon, they are usually referring to this product line.
Spanish Montana (MTN)
A can of Montana paint
 Montana has two primary lines of paint: Hardcore, and Alien Art Concept.

Montana is great paint for several reasons.

The most important is the colors.  Montana colors are bright.  They cover great and they stand out, more than any other brand in most cases.  They also have 124 colors to choose from, more than Rustoleum or Krylon offer.

Another important quality is drip resistance.  Montana paint is highly drip-resistant. After getting used to Montana paint, using cheaper brands can be frustrating, because you will be accustomed to paint that sticks to the wall.

Montana (and also Molotow, below) have a clever system for making it easier to identify your cans, too.  Montana has a ring that fits the cap between the nozzle and the edge of the can indicating what color it is.  If you've used Rustoleum or Krylon, you know how it can be tedious to figure out which can is which once the tops get mixed up.

There are two lines of Montana, the Harcore line and the Alien Art Concept line.  The difference between the two is that the Hardcore line comes in 400ml (standard size) cans with high-pressure valves, while the Alien line comes in 250ml variable-pressure valves.  Variable-pressure means you can push down a little and get a light spray or push down hard and get a heavy spray.  More about valves further down.

The MTN Montana cans also have two balls in the can instead of one like Rusto and Krylon, making shaking/mixing faster and easier.  The cans also include a sample color ring that stays on the can when the top is off, making it easy to identify which color the can is without the top.
German Montana
 We have not used German Montana's paint, but from what we've heard, it sounds a lot like Belton Molotow.  It is said by the company that it the cans work properly in extreme temperatures from -38 to 48 degrees C (-36 to 118 F degrees F).  German Montana offers two major product lines, the "Black" and "Gold" lines.  The "Gold" line has a variable-pressure valve like Belton Molotow and the "Black" line has a constant high-pressure valve like MTN Montana Hardcore.

Due to the ethical concerns about this company described above and below, we probably will not care to experiment with it, since we wouldn't carry it even if it was good paint.

But, with over 140 "Gold" colors and 75 "Black" colors, this company does have the others beat in color choices.
Belton Molotow
 Belton and Molotow are the same paint; Belton is the company name and Molotow is the name of the product line.  But since Molotow is the only line Belton offers in the U.S.A., it's basically the same thing to us.

Because it is a German company, it is actually pronounced "Molotov" like the cocktail you throw.  In German, the "V" and the "W" are the same letter; it is written "W" and pronounced "V".  This is why "wiener schnitzel" is pronounced "veener schnitzel."  Since "Molotov" is consistent with the whole "bombing" metaphor, we say "Molotov."

But anyway, about the paint.

Like Montana, Molotow colors are bright, and highly drip-resistant.  Molotow offers even more colors, now approaching 200 (at this writing, 20 new colors are under development).

Molotow uses a variable-pressure system on all of their cans.  This gives the artist more control over the spray than other brands (Montana Alien paint uses variable-pressure too, but not in 400ml cans). 

One important advantage of Molotow is that the paint works properly in extreme temperatures.  When we were painting our store, it was wintertime and we had to keep the building ventilated because of the paint fumes, so it was very cold in the room.  The Montana cans would freeze unless we kept them on the radiators.  Molotow works in cold weather.  This makes it essential for bombing in freezing weather.

As colors go, Molotow is misleading: for reasons unknown, the color charts on the websites of the Belton company and U.S. distributor are inaccurate and unflattering.  Many nice colors are shown to be greyish, whitish, or just plain ugly.
Details about this below.  But, the actual colors are very nice. 

Also, Molotow paint is reported to be more resistant to fading and chipping than the other brands named above.


Generic paint vs. Specialty Paint

The graffiti artist, hard up for money and wanting a greater quantity of paint in as many colors as possible, may be inclined to purchase the cheapest paints available.  But there are some things he/she should know about cheap paint.

* Drips and bad coverage cost time and paint.

Many "off-brand" paints are simply brand-name paints from batches that failed quality control tests.  So the company slaps a different label on the can and sells it at a lower price.  But dealing with drips uses up more paint, and going back over lines that didn't show up properly the first time can drain your cans.  In the long run, this is not going to save you any money. And if you are doing a piece where time is a factor (like an illegal piece), making corrections that shouldn't be needed in the first place becomes a dangerous liability. 

* Generic paint is not consistent.

Name-brand companies go to great lengths to make sure every can of paint is the same.  Generic paint can vary widely, from watery to syrupy, from high-pressure to low-pressure, even from one color to an off-color.

A graffiti artist, like all artists, needs to have dependable tools.  One need only survey the bad graffiti in any city to see why.



Krylon vs. Rustoleum

Krylon and Rusto are the two biggest brands of spray paint in the U.S.  Which one is better?  Depends who you ask.

Factors which support Rustoleum:

-longevity; Rusto doesn't fade or crack
-coverage; Rusto is more opaque
-pressure; Krylon is over-pressurized

Factors which support Krylon

-price; Krylon is cheaper
-pressure; Krylon is worse than Rusto but this is fixed by inverting the can and draining some propellant

Colors: Krylon and Rusto offer different colors.  Buy whichever looks better, I guess.


The Two Montanas

There are two completely different companies calling themselves "Montana brand spray paint."  One hails from Spain, the other, Germany.  How are they different and why do they have the same name?  We went over this a little before, but now for details.


Unfortunately, we cannot say how the two paints compare, because we've never seen or used the German company's paint.  We have heard that the German Montana is similar to Belton Molotow paint.  But we don't know.

As for why there are two spray paint companies named Montana, the Spanish company says: 

[edited for spelling and grammar from the translation at www.mtncolors.com]:
In 1993, two writers named Moockie and Kapi both from Barcelona Spain decide to open a graffiti/hip-hop shop. They contact a spray paint manufacturer known as "Felton" in Spain for research and to negotiate prices. They discuss the potential of the graffiti art market with the commercial manager at the spray can factory Jordi Rubio who later becomes the owner of Montana Spain. Jordi is fascinated with the idea but Felton is unconvinced of the potential sales in a market for graffiti.

Approximately one year later, around 1994, Jordi asks Kapi & Moockie to help build a brand for the graffiti market. Kapi & Moockie contribute their knowledge of graffiti needs and Jordi contributes his knowledge in the technical aspects of spray cans. In the spring of 1994 Kapi & Moockie organize an event called "Aerosol Art" and invite artists from all over Europe. At this event they introduce the first Montana cans and this is the first time graffiti artists use Montana paint. Shortly after Montana develops the "Hardcore" 400ml can, which we know today, and the "Alien" can in 2001. During the course of 1994, news spreads that there is a graffiti store in Barcelona that sells quality paint very cheap, and artists from all over Europe gather there and take cans back to their home countries in bulk. The artists themselves became the first exporters of Montana. By the end of 1995, these artists began to import Montana into their home countries on a regular basis, at first Italy, then Switzerland, and then France and the UK.

In 1997, Montana grants the exclusive distribution rights for Germany to L&G. Problems begin soon after. By 1997 Montana has become well known and is exporting to other continents. Montana Spain began as and still is dedicated to the graffiti art culture and has remained a small company with about 50 employees involved with their manufacturing facility and distribution. Spanish Montana contends that all their products are made with devotion to quality in aerosol art culture. All Spanish Montana spray cans are hand-made at their own facility as they have been since the beginning. 

In 1996, a distribution company named L&G is founded by Ruediger Latz and Tim Latif (known to us now as German Montana). In 1997 L&G becomes the exclusive distributor of Spanish Montana for Germany. Shortly after L&G also gains the rights to distribute in several other countries in Europe. Meanwhile L&G conspires with Motip Dupli, a multi-national corporation and the largest maker of spray paint for automobiles in Europe (Known to Americans as Dupli-Color), to manufacture and label spray paint cans for L&G with Montana Spain's customers as the target audience.

Mutip Dupli becomes aware of the potential in the graffiti market and makes an offer to buy Spanish Montana from Jordi. Montana Spain rejects the offer and soon after L&G and Dupli begin producing exact copies of the cans labeled as Montana Hardcore and start to distribute them throughout Montana Spain's established market. Mutip Dupli then starts a negative campaign of information and spreads several rumors about Spanish Montana including that the paint allegedly contains lead and other poisons.

L&G contends that product ideas given to Montana Spain during there business relationship entitle L&G to an equal share of the brand name "Montana." L&G and Mutip Dupli initiate a process which results in inspectors coming to Spain to examine their products in hopes of reducing their productivity.

In 2001 L&G and Mutip Dupli run a trademark search for the name "Montana" and they find a company named "Farbo S.A." located in Switzerland who has the name "Montana" already licensed throughout Europe. L&G and Mutip Dupli then offer to pay a royalty for using the name "Montana" from Farbo and succeed. L&G has now gained the ammunition they need to file lawsuits and attempt to take away the name & market that Montana Spain has created. Lawsuits are still pending in several courts throughout Europe.

In 2002 L&G release the "Montana New Generation" can. In 2003 they release the Montana "GOLD" can and the Montana "Platinum" can in 2004. At the same time in 2004 Montana Spain begins to brand some of their cans as "MTNMTN" to try to relieve some confusion the customers are having between the two companies.

The differences between the two Montanas remain unresolved. L&G reports to have about 20 employees involved in its distribution operation. German Montana also claims to have the same devotion to quality and aerosol art culture. L&G spray cans are made with automated machines at the Motip Dupli facility as they have been since the beginning.




And now, here is a press release about the story, from the German Montana company, giving their side of the story:

We as a distributor of Montana paint and Aerosol Art paint produced by Motip Dupli AG, distributed by L&G in Germany would like to avoid any misunderstandings about the ongoing business differences between the producer of Montana paint from Spain and the producer of Montana paint in Germany. As It is uncommon to present information to the public when a case is still with several judges to decide about, we decided not to make any comments to these matters until a final decission was made public.

However, as the Spanish producer and some of its distributors have decided to start a negative campaign out in public against the Montana brand from Germany, instead of waiting for the final court decission we decided to go against this in an orderly manner, based on facts, delivered by objective parties and institutions.

The fact that the courts have their difficulty to look into this matter in full detail as this business disagreement is of a very complicated nature. This matter is going through serveral courts at the moment.

Fact is that the company L&G already won cases against the spanish distributor in the Netherlands, France and other European countries.

To be clear: Objective tests that are in our possession show that the metal "Lead" has been found in the paint of the Spanish producer. ( as these test results are in german we do not show them here but feel free to contact us if you would like to see them) This metal is extremely dangerous to men's health. This metal is used to make the paint cover real good, especially with the red, yellow and orange colors, which from nature do not cover too well. There are better and healthier substances on the market that work the same, but these are more expensive. Also the very dangerous substance "strontium" was found in the paint from the spanish producer.

Due to this shocking discovery that was made public by the company L&G last year September, we decided to give more information about chemicals that are used to make paint.

Toluene, xylene, petrol gases, strontium, arsenic and mercury are some of the chemicals, vapours and heavy metals contained in spray paint and in paint containing such substances their leves come well within official restrictions. Yet the noxious smell emitted from a fat cap shouts This is doing more harm than good!" Striking a cynical note, when were levels deemed safe by otficialdom a guarantee for comfort? On the back of a canister of Spanish Montana cans, the warning reads; "Harmful by inhalation contact with skin. Irritating to skin. Do not breathe spray. Avoid contact with eyes. If swallowed seek medical advice immediately and show this container or label."

L&G Distribution in Germany produce the new safer Montana cans. Montana's original home is Spain and was originally made by Montana Colors S.L. The two companies are currently in dispute over trademark intringement with L&G (German Montana) already winning their cases in France, The Netherlands and Germany. When L&G (German Montana) had the old Spanish brand analysed their

tests petitioned that Spanish Montana contained dangerous levels of lead.  Rüdiger Glatz, managing director of L&G told Graphotism magazine: "Spraycans are detinitely not good for your health, but selling spraycans containing lead and strontium [see below for possible repercussions] as Spanish Montana Colors has is unacceptable." "We work very closely with our manufacturer MOTIP DUPLI, and are able to have a major influence on the ingredients. A company like MOTIP DUPLI, being the biggest manufacturer for spraycans in Europe, does not want to throw any old constituent Into their product and they are subject to German regulations, which are very strict and sensitive."

Glad to hear it, but despite the protestations, proteotion from colouring that decorates transport, walls, boards and canvases cannot be emphasised. A qualitv mask, gloves and excellent ventilation is something your mind and body will thank you for. If you still don't believe, here are the effects of five products found in aerosol paint.

[followed by a detailed description of harmful effects of lead, strontium, arsenic, Tuolene, Xylene.]




So these are the two sides.  Which one should you believe?

We side with the Spanish Montana company, for several reasons:

 In conclusion, it appears that the Spanish Montana is a sincere, by-artists-for-artists company, and the German Montana is a subsidiary of an Evil Big Corporation that will lie, cheat, mislead, and steal to make money.  After all, they stole the Montana name and lied to the public about the dangers of Montana paint.



Montana MTN Hardcore vs. Belton Molotow

Legal issues aside, let us return to the question of paint quality, particularly between the two best brands of spray paint, MTN Montana and Molotow.

Some artists like one and not the other, on both sides.  You will have to try both to make up your mind. 

There are some definite differences that may help you decide.

Differences favoring neither but according to your preference:
-Montana colors are glossy (sort of like shiny).  Molotow colors are matte (not shiny).
-Molotow cans are lower-pressure than Montana in general.  Narrower, lighter lines.  On one hand this means more control and better paint economy; on the other hand this means that big pieces can take longer. 
-The two brands just feel different.  Depending on what you're comfortable with, you may prefer either one.  For example, these guys who were used to cheapie paint were using Molotow for an outline, and all the joints on the outlines were messed up because they weren't used to the variable-pressure system.  You could get used to either kind of paint or both.  But be aware that they are different.

Differences favoring Montana:
Montana's colors seem to cover better. 
The color chart on Montana's website is fairly accurate; the one on Molotow's website is not.
Montana is typically a dollar cheaper per can.

Differences favoring Molotow:
Molotow has a variable-pressure system that the Montana Hardcore cans do not.
Molotow works in extreme temperatures.
Molotow cans need to be shaken less frequently than Montana cans.
Molotow paint doesn't clog caps as often as Montana




The True Colors of Molotow

We do not know why, but the color charts for Molotow spray paint are grossly inaccurate.  Not only that, but they are un-flattering: they make good colors look bad, they make bold colors look pale, they make saturated colors look grey, they make popping colors look dull.

In one case, the color "traffic red" appeared as a light, greyish red, while "signal red" looked a little lighter (on the distro's website) and a little darker (on Belton's website).  Yet, in reality, "traffic red" is a bright red with an orange tint, while "signal red" is a pure, slightly dark red.

In another case, "signal white" is shown at artprimo.com to be greyer than "pure white."  In reality "signal white" is whiter than "pure white." 

In this chart here, we show cans of Molotow in three colors.  The color on the butt of the can is the color shown on artprimo.com, the U.S. distributor.  The inset color is the color shown on Belton's web site, shopbelton.com. And the color on the top of each can is what we've determined it actually is, as best we can.




MTN  -  Krylon/Rustoleum Color-matches

I found this on a cache of an MTN page.  The colors are not exact matches but they are closest matches.

R-1001 Beige = Beige
R-1013 White Bone = Antique White
R-1016 Lemon Yellow = Duplicolor Daytona Yellow
R-1028 Medium Yellow = Krylon School Bus Yellow
R-2003 Pastel Orange = Krylon Popsicle Orange
R-2010 Signal Orange = Krylon Mandarin Orange
R-2012 Caramel = Krylon Terracota
R-3001 Intense Red = Krylon Banner Red
R-3004 Bordeaux Red = Krylon American Beauty Red
R-3007 Cherokee Red = Krylon Mahogany
R-3014 Raspberry = Krylon Hot Pink
R-3015 Pink = Krylon Rose
R-3017 Fever Red = Krylon Watermelon
R-3020 Light Red = Krylon Scarlet
R-4001 Lilac = Rusto Grape
R-4003 Erika Violet = Rusto Berry Pink
R-4008 Signal Violet = Krylon Plum
R-4009 Bruise = Rusto Grey lilac
R-5005 Dark Blue = Krylon True Blue (darker version)
R-5013 Navy Blue = Navy Blue
R-5015 Medium Blue = Krylon True Blue
R-5023 Lake Blue = Rusto Denim
R-6009 Amazonas Green = Krylon OD Khaki
R-6016 Dark Green = Krylon Moss Green
R-6018 Valley Green = Duplicolor Grabber Green
R-6019 Pale Green = Osh Light Green
R-6027 Luminous Green = Krylon Light Sage
R-6028 Jungle Green = Hunter Green
R-6034 Turquoise Pastel = Krylon Jade Green
R-7040 Pearl Grey = Krylon Dove Grey
R-8023 Mustard = Rusto Cinnamon
R-V1 Pale Violet = Krylon Violet
R-V2 Violet = Rusto Lilac
R-V4 Light Green = Krylon Clover Green
R-V6 Light Grey = Krylon Pewter Grey
R-V9 Apricot = Krylon Light Peach
R-V10 Mint Green = Rusto Safety Green
R-V13 Himalaya Blue = Krylon Slate Blue
R-V17 Tenere Sand = Krylon Spanish Brown
R-V20 Party Yellow = Krylon Pastel Yellow
R-V26 Cork = Rusto Rosewood
R-V29 Artic Blue = Krylon Baby Blue
R-V30 Electric Blue = Krylon Ford Blue
R-V31 Steel Grey = Krylon Smoke Grey
R-V33 Colored Red = Rusto Farmhouse red
R-V34 Guacamole Green = Krylon Jungle Green
R-V35 Chocolate Brown = Rusto Kona Brown
R-V36 Breakfast Brown = Krylon Warm Brown



Best and Worst Colors


Every brand of paint has some colors that are just great, and some colors that straight up suck.  You'd never know just looking on the Internet at color charts, but here's what we've found:

Best colors:

-Montana Pistachio      -Bright yellow-green
-Molotow Shock Blue    -Very bright light blue
-Montana Monaco Blue  -Light blue, covers great
-Molotow Telemagenta   -Hot pink, comes out brighter than advertised
-Montana Solar Orange   -Light yellow, covers great
-Molotow Juice Green      -Ultra-bold medium green
-Krylon Watermelon       -Similar to MTN Fever Red but isn't pale
-Montana Intense Red  -jumps out! very intense
-Molotow Deep Black     -Darkest black we've seen, great can control
-Montana Divinity White   -very light white
-Rustoleum black             -covers well, comes out even
-Molotow Seak Future Green   -beautiful dark green
-Montana Ganges Yellow       -a bright, "pure yellow" with no hint of orange.  Covers great, especially for yellow
-Molotow Golden Yellow         -covers very well
-Rustoleum Harbor Blue         -bright, very light blue

Worst colors:  (these colors really blow; stay away!)

-Montana Colorado Red      -light, weak red; covers poorly
-Molotow Signal Yellow      -golden yellow is almost the same but covers twice as well
-Montana Devil Red          -greyish
-Molotow 600 ml anything    -too much pressure for outlining
-Montana Light Yellow         -covers poorly
-Molotow Leaf Green           -pale
-Krylon Tomato                   -ugh, just... no
-Krylon Stonewashed Denim    -bluish-grey, covers poorly

Conclusion

Buy Spanish Montana and Molotow spray paint and go wild.

Kyro

CAPS


Caps may be the most important tools of graffiti.  Without premium paint, a skilled artist can get by with cheap paint.  But without the right caps, painting can be frustrating and tedious.  Filling in large areas without a fat cap is painful.  Making precise outlines without outlines caps is unbearable: you have to cut back over and over again to get them right, unless you have a good outline cap.  Know your caps; they are essential to good writing.

People's style is influenced, to some extent at least, by the paint and caps they use.  But also, the paint and caps people use influences their style.  When people get comfortable with different types of caps, they get used to the technique of painting with those types of caps, and paint.  And just like a Rusto user will need to adjust to a Molotow can, a Black Micro cap user will need to adjust to a German Outline cap. 

The bottom line is, you'll learn to prefer some caps over others.  And you probably won't agree with everyone else.   Even the pros have major disagreements pver product preference.  You'll just learn to like what you like.

But, there are some things about caps that can be identified and described, and hopefully this information helps you choose your preference.


A Warning Before Proceeding

All artists have individual preferences about caps.  Some disagree strongly with one another.  Some have different experiences with the same caps.  It is up to you to decide which caps you prefer.  It's sort of like drummers choosing from the many different sizes and shapes of drumsticks to use; everyone has their own choice.

In many cases, superstition has as much to do with people's preferences as the actual performance of the cap. 

What follows is our test results of various caps with various paint brands.  Use this is as a guide, but for best results, see for yourself which caps you like the most.

Terminology:

Dot: The dot is the little piece on the front of the cap that the paint comes out of. 

Width: This one's the one the novice pays attention to. Obviously, it's how wide your line is. The grey dot is the skinniest; the pink dot is the widest.

Hardness (or, "sharpness"): This determines whether you have a cap that distributes paint evenly across the line (hard), or one that puts more paint in the center and less paint on the edge (soft). The German caps (outline/pro/fat) are the hardest; the "dot" series is the softest. Also, the closer you hold your can to the surface, the harder the line gets. A black dot from 6 inches looks mighty soft, from 1 inch you get a much sharper line.

Weight: This is how much paint comes out. If a cap is too heavy, drips become more likely, but if it is too light, the colors beneath may show through (which is OK, if you're fading or blending). The brand of paint you use with your cap also makes a big difference--some paints can be light and drippy (really cheap brands often are) and some paints can be heavy and still not drip (Montana). But, all else being equal, the heaviest caps are the needle caps (we don't even carry these, they're so bad); Rusto Fats and Orange Dots are on the heavier side while the grey, black, and gold dots are probably the lightest.

Compatibility: This makes all the difference. If a cap doesn't work with your brand of paint, then what good is it? Some caps perform very differently depending the brand they're used with.

Regularity: Some caps with some brands produce funny non-circular shapes.  With calligraphy caps, it's intentional.  But if a cap makes an irregular shape, it's a bad cap.  Many stock caps with generic brands make weird irregular shapes.

Longevity: Some caps clog up more easily than others, and some paint causes caps to clog more easily than other brands.  Generally skinny caps clog less than fat caps.  MTN paint seems to clog caps a little more frequently than other brands.


  Let us know if you have any further insight you could provide.  Ultimately, every artist develops his or her own preferences based on experience, and artists of equal accomplishment can have totally different opinions about which caps are better than others (just like musicians and their brand preferences.) The best way to find out which you like the best is to try everything and decide for yourself.


The caps                           = favorites

Outliners
Fats
Special Effects

Outliners
 MTN Alien
 MTN
 Molotow
 Krylon
 Rustoleum

German Outline (a.k.a. Skinny Banana, Sparvar Skinny)
The line is medium-thin, the edge is VERY sharp, the weight is medium.  An ideal outline cap.  Works great with Montana Hardcore, Krylon, and Rustoleum.  DOES NOT WORK WITH MOLOTOW or GERMAN MONTANA.  These can be found in three different color schemes as pictured.  Their properties seem to be identical, but many people are superstitious about different colors.  Some artists swear by the grey model.  MTN America says the black ones clog less.  As far as I can tell, they're the exact same.




Universal cap
This cap seems identical to the German Outline, except that it works with Belton Molotow and German Montana paint.
German Pro (a.k.a. German 2, Skinny Pro)  Unlike the German Outline, this cap works with Belton Molotow and German Montana, and for those brands, the line has the same properties as the German Outline above has with other brands.  Used with Rustoleum, Krylon, and Spanish Montana Hardcore, the line is slightly wider and softer than the German Outline.  www.molotow.com says that the black version is softer than the grey version, but I could not observe any difference between the two in side-by-side comparison tests with various brands.  I believe they are the same cap in two colors.  They make a very even coat, lending well to stenciling and dusting.
Gold Dimpled Ultra-thin (a.k.a. Super Skinny #1, Super Skinny)  Yes we know it sounds silly to call it the "Dimpled gold dot" because "dimple" is a funny word to say, but we have to because otherwise it would be confused with the other Gold Dot cap described below. 

This is a very thin and light cap.  With high-pressure paint, it is no thinner than the above outline caps, but with lower-pressure paints it can create incredibly thin lines.  It can be used from very close range to get tiny little lines or from a little further for blending.  It is very versatile, but unfortunately, as ulta-thin caps tend to, it clogs easily. In his movie "The Future of Graffiti," EAZ says that these are the only outline caps he uses.  He also says that the half-clogged gold dot cap (meaning this one, not the other below) is exceptional for getting the finest details.  It works with all major brands of spray paint.

Works poorly with MTN Hardcore for some reason.
Grey Dots (a.k.a. Super Skinny #2)  These caps are ultra-skinny like the Dimpled Gold Dot.  Sources disagree about which is skinnier.  It works great with Krylon, Rusto, Montana, and Molotow.  It is really light and thin, very useful all-around.

Compared to the Black Micro, it is about the same in width, but a little softer and lighter, perhaps making it better suited for drippy brands (these caps hardly ever cause drips). 
Black Dots    Black Dots are the same as grey dots, but just a little bit wider.  Black dots make good outline caps for large high-pressure cans, and also low-pressure cans.  Their spray is a little softer than the Black Micro, a little wider than the grey dot. 
New York Thin.  The New York Thin cap is known by many names.  New York Outlines, phantom tips, thins, micros, and skinnies. They are medium-thin, semi-soft, medium-weight.  They work well with Rustoleum, Krylon, and Montana Hardcore.  IT DOES NOT WORK WITH BELTON MOLOTOW.

A very good cap for fading and dusting. The shape is circular and the distribution is even, but it is not very thin, compared to the caps above.  It is a real middle-of-the-road cap, but it's more reliable than the stock caps on more generic brands of paint.  It works well with the cheapie brands.

Black Micro (a.k.a. Molotow Super Skinny) works well with Spanish Montana (MTN), Molotow, and also with Krylon and Rustoleum.  With a black finish and a black dot, it definitely is the coolest-looking cap.  It produces a very thin line, but with a sharp edge and medium weight.  Great for doing outlines when you want something thinner than the German Outlines above.  We are suspicious that it might be identical to the Black Dot cap described below; tests are underway.
Needle Cap TO ANYONE I'VE EVER SOLD A NEEDLE CAP, I'M SORRY.  The needle cap is the worst cap ever made; in fact it's the only cap I hear people describe as "bad."  The spray is neither light nor thin; rather it is huge, ultra-heavy, drippy as hell, irregular, ugly, just plain terrible!

For best results with a needle cap, spray the paint into your eyeballs instead of the wall to be painted.  Spare the wall!  These caps are downright awful.  They do not work well with any brand of paint at all, unless you are going for the "ultra-drippy, ultra-sloppy look."

I threw all of our needle caps in the garbage before thinking to see if they would work for mixing cans.  They might be good for that.  If that, certainly nothing else.




Gold Soft Cap (a.k.a. Outline Special)  This cap looks almost the same as the Gold Ultra-thin, but the hole on the dot is smaller.  This is a bad cap.  The spray it makes--with every brand tested, including Krylon, Rustoleum, Montana, and Molotow--comes out a very irregular shape, resembling outstretched talons.   It's a really weird shape, and while it might be cool for a particular effect, it's generally unhelpful.  Certainly this cap would not be a suitable outline cap, with any brand. It's billed as being "soft spray" but if you're fading or dusting, wouldn't you rather do it with an even cap like a New York Fat or German Pro cap?
This cap seems pretty pointless and also confusing for looking like the Dimpled Gold Dot above.



FATS




Silver Super Fat.  This is one of the most versatile caps out there.  It produces a wide line, wider than any of the caps mentioned above, with a sharp edge.  The coverage is an even perfect circle.  But with Montana and Molotow, you can actually make skinny lines with it by holding the can very near the painted surface.  With Rustoleum, the cap still works great for wide lines, but from close up, the line will be too heavy and drip.  With Krylon, the cap works OK, but beware of drips--the Orange Dot below may be a better choice.
Rusto Fat.  This is one of the most preferred fat caps.  The Rusto Fat is named after Rustoleum but works very well with other brands as well, including Krylon and Montana.  IT DOES NOT WORK WITH BELTON MOLOTOW.  I do not understand why these caps are name-associated with Rustoleum; certainly they are no made by or for Rustoleum, though they do work well with that brand.  Compared to the New York Fat cap, it is heavier; better for fill-ins but not as good with slow and careful lines.  Compared to the German Fat cap, it is lighter, producing better results with the cheaper brands of paint.


New York Fat.  The New York Fats produce a medium-wide, medium-weight, semi-soft line, much like the New York Thins but slightly broader.  The caps themselves look a lot like the NY thins, too.  To tell them apart, note the ridges: the Fats have wider ridges than the Thins.  Also, the very center of the dot looks a little different.  But the ridges are the easiest way to tell them apart. Same compatibility as the NY thins, but these caps will work with Molotow.  Compared with the Rusto fat below, these caps are a bit lighter.  They are good for large fades, and for making wide lines more slowly.
German Fat.  This cap produces a heavy-weight, sharp-edge, medium-width line.  It works well with Rustoleum, Montana, and Molotow.  It makes a wider line with Rustoleum and Montana than it does with Belton Molotow.  It works with Krylon, but tends to cause drips because of the output weight.
Astro Fat   One of the newest caps available, the Astro Fat is very wide, on par with the pink dot.  It is wider than the Silver fat cap above.  It works best with European brands like Montana and Molotow.  The coverage is uneven with American brands.  It is an interesting cap being clear but the pink dot seems to have it beaten in most respects.

Orange Dots   Orange dots are really versatile fat caps.  They are wider than New York and Rusto Fats, and about the same as Silver Super Fats.  Works well with all of the brands named above.  Compared with Silver Super Fats, the line is a little softer and lighter, and probably a better choice for American brands of spray paint. 


Pink Dots    Pink dots are the fattest cap available.  You can make lines 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) in diameter. As you get closer, the weight can get very heavy.  Good for filling in large areas (or making giant paintings).  Works with all of the brands named here.  With cheap generic brands, you still get an even spray, though not as wide for some reason.



SPECIAL EFFECTS




Blue Soft Caps (a.k.a. Smooth Softs)  Blue Dots are made for stenciling. They produce a medium size line, of a regular circular shape, but the weight is not constant-- it tends to fill out the circumference and leave a light center.  This makes them really good for stencils, since you can get edges good without getting overspray.  Strangely, the width is narrow when used with Rustoleum paint.  With other brands, the spray is medium-wide.  Great for stencils, blends, and fills; poor for outlining.  Works with most brands.


 ?
Black Calligraphy.  These caps have a special insert that creates a "linear" spray instead of the circular spray that the other caps have.  That is, the spray will be wide in one direction, narrow in the other.  The coolest part is that you can rotate that little insert so the line can be any direction you like--vertical, horizontal, or any diagonal.  Great for signing your name, or just creating cool effects.  This cap works with all of the brands named above, but the width of the line varies from one brand to the next.  It makes a very soft, thin line with Montana, a more medium line with Rusto, Molotow, and Krylon.
Red Calligraphy.  This is the same as the Black Calligraphy cap, but the line is wider and heavier.  With Montana and Molotow you get a medium line; with Rusto or Krylon you get a very big line.  The two types of calligraphy caps are pretty similar with Molotow; with the others the difference is significant.







































Dirk - Wars - Kure

Markers

There are all sorts of markers out there.  Here I review some of the most popular ones and detail how they differ.

Terminology

Base: Like spray paint, markers can use all sorts of substances to carry their color, including water, oil, alcohol, or even latex.  Some markers use dyed ink, some use wet paint, other are pre-solidified oil paint.

Reservoir: Where the ink is kept.

Nib: The tip of the marker that gets soaked with ink and rub it on the surface.

Flowpen: A flowpen uses a little spring-loaded valve so that the ink or paint only comes out of the reservoir when the nib is being pushed down.  This is good for flow control, and for preventing the marker from leaking and making a mess when not in use.


Markers

On The Run Markers

OTR makes several different types of paint markers that aren't much different.  Just about all of them have a flowpen system and a .6-inch nib, even the ones that aren't called "flowpens."  Oddly, the markers that are labeled "flowpens" are different not because they are flowpens, but because their ink is semi-transparent.  Weird, huh?

OTR's come in two sizes, regular and pocket-size.  The "paint markers" (which are flowpens) contain paint and have little ball bearings in them; the "flowpens" contain dye with no ball bearings.  Both types are alcohol-based, both write great, and both come with great nibs.

The OTR nibs have a wide edge in one direction and a narrow edge in the other, with the edges sloped off so you can create a wide variety of effects easily.  Also, the nibs are the same on both sides, so if one tip gets blown out, you can reverse the nib and use the other one.

OTR's are also refillable.  You get a pipette from a pharmacy for like 25 cents, fill it with liquid, and jam it into the hole behind the nib, pushing down to open the flowpen valve, and squirt it in there.

Montana (MTN)  Paint Markers

These markers are loaded with Montana paint.  The tips range from 1.5 to 5 centimeters wide (.6 to 2 inches).  They also fave a flowpen system.  They work really well; the ink goes on really thick, but they go through ink fast.  Still, they do amazing work and they are refillable.

Uni Paint Markers

Uni paint markers have small tips, even the "broads" (which are a quarter-inch).  Uni's are oil-based and opaque.  They write consistently on almost anything.  The line is really clean, solid, permanent, and even, which makes them very popular.

Pilot Jumbos

Pilot Jumbo markers are permanent markers with big tips.  The Pilot ink is very strong and one of the most difficult to cover up.  The nib is really tough and takes wear-and-tear well.  On the downside, however, the nib is a very clumsy slanted-square shape that is difficult to make good lines with, and the ink smells disgusting.  There is no flow system, you just write. 

Solid Paint Markers

There are three popular brands of solid paint markers: Sakura, Mainstreak, and Markal.  Solid paint means that there is no drying time for the paint.  It also means the coat is heavy, and hard to paint over.  They are instantly waterproof as well.  They show up best on rough surfaces.  Unlike paint markers, the "nib" is the paint itself; the marker disappears as you use it.

Sakuras and Meanstreaks are almost exactly the same.  They have a knob on the bottom for extending the marker, kind of like lipstick and chapstick. 

With Sakuras and Meanstreaks, check the color under the cap before you buy them; a few colors are not portrayed accurately by the cap. There was one color (I think it was red) that looked really wrong.

Markal paintsticks are just like giant crayons.  Compared with the other two brands, the paintsticks are harder.  There is no knob; the casing is just loose cardboard and you just keep pulling the cardboard back as the marker gets used up.  They aren't as clean as the Sakuras or Meanstreaks but they are much cheaper.


Tricks
People have come up with many innovative techniques for desired effects.  Here are a few of them for your benefit.
Making Stencil Tops
You can turn the top of your can into a powerful new writing technology: An ultra-tiny yet bold line.  It is made with stencil technology.  An illustration pretty much explains it:


Basically, you turn the top of the can into a little stencil of a small hole, allowing you to make really tiny details.  Cut off the top of the top so you can press the cap.  Leave the whole circumference at the bottom so the top will still stay on the can.  For best results, use a light or bold but definitely skinny cap.  A fat cap will waste lots of paint.  Black dots, Black micros, grey dots, gold ultra-thins, and German Outlines all work well. 

Make sure you wear gloves though, because all the paint caught by the top can add up and drip on your hand.

Mixing Colors

1. Take some cans of paint, a "recipient" (which will receive the new color(s)) and any number of "donors" (which will be added into the recipient can).  The receipient must have sufficient empty room for adding the paint. 

2. Freeze the recipient. 

3. You need a tube to connect the recipient to each donor.  You can buy special "mixing caps" made for this purpose, you can use a needle cap, or you can just use the straw inside of a cheap pen like a Bic. 

4. Remove the caps from both cans.  Put the warm donor can on the ground and invert the cold can above it, and connect the tips via the pen tube.  Warm paint will shoot into the cold can.

5. Repeat with more donor colors if you want. 

6. When the frozen can thaws, shake and use.

Touch-Up Colors

Take an empty can, drain the pressure out for a while, then cut the top of the can off with tin snips, and you will find a little bit of paint left in the can that you can save and use for touch-up with a brush, if you want.


 Silencing Cans

Put a magnet on the bottom of the can to eliminate the sound of the peas rattling around.

Cleaning Caps

Save a dead can of paint; they usually still have plenty of leftover propellant.  Just spray the propellant through a wet cap to clean it.










Graffiti and the Law: What Everyone Should Know

Some graffiti is done legally, while obviously much of it is not.  So legal concerns certainly exist.

Mandatory Disclaimer: "Since this concerns illegal activity, this information is for entertainment purposes only and I am not liable for you.  This is not professional legal advice."

***

Getting busted is bad for your career and also humiliating.  If you write illegally, remember "safety first" at all times. 

Know your rights and how to defend them.

This topic is far too detailed to cover here.  Google everything you can.  Do not watch Court TV; it will only give you the wrong idea about how court works.

Here are some other tips.

So you don't get busted:

-Scout the area before you start.  In most places, police being dispatched to the spot will choose the easiest most obvious entrance.  Plan a getaway route, write down and memorize the locations of all the nearest dumpsters, know the nearest friend's place you could hide at, and notice who can see you from all possible places.  If you have a bicycle, great, plan an escape route by bicycle.  Check the weather; police and people who call them tend to be less observant in bad weather.

-Don't leave any fingerprints on your cans.  Try not to leave prints on the cans when you buy them, wipe them good if you think there's even a chance they have your prints, and always wear gloves when you paint (this is also good for health reasons; long-term exposure to paint on your skin is very bad for you).  Police rarely fingerprint cans, but they may hold cans found at graf spots and run them if they have a writer in custody.  Also, if police come and you successfully run away, it's a good chance they will go back and run the cans to see if they can find a match.  It's a small precaution, but a good one to follow.

-Wear appropriate clothing: You want lots of big pockets for holding several cans.  All tattooes should be concealed.  Wear good running shoes.  Hats are mandatory, preferably not ball caps which cops often notice.  If you don't wear glasses, wear some cheap glasses with no lenses.  Wear a disguise.

-Do not drink.  Painting While Intoxicated (PWI) is a leading cause of busts.  Don't take this needless risk.

-It may help to use magnets to silence your cans.  Most hardware stores have these really strong O-shaped magnets for only a few dollars that you can put on the bottom of the can.  The ball-bearing in the can will stick to it and make no noise; this is useful if you are carrying a rattling backpack and don't want to sound suspicious.

-Run for your life.  People who run from police, despite what you see on TV, often get away.  Maybe not for serious crimes like murder, but for graffiti, cops will often give up the chase before they catch you.  After all, you have much more incentive to get away than they have to bust you.  If they get you, you will probably not get any more charges for running than not running, and even if you do, judges generally sentence people according to their whims and don't care whether it's for one charge or two. 

-It sounds silly, but practice role-playing a police encounter with a friend, with one being the cop and the other being either of you.  Don't joke around; this is important practice.  Also if you paint with someone else, talk for awhile and be sure you're both really clear about what to do in a police situation: if you both get busted, they will question you both in isolation and tell each of you "your friend already ratted you out so you better tell us the truth" but they lie.  Know that your friend will respond in the same way as you.

If you get busted:

OK this is where it gets serious.  Read this many times, commit it to memory, and do lots of research about your rights and how to handle a police encounter.  Research is easy thanks to Google.  This is all very important.

-Do not talk to the police.  If they catch you they will pressure you to tell them your moniker, your address, all sorts of information that you do not want to give them and can only work to your disadvantage.  You do not have to tell them anything.  This sounds great but in practice it is not easy to tell big men who have you in handcuffs that you refuse to answer their questions. 

The best way to get around it is to blame somebody else: "Look, I have to talk to my lawyer before I say anything, that's what he told me."  Say this even if you don't have a lawyer; it can not be held against you and the police will immediately be less abusive as soon as they realize that they're dealing with someone who knows how to defend his or her rights.  But, the police will use any line to persuade you to give them information.  DON'T. 

-After being arrested:  Do not talk to the police on the ride to jail, either.  Do not talk about anything, least of all graffiti.  If the police ask obviously probing questions like "how long have you been writing?" don't give them some smart-ass response like "since I was 5," don't give a defensive answer like "tonight was the first time," just tell them that you're pretty sure that your lawyer told you not to answer questions.  If the police start telling you that your lawyer is giving you bad advice, reply by saying that even still, you need time to think about.  The "I need time to think about it" is a great deflector when used appropriately.

Sometimes police will try to ease you into talking by asking innocuous questions.  The trick is that when they start asking the probing questions, it becomes awkward to suddenly be silent.  The best defense is to either give them boring, worthless answers to all of their questions, or deflect the question completely.  The worst thing to do is give unnecessarily elaborate, revealing answers to their questions.  Some people try this because they think that cops will be nicer if you are friendly and cooperative.  In reality it makes no difference and often works against you.
Bad Conversation
 Good Conversation
Them: So, are you in school?
You: Yeah, I'm in college.
[You've just revealed a vulnerability]
Them: You go to the community college, or the university?
[And now you don't want to lie to them, so you give up even more]
You: I go to the community.
Them: That's cool, I went there a long time ago.
You: Yeah, it's a nice place.
Them: Did you think about how getting busted for writing graffiti would affect your academic career?
You: Well, hopefully it won't be too bad.
[You have now implied your surrender; this will be held against you if you plead not guilty later.]
 Them: So, are you in school?
You: I'd rather not discuss it.
Them: Why not?
You: I just don't feel like talking.
Them: Are you ashamed of saying something?  Did you drop out?
You:  You're making me feel less like talking.
Them: Hey look kid, we're trying to help you here, we want to understand where you're coming from.
You:  Forgive me for doubting your concern, but I have to wait until I speak with my lawyer about this.

This "good conversation" is really too brash; really you should just parrot "my lawyer said not to talk" over and over, and nothing else.  You have nothing to gain by saying anything at all. 

Also, the idea that "you have a lawyer" makes the police a little more careful about respecting your rights.

Some police are decent if brainwashed people and be respectful of you asserting your rights.  Others are violent racist dimwitted goons.  If you get beaten up and have any visible marks from them, you should most definitely do anything you can to get photos of yourself before the wounds heal, and plead NOT GUILTY and demand a trial by jury.   It's hard to get photos of yourself in jail; since bailout is rarely a feasable option you will have to come up with something clever.  Anybody you call or write to, mention the wounds in detail and ask them to call every lawyer in town about taking the case.  Some may do it on contingency (free if you lose) if the evidence is available.

-Getting a lawyer. 

Except in the one situation just mentioned, don't even bother.  Public defenders are totally useless and incompetent; good lawyers are more money than they're worth.  You will have to defend yourself.  This sounds harder than it actually is.  If you are familiar with courtroom procedures, you have a good chance at getting the least punishment possible.  In a trial, a lawyer can be helpful, but for what you'll be going through--mostly bureaucratic bullshit--a lawyer is worthless if you know what you're doing.

With your phone call, call someone who can and will do their best to help you.  Call a family friend, not an ordinary friend.  Give them contact info for anybody who could possibly contribute to your case in any way.  If the case goes to trial, your friends may be able to testify on your behalf, if they are willing to.

-Talking with the prosecutor. 

Probably even before the arraignment, the prosecutor (typically the city attorney) will "make you an offer" whereby if you plead guilty, you will get less punishment.  Perhaps the prosecutor will say that you are facing 99 counts of vandalism (since you were caught tagging a moniker found in 98 other places) and offer for you to plead guilty 5 counts, if they drop the other 94.  Perhaps the prosecutor will say that you will be charged with Malicious Destruction of Property (a felony) but they will drop that if you plead guilty to Vandalism (a misdemeanor).  If you don't speak to the prosecutor before the arraignment, these sort of offers, known as "plea-bargains," will probably made at the arraignment. 

It's rare for a prosecutor not to make some sort of plea-bargain offer.  Prosecutors would rather nobody took anything to trial, since a trial is a risk and an expense.  If you're convicted by trial, judges often lower the fine (which the prosecution gets) so that fines plus court costs equals the same amount money that the fine was in the first place.  "Court costs" are kept by the court; they don't go to the prosecution, and jail time costs the government money.  Prosecutors are bound, by the rules of the American Bar Association, to represent their clients' (governments') interest, which means they are required to do whatever will benefit the state the most, with no regard for the carriage of actual justice.  This is, of course, totally inhuman, but lawyers aren't.  So prosecutors love making plea bargains: no trial, no fuss, no muss.

However, a plea bargain is just that: a bargain.  Prosecutors are masters of intimidation; do not believe them when they say "we could get you on 99 charges" unless you really think they could.  I have heard from people who were busted in small towns, that even though they were certainly not the only one painting illegally, they were the first ones caught, and the prosecutors planned to pursue charges against them for every single piece in the city, including the ones they weren't responsible for. 

Think very hard about what the prosecutor is telling you.  To pursue 99 charges of graffiti writing before a jury means proving each and every charge.  Now first of all, any graffiti done on private property cannot be pursued unless the victim presses charges.  So say 1/3 of the illegal tags the government says you did were on government property, and 2/3 were on private property.  That means 1) The government would have to contact 66 people to ask them if they would like to press charges.  For most business owners, the graf has already been covered up, they probably didn't think to take a photo, and testifying would just be an unnecessary chore.  Just contacting 66 people would take a cop two full-time days at least, plus they would have to take photographs of the damage.  Most business owners don't even report grafiti incidents.  And, the prosecutor would still be basing every single case except the one where they busted you on the tenuous notion that only one person could be tagging that name. 

The government of Queensland in Australia reports that: "In Queensland during 2000, over 1800 graffiti offences were reported and more than 400 offenders successfully prosecuted."  This means that the maxium average number of offenses an illegal writer commited was four.  If any fewer than every single writer in Queensland was convicted, the number only drops lower.  The fact is that graffiti is not widely reported.  If the prosecutor says he can get you on every instance of graffiti in the city, he is lying.

So, hopefully your conversation goes something like this:

Prosecutor: "Well son, we've got evidence of your tag in nearly 100 locations around the city.  We could put you away for a long time for that.  But you don't want that and either do we.  We just want you to learn your lesson.  Tell you what, if you plead guilty on all counts, we can guarantee you a probationary sentence and you'll just have to pay a fine and do community service."

You: "I'll admit to what I did, but I won't admit to what I didn't.  I'm happy to take an offer for a fine and community service, but I'm not pleading guilty to 99 counts."

Prosecutor: "Well, we know you did it, we're making you a generous offer."

You: "No, I already said I'd plead guilty to the incident that I'm being accused of.  All you're offering me is to plead guilty to crimes I didn't commit.  Since I was already offered probation the number of counts isn't that important, and I'll plead guilty to what I did but if you want to go after me for things I didn't do I will take them to trial."

Prosecutor (starting to give up but raising the bet): "Look, you can face serious consequences if you take this to trial and lose, which you probably will.  We're really making you a generous offer here."

[Realize what is happening here.  This is an extremely high-stakes bet and the prosecutor is bluffing.  If you fold, you plead guilty to 99 counts of vandalism.  If you call, the prosecutor will have to establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt for each and every count.  The tag above the theater, the side of Tony's... each and every count.  The trial would take several days and the court fees (which the loser pays) could be $30,000 or more.  Plus the juristriction of the prosecutor pays for the attorney.  Say you're found guilty of exactly half of the counts... the court fees are split down the middle and the city still loses money in the long run.  The prosecutor does not want this high-stakes bet.]

You: "I think I made a generous offer when a volunteered to plead guilty to what I was actually caught for.  I will not be punished for crimes I did not commit.  But I don't want to go to trial.  I'll plead guilty on two counts if you drop the others, but if not I will proclaim my innocence."

Hopefully the prosecutor will cooperate or make an OK deal.  The point is to bargain hard.  If the prosecutor still wants to go after you for more than he can, TAKE IT TO TRIAL.


-Arraignment. 

The arraignment is your first day in court.  Before we even start, some things about court.

Courtroom procedure is not as complicated as they make it look like in "My Cousin Vinny."  Courtrooms do have rules you need to know, but the process is pretty informal.  Almost anytime, you can just go right to the prosector and whisper about whatever; if you want to talk to the judge, just say "Your Honor, may I approach?" as soon as it's appropriate to speak.

Judges range from Fair to Demonic.  Yet the strategy for dealing with the two is almost identical.  But if your judge is demonic, you have to be very careful to always obey the Rules of Court listed here.
Rules of the Court

1. Never, EVER, speak out of turn.  Do not ever interrupt the prosecutor except to make an objection.  Never ever interrupt the judge.  Never interrupt a witness unless you have an important reason to.  Never speak when the judge is talking to the clerks.  Interrupting people is the surest way to receive a harsh punishment.

2. Never, EVER, insult the court, or even question its legitimacy.  Saying something like, "well, perhaps you aren't used to hearing stories like this..." or, "I may have broken the law, but I did what I think is justice" or anything like that.  They may be totally true.  And it is truly tempting to mouth off to the court, exclaiming the righteousness of your cause and the evil of the system's.  But this simply does not work.  Not even to the jury.  You will have to come up with more clever way of making those sorts of points.  I'll explain that in a minute.

3. No fancy pleas.  You say either "guilty, your Honor" or "not guilty, your Honor."  This is not the time to explain the extenuating circumstances etc.  If you wish to say anything at all, plead "not guilty."  In fact, plead "not guilty" no matter what, even if you plan to confess.  After the arraignment, you still have at least until the trial begins to change your plea.  As long as you plead "not guilty," you can still plea-baragin.  If you plead "guilty" you have surrendered any leverage you might have had. 

4. Hold your head high.  The courtroom is very intimidating and the people who work there have learned how to smell fear.  Conjure a strong voice.  Do not look guilty.  Look as if you can't imagine why you should be here since you're a good person but you're confidant that your story will clear your name.  Be aware of your body language at all times.

5. Take lots of breaks.  Any time that you feel under pressure to gather your thoughts during trial, ask for a short recess.  Everyone enjoys recess so your requests will almost always be granted. 

6. Do not use insults.  Do not ever talk down to the judge, prosecutor, or jury.  If you must attack the credibility of any police officers, you MUST have some corroborating evidence other than your own testimony.  If you don't, suggesting that the officers committed misconduct will only make you look worse. 

7. Speak as much as possible.  Never violate rule #1 or #2, but when invited, say as much as you can--anything that may help.  If you are asked a direct question with a simple answer, but you have a related point you want to make, you should make your point first and then answer the question.  If you answer the question first, the judge may cut you off.  But in general, if you do not interrupt others, they will not interrupt you. 

8. Do not beg.  A lot of defendants plead guilty and then just plead for mercy.  This is wrong; it makes you look more pathetic and therefore more punishable.  Plus, any seasoned judge is numb to it.  Judges, like anyone else, are impressed by talent and bravery.  Judges sit in the highest seat in the room because the courtoom is like their own little Coliseum.  It's a contest to them.  They don't like cowards.  Be polite to the judge, but don't flatter his/her "superior judgement" or anything like that because he/she can see right through that.


OK. So, the arraignment. 

If you're summoned to court from freedom, you will probably arrive with several other arraignments being called before yours.  When you sit down the bailiff comes over to ask who you are and you tell him.  He will inform the prosecutor.  Typically there will be some moments when the prosecutor will have a moment; go over to him or her and ask for a moment of time.  Or the prosecutor may even come to you with an unsolicited offer. 

If you're led into the courtroom in handcuffs as your case is being called, you will probably have difficulty talking to the prosecutor.  Probably you have already bargained with the prosecutor in jail, but if not, when the judge asks for your plea, reply "I was hoping to discuss it with the city/state attorney before I entered a plea."  That should get you the chat with the city/state attorney described above.

By the time you are asked to enter your plea, the prosecutor should have said out loud exactly what any agreement made was:

Example 1
Judge: "And what is the city's decision with respect to the charges?"

Prosecutor: "Well Your Honor, the defendant and I reached an agreement, whereby he'd enter a guilty plea to the incident on the ticket as well as for another incident of defacing a campus restaurant two weeks prior, that we'd drop the other charges and recommend a sentence of probation, so we will be dismissing the other charges."

Judge: "Mr. SDS, how do you plead to the two charges brought against you, [citation of cases]?"

You: "Guilty you Honor." (You could plead not guilty and take the last two charges to trial, but better to bail out here if you can).

Example 2
Judge: "And what is the city's decision with respect to the charges?"

Prosecutor: "We were unable to reach an agreement with the defendant, your Honor; he insisted we drop charges that we think he's apparently guilty of.  He indicated that he would plead guilty to two of the charges."

Judge: "Mr. SDS, how do you plead to the charges brought against you?"

You: "Not guilty, your Honor."

Judge:  "Would you like a trial by judge, or by jury?"

You: "By a jury, your Honor."

Judge: "OK, we'll set a jury selection date of ___, and the trial the next week, ___.  Are those dates OK?"

In Example 2, it sounds as if you have just committed to a high-stakes bet.  But fear not: 1, you can always plea-bargain later and end the trial early, and 2, you can change your plea anytime, too.

Important Note:  Always a trial by jury!  Trial by jury you have a good chance of winning.  Trial by judge, no chance.

-If you plead guilty for plea agreement.

You plead guilty and get probation.  Any last thing to say before you're sentenced? 

Most pre-sentence statements by convicts are amazingly bad.  Most either sound pathetic or remorseless.

Qualities of a good pre-sentencing statement:

 -Honest
 -Respectful (but not ass-kissing)
 -Accepting Responsibility (no excuses THEY HATE EXCUSES)

Last words.  When and if you confess, resign with dignity, admit to only what you're being convicted of, and ask to a community-service sentence.

-If you demanded trial by jury

So you've demanded a trial by jury, on all 99 counts.

Seems like you've bitten off more than you can chew, eh?

But don't worry.  What you've done is called the prosecution's bluff.  If, after the trial, you're convicted of some counts and not others, the court costs for the charges you beat must be paid by the prosecutor.  He doesn't want to risk that.  He may be talking tough, but he'd still rather plea bargain.

What you do is, after the jury selection and trial date have been set, pull him aside and ask him if there's a good time you can meet him at his office and discuss things.  Set a time, and meet him.

Bargain more.  If the prosecutor offers something you feel OK about, accept the offer, ask him to put it in writing, and when the court meets for jury selection, the prosecutor will probably bring up the arrangement right off the bat, and it'll go to that.

If he doesn't, pull out the phone book and look up some attorneys.  Ask them for advice; if they're rude, impolite, or unhelpful, just hang up and call another.  Phone books have TONS of lawyers.  Hopefully you can find one who, for three billable hours or less (<$300), can hear your story and work out a deal with the prosecutor for you.

-If you find yourself at trial

Since you've already pled guilty to what you were actually caught doing, the only evidence of "your" other "crimes" are that your name matches that of the one you were caught writing.  Call every lawyer in the book and explain the situation.  You will have to pay them some money, but the prosecutor will definitely fold, knowing he has no case against a competent counsel. 

-Fee Advice

I beat a really tough rap myself, with no legal help at all.  I'm no lawyer, but e-mail me if you need more advice: plantheplanet@freeasinspeech.com.  Give me your phone number so I can call you. 


Reviews

The Future of Graffiti

This is the best and most useful graffiti film I have ever seen.  The entire film is done by EAZ: besides being the star who illustrates and explains the techniques, he also wrote, directed, and produced it; he composed and performed the soundtrack, he created all of the computer-graphics elements, and he released it on his own label.  That alone might make EAZ the most respectable graffiti artist in the world. 

EAZ does not simply explain what he does as he does it.  He offers his philosophical view about graffiti culture, he explains how caps work, he covers techniques from can angle to drop-shadow 3-D techniques, he discusses linear perspective, creating wild-style letters...  this is truly a video that any graffiti artist, from novice to advanced skill level, can enjoy.

After watching the film my head was buzzing with ideas.  Everyone else I know who's seen it felt the same way.

And after the instructional segment, there is 45 minutes of bonus features with other graffiti legends. 

This film is a must-have.  If you get any graffiti video it should be this one.

Graffiti Verite 4

This is the fourth in Bob Bryan's graffiti film series.  This one focuses on techniques; it's an instructional video.  The host for it is SANO, doing a burner on a permission wall and also doing a black-and-white canvas portrait.

SANO's skill is definitely accomplished, but his teaching style is not.  Mostly he just does the pieces and explains them as he goes.  There is some insight, and he shows you a few tricks, but he doesn't get into the basics, or details about how he comes up with his ideas.  He's heavy on the philosophy and light about technical matters.

The film isn't bad; it is useful.  But compared to "The Future of Graffiti," this film may leave the viewer feeling less confident in his own abilities, having just seen SANO create such 'pieces with such ease. (pun unintentional).

If you've seen "The Future of Graffiti" and want some new ideas, this film is for you, but if you haven't, I'd recommend that movie instead.


Write & Unite

This film does a great job of capturing the global graffiti scene, with footage from everywhere and everyone.  Mostly shots with little live action, but the pieces they capture are phenomenal.  Dozens and dozens of burners. 

What put me off was that the film was sponsored by Dupli-Montana, who as I explained earlier is the biggest criminal in the world of graffiti for stealing MTN Montana's name.  Not only does Dupli-Montana feature prominently in the film--including many shots of the paint being bottled at their plant--but they show footage of deliberate attempts to confuse the two brands.  In the worst shot, Dupli-Montana has put out posters with MTN Montana cans on the posters! 

Because of Dupli-Montana's sins the two companies are both spending money on court battles, which contributes to the price of the cans that we all pay.  Fuck Dupli-Montana.

Aside from that, this is a pretty good movie; short on knowledge but very nice on the eyes.  (70 minutes)

Graffiti Verite 3

This is one hour of three things: pictures of graffiti on walls, quotes from celebrity writers on the screen, and a soundtrack.  The pieces are great. The soundtrack is phenomenal, best mixtape I've heard in a long time.  The quotes are, well, not very useful, but interesting.  Aside from that, there's nothing else to it.  (60 minutes)




Afterword: The Educated Graffiti Artist
[Adopted from "The Educated Person," an essay in the book "A Different Kind of Teacher" by John Taylor Gatto.]

Here I've used the old-fashioned "he," but mean both sexes.

1. An educated graffiti artist writes his own script through life.  He is not a character in anyone else's play, nor does he mouth the words of any intellectual's utopian fantasy.  He is self-determined.

2. Time does not hang heavily on an educated graffiti artist's hands.  He can be alone.  He is never at a loss for what to do with time.

3. An educated graffiti artist knows his rights and knows how to defend them.

4. An educated graffiti artist knows the ways of the human heart; he is hard to cheat or fool.

5. An educated graffiti artist possesses useful knowledge: how to find find work, how to build things, etc.

6. An educated graffiti artist possesses a blueprint of personal value, a philosophy.  This philosophy tends toward the absolute; it is not plastic or relative, altering to suit circumstances.  Because of this an artist knows at all times who he is, what he will tolerate, where to find peace.  But at the same time an artist is aware of and respects community values and strange values.

7. An educated graffiti artist understands the dynamics of relationships and how to prevent conflict.

8. An educated graffiti artist does not diminish the work of other artists in a world of virgin walls.

9. An educated graffiti artist is at peace with the passage of his lifetime, and learns throughout all stages of his life.

10. An educated graffiti artist can discover the truth for himself.  He does not need anyone to guide him through the matrix of deceit that is "the system."  He has intense awareness of the profound significance of being, and the profound significance of being here.

11. An educated graffiti artist can figure out how to be useful to others, and in trading time, insight, and service to meet the needs of others, he can learn the material things he needs to sustain a wholesome life.

12. An educated graffiti artist has the capacity to create new things, new experiences, new ideas.