Buff Monster

Pink, Graffiti, and Mohawks, you get all three with Buff Monster. The guy's work all started in Los Angeles, It's a bit of a mash up of heavy metal music, ice cream and japanese culture, and putting this all together makes some seriously amazing work. When reading a bit more into Buff Monster I found out that the colour pink is used because 'The color pink, a symbol of confidence, individuality and happiness, is present in everything he creates.' And to be honest, when you look through his work, you do feel happier, It has a weird positive effect on you. I love this style of work though, the thick colours, the black outlines and cheerful characters, it makes a boring street wall full of life. Like most of the artists I post on here he does have an Instagram @buffmonster and a website www.buffmonster.com , There's always good work being posted, and there's a good blog on his work on the website.

 

All Pictures From www.buffmonster.com

Young Jarus

When it comes to portrait graffiti Young Jarus Nails it. He manages to get an extreme level of realism with the work he produces, and on a large scale. Most of the pieces I've seen Young Jarus complete are of human faces, however it does't mean he shy's away from text work. Both styles I've seen him complete are ridiculously good. The faces, like I said are to an extreme detail, using a colour palette that matches the human skin tones exactly, and works perfectly with all other types of graffiti. I recently saw him complete a piece with a variety of other artists, mostly concentrating in writing, and his portrait piece in the middle stands out, but doesn't look out of place, It works perfectly. As far as the Writing work goes, just check it out, it's hard to explain without sounding too much like a fanboy. More work is available on @youngjarus Instagram. 

All pictures from @youngjarus Instagram

Interview With Luky

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post up about the one, the only, Luky. I love his work, the characters he has created, and currently is creating are amazing. He's also a cool guy, and I was lucky enough (no pun intended) to interview him and find out more about the work he does and the mind behind Luky. So without further ado, here is the interview. 

Spray Up: Thanks for the letting me interview you for Spray Up, I'm a huge fan of your work!

Luky: Thank you for the interview.

SU: If you could just let the audience know who you are, and whereabouts you reside?

L: I am a graffiti and graphic artist from Southern California, currently studying at the University of Arizona. Bear Down!

SU: Around what time did you start really getting into street art/sticker slaps?

L: I remember making my first slap over a year ago, continuing to progress over the next few months. I had picked up the graphic design almost 6 months ago, making my life a whole lot easier with prints and vinyls.

SU: Who do you take influence from to create your artwork, or is your style something you developed completely by yourself? 

L: I actually started an instagram, not really knowing what I should post on my page instead of the usual selfies and pictures of food. I had seen Fawxboy (now @fawxco) on the front page and knew right away that my style of art was like his. I couldn't stay away, and before long, my feed is overflowing with different artists that I take inspiration from on a daily basis.

SU: Why do you use colours like the yellows in the pieces you create? 

L: It actually kind of just happened. I loved how the highlighter yellow looked better than blues or greens, and it just kind of became my signature. Kind of like the eyebrows and the x over the left eye (very few realize that it is always on his left eye, which I find really humorous).

SU: You have a lot of artists that are following you on Instagram loving the work that you do, but what street art are you really into at the moment and why?

L: I am not going to lie, I love any type of street art that is creative and has a meaning. If it's just a name or a word scribbled up on a wall, I don't see it as art. I am drawn to artists that express who they are and what style they have. Recently I have been following a lot of free-lance graphic artists for inspiration on and off the computer.

SU: You've been doing a few collaborations with people lately, what's it like working with different people and mixing up styles?

L: Oh my God, I love a good collab. It can be frustrating at times, especially when I have a mental block and cannot figure out the perfect way to add onto the collab, but I am always pleased by the result. To me, you really get a grasp of the original artist's mentality (the one who starts the theme for the collab) and it is a fun process to be a part of. Shout out to Elliot Waters for my first ever trade, give him a follow @e_h20s

SU: Have you always been into art from a really young age or was it quite recent that you got into it? 

L: I have always been cranking out doodles and drawing since I could pick up a pencil. I was always that kid who had an idea and either talked about it forever or drew it. Unfortunately, I was not as active with it until my freshman year of high school, drawing very dark and creepy illustrations. But, we all start somewhere, and look back from all of this as a learning experience.

SU: Do you feel you could push your art any further, or do you feel the style you have at the moment works best?

L: I always feel like there is room for improvement. If I am not studying or making slaps for my sticker packs/illustrator on the computer, I am watching youtube videos on speedarts and illustrator techniques to make me better. When I create a piece that I like, I stand back and enjoy it, and figure out if I need to do another revision of the design.

SU:  A lot of the work I've seen is sticker based, But I was wondering if you have ever done any big spray painted characters and if not do you see yourself moving onto walls?

L: I actually have, like stencil work and a couple of throwies back home, but I enjoy the stickers. I can reach places that I would have never dreamed of, and don't even need a can to do it. 

SU: Slaps are coming up everywhere, people are really starting to get into it, but what art do you like to see on a sticker and why? 

L: I think I have already gone over this in the previous question, but one thing that I love to look for is a slap that is posted is how it "stands out." It can be posted literally anywhere, and I enjoy the very simple designs that are complex and have meaning. That, and I love to see slaps posted in weird spots where people always tend to look.

SU: How would explain the feeling you get when you finish a sticker and put it out in the street? 

L: In all honesty, I haven't created as many hand drawn slaps as I would like, but whenever I finish a design (either hand drawn or digital) I feel like I have accomplished that much more. It's cheesy for me to say that I feel fulfilled, but usually I say "this shit would look good on a shirt!"

SU: Where would you find most of your stickers, or are they starting to spread out across America?

L: I have traded with a numerous amount of artists, and have my slaps posted everywhere from The UK, Germany, Australia, and a bit of France, to the States, Canada, and Mexico, Luky for Life is everywhere!  

SU: Are you getting any big opportunities such as shows or things like that coming up?

L: I have not had the luxury of being offered a spot in a show or exhibit, but I have worked with multiple commissions for smaller businesses as well as companies that are recently starting up. I would like to be able to present my art, as well as make t-shirts to sell, but have not been offered the opportunity yet.

SU: What plans do you have for the future?

L: I plan on making "Luky 4 Life" my own brand, expanding my horizons with designing and hopefully make this into a career. Designing is what I enjoy, and would be honored to work on huge projects for major companies for logo design/digital art etc.

luky4life.com

Make sure to keep following @lukyxiii on Instagram and check out his website often, He's constantly doing new pieces that I'm sure you will love.  

All Pictures from @lukyxiii Instagram

Chivitz

Chivitz, a Brazilian artist, concentrates mostly on characters. These characters he creates are easy to recognise, I am yet to see a style similar to his. What the characters consist of is a man almost turned to his side, brightly coloured with thick bold lines and fills, the character always wears a flat cap, carries a skateboard and has a cross in one eye, and a heart in the other. It's funny watching Chivitz work, because every time the camera pans back onto him theres a new colour of paint being applied, and when it gets to the final part of the video it all comes together, the colours merge and the character appears. You should really check out Chivitz, he's on Instagram on @chivitz, the work is amazing.

All pictures from @chivitz Instagram

Highsaur

There's not too much I know about Highsaur, but I do know that his artwork is killer. This artist has a lot of work in sticker slaps and on canvas.He has created characters that I've copied myself to get inspiration. His works unique and detailed in a way that you don't realise at first. The characters fit well into the slaps movement, they have these bright bold colours, and the characters are almost random creatures that the artist has created from the depths of their mind. Highsuar takes these elements and pushes them further, for example he's done quite a few slaps where it looks as if its a human like figure wearing a mask, the mask's teeth are super elongated, and all the line work that is used throughout the mask creates an slap that's so detailed that it separates it from the rest. To check out his work go to his Instagram @highsaur, theres so much work of his great work for you to flick through. 

All pictures from @highsaur Instagram

My Dog Sighs

If you like eyes, then you are going to love My Dog Sighs. He's from Southsea and works with both spray paint and your standard paint. The level of detail that goes into his work is unbelievable, The eyes he creates are definitely some of the most life like pieces of work I have ever seen. He's perfected the Iris colours and the glare, its almost like one of those paintings where the eyes follow you. Another great thing about My Dog Sighs is that he is part of Free Art Friday, this is a group of artists that complete some amazing work, and then leave it in urban areas for someone to stumble across. It's rare that you will find an artist that will give away their work, and it's such an amazing thing that these people are sharing their art with the world. Go check out My Dog Sighs, You'll love his work for sure on Instagram @mydogsighs and on his website http://www.mydogsighs.co.uk/, and if you ever stumble across a piece of his work, you'll be one lucky person. 

Pictures from @mydogsighs Instagram