All language subtitles for 03-spray_paint_mechanics_

[MUSIC PLAYING]

MAN: We're going to be
talking about spray paint

and why it is the main tool
of graffiti writers and street

artists.

It's lightweight,
easy to conceal,

and the fast growing
nature of the medium

made it possible for us to
continue to move on quickly

and to do other work.

So, before we get
started spraying anything,

I would recommend
you wear gloves.

Sometime, I wear gloves, but
I take off the right glove,

because I'm right handed.

And I feel sometimes this--
even this slight little bit

of tension here,
it's restrictive.

So, it's up to you to decide
how you would best approach it.

But, nothing wrong with gloves.

And obviously, because
we're spray painting,

I would recommend
wearing a mask.

We've got this guy here,
but I happen to also like--

very much the N95 style.

So, let's get this guy on.

MAN: I would also recommend
not just wearing a mask,

but in addition, wherever
your work environment is,

trying to set up something
with adequate ventilation,

i.e., of course, a fan.

And some levels of
ventilation, you know,

open windows,
something like that.

And anyone who is working
with you in your environment

should also be masked up.

Shake your paint.

Shaking paint is like, probably
the most important thing.

MAN: The spray can is
a pressurized container

with a mixture of
paint and propellant.

Shaking the paint will mix
the paint and the propellants

so that your spray is a
fine and even mist of color.

Love the sound
of that marble can.

I guess if you looked
at the instructions,

everything is on
the can as well.

Read the fine print.

It's going to tell you to
shake it for about a minute.

I think once you hear the
marbles moving around in there,

you're good.

I wanted to show you
something I created.

It's a bit DIY on my part.

This is your basic thing
I've done, and basically

modified a skill saw.

There's my blade,
which I've attached.

What looks to be like a water
bottle cage from a bicycle,

we actually 3D printed
this cage ourselves.

But, any type of contraption
to get it to connect to this

is possible.

Now, mind you, we did
this with a skill saw.

I've seen people using
drills, anything to just get

the thing in motion.

This tends to be quite
effective just as a quick fix

to shaking the can.

Because, to be quite
honest with you,

shaking the can after a minute
or more is a bit tedious.

So.

[WHIRRING]

I would say that can
is sufficiently shaken.

Not stirred.

MAN: So, it's important to
know the fullness levels

of your spray cans.

I tend to work with cans that
have differing amounts of paint

and propellant, so that I
can vary the effects that I'm

able to achieve with each can.

We're going to be using
four cans as my example.

And, we've got a full can.

Let's call that 100%.

We've got a can at
three quarters filled,

let's call that 75.

We've got a can that's
half empty, that's your 50.

And then we just about
have an empty can.

So, each one of
these cans is going

to be quite helpful as we work.

Because at a
certain point, we're

going to need paint in
kind of all these stages.

Obviously starting
with your full can,

it's going to give you
full pressure, full--

wow, paint's just running
out of this thing and--

every job starts with a full
can, no doubt about that.

This one's my full can.

This one's my 3/4 can.

Full can means
full coverage, right?

Full can means, hey, you know,
I've got all this paint here

and I could probably paint
with this can three or four

of these sized canvases if
I wanted to completely cover

the surface.

So-- and mind you--
this was the 50.

You can never do these
dots with a full can.

It's just too much
paint, too much pressure.

This is only possible because
of the lack of propellant,

and in the same time,
the lack of paint.

It's a reduction of
propellant and paint

in a kind of consistent fashion.

In my technical style of
emptying the can, sometimes

more propellant comes out
than I may want, in which case

there may not be enough
to push it out correctly,

you're going to get a can
that's going to be spitting.

Because it doesn't have enough
propellant to push the paint

out and thus, it splatters.

It spitters.

And that can be
also very helpful.

If you're having
a studio practice

and you're working
with spray paint,

you need to be aware of the sort
of levels of all these cans.

And if I were you what
I would recommend,

please try to organize
those cans accordingly,

i.e., full cans, 75, 50, 25.

This way you know when
you want to do something

like this you're not messing
about with a full can.

You've gone right to your
25 or your almost empty can.

Try something that
works for you.

I mean, once again, this
all happens through error

and experimentation.

And you'd be quite surprised
what happens sometimes

when you don't expect it to.

MAN: So, one point I would like
to make is about the nozzles

that we use.

And traditionally,
all these cans

come with a basic
nozzle, seen everywhere.

Honestly, for me, I'm not a
big nozzle specific person.

I'll work with what's available.

I think another thing from
people from our generation

is that we never had--

we never had very
much in the way

of any kind of
upgrades and changes

to what we did when we began.

And so, I'm still
kind of traditional.

I'll just use the nozzle
that comes with the can.

Obviously, the medium is so far
advanced, there's thin caps,

fat caps, skinny tip, fat tip.

All types of ways that the paint
will come out of these cans

with various nozzles.

MAN: There are
setups and nozzles

on a couple of these
cans and we can

see the difference visually.

This one, let's just call it--

let's call it a
medium cap for now.

And I just want
to show you that--

you're seeing all
of this speckling.

So, as you can see,
that's a lot different

than what we were
getting before.

And this is also me controlling
the pressure of my finger

on the nozzle.

Because that's the other
part of spray painting.

It's a lot to do with
what happens right

there with your
finger and the nozzle

and how you depress that nozzle,
how much force you put down,

what have you.

MAN: So, for me now, with
this particular effect,

and this cap--

which, to be clear,
I don't necessarily

think I could get this
from my classic cap,

because the can is
completely full--

however, maybe.

We'll see.

No.

Well, you can see.

Initially, it just
wants to spray.

Unlike this particular one,
which does want to spray

if I pressed it properly.

But if I press it
ever so slightly,

I don't know what you
would call that effect--

but it's certainly very
fine and scattered.

In addition, there are these
caps which we call fat caps.

The advantage of that is they're
going to push the paint out

twice as fast as the traditional
nozzle that comes on the cans.

So, something like this--

this cap should be,
you know, 25% wider

in terms of how it performs
against the black nozzle,

if you will.

People should
experiment with this,

as they feel, in terms of
what nozzle works for you.

Once again, it's
not just the nozzle.

It's the nozzle,
it's the quantity

of the paint you're
working with,

and it's the pressure
in which you're

pushing down on that nozzle.

Now, that effect that
we've got with the black

was kind of cool,
so, we know what

cap did what,
let's see if we can

make the red can do what we--

we had the the black can doing.

Which you can see, it's--
it's sputtering, it--

I can hear it.

It kind of wants to paint,
and it wants to do that.

But, I don't want it to do that.

In which case, I'm going
to keep pressing it ever

so slightly, until we
get this scattery effect.

It's quite visible here
on the blank canvas,

we can see what's happening.

But, this, I tend to like to do
on top of-- let's say something

else that may be done.

Let's just look at this
orange, and you know, oh wow!

Wouldn't some, you know,
wouldn't a little bit

of black--

whatever-- and mind you, this
is simply a very minor detail,

but also showing
you specifically

how the cap performs.

I don't think I
would recommend,

and it's something I'm
very conscious of, is--

go easy with spray paint.

OK?

Don't be so heavy handed, i.e.,
don't just press the nozzle

and let it all fly.

Try to maintain some
sort of consistent flow

in how you apply the paint.

Spray paint in abundance
will do nothing but drip,

and that's something
that's a really, like--

spray painters don't like drip.

So-- unless, of course,
there's something specific

you're going for, and,
you know, you-- yeah,

no, I want drips in my work.

But, I think
traditionally, drips

have been no-no's
in the culture.

One assignment I
could even suggest,

and it doesn't have to be
something as classic as a, you

know, stretch canvas, it
could be paper, cardboard,

could be wood, could be glass,
could be anything-- but I mean,

go ahead and try something.

You know, try something
small, controllable.

Paperworks, cardboard,
cardstock, old cereal boxes.

You know, I mean, you
could just paint--

I mean, obviously, you
can paint anything.

So, be creative.

Be experimental.

And also, like, do things
that other people necessarily

aren't doing.

You know, that's a good way
to find unknown territory.

I don't mind getting
into trouble in my work,

to figure things out and
possibly discover new things.

MAN: So, spray painting in
general, as an artist's tool,

is available everywhere.

You know, every hardware
store, every art store.

I can recall my
first going to Europe

and finding brands of paint
many years ago that we never

heard of.

But there's tons of paint now.

The community has been
supporting itself.

There's artists from
the community who

have gotten into the business.

If I'm not mistaken,
this company, Montana,

other companies who
are manufacturing

spray paint for the
culture are actually

descendants of the movement,
ex-artists and writers

from graffiti cities
around the world.

But yeah, I would suggest that
if you want to get started,

and you're not really
sure, you know,

you might not even have
to go to an art store.

You might find something
in your family's garage.

Maybe someone was trying
to paint some bits of lawn

furniture or something.

But, once again,
for me, if you think

of the world that existed
before everything was available

and very convenient,
you know, one

had to think for
themselves as to how

you would acquire these things
and/or how you would use them.

Before all of the
bells and whistles

and caps and all this
modern convenience,

one had to just grab very
primitive cans, limited colors,

and do the best that
he or she could.

So, I would say if you
really want to start,

go to your local art store.

Anyone there would be more
than happy to help you.

You don't need to just go
by a variety of colors.

Maybe, specifically
think about, oh, I

want to do something in this--

in these shades and go for it.