Awesome Street Art

Before there were digital maps or modern smartphones, thousands, if not millions of drivers in Los Angeles, California, missed the crucial yet abrupt exit from the 110 freeway to the I-5. The Drive sums up how, in 2001, artist Richard Ankrom obsessively studied California traffic signs and embarked on his “Guerrilla Public Service.“

An ordinary spray paint can only produce a single color. Ukrainian street artist Vitaly Tesh invented a spray can that can output numerous colors. After an earlier effort to build the system, his updated Graffiti Color Mixer 2.0 produces smooth transitions between four source colors. His custom-built remote control lets him switch colors on the fly.

Portuguese street artist Vhils creates incredible large-scale portraits by chipping away at the surface of concrete walls with an electric hammer drill. This short video gives us a glimpse of the artist working on a giant face. His Instagram is packed with similarly impressive works.

Artist Bond Truluv is known for creating vibrant street art with impressive dimensionality. He has lots of tricks up his paint-covered sleeves, but one of his more ingenious hacks is this multiple nozzle rig, which can spray five lines of paint at the same time. He made an alternate version for calligraphy.

Inspired by the work of VILE/a>, Slovakian street artist DOKE took on a fun and difficult spray paint challenge. The goal? Create a photorealistic scene that makes it look like holes are cut through a wall so you can see the building, grass, and trees behind it. Of course, the illusion requires the light and viewing angle to be just right.

These pop art sculptures from Weibi Concept Store stand on their own while paying tribute to other contemporary artists like Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein. Each spray can appears to float in the air, with an imaginary graffiti artist holding the can and spraying out a blast of paint.

Artist Michael Pederson has been placing miniature signs and dioramas around parks and other public places in Sydney, Australia. The signs help guide ants, birds, and other small creatures through their tiny worlds. The airport for pigeons is our favorite.

Part of the mystique of artist Banksy is that you don’t always know which pieces of art were really made by him. In this video, he reveals that he’s the one behind an image painted on the wall of a UK prison. Banksy cleverly incorporated a description of his process using soothing narration recorded by the late Bob Ross. (Thanks Rob!)

This tiny billboard lets you live out your graffiti fantasies right on your desktop. The kit is made from recycled chipboard and can be assembled in just a few minutes. Buy a bunch and create a whole bookshelf full of your own original street art. Grab ’em while you can. Sadly, its maker Boundless Brooklyn is closing up shop.

Street artist Pejac’s first public exhibit in London makes the head-scratching marker of city life even more puzzling. His Downside Up consists of four installations of shoes appearing to float while tied to lampposts.

(PG-13) Montreal artist MissMe had a successful career working at one of the world’s top ad agencies, but she quit her job to become an underground street artist, creating provocative works of public art which rebel against the objectification of women in advertising.

Spray Rainworks through a stencil onto concrete, and you’ll create street art that can only be seen when it rains. On dry days, it vanishes. Our favorite part of the product description: “Please note that Rainworks Invisible Spray will not make you invisible.”

(NSFW: Language) Parody street artist Hanksy puts his notoriety and knowledge of street art to good use in The Hundreds‘ documentary series Surplus Candy, where he takes us on a tour of the graffiti scene in various cities.

Street artist Moose creates “reverse graffiti” using a power washer to selectively remove urban grime. To further highlight the anti-pollution message of his clean art, he powered his latest work using a zero emission Nissan LEAF EV.

Established by Mehdi Ghadyanloo and backed by the government of Tehran, Blue Sky Painters turns drab buliding facades in Iran’s capital into murals with eye-catching illusions or drawings that interact with their surroundings.

Bring street art into your home or office without having to inhale nasty spray paint vapors. SUUMO makes graffiti murals ranging from 2×3 to 10×7. Hi-resolution printed on matte fabric with a reusable, repositionable adhesive backing.