In St. Petersburg, the Vitale Bros. teach kids the art of graffiti

ST. PETERSBURG — On a blazing hot Sunday afternoon, folks of all ages lined up at Overspray St. Pete to buy spray paint. They were here for camp, specifically the Overspray Graffiti Camp led by local artists the Vitale Bros. at the back of their new business located on the Pinellas Trail.

For $40, campers age 9 and older could learn the basics of graffiti on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Johnny Vitale had the idea to do the camp because of his 9-year-old son, Jack. They were eating at First Watch one day when Vitale showed him how to do block letters on the menu with crayons. When they got home, Vitale instructed Jack to do the lettering with spray paint on a piece of an old shed. Within an hour, he’d completed the piece — which spelled his name.

Vitale thought the concept could catch on with others.

“I was like, if most kids take that experience home, now they know how to do graffiti basically,“ he said. The goal was to make sure all participants could learn how to do some aspect of it, he said.

Technically, the definition of graffiti is any writings or drawings made illegally on walls and other public spaces. The modern culture of graffiti stems from the illegal painting of personal monikers or crew names on trains in New York City and Philadelphia starting in the late 1960s. Today, graffiti is its own iconic art form, often commissioned for businesses the way a mural would be.

At the Overspray Graffiti Camp, participants learned how to emulate that style. Oversized flashcards showing examples of bubble and block letters, and one that gave an overview of the history of graffiti, were displayed for them to reference. A soundtrack of 1980s music played on a boom box adorned with colorful graffiti.

Artists Tasko, who specializes in Wildstyle lettering, and Hinson the Healer, who’s known for his characters, were on hand to provide inspiration and help. While the campers learned, they painted on large walls, demonstrating their styles.

For the first hour, at tables under a tent, the group of mostly kids worked on a tag they would make with markers on a blank canvas. They were instructed to come up with a name for the tag.

“It’s all about designing what you’re going to put on the wall because that’s the first step,” Vitale said. “Most writers will have a black book that they just put all their ideas in ... and then you just inspire yourself.”

Vitale suggested to the campers that they pay attention to their natural writing style. He made the rounds to each table, demonstrating how to make block letters dimensional.

Some participants drew parts of their own names, others came up with graffiti names and some created characters.

Jackie Walling of Tampa brought her son Richie, 15, to the camp. She said she’s always looking for fun, unique, artsy things to do in the summer, so when she saw the camp pop up on social media she signed him up. She appreciated that, compared to some other camps, this one wasn’t a big time and financial commitment.

“I’ve always loved supporting the arts … and supporting small businesses, so it’s a perfect combination,” she said.

Monica Summers said that when she asked her 9-year-old daughter, Vivian, if she wanted to do the camp, she immediately said yes.

Not all the campers were kids. Barbara Lynch — who goes by Ambassador Barb because of her commitment to the arts and St. Pete — just turned 50 and decided the camp was a way to start her “mid-life rebirth.” The volunteer for the Shine Mural Festival wanted to get the voice that says she’s not creative out of her head.

Eckwood Ellison, 40, didn’t realize the event was for kids, but stayed to practice the art anyway.

By hour two, it was time to start spray painting on a concrete barrier that edges the Pinellas Trail. Vitale explained what kind of painting effect each of the different nozzles that replace the standard ones on spray paint cans would create. Masks were handed out as the smell of paint filled the air.

Vitale strolled down the wall, stopping to give tips on filling in and getting crisp edges. Throughout the day, Vitale emphasized there wasn’t pressure to be perfect. After all, you can always paint over it — which happened a lot.

Making marks as a form of communication and to leave something behind is the essence of graffiti, Vitale said.

“That’s the whole point of art or creating anything for that matter,” he said.

Vitale thinks campers will want to return to learn more, and a future camp is in the works. For updates, follow the Vitale Bros. at @vitalebros or visit overspraystpete.com.

What to know about Overspray St. Pete

Overspray St. Pete shares space with St. Pete Biking Tours at 1934 Second Ave. S, St. Petersburg. The shop sells spray paint and Vitale Bros.-designed T-shirts and artwork.