Free original lessons
Plan a graffiti wall layout: draw a brick surface, place tag boxes, and compose a balanced wall using a simple grid and clear placement rules.
This lesson teaches how to lay out a graffiti wall drawing without focusing on lettering styles or street scenes. You will build a brick surface with a repeatable grid, decide where tag boxes sit, and compose the wall so the surface and placements read clearly. The convention is simple: x-height runs from baseline to midline, and letter styles may vary, so the rubric rewards clear placement and consistent brick rhythm rather than one exact drawing. All measurements are hypothetical examples; measure your own paper and tools before drawing.
Practice materials: Printable downloads are not available for this lesson yet. Use the instructions and four exercises below.
Start with a wall rectangle. Choose a hypothetical wall size, for example 18 cm wide by 12 cm tall, and mark a 1 cm border. Brick width and course spacing (brick height) are independent dimensions: choose each separately. For example, use 2 cm bricks and 2 cm course spacing. Inside the border, draw horizontal course lines spaced 2 cm apart. Offset every other course by half a brick width (for example, 1 cm when bricks are 2 cm wide) so the pattern reads as brick rather than a grid.
Use a light pencil for the grid and a firmer line for brick edges. Keep brick widths consistent within a course and course spacing consistent down the wall. Choose numbers so the inner width divides cleanly into half-brick units; otherwise the offset will not be a true half-brick. For a hypothetical example, use a 16 cm inner width with 2 cm bricks: a non-offset course holds eight full bricks (8 × 2 = 16 cm). An offset course starts with a 1 cm half-brick, then seven full bricks, and ends with a 1 cm half-brick (1 + 14 + 1 = 16 cm), so its joints shift by 1 cm (half a brick) relative to the course above. If your measured inner width does not divide evenly, adjust the brick width or accept a labeled filler piece and state that the offset is approximate. Check that each course uses the same brick width, that alternate courses are offset by half a brick, and that any filler is labeled as an example.
A tag box is a rectangle that reserves space for a tag. Place boxes only inside the wall border and keep them clear of brick joints where possible. Use a simple placement rule: one primary box in the upper-middle third, one secondary box lower and to one side, and one small accent box near an edge. This creates a readable composition without crowding.
Define each box by its top-left corner and size, measured from the outer wall edges. For example, a primary box 6 cm wide by 3 cm tall placed 6 cm from the left outer edge and 3 cm from the top outer edge sits 5 cm from the inner left edge and 2 cm from the inner top edge. Record placements in a small table so you can check them against the wall grid.
Composition means balancing the boxes and the brick surface. Keep at least one brick-width gap between boxes (for example, 2 cm when bricks are 2 cm wide). Avoid placing a box directly over a course line if you want the tag to read clearly; shift it up or down by half the course spacing (for example, 1 cm when courses are 2 cm apart). The wall should feel intentional: a clear primary focus, a supporting secondary box, and a small accent that does not compete.
Use the x-height convention when sketching inside boxes: baseline to midline marks the main body height, and letter styles may vary above or below that band. This keeps placement checks simple without forcing one lettering style.
A wall is 18 cm wide and 12 cm tall with a 1 cm border. Course spacing is 2 cm and brick width is 3 cm. Place a primary box 6 cm by 3 cm at 6 cm from the left and 3 cm from the top. Check whether the box fits inside the border and whether it sits on a course line.
The border leaves an inner area 16 cm wide by 10 cm tall. The box spans from 6 cm to 12 cm horizontally and from 3 cm to 6 cm vertically, so it fits inside the border. Course lines inside the border occur at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 cm measured from the inner top edge; the box top is 2 cm below the inner top edge and the box bottom is 5 cm below it. The top aligns with a course line, so shift the box down by 1 cm (half the course spacing) to sit between courses. Note that brick width (3 cm) and course spacing (2 cm) are independent, so the bricks here are wider than they are tall.
A wall is 20 cm wide and 14 cm tall with a 1 cm border. Courses are 2 cm apart. How many full courses fit inside the border?
Six full courses.
Why: The inner height is 14 minus 2 cm of border, which is 12 cm. Dividing 12 by 2 gives 6 full courses between course lines.
Check: Measure the inner height, divide by course spacing, and count bands between lines rather than lines themselves.
On an 18 cm wide wall with a 1 cm border and 2 cm bricks, how many full bricks fit in one course, and what half-brick filler is needed for a true half-brick offset?
A non-offset course holds eight full bricks (8 × 2 = 16 cm). An offset course holds seven full bricks plus two 1 cm half-bricks (1 + 14 + 1 = 16 cm), shifting joints by 1 cm.
Why: Inner width is 16 cm. Dividing 16 by 2 gives 8 full bricks exactly. A half-brick is 1 cm, so alternate courses can start with a 1 cm half-brick and end with a 1 cm half-brick, keeping the offset true.
Check: Multiply brick count by brick width (8 times 2 = 16 cm) and confirm it equals the inner width; confirm the half-brick is half the brick width.
A primary box is 6 cm by 3 cm placed 6 cm from the left and 3 cm from the top on an 18 cm by 12 cm wall with a 1 cm border. Does it fit, and does it touch a course line if courses are 2 cm apart measured from the inner top edge?
It fits inside the border. Its top edge is 2 cm below the inner top edge, so it touches a course line; its bottom edge is 5 cm below the inner top edge, so it does not touch a course line.
Why: The box spans 6 to 12 cm horizontally and 3 to 6 cm vertically, inside the 1 to 17 cm and 1 to 11 cm inner area. Measured from the inner top edge, the box top is at 2 cm and the box bottom is at 5 cm. Course lines at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 cm align with the top edge only.
Check: Compare box edges to border limits and to the course-line list measured from the inner top edge; shift by half a course spacing (1 cm) if alignment is unwanted.
Two boxes are 4 cm wide and 3 cm wide. Their nearest edges are 2 cm apart. Is the gap at least one brick width if bricks are 2 cm wide?
Yes, the gap is 2 cm, which equals one brick width.
Why: The rule requires at least one brick width. Two cm equals two cm, so the gap meets the minimum.
Check: Measure the clear distance between nearest edges and compare it to the chosen brick width; equality passes.
No. The convention defines x-height from baseline to midline, and letter styles may vary. The rubric checks placement and clarity, not one style.
Use a hypothetical example: a 16 cm inner width with 2 cm bricks gives eight full bricks per course, and alternate courses start with a 1 cm half-brick. Measure your own wall, divide the inner width by the brick width, and choose numbers that leave either no remainder or a remainder equal to half a brick.
They can, but shifting a box by half a brick height often improves readability. Check the gap rule and the border rule first.
Scale the hypothetical values proportionally, then measure the actual paper and tools. Label any chosen numbers as examples.