EXPLORING

SPACE

WITH
BANKSY
WHAT IS SPACE?
The actual or illusion of depth or
three dimensions

The artists use of the area within the
picture plane
WHAT ARE POSITIVE
AND NEGATIVE SPACE?
Positive space
the areas in a work of art that
are the subjects, or areas of
interest
Negative space
The area around the subjects, or
areas of interest.
IS THIS A PICTURE OF A
VASE, OR TWO FACES?
If you see a vase
The white area is the
positive space
The black areas become
the negative space
If you see faces
The black areas are the
positive space
The white area is the
negative space
IS NEGATIVE SPACE
IMPORTANT?
It helps to
define a
subject
The treatment
of negative
space
determines
what we see
IS NEGATIVE SPACE
IMPORTANT?
Negative space is
important for
balance in a
composition
Balance is arranging
elements so that no
one part of a work
overpowers, or
seems heavier than
any other part
BANKSY
Banksy is a United
Kingdom based street
artist and political
activist
His true identity is
unknown
He is thought to have
been born in 1974 in
Bristol, England
He began his street art
career in the late 1980s

This photo taken in NYC in
2013 is allegedly Banksy
BANKSY
Banksys work is
very distinctive
Combines social
satire with dark
humor
Uses aerosol
stencil technique
This stencil is allegedly Banksys Self Portrait
BANKSY
His work has included
themes of anti-war,
anti-capitalism,
anarchism, poverty,
and alienation
Banksy has become
an international
sensation, his work
can be spotted in
cities worldwide
Banksys stencil tag
London
Israel
Detroit
ACTIVITY
STEP 1
We are going
to make
Banksy style
stencils
Pick an issue
or cause that
is of particular
interest to you
Some ideas:
Environmentalism
Animal rights
Poverty
Bullying
Drug Abuse
Cancer research
***PLEASE***
Be mindful that your topic is school appropriate and will not offend others
ACTIVITY
STEP 2
Brainstorm and sketch
some ideas for your
stencil
You may use Photoshop
to separate your drawing
into 2 values if needed
Pay attention to the
positive and negative
space!
ACTIVITY
STEP 3
Transfer your drawing
to a piece of thick
poster board
Cut out the POSITIVE
SPACE with an exacto
knife
Hint: the positive
space will be the dark
color
ACTIVITY
STEP 4
Take it to the street!
Choose one of the
chalk spray bottles
Take your stencil
out to the sidewalk
Hold the stencil
firmly on the
ground
Spray away!