Cleveland’s Graffiti HeArt welcomes newcomers and emerging artists to practice street art 11%
By Gennifer Harding-Gosnell7%
7/30/2026, 9:03:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 22 faulty reasoning types, including Appeal to Authority, Indoctrination, and Availability Heuristic, with Attempt to Sell a Product or Service as the most egregious example at 16.7% saturation with 173 hits. Analysis detected 883 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,037 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 20.3% and a BS Rank of 11% (26,393 of 29,350 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 89.90% of the article peer group.
Have you ever wanted to be a graffiti artist?
Now’s your chance.
Graffiti HeArt, an art collective supporting the work of graffiti artists, muralists, and those practicing other forms of street art, is welcoming Clevelanders to its studio and gallery space for open sessions on the second Saturday of every month.
Graffiti HeArt , 4829 Superior Ave., is hosting Second Saturdays for aspiring artists, those looking to learn about street art, and those who just want to spend time with other artistic-minded people.
Come ready to paint, to learn about street art, or just chill and hang out.
Graffiti HeArt provides supplies like canvases, paint and other art materials for free to aspiring artists who attend Second Saturday.
‘A space to be open and creative’
Art gallery shows and educational programming are offered regularly throughout the year.
But Valerie Schumacher, Graffiti HeArt’s new deputy director and director of creative programs, and Graffiti HeArt’s founder, Stamy Paul, were looking for ways to activate the space more often.
“Second Saturday was a way to have the building open and to bring the community in together to create art on a more regular basis,” explained Schumacher, who established the Second Saturday program.
“It’s really just about bringing people together and using art to build community.”
Everyone from beginners to experts is invited to try their hand at graffiti art at Second Saturdays.
Featured artists work on a practice wall constructed on Graffiti HeArt’s back lawn.
They make themselves available to aspiring artists to answer questions and give feedback.
“Artists need space and the time to create,” said Schumacher, “so this was a way to put aside a dedicated time for artists to come and have the space to make whatever they want at whatever scale they want.
Second Saturdays was a way to activate the space more regularly in a way that was pretty low pressure.”
Serg Verse and Graffiti HeArt apprentice Duvall Ivory check out Verse’s work on the practice wall at a Second Saturday event.
“It’s really a casual experience,” Schumacher added.
“Nobody has to come expecting any kind of classes or, you know, formalities.
It’s really just a space to be open and creative.”
Graffiti 101: Do’s and Don’t’s from an expert … and a complete beginner
As someone who regularly admires (and is admittedly a little jealous of) the illegal graffiti work I see in abandoned buildings, the RTA Red Line and other areas of the cityscape around Cleveland, I decided to try my hand at it during Second Saturday at Graffiti HeArt in July.
It’s not as easy as you think.
Here are some things I learned after just one attempt:
DO: Switch out the caps on spray paint cans to change the width of the spray stream to create thicker or thinner lines.
Renowned graffiti and street artist Bob Peck, who regularly hangs out at Graffiti HeArt on Second Saturdays, said it’s important to choose the right cap based on the style and scale of art you want to create.
“These days there’s a lot of different caps, and some are super skinny, like super thin lines, others are gonna give you a big burst of paint to come out really fast and are super hard to control, especially if you’re not used to it.”
DON’T: Here’s an example of a) using the wrong cap (the outline is too thick for the intended design), and b) holding the can in place for too long.
DO: Spray fast!
Holding the spray can in one spot for too long can create blocks of color or cause drips instead of smooth lines.
Practice, practice, practice
DO: “Practice how far you are from the surface and how fast you have to move your hand,” Peck said.
“You’re going to learn that the closer you get and the faster you move your hand, the thinner the line you get.
But you’re also going to have to learn to control that line – it’s going to be harder to control at first.
As you move towards and away from your surface, you’re going to see it creates almost like a flare and taper kind of line.”
DON’T: Get bubbles of paint on your canvas!
Avoid bubbles in your paint by making sure you shake the aerosol can well before you start spraying (like I did not do 🙄).
DO: Purchase spray paint created specifically for graffiti art, like Montana Cans’ Hardcore and Gold paint lines, or MTN 94.
These are the brands offered by Graffiti HeArt for artists to practice with on Second Saturdays.
Moe words of advice from artist Bob Peck
DO: “Educate yourself on how to paint,” Peck advised.
“Watch other, more experienced people.
You’re gonna pick up on what they’re doing, especially if you ask them questions.
That’s a big one.”
DO: “Learn the history of graffiti,” said Peck.
“There’s decades of information and people who came before, everybody who’s here now, who were painting and paving the way.
The more you can learn about them through books and videos, it gives you a guiding light of what graffiti even is before you even pick up a can and start painting.”
DON’T: Painting over other people’s graffiti is considered a major no-no.
It is a sign of disrespect in a scene that prides itself on being a collective community.
“It’s not a free-for-all,” said Peck.
“There are rules to graffiti, even if it’s out in the streets.
Always find a spot that you’re not painting over somebody else because it can end up – you could end up with problems if you do that.”
Graffiti HeArt’s next Second Saturday is happening Aug. 8 from noon to 3 p.m.
It will coincide with the nearby St.
Clair-Superior Arts Festival on St.
Clair Ave, between E. 41st and E. 45th St.
Resources to learn about the history and culture of graffiti
The Popular History of Graffiti: From The Ancient World To The Present by Fiona McDonald
From the Street to Art Galleries : How Graffiti Became a Legitimate Art Form by David Diallo
Street And Graffiti Art – theartstory.org
A Brief History of Graffiti – BBC Documentary
Speakers
3speakers56%attributed speech460writer words
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100%flagged-word coverageGraffiti HeArt
107 attributed words19% of attributed speech45% writer coverage
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