Eclectic, inspiring and highly recommended.
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The text to image ratio in Stencil Graffiti is perfect; the right amount of information is included to leave the pictures open to your thoughts without leaving you entirely in the dark. Tristan Manco often uses quotes and opinions from the artists themselves which adds to the free and unpretentious nature of this book.
But back to the pictures- Manco proves himself to be an excellent editor and compiler of images as well as words. They are amazing and 99% are of extremely high and clear quality. Simply presented and taken from so many different world locations, parts of buildings and street furniture, inside and outside- they consistently inspire. In the right places they are cropped for detail or taken from a few steps back to show that graffiti is as much about position as it is message, colour, shape, texture and style.
The line between graffiti and vandalism is subjective- but I honestly think that even the most anti-graffiti people and pre-teenage children scrawling words on underpasses would be able to find something to admire in this book. Personally, I feel that all of these artists have crossed this line in these images to the point where it's a distant blur.
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An okay introduction
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I'm glad that I bought this book, mainly for the pictures.
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Stencil Graffiti
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This is a great book. As soon I I read it I had to buy it. The book is well designed and laid out and has a good balance of interesting text and high quality photographs. Tristan Manco has explored the origins of Stencil Graffiti and has interviewed many artists for their insight to their work and the world of Stencil Graffiti. Buy now!
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Amazing graffiti stencil book
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This book is amazing. it covers a wide range of different stencils, from symbols to protest. It also includes a great section that focusses on individual artists - the lengendary Banksy, Shepard Fairey, etc. This book is a must for anyone interested in stencil graffiti. very inspiring.
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A Modern Menace?
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I found this book a pleaseure to read and something I could be proud to own. The book contains examples of stencil art from around the world, although a lot seems to be from within the UK - some of the work has a political message, some comments on society in general, but a lot of it is just good fun (like artist Thomas Baumgartel who sprays whole walls with images of bananas). There is a brief introduction into the history of stencil art and stencil graffiti, then the book is separated into chapters each focusing on different artists, groups or themes (ie.faces, figures, ccartoons, tribal art etc). Each chapter has a few paragraphs of explanitory text which is actually worth reading, unlike some other design books I've read. A lovely book to look at but even better if you actually read it!
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United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada