There are several different kinds of grafitti, but they all have one thing in common - you don't want to get caught in the act of "publishing" your work. Whether by police, rival gang members or irate property owners, "don't get caught" is always rule #1.

The second main interest of "graffitos" is to get their message across; the longer it stays up, the more people will see it. Speed of application and difficulty of removal are both key concepts in graffiti art. There are a couple of tools that are very useful in both these aspecte of the art.

The first is a stencil - whether letters or a picture, stencils can be used to apply a message in seconds that would require much longer to do by free hand. Stencils make letters much clearer and easier to read, and a picture that is basically the same in dimention and outline makes a much bigger impact when it is seen all over town. By doing the laborious artwork on the stencil at home, in private, you've got more time to spread the message and to make a quick getaway. Stencils generally make for a more professional, standardized look, and repetition is the key to making your way into the public psyche.

The second tool is a long stick with a can holder and spray button pusher attached to a string. There is a tool used by arborists (tree trimmers) to paint cuts on trees with wound dressing that is tailor made for this. It costs about $25, but you can make your own from scrap materials easily obtained for free, or found lying about the house or garage. When your art or message is 8 or 10 feet up the wall, the graffiti remover's job gets a LOT tougher. He now needs a ladder, and hard scrubbing at the top of a ladder is nobody's idea of fun. The higher your message is, the harder it is to remove. The harder it is, the longer it takes. The longer it's up there, the more people see it, and that's the whole idea, isn't it?