Graffiti Artist Creates Amazing Street Art Illusions Using Only Spray Paint

By Jessica Stewart on September 4, 2019

Portuguese graffiti artist Vile wields his spray cans like a laser cutter, expertly “carving” his name into concrete and stone. His amazing technical abilities allow him to create stunning optical illusions whereby his name appears as a window cut into the side of a wall.

Vile has been painting graffiti since he was a teenager and honed his artistic skills via coursework in animation and illustration. His training has clearly paid off, as executing such convincing illusions takes time, preparation, and patience. The most challenging part of his creative process is color matching, as the palette must be selected carefully in order to make the final product convincing.

Take the case of his latest illusion, where “VILE” is sprawled against a cement wall. Vile uses his painted letters to “expose” the decaying room within and selects his paint colors based on the actual hues found within the abandoned space. With the light constantly changing throughout the day and transforming the colors, Vile’s selection process is no easy feat.

Surprisingly, it took just one day for the Portuguese artist to complete this illusion. Of course, he came armed with preparatory sketches and the proper color scheme so that he could move quickly on-site and focus on the painting.