The Art of Hipster Fashion: A Conversation with Black Shakespeare and Chris
As we step onto Vermont Street, one of LA's hippest neighborhoods, I'm surrounded by the epitome of cool. The residents of this small community, affectionately known as the hipsters, exude an aura of nonchalance that's hard to ignore. My friend, who prefers to go by the moniker "Black Shakespeare," nods in agreement as we observe the eclectic mix of fashion choices on display.
"I'm tired of the grunge look," Black Shakespeare confesses, their voice laced with a hint of frustration. "I think they're dirty and I want to have sex with them." They pause, taking a sip from their Starbucks coffee, before continuing, "You know what's cool? Vintage t-shirts from places like The Gap." It's clear that fashion is not just about following trends; it's about individuality and self-expression.
As we delve deeper into the conversation, I'm introduced to Chris, a local artist who has mastered the art of stencil design. He goes by the name "Gigantic" and proudly claims his home studio as his creative haven. "Hey guys, I'm Gigantic," he says with a smile, "I cut stencils and wear some pretty cool t-shirts." Black Shakespeare nods in approval, and Chris begins to share his expertise on stencil art.
The process of creating a stencil is surprisingly simple. According to Chris, it starts by finding an image to print out. He chooses a design that resonates with him – in this case, the iconic "Bad Boy" logo. The next step involves obtaining an exacto blade, specifically the number 11 and number 16 blades, which offer varying levels of detail. With the correct tools at hand, Chris demonstrates how to cut out the stencil, taking care to leave strategic areas for shading.
"It's all about balance," Chris explains, as he carefully trims away excess paper from his design. "You want to maintain some contrast between light and dark areas." The finished product is a work of art in itself – a delicate combination of lines and shapes that seem almost impossible to create by hand. Black Shakespeare and I exchange admiring glances, acknowledging the skill and patience required to craft such intricate designs.
With the stencil complete, Chris shares his approach to incorporating it into a t-shirt design. He carefully places the stencil on a blank shirt, taking care not to smudge or distort the image. "I like to experiment with different placements," he explains. "Sometimes I put it in the corner, other times I center it." Black Shakespeare nods in agreement, sharing their own experiences with finding creative ways to style their designs.
As we continue our conversation, Chris regales us with stories of his past adventures – attending Grateful Dead shows and experimenting with various substances. He admits to having done too many drugs once, but the experience has taught him valuable lessons about perspective and creativity. The atmosphere becomes more relaxed, as if we're all sharing a secret joke.
One thing is certain: when it comes to fashion, Chris knows his stuff. "If you have any ideas for the show or cool fashions, record them and send them our way," he says with a grin, referring to an upcoming project. Black Shakespeare chuckles in agreement, acknowledging that sometimes, the best designs come from unexpected places.
As we wrap up our conversation, Chris invites us to share our own stories of creative expression. The room falls silent, except for the sound of Black Shakespeare's laughter and the soft hum of the nearby TV – which seems to be playing an endless loop of Grateful Dead concerts.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHollywood but that did Holly poo I don't know like an idiot haha hey whoa we're here on Vermont Street in one of LA's doofus areas those Feliz now this small neighborhood behind me may very well hold the coolest people to ever walk the face the earth also known as the hipster you're looking pretty hip you got yourself a Starbucks coffee aviator sunglasses everybody calls me black Shakespeare so I wouldn't consider myself a his so what do you do for a living work at a coffee shop what do you think about these crazy hipsters I'm tired of the grunge look under dress looking like ash lump I think they're dirty and I want to have sex with them is that an actual vintage t-shirt and you buy that the gap this I got at a resale shop so when trying to gather content for our show Steve wrote in one of my boys Chris out in LA doesn't work with some stencils and t-shirts you should definitely look them up when you're out there hey I'm Chris I cut stencils I'm from LA I go by gigantic wearing my home studio I'm going to show you the stencils today so first off you want to find your image print it out I chose bad boy next you got to get some exacto blade the number 11 blade which I use once in a while and the number 16 blade the higher detail this is going to be kind of a basic stencil game it's pretty easy you can take me about an hour hour and a half to cut out once you have your black and white copy the next step is cutting out all the dark spots you're going to want to leave some for shading but for the most part cut out pretty much all the black when you're doing real high detail a lot of these lines are going to be connected it's all going to be solid black you don't want to cut it all otherwise dense is going to fall apart so you got to be very careful and leave lots of connector pieces very important to have these otherwise you're just going to have a big hole right here that that's a good connector piece next part is carefully pulling all this out all the black parts dab your piece you're going to be taking out now we have the negative of the original so uh banger what do you think of furnace oh man I did the Grateful Dead no not the Grateful Dead it redheads it's a show you know on now shows man I went to a lot of dead shows I really miss Jerry are you even listening to me do you know where we are we are at the network fed banger watching the show thread heads and I need a little input on if you like it or not Oh bad we did way too many drugs once you have your stencil finished throwing on a t-shirt I like to wear it out that night you can place it anywhere you want I like the top corner up on the right breast plate a little more creative and I also like being close to the batboy laying down some old papers so that way we don't have any overspray onto the shirt now that you have your newspaper all around the stencil you're able to start spraying after you've done one light coat do one more so it's gonna be real dark you're gonna have yourself the coolest batboy shirt on the block and one thing before we go you're gonna want to hand wash your shirts that way the color stays in there a lot longer every time I sport one of my stencil shirts everything well where'd you get that that's really awesome I made it just made it earlier today Chris thanks for the lesson and remember if you have any ideas for the show or a cool fashions if you want to share with everyone else record it and send it on in upload button is up in that corner I think maybe that one I don't know figure it out send us something we'll see you next weekHollywood but that did Holly poo I don't know like an idiot haha hey whoa we're here on Vermont Street in one of LA's doofus areas those Feliz now this small neighborhood behind me may very well hold the coolest people to ever walk the face the earth also known as the hipster you're looking pretty hip you got yourself a Starbucks coffee aviator sunglasses everybody calls me black Shakespeare so I wouldn't consider myself a his so what do you do for a living work at a coffee shop what do you think about these crazy hipsters I'm tired of the grunge look under dress looking like ash lump I think they're dirty and I want to have sex with them is that an actual vintage t-shirt and you buy that the gap this I got at a resale shop so when trying to gather content for our show Steve wrote in one of my boys Chris out in LA doesn't work with some stencils and t-shirts you should definitely look them up when you're out there hey I'm Chris I cut stencils I'm from LA I go by gigantic wearing my home studio I'm going to show you the stencils today so first off you want to find your image print it out I chose bad boy next you got to get some exacto blade the number 11 blade which I use once in a while and the number 16 blade the higher detail this is going to be kind of a basic stencil game it's pretty easy you can take me about an hour hour and a half to cut out once you have your black and white copy the next step is cutting out all the dark spots you're going to want to leave some for shading but for the most part cut out pretty much all the black when you're doing real high detail a lot of these lines are going to be connected it's all going to be solid black you don't want to cut it all otherwise dense is going to fall apart so you got to be very careful and leave lots of connector pieces very important to have these otherwise you're just going to have a big hole right here that that's a good connector piece next part is carefully pulling all this out all the black parts dab your piece you're going to be taking out now we have the negative of the original so uh banger what do you think of furnace oh man I did the Grateful Dead no not the Grateful Dead it redheads it's a show you know on now shows man I went to a lot of dead shows I really miss Jerry are you even listening to me do you know where we are we are at the network fed banger watching the show thread heads and I need a little input on if you like it or not Oh bad we did way too many drugs once you have your stencil finished throwing on a t-shirt I like to wear it out that night you can place it anywhere you want I like the top corner up on the right breast plate a little more creative and I also like being close to the batboy laying down some old papers so that way we don't have any overspray onto the shirt now that you have your newspaper all around the stencil you're able to start spraying after you've done one light coat do one more so it's gonna be real dark you're gonna have yourself the coolest batboy shirt on the block and one thing before we go you're gonna want to hand wash your shirts that way the color stays in there a lot longer every time I sport one of my stencil shirts everything well where'd you get that that's really awesome I made it just made it earlier today Chris thanks for the lesson and remember if you have any ideas for the show or a cool fashions if you want to share with everyone else record it and send it on in upload button is up in that corner I think maybe that one I don't know figure it out send us something we'll see you next week\n"
