Rainna Langley

Rainna Langley’s work just goes to show that you don’t necessarily need a formal art education to create work that captures the imagination of thousands of people.

“I’ve always been creative, and I’ve always been making something out of nothing,” she says. But Rainna pretty much taught herself to draw digitally using her Bamboo pen tablet and an online tool called Graffiti Wall, which lives in Facebook.

There are a lot of reasons to like Graffiti Wall. It’s easy to use. It has enough controls to help you express yourself, and as a Facebook app, you can easily share your work with friends. In this online community of graffiti artists, Rainna has built a circle of friends the world over.

“I would say my overall technique has changed after a few years of trial and error,” Rainna says. “At first, I was very stiff when I drew. Now, after a few years with an amazing pen tablet, I am much more at ease, and my strokes are looser and more fluid.

“When I’m drawing I tend to use several layers of a less opaque color to create depth and a more subtle gradient. A lot of quick strokes alongside one another adds dimension when creating shadows. This is something that is impossible to do with a mouse or touch pad.”

With over 400 pieces posted on Facebook, Rainna’s advice to new artists is to use the replay feature and learn from your own mistakes.