Graffiti site to offer online alternative
Wednesday, November 15: A teenager is launching a website to try to tackle graffiti vandalism in Hemel Hempstead.

Reformed graffiti artist Lee Stabler is using his skills to build a virtual canvas for young people to display their work. The 17-year-old has quit spray painting illegally after five years of making his mark on the town and is hoping other street artists will follow his lead.

He said: "I started drawing graffiti designs when I was in Year Five and I was out using a spray can by the time I was in Year Seven.

"I stopped because it can get you into a lot of trouble and I thought if there was somewhere I could do it legally, then there was no point in doing it illegally."

The Berkhamsted school boy is anticipating a big response to his website, which has been commissioned by Dacorum Council's Antisocial Behaviour Team.

He said: "Most of the stuff you see on the streets of Hemel is 'tagging' which is pretty rubbish really. You just write your name to show people who you are and where you are.

"You can also see 'bombing' which is the same sort of thing but with two colours. It still looks pretty dirty.

"Tagging and bombing are basically pure vandalism to damage property.

"Graffiti designs can take six or seven hours and use up to 30 colours. We want to try and get more people into that sort of thing on the site."

Lee is building the website from scratch and hopes it will be launched before the end of the year.

He said: "Obviously it is not as satisfying making virtual designs, but it will be interesting to look at other people's work."

Templates on the site will give street artists a canvas on which to graffiti pieces using a computer programme that gives the effect of a spray can.

There are legal spaces for graffiti but the nearest spots to Dacorum are in Watford and London.

Lee plans to start an online petition to have a similar site set-up in Hemel Hempstead.

He said: "I know that it won't keep it off the streets completely, but if there is a lot of enthusiasm for it, then it may encourage the council to set up legal spaces for people to do it for real."

Nathan Welch from the council's Antisocial Behaviour Team has been working with Lee on ideas for the website and explains how the idea came about:

"We wanted to establish somewhere that people who graffiti can talk and share graffiti related issues and to help them stop offending.

"Visitors to the site will be able to upload designs they have created on their computers for display on the site.

"We know this won't stop graffiti, but we want to get a better understanding of offenders' motivation and then we can engage with them so we can limit street art."