A in Graffiti Letters

By Maya Chen, lettering designer and type educator · Checked by Jordan Hale · October 2026 · How we review content

Capital A

Lowercase a

Rendered in the Sedgwick Ave Display typeface, an open-source font. It is a reference shape, not a hand-drawn letter.

A is the letter most writers learn first, because its skeleton is just two diagonals and a bar, and the bar is a gift: it can be bent, looped or turned into an arrow. The challenge is that a graffiti A has to stay recognisable while the apex gets rounded, the legs get fat and the crossbar gets decorated. Think of the crossbar as the signature part of the letter and the legs as the frame that holds it.

Outline version to colour or trace

Open in the graffiti generator →

How to draw a graffiti capital A

1Rule a baseline and a top line, then draw the skeleton as two diagonal lines that lean slightly forward and cross just under the top line.
2Place the crossbar low, about a third of the way up, and let it run past both legs so it can become an arrow later.
3Thicken the legs unevenly: heavier on the left leg, lighter on the right, with the crossbar as thick as the thinner leg.
4Draw the outline around the body in one confident line, rounding the apex and keeping the triangle counter at least a thumb-nail wide.
5Turn the left end of the crossbar into an arrowhead pointing out and up, add a short block on the lower right, then fill and add a white highlight.

Tip: Draw the triangle counter first as a fat teardrop, then wrap the legs around it. If the hole is generous, the A stays readable even when the crossbar is covered in arrows and highlights.

How to draw a graffiti lowercase a

1Decide whether this a is a tag-style single story (a loop with a tail) or a piece-style double story with a hood.
2For the single story, draw an oval leaning forward and add a tail that leaves the right side and kicks out below the baseline.
3Thicken the oval into a body with a visible hole and finish the tail with a small arrowhead or a flick.
4For the double story, add a small bowl at the bottom and a hood on top, keeping the hood thick enough to survive an outline.
5Outline, fill the bowl last, and place a highlight on the upper left of the hood.

Tip: A lowercase a that is the same height as its neighbours looks neat. Let it sit slightly lower than a capital and its tail will tuck under the next letter naturally.

What makes A awkward or easy

A wants to be a triangle, and a triangle is the hardest shape to keep open once outlines are added. The apex tends to turn into a blob and the counter shrinks to a dot. The crossbar is both the problem and the solution: moved down, it keeps the counter big; extended sideways, it gives you an arrow and a link to the letters on either side.

Variations

A tag version is one fast stroke, a leaning loop with a short crossbar. A throw-up A is a fat dome with a slim counter and a single outline. A piece A may split into two legs with separate colours, a crossbar arrow and a 3D block. Wildstyle A bends the legs into a flowing curve and hides the crossbar inside an arrow that points to the next letter.

Common mistakes with graffiti A

The apex is a sharp point that cuts into the next letter.
Round the top with a curve and leave a gap before the neighbouring letter so the outline has space.
The crossbar is thin and floats between the legs.
Make it as thick as a leg and let it overlap both legs so it reads as part of the body.
The counter closes up once the outline is drawn.
Draw the hole first at full size, then build the legs outward from its edges.
The lowercase a is a circle with a line and loses its tail.
Add a kicked tail that leaves the bowl at the baseline, giving it motion and a link to the next letter.

Ideas for graffiti A

A is a strong opener for names such as Alex, Anna or Ace, and its swept crossbar is ideal for a small arrow pointing at the rest of the word. Practise a full row of A shapes in your sketchbook: tag, throw-up and piece, three versions on one page, so you can compare how much each style asks of the same skeleton.

Printable graffiti A sheet

Trace the outlines, then fill the empty rows with your own letters.

Graffiti letter A a Name: ____________________ · coolletteringgenerator.com

Graffiti A you can copy and paste

There is no graffiti alphabet in Unicode. For the closest copy-paste look use bold gothic 𝕬 𝖆, the black square 🅰, or the round bubble forms Ⓐ ⓐ. They are fixed glyphs, so they will not have a swept crossbar or arrow like your drawing.

Graffiti A: questions

How do you draw a graffiti letter A?

Draw two leaning diagonals for the skeleton and a low crossbar that extends past them. Thicken the legs, outline with a rounded apex, and turn one end of the crossbar into an arrow. Fill the body, add a white highlight on the upper left, and a short 3D block to the lower right if you want depth.

How do I make the crossbar of a graffiti A look good?

Treat it as the decorative centre of the letter. Make it as thick as the legs, extend it beyond them, and finish one end with an arrowhead or a curl. Keep it low enough that the triangle above stays open, and avoid a perfectly straight, ruled look beside the leaning legs.

Is the lowercase a used in graffiti?

Sometimes, mostly in tags and throw-ups where letters are a similar size. A single-story a with a kicked tail is easiest. In pieces most writers use capitals or a capital-like a, because the small hole in the double-story form tends to disappear once an outline and a fill are added.

What is the hardest part of a graffiti A?

Keeping the apex and the counter honest. Two outlines meeting at an angle form a point that cuts into the next letter, and the triangle hole shrinks fast. Round the top, draw the counter before the legs, and keep the strokes the same weight so the shape stays open and readable.