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P in Graffiti Letters

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

Capital P
Lowercase p

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

P is a spine with a bowl at the top, leaving the lower half of the letter empty. That emptiness is the main design feature: the stem can drop, the bowl can swell, and the space below can be filled by a neighbour. P is one of the sturdier letters for throw-ups, since the bowl gives a good place for a counter and the stem gives a thick base. The lowercase p adds a descender, which suits long tails.

Outline version to colour or trace

Open in the graffiti generator →

How to draw a graffiti capital P

  1. 1Draw a leaning stem and a bowl attached to its top, reaching about halfway down the stem.
  2. 2Let the bowl bulge outward slightly, so it reads as a belly rather than a flat hook.
  3. 3Thicken the stem more than the bowl, and give the base of the stem a small flat foot or a flick.
  4. 4Outline the body and draw a single oval counter in the bowl, leaving a finger-width of wall around it.
  5. 5Add an arrow at the top of the stem, fill, highlight the bowl's upper curve and add a block along the stem.

Tip: Make the bowl a little larger than you think it needs to be. Outlines eat bowls quickly, and a generous start leaves you a readable counter.

How to draw a graffiti lowercase p

  1. 1Draw a stem that starts at x-height and drops below the baseline, leaning forward.
  2. 2Attach a round bowl to its upper right side, at the same height as other lowercase letters.
  3. 3Thicken the stem and the bowl, and keep the counter open and oval.
  4. 4Finish the bottom of the stem with a flick, a block foot or an arrow in the descender zone.
  5. 5Outline, fill and add a highlight to the top of the bowl.

Tip: A lowercase p sits half above and half below the baseline, so check that its tail does not collide with the line below it.

What makes P awkward or easy

The empty lower half makes P look top-heavy, and in a word it leaves a hole that the neighbours can fill or that an arrow can bridge. The bowl is a small closed counter that closes quickly under outlines. P is a good letter for experimenting with the stem, because the stem is the one stroke that can be stretched, bent or decorated without damaging the shape.

Variations

A tag P is a single stroke with a quick loop at the top. A throw-up P is a fat stem with a rounded bowl and a bold outline. A piece P might have a spiked bowl, an arrow on the stem and a block shadow. Wildstyle P hooks the bowl around the next letter and pulls the stem into a long diagonal.

Common mistakes with graffiti P

  • The bowl is too small and the counter disappears.

    Enlarge the bowl before outlining and keep a finger-width of paper inside it.

  • The bowl is attached halfway down and the P looks like a D.

    Keep the bowl in the upper half of the stem and leave the lower half of the stem free.

  • The stem is thin and the letter looks like a flag on a pole.

    Thicken the stem so it matches or exceeds the bowl wall.

  • The foot of the stem ends in a sharp cut that clashes with the round bowl.

    Round the foot or give it a flick so it relates to the curve above it.

Ideas for graffiti P

P is the first letter in names like Pia, Pablo and Piper, and in words like Piece and Paint. Draw a page of Ps where the empty lower space is filled in five different ways: a flick, an overlap, an arrow, a star and a shadow block.

Printable graffiti P sheet

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

Graffiti letter P p Name: ____________________ · coolletteringgenerator.com

Graffiti P you can copy and paste

No graffiti alphabet exists in Unicode. For close copy-paste forms use bold gothic 𝕻 𝖕, the black square 🅿 or bubble letters Ⓟ ⓟ. They are single fixed glyphs, so the stem will not stretch or flick like your drawing.

Graffiti P: questions

How do you draw a graffiti letter P?
Draw a leaning stem with a bowl at the top, reaching halfway down. Thicken the stem more than the bowl, outline, and draw an oval counter. Add an arrow or flick to the stem, then fill, highlight the upper curve of the bowl and add a block along the stem.
How do I stop the bowl of a P from closing up?
Draw it larger than you think you need, and draw the counter before the outline. Keep a finger-width of paper inside the bowl, and thin the walls if necessary. A counter that looks too big in pencil often ends up the right size after outlining.
How is a lowercase p drawn in graffiti?
Draw a stem that drops below the baseline and attach a bowl to its upper right at x-height. Thicken both, keep the counter open and end the descender with a flick or block foot. Check that the tail does not hit the next line of writing.
What should I do with the empty space under the bowl?
Use it. Let the next letter overlap into it, extend an arrow from the stem or add a small highlight. Leave it plain if the word already feels busy. The space is part of the P's identity, so do not fill it completely.

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