AN ARTIST wants to improve the reputation of graffiti by teaching youngsters how to do it properly.

Carl Neale, 32, from Seaford, started creating graffiti at the age of 13.

Now he is to host art classes in his home town to show youngsters how it can be done well. He said: “Graffiti gets a really bad reputation a lot of the time but there is some really impressive stuff in and around Brighton and Hove. It doesn’t have to be an eyesore. It’s really frowned upon in Seaford and I want to change that.”

Carl, a caretaker, said encouraging young people to take classes will improve their graffiti skills and help create a good sense of community.

He said: “A lot of people are moaning these days about kids getting up to no good on the streets and getting up to mischief.

“What I am hoping these classes will achieve is bringing the youngsters together and encourage them to take part in something artistic in the community.

“Since I posted the idea online I have had such positive feedback and more than 70 people have been in touch to say they are interested.”

Carl wants to focus mainly on graffiti rather than street art but he will welcome all approaches.

He said: “The difference between street art and graffiti is graffiti is more about the writing – the bubble writing, as my partner puts it. But I am happy to assist and give tips on whatever, as long as people are being creative.”

Carl said working with spray paint can be difficult to start so he will encourage those interested to use anything from crayons to stencils to have a go at creating graffiti.

He said: “The venue I have in mind is a big courtyard in Seaford that looks really good.

“It will be a great space once people get a bit more confident and become a bit more experimental.”

Seaford is set to get a skate park and Carl said: “It would be great to get a group of kids up to a good standard and we can all paint the new skate park together.”