Tales from SprayLove Island: A magical journey into the land of graffiti for children aged 5 to 11

Spraylove Island doesn’t ring a bell? Neither do the Sprayitos? Well, that’s good, because I’m going to tell you about the magical story of this children’s tale, which is nothing less than an initiation into the world of graffiti.
Born from the imagination of the graffiti artist Juan Spray, the Sprayitos are very, very endearing characters, half skunk, half spray-paint can, wearing caps. And to tell you the truth, I think children will love them!

As it was a friend who introduced me to this magical book, I would like to go back over the history of these Sprayitos and the method used to publish this tale.

Juan Spray ; an artist from Amiens in France close to children

Juan Spray

Borrowing from pop and hip-hop culture, Juan Spray paints colourful characters… as acidic as candy can be! His Sprayitos were born two years ago and it’s true that we fall directly under their spell. Like all the other artists during the lockdown, Juan Spray could no longer express himself in the street… He therefore created Virtual Street Art from photos of places sent to him by his fans and above all put drawings online for children to colour in.

“I have been doing street art workshops and courses for children in Amiens for several years, and thanks to the contact with this public, the idea came to me to make urban art known in a different and original way through the creation of a tale. My characters, the Sprayitos, which I used to stage in the street, were very well suited to this type of project; they were already popular with children.  I created a whole universe, a story, which mixes magic and urban culture, and I called on a writer friend, Arnaud Randon, who put it all together. I did all the illustrations. “ Juan Spray

Spraylove Island is born via a crowdfunding campaign on Ulule! Ulule !

Sprayitos

When you know how difficult it is to get a book published by a traditional publisher, you can understand Juan Spray’s unusual but effective approach! In spring 2020, he launched an Ulule campaign to finance volume 1 of Spaylove Island… A campaign that was successfully completed in June 2020 and which enabled him to lay out and publish 250 copies for our great pleasure. Juan Spray went it alone, set up his own publishing house, “Sprayitos”, and published this first volume in a rather discreet way, selling it only on his personal online shop.

As you can see, Spraylove Island was born discreetly and I’m more than happy to put the spotlight on this tale that so richly deserves it! Besides, a second volume is already in preparation for 2022 and after learning graffiti, it will be the stencil that will be in the spotlight!

Spraylove Island : An initiatory journey in the land of graffiti that will delight children !

The story of Floppin, a young Sprayitos, is constructed in the art of the children’s tale. An incredible legend, a reckless child, a hostile forest… All the ingredients make this tale a book that children will devour or that we will love to read to them at night. Young Floppin is going to go in search of the Holy Grail of Sprayitos; the Golden Sprayito and will have to show tenacity in the face of the different tests and obstacles that he will face… As he goes along his journey, he will learn to master the art of the Tag, the flop, the drip… Each new test he wins will lead him to the Golden Sprayito or not! A very nice tale which approaches the world of graffiti in a soft and friendly way.

Juan Spray & Les Contes de SprayLove Island devant un de ses pochoirs – Photo @JuanSpray

I don’t think I’ve ever seen or read a children’s book about the world of graffiti before. And when I see children in the street marvelling at bubble letters with wide eyes, I’m sure they’ll love discovering Juan Spray’s world. As you have probably realised, there are only 250 copies of this book available… so there won’t be enough for everyone! The tales of Spraylove Island are available exclusively on his online shop, in French for the moment, at the price of 12 euros TTC, of which 1 euro is donated to the Association of Amiens, Au cœur de l’humain, for the construction of a school in Ghana.

If you don’t have children around you, you can always follow Juan Spray’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

I’ll end this article with an exclusive photo of the room he made in Abbeville in the ephemeral space “Transition” which is waiting for a health break to open its doors and let us discover the works of more than 70 Street Artists!

If you don’t know what to read during your long, confined evenings, here are three very different book reviews that might give you some ideas:

• French: Under street art, the Louvre : an ingenious book shining a light on Urban Art

• French: Street Art & Cinema: a true love story !
• French & English: Boulevard Paris 13: a tribute to the Street Art open air Museum of Paris

For my part, I put on my sneakers once again to offer you a new Street Art walk soon. If you liked this discovery, don’t hesitate to share it, it always makes me happy 😉

Take care and see you soon

Séverine