Justin Bieber: From Musical Artist to… Graffiti Artist?

Justin Bieber revealed his new pastime to fans early Thursday morning, posting a series of photos to Instagram in which he's exercising his graffiti skills.

"I found a new hobby," the 19-year-old singer wrote in one pic, which is of a hand — presumably his own — covered with spray paint.

He also posted shots of his work — the largest being some type of a tribute to his deceased hamster. No, we're not kidding. With his back to the camera and paint cans at his feet, he's seen crafting a bizarre Kermit the Frog wannabe character that has "Thug life" written on it and is giving the middle finger. Above the design are the words "RIP PAC," an apparent reference to the furry critter which once served as the mascot of his Believe Tour before he randomly gave it to a fan.
The hamster died in March.

Another photo shows Bieber writing the words "street art" on a wall. And the last pic shows tagging all over a wall but it's hard to decipher any clear message.

Critics, at least those on Instagram, haven't been kind.

If the Biebs is looking for positive feedback for his "hobby," which is illegal unless he's doing it on his own private property (and that didn't work very well for Chris Brown), he won't find it on Instagram. The reaction from commenters is largely negative. Follower sydneyy_smilee simply wrote, "Ew," but that was one of the more polite posts. Bojofyr wrote, "F--k! this is the worst s--t I've ever seen." And follower Ovaa posted, "Just stop. Please just f--king stop painting...seriously. s--t's wack."
With Banksy making headlines for his "residency on the streets of New York" for the month of October, it seems Bieber could be trying to channel the famed graffiti artist — though the elusive Brit's work is known for its political messages and it fetches millions. He's not exactly big on tributes to dead hamsters either.
This isn't the first time Bieber has shared his drawing skills. He actually gave someone a tattoo that he created. In March, photos surfaced of the 19-year-old permanently inking Bang Bang at the famed tattoo artist's New York City parlor. The star's design was of a muscular mouse — with six-pack abs, of course. Next to it, he wrote the word Swaggy, which is apparently the name of his signature cartoon character.
Let's hope he keeps his day job, shall we?

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