Skillz ‘N Action teacher John Zender Estrada reaches for some of the tools of his trade. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Skillz ‘N Action teacher John Zender Estrada, left, offers Fernando Cardenas, 16, some tips on a mural that the class is painting as part of a group project. Estrada himself once rolled with tagging crews and contributed to the L.A. graffiti movement in the early 1980s. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Skillz ‘N Action participant Ramon Marcos, 20, of South Los Angeles says he now understands that graffiti has a place outside of defacing property. The L.A. Trade Technical College student recently convinced a shop owner to allow him to paint her storefront. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Marcos Lopez, 13, an aspiring artist in the Skillz ‘N Action program sketches a drawing that he will paint onto canvas. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
