A lane found off Hosier Lane, one of the premier graffiti art lanes of the world, should be a "nursery" for young graffiti artists who are learning their trade, Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said.

Over the weekend, graffiti artist Adrian Doyle painted over tagging and other larger artworks in Rutledge Lane with a single colour to create ‘‘Empty Nursery Blue’’. He had Melbourne City Council's consent.

"We are very proud of our street art in Melbourne and the epicentre of that is Hosier and Rutledge Lane and over the weekend my eponym Adrian Doyle has given us a blank canvas in Rutledge Lane," Lord Mayor Doyle said.

He said it was as part of a much wider project with the City of Melbourne and RMIT University.