How to Capture Texture in Drawing and Painting

Brushstrokes give added texture to paintings.

Texture, in the art world, falls into two categories: visual texture and tactile, or actual, texture. The tactile variety includes three-dimensional surfaces characterized by texture that you can feel. Visual texture describes texture achieved through illusion in two-dimensional art. To achieve this phenomenon, artists rely on pattern. Whether using a series of lines to suggest the texture of wood grain or creating a subtle grid effect for fabric, the proper use of pattern provides the easiest path to capturing texture in art.

Instructions

Add Texture to Your Art

1. Examine the subject that you wish to capture. Study its surface for characteristic patterns. Rocky surfaces often exhibit a rippling pattern. Some leathers have a bumpy pattern of ovular shapes or soft, crossing lines. Animal fur reveals an intricate pattern of lines, whether curvy or straight. Look for such details before beginning your drawing or painting.

2. Use your brush or pencil to copy the pattern that you observed in your intended subject. For short lines, use a flicking motion. For organic forms, use gently curving strokes. You may turn your pencil on its side for a softer, less linear effect when appropriate or dilute your paint to gain a smoother touch when needed.

3. Examine your work from a distance and from close-up to check your pattern. Check for strokes that become too repetitive or patterns that may be too bold to properly capture your subject.

4. Adjust for any errors by reworking the elements of your chosen patterns.

Tips & Warnings

• To achieve a smooth surface, for objects such as glass or water, simply avoid patterns. This means that your should eliminate naturally occurring patterns that result from your brush shape or pencil stroke. Some artists use blending sticks for pencil drawings or paintbrushes with soft bristles. When painting, you may also achieve additional texture by adding sand to paint or by building up thick areas of paint on the surface of your canvas. This added tactile texture enhances the visual texture achieved through pattern.

References

• Palomar College: 2D Design Notes: Texture