TEXTURE {element of design}

the surface quality of an object, which is understood through touch and visual cues; the illusion of texture is what we are concerned with in two-dimensional design;
textures vary tremendously, from smooth to rough, spiky to bumpy, shiny to matte, crinkly to fluffy.


-value and contrast play a large role in the depiction of textures, through the variation of light and dark areas in the form of a pattern

     ...notice the way in which the curly fur of the dog is painted below, through the use of alternating values in a soft, swirling pattern

George Stubbs

     ...because the surface is soft, it is depicted through low contrast of values and blurry edges

George Stubbs (detail)

-high value contrasts and hard edged patterns can depict sharp, hard and shiny textures

-rough, bumpy surfaces can be depicted through quick, small changes in value and color in an irregular pattern

Chuck Close

Lucian Freud (detail)

-the varied use of the artist's medium and tools can be used to describe texture, i.e. paint built up, scraped away or dripped onto a surface

Van Gogh

Justin Van Genderen

-it can also be suggested through simplified, abstracted use of patterns and lines

Studio 3 Pieces

Kazumasa Nagai

-texture can create visual interest in an otherwise flat composition

     ...with textural surfaces coming forward in pictorial space, and smooth surfaces receding