Texture is one of the 7 Elements of Art and learning how to create it can really increase the sophistication level of your artwork! Join us as we discuss how to create texture and how this integrates with the science of tree identification!
Why Learn about Texture?
- Texture is one of the 7 Elements of Art
- It makes a huge difference in how a drawing or painting it looks!
- Texture is either actual texture or the appearance of texture. (See the Signac, Van Gogh and Van Eyck paintings below.)
Paul Signac- Notre Dame de la Garde (1905) 
Van Gogh – Irises (1889) 
Van Eyck- Arnolfini Portrait (1434)
All three of these paintings have a different type of texture. The actual or appearance of texture in the painting is part of each artist’s unique style!
How Do We Create Texture?
- Texture is created with a combination of Directional marks with Value and Contrast!
- Texture varies some from media to media: We can make each little mark with ink or use a fancy brush with watercolor, or use the side of a pencil.
- Pick one medium and learn to create texture in it. Then practice, practice, practice!
- Once we learn texture in one medium, some of the skill will carry over to other media.
- Look for specific examples and instruction for creating texture with the medium you’re using. (For example, in our Identifying Trees Using Texture art lesson, we create texture with a pencil!
What’s the Science of Texture and Tree Bark?
- When identifying trees, it’s always good to sketch the bark!
- Tree’s have distinctive bark. Scientists use the bark to help identify the species of tree.
- Bark can vary with age, conditions, disease, and damage from insects, animals, and lightening. So, look at more than one spot on the tree!
Things We Mention
- The 7 Elements of Art Poster
- Dick Tracy Movie
- Roy Lichtenstein Podcast and Lichtenstein Art Lesson plan
- Impressionists like Monet or Degas
- Blending nubs (stumps) are great for shading. (Any blending nubs will do- for example, these on Amazon.)
- Deanna has been learning the software, Scrivener, which is the software Julie used to write her book!
- Deanna has been scrapbooking her museum visits from last summer. Follow Deanna on Instagram to see it all!
- Julie has been working on her book, Anyone Can Teach Art!
- Julie got to do some sketching! She posts her own sketches on her personal Instagram profile and tries to keep the ‘teaching art’ stuff on her RidgeLightRanch Instagram account.