Texture
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| texture/ˈtekstʃə/ | The surface quality of a work — how it feels or appears to feel. |
| actual texture/ˈæktʃuːəl ˈtekstʃə/ | actual texture |
| implied texture/ɪmˈplaɪd ˈtekstʃə/ | The illusion of a surface, made with marks. |
| impasto/ɪmˈpæstəʊ/ | Paint laid on so thickly that the strokes stand up. |
How a surface feels
- Texture 肌理 is the surface quality of a work — how it feels or appears to feel.
- Actual texture 实际肌理 can be physically touched (thick paint, collage).
- Implied texture 视觉肌理 is the illusion of a surface, made with marks.
Texture you can physically touch, like thick paint, is ____ texture.
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Actual texture can be touched; implied texture is an illusion.
Making texture
- Techniques include stippling, hatching, and dry-brush.
- Impasto 厚涂 is thick paint that stands off the surface.
- Value and pattern can suggest rough or smooth without any real texture.
Woven denim close-up: texture is the surface quality you can see or feel— actual or implied
Actual or implied texture?
Sort each example as actual (touchable) or implied (illusion) texture.
Implied texture is an illusion made with marks, not something you can feel.
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Implied texture looks rough or smooth but the surface is flat.
Thick paint that stands up off the surface is called ____.
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Impasto creates actual, touchable texture.
Select all ways to create implied texture.
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Stippling, hatching, and dry-brush imply texture; gluing sand is actual texture.
Match each term to its meaning.
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Actual = touchable; implied = illusion; impasto = thick paint.
Texture and interest
- Contrasting smooth and rough areas adds interest.
- Texture can also direct the eye to a focal point.
- In photography, texture comes from light, focus, and surface detail.
A drawing can show texture without any real roughness — that is implied texture, made with marks and value. Do not assume texture requires thick materials; skilled mark-making can make smooth paper look like fur, bark, or metal.
Thick, ridged brushstrokes of impasto paint give actual texture you could touch. In contrast, a pencil drawing of the same rough bark uses careful marks and value for implied texture — the paper is smooth, but the eye reads roughness.
Texture is surface quality. Actual texture can be touched (thick paint, impasto, collage); implied texture is an illusion made with marks and value. Contrasting rough and smooth adds interest and can lead the eye.
Write from actual sandpaper and a drawn copy
- Four squares of sandpaper are glued on.
- The same surface is also drawn in pencil.
A student glues 4 squares of sandpaper onto a sheet and also draws sandpaper in pencil beside them. Which texture can a hand feel, and which is only implied?
Texture you can feel is actual. Texture that only looks rough is implied.
What kind of texture is the pencil drawing of sandpaper?
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The drawing only looks rough. The glued squares are the actual texture. Other options — Actual texture (because the drawing shows grit); Neither (because pencil is smooth).