When looking for textural inspiration, there is really no limit on where to look. Just about every surface has some sort of texture. Even smooth is a texture, so take some time to look closely at the things around you and their texture. Try not to be distracted by color and pattern and focus solely on the texture. In your home, look at your rugs, wood floors, wood grain in your furniture. Look in your closet and pay close attention to the fabrics and how they look and feel. Outside your home, pay close attention to the vast amount of textures created by mother nature. Tree bark, rocks, flower petals, leaves,clouds, water, soil, shells and even animals offer up interesting textures that can recreated in creative ways in your art. Do you live or work in a city or urban setting? This environment offers a dazzling display of textures. Sidewalks (cracks and cement texture), the architecture of the buildings and the materials used to create them, dirty, distressed items or items worn down over time, as well as fresh new structures whic are always sprining up.
Don't be afraid to reach out and touch the textures you see. Touch can be important when being
inspired by texture. You can be inspired by the feel of the texture, especially if you are created something that will be touched like a scarf or hat. Try to recreate the feel while being less concerned with the visual.
Don't feel that the only way to be inspired by texture is to recreate what you saw. Think "outside the box" (cliche I know) and notice shapes and patterns as well as texture. Look at how the light and shadows created by texture offer even more interest. Take a look at the texture in different lights and see how it changes.
How you add the texture will obviously depend on the medium you are working with, but don't be afraid to experiment. Here are some free turorials I found to help you add some texture to your work.
Photoshop texture tutorials for adding texture to your photos and/or digital artHandmade texture tools tutorial for polymer clay from Polymerclayweb.comTissue Paper Texture tutorial for watercolor paintingHow to create textured art for your walls at home from DigsMagazine.comCreating texture with caulk by Val's Altered Heart JourneyHammered silver cuff bracelet tutorial from Loose Wire Studios
Texture Crochet Stitches tutorial
Want to see textures form all over the world? Check out these
Flickr groups for some amazing textural inspiration (remember inspiration, not copying).
Texture Whores ( Don't be turned off by the name, there are over 30,000 texture images to be inspired by)
TextureThere's even a textured art group where you can showcase your textured art pieces:
Tactile ArtSo without further ado, give them something they can feel (Thanks En Vogue) and make textured art!
Photo/art credits:
Photo#1:
Wrist Rings Bracelet 3 by dorijenn.etsy.comPhoto#2:
Turf Textured Tile, Chartreuse by
elementclaystudio.etsy.comPhoto#3:
Zany Zinnia Scarf 2 by
knittingguru.etsy.comPhoto#4:
ANATOMICAL HEART SERIES, Original Textured Artwork by Donna DavidPhoto#5:
Trinity ACEO by me ,
blockpartypress
It was time to clean the old palette out again and of course I had to do something with the dried paint that I peeled from it. I still just couldn't throw it away. Last year I made some wall art and took some fun pictures of the paint blobs. Then earlier this year I made some earrings, and an ACEO and I'm still working on my palette sculpture. This year I trimmed the domes and will be adding magnets for my favorite 5 year old magnet collector. I took some photos of the scraps and the domes and played with them a bit. I like the random nature of this type of art. You never know which colors will end up together or how they will interact.
I upped the saturation in this one to add some fun and interest. I like how it brought out some of the shapes that you didn't really see in the original.
