Texture!
Texture is everywhere. It's the smooth surface of soft leather, the fluffy fur of a stuffed animal, the shiny glass jar, the bumpy brush strokes on a painting or the rough bark of a tree.
Texture is the way a surface is perceived in art.
Actual texture is the real way things look and feel.
Visual texture is the illusion of texture. It is making a 2 dimensional piece of art appear as if it is 3 dimensional. It's a painting of a tree that makes the bark appear as if it is rough or a drawing of a fluffy kitten that looks soft.
Have you ever seen a wood floor and then realized that it is not wood but vinyl, tile, or stained concrete? That is an example of
simulated texture. It's imitating the texture of something.
When you make up your own texture in a work of art it is called
invented texture. Painters sometimes mix things with their paint to make the surface feel and look different.
Rough surfaces are bumpy, not smooth. A
smooth surface is even and free from bumps.
Shiny surfaces reflect light and images; they are very smooth.
Matte surfaces are dull and smooth; they reflect very little. Below are some examples of each.
Rough- sandpaper, a dirt road, tree bark
Smooth- CD, tabletop, satin fabric
Shiny- the surface of water, glass, jewelry
Matte- leather, notebook paper, skin
