Creating Textures

Using texture in your photography, photo manipulation, digital art or Traditional Art can add dimension, depth and color to your work. Textures can be found every day in the world around us. Here are some examples of three of my own favorite textures; Rust, Peeling Paint and a Stucco Wall:

 From an old painted metal chair on my mom's front porch

Fading and peeling Fresco taken in Pompeii, Italy

Stucco Wall taken at DisneyWorld

Besides collecting images of texture you can also make your own texture. Using basic supplies that can be purchased at any craft store, you can create your very own texture in any color desired! Here's how:

All you need are a few supplies!

Take some cheap watercolor paper and cut it in half. Grab a paper plate and pour out two small piles of Acrylic Gesso. Tint the Gesso with Acrylic Craft Paint with two colors of your choice. I chose Lavender and Pale Yellow. Mix the paint in with the Gesso and using a 1" flat paintbrush, paint each piece of your watercolor paper. While the paint is wet lay the two colors on top of each other and then pull off. Viola! Two sheets of texture with light and dark areas.

In just a few minutes we created great texture that can be used as a background or overlay in our art!
You can find these textures and more available for your use in my DeviantArt Textures and Backgrounds gallery

Here are a few more shots of everyday images that have been enhanced and given an otherworldly quality by using textures:

Have an artful weekend!

Exploration #9: Miniature Museum

Exploration #9: Miniature Museum
Collect only very small things. Store them in a mint tin or small box.


This exploration task was made just for me! Since I am a miniature artist, I naturally am inclined to collect really small things that I can use in my art.  Some things are obvious, like doll house miniatures you can find in a hobby shop but others are not so. Such as whiskers my cats discard which are perfect tips in miniature quills, thimbles for milk pails and even sticks from the yard to make a cord of firewood.
Here are my boxes of "doodads".  The first one includes a variety of things such as images from magazines that can be used as miniature art paintings, miniature presents, string which becomes sailors rope, brads for decorative elements and even things I've made out of clay such as the Italian Kitchen sign that says "Cucina Pazzo" which translates into "Crazy Kitchen". :)

The next box includes all my "spooky" items which I use to make these miniature Witches Hutches and Cabinets that I sell on Etsy and Ebay. I usually make one or two to sell around Halloween.  Of course, I have one myself in my elaborate Witches Cottage and Greenhouse that I made.

Spooky Doodads

Witches Hutch

The wands on top are exact replicas of the wands in Harry Potter!

(already sold)

Witches Cabinet

(Available for purchase)

My witches cottage and greenhouse

The greenhouse was a bitch to make!

She grows things such as "Devil's Ivy" and "Skunk Cabbage"

Inside the front room. I grouted the floor and made the stone fireplace from scratch!

It even has burning wood! The whole cottage and grounds are wired for electricity.

I built this English Book shoppe filled with used books!

It's the decorative piece in my guest bedroom.

A look down into the book shoppe. I made most the books myself and am still in the process of filling it  all up. Some of the items such as the newspapers were purchased from other mini artists.

This is my main dollhouse  My dad built the shell when I was 12 but I didn't start working on it until I was 28.  I had to rebuild the stairs and I added the front porch and all the window treatments as well as the shingles and siding. Most rooms are done except for the Conservatory but I am always adding to it.  It is a 1912 Georgian style home. It even has a porch swing out front! :)

A look at the 1912 kitchen.

There have been a lot of miniature structures that I have built and sold in the past. I did a Shakespeares Globe Theatre with a production of Othello going on inside and a Fairy Shoppe made out of a giant mushroom. Sometimes I miss those pieces but I can't keep everything!

And finally, this week I was able to indulge in my love of miniatures and create a piece for my upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean bunco party:

Jack Sparrow stuck on the Rumrunner Island. For this I got to use

a bunch of gold mini items I have been saving as well as wood from my yard. :)

I ended the week with a Creative Saturday with Lita where we did traditional art. Lita worked on painting a Fiery Fairy in watercolor and I did a painting in Acrylic. I still have work to do on it but I'm calling it "Waiting on the West Highland Way".

She is a Scottish Lass, waiting on the road alongside Rannoch Moor for her lover to return from Kingshouse after fighting in the rebellion against King George. I was happy with the progress and Lita and I had a very productive day which of course, included a trip to B&N for artistic inspiration!

May you all have a creative week ahead and have a safe Labor Day holiday!