TEXTURE AND SPACE AS ELEMENTS OF ART Illustration

​TEXTURE AND SPACE AS ELEMENT OF ART

After completing this lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Define texture and space as elements of Art;

2. Explain how texture and space adds artistic quality in an illustration;

3. Compose an artwork using line drawings to represent texture and space.

Multiple Choice

1. It is the tactile quality of the look

and feel of a surface on an object.

• space

• texture

• real texture

• implied texture

• overlapping

Multiple Choice

2. Often called actual textures, these are textures with physical qualities that you can touch.

• distance

• texture

• real texture

• implied texture

• overlapping

Multiple Choice

3. It is the space around the main object.

• negative space

• texture

• real texture

• implied texture

• overlapping

Multiple Choice

4. This is a space illusion created by covering a portion objects at the back.

• space

• texture

• real texture

• implied texture

• overlapping

Multiple Choice

5. It is an element that lies between, around

or within an object.

• space

• texture

• real texture

• implied texture

• overlapping

​The Element of Art – Texture

​The texture is the tactile quality of the look and feel of a surface on an object. In other words, it is how something feels when touched. Just like line, form, and shape, it can be categorized as to how it is created and its function.

​Adding texture is another step to create a dimension in an illustration.

Categories of Texture

1. Real texture – or often called actual textures are textures with physical

qualities that you can touch. Like the ones in sculptures where artists can add

actual textures like real fur or scales. Or even sculpt it in a way it mimics the same

texture of an actual object.

​For two dimensional artworks like paintings, artists usually apply thick coats of paint and brush strokes to create an element of texture in their work. Other artists even add other mediums like fabrics or other objects into their canvass to achieve the same result. Whatever materials an artist use in their work to include texture element, like value, adds up to express realism in an illustration.

Categories of Texture

2. Implied texture – are texture illusions or visual textures created through line drawing and value manipulation techniques. Implied textures are said to be an illusion texture

because it can only be felt through the eyes. If you will try running your hands in artwork with implied texture, whatever it is, it will feel the same – drawing surface texture.

Function of texture

Texture, like other elements of art, helps to convey the artists' concepts and

ideas in an artwork. Creating texture gives the viewers the idea of what the artwork is about and gives subtle visual cues to show if an object is soft, rough, hard, andsmooth. Its purpose is to let the viewers appreciate art beyond its visual properties.

With pen and ink illustrations as well as graphite illustrations, the texture is

achieved by drawing patterns. Varying the amount of and sizes of line patterns will determine how hard or soft the area is. You can study how Durer created texture in his Rhinoceros illustration and the patterns used to create a rough texture. That is, however, if you are creating something from imagination. Artwork with reference requires careful observation of value, shape, and form to mimic the texture in your drawing surface.

The Element of Art - Space

Space is an element of art that is not drawn in a surface for two-dimensional

art, and not sculpted in three-dimensional form. It is an element that lies between, around, or within an object.

Space is how subjects are organized as an illusion or as an actual art form.

Two-dimensional arts like paintings are confined within the borders of the drawing surface, this is why artists often try to create an illusion of space to extend this limit.

How to create an illusion of space?

1. Perspective - this method creates an illusion of depth that an object is coming

forward from a specific point in the canvas. Perspectives depend on the number of its vanishing points.

2. Overlapping – this space illusion is created when an object is drawn closer to the viewer's eyes overlapping other images behind to create a three-dimensional illusion.

How to create an illusion of space?

1. Perspective - this method creates an illusion of depth that an object is coming

forward from a specific point in the canvas. Perspectives depend on the number of its vanishing points.

2. Overlapping – this space illusion is created when an object is drawn closer to the viewer's eyes overlapping other images behind to create a three-dimensional illusion.

​When an object is drawn on top of another the eyes interpret that there is space between these objects.

How to create an illusion of space?

3. Placement on the surface - objects drawn higher the picture plane seems to be

further than the objects below.

4. Size - smaller objects look further than larger objects in an artwork.

5. Detail - the further the object in the space, the lesser the details in comparison

to the objects in front.

6. Color and value - objects in a distance are usually lighter in color and value.

​Actual space like in sculptures is the space that the object is occupying and its relation to the space around it. Aside from the three-dimensional scope of space. It can also be positive and negative.

Types of Space

Positive space is taken up by the main objects in artwork or sculptures.

Negative space is the space occupied around the main object.

When you draw something on a surface, you are not only adding an object,

you are also subtracting a portion of the surface to create that object.

Therefore, creating two shapes – one added and one subtracted; positive and negative. There are a lot of existing artworks using positive

and negative space to create clever illusions.

Space is an element of art that can also be the relation of each object in an

artwork. It can make the illustration look spacious, crowded, cluttered, symmetrical,

shallow, or flat. Different artists manipulate the use of space in their artwork to

reinforce their concepts and ideas and better communicate with the viewers