Texture Techniques for Canvas
- Used in watercolor painting, the dry brush technique uses little water to apply the paint, which allows for added power in creating detailing and texture on canvas. The dry brush technique is not suitable for large, amorphous shapes but instead helps bring to life individual patterns or elements in the painting. An example of the dry brush technique includes the painting of fur on animals such as cats. After painting the animal, the dry brush technique helps to individualize the fur and give the impression of softness and coarseness.
- Impasto is a painting technique suited to paints such as oil, where the paint is applied to give the impression of a three-dimensional surface. Most often distinguished by heavy paint and the pattern of the brush on the surface of the paint, impasto can be used to create overt texture through thick layering but can also be used for more subtle texture effects such as the highlighting technique used by Rembrandt.
- Not all texture techniques for canvas rely on paint layering or manipulation. The use of plastic wrap can provide a textured appearance without layers of paint. Using plastic wrap helps create water, ice and landforms sans paintbrush. To perform this technique, painters apply paint to the canvas and while the paint is still wet, place a piece of stretched or crumpled plastic wrap over the paint. After the paint has dried, the plastic wrap is removed, revealing the texture beneath.
- Used by artists such as Jackson Pollack, pour and drip techniques provide texture to abstract canvas paintings. The pour technique involves pouring paint directly onto a horizontally placed canvas. The canvas can then be rotated to create fluid lines and intermingling of the paints. The drip technique is best suited to acrylic painting and utilizes smaller amounts of paint applied through deliberate or random dribbling or splattering of the paint using a paintbrush.
