Painting Texture and Details

Art teachers and mentors often advise their students to avoid getting too caught up in details too soon and to focus on a “general to specific” approach. In critiques, students are often told that their details are detracting from the focal point of their work. However, in this class, we will be focusing specifically on details. By understanding the structure of different textures, you will be able to create more convincing focal points in your paintings. Through the exercises in this advanced painting observation class, you will improve your skills in edge control, light and shadow, form, and color predictions. This class can be completed using either traditional or digital paint, and you can download a template to print and paint on or use a program like Photoshop or a tablet like an iPad.

This class will teach you the following skills:

• Identifying basic repeating structures commonly found in textures
• Drawing and painting each of these simple structures
• Controlling and painting different types of edges
• Making basic color predictions
• Examining textures and identifying their key features
• Painting textures and details.

For 26 years, Will Terry has been a freelance illustrator. He began his career working for magazines and newspapers in the Washington DC area and his early clients included Time, Money, WSJ, as well as ads for companies such as Sprint, Pizza Hut, Fed Ex, and Master Card. He has illustrated about 30 children’s books for various publishers, including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and Penguin. When he’s not pursuing outdoor activities such as mountain biking, hiking, or snowboarding, he works out of the svslearncom office in Provo, Utah.