Texture shapes how we experience art. It tells our eyes what to expect and often invites our hands to join in. I spend a lot of time thinking about texture because it plays a huge role in my own work. As an abstract painter, I use real physical materials that rise off the surface and change how light hits the painting. Now, let’s dig into the difference between real and implied texture, and how both can help artists create deeper and more exciting images.

What Is Real Texture?

Real texture exists physically. You can touch it. You can feel ridges, bumps, grit, and edges. When light hits the surface, it reacts in honest ways. It casts shadows. It creates highlights. It changes as you move around.

I use real texture constantly in my work. I enjoy the process of building layers that sit on top of the painting. One of the clearest examples of this is my painting Shellcracker, which you can see above. I embedded real eggshells into the central band of the red square. The eggshells create a rough, crunchy surface. They catch light in unpredictable ways. They also add a kind of quiet chaos to the otherwise geometric form. The texture becomes part of the painting’s identity instead of just a visual suggestion. I also offer fine art archival print giclees of Shellcracker.

Real texture can come from almost anything. Sand, pumice, paper, leaves, found objects, and paint applied with a palette knife all qualify. When you touch the surface, the texture responds. It feels alive. It interacts with your senses in multiple ways.

What Is Implied Texture?

Implied texture is different. It looks real, but it lives only in the illusion. You can’t feel it. Your eyes do all the work.

Check out the painting of tree bark seen above. The painter uses highlights, shadows, and patterns to trick your brain into believing you could touch the roughness. But when you place your hand on the canvas, the surface stays flat. The illusion exists only because of how the artist painted it.

Implied texture relies on careful observation. You study shapes, lines, and shadows. You see how things in the real world behave. Then you mimic that behavior through paint or pencil.

You see implied texture everywhere—fur, rust, woven fabric, stone, clouds, shiny metal surfaces, rippling water. Even the most realistic paintings often sit on smooth surfaces. The texture lives in the image, not in the canvas.

Why Artists Use Real Texture

Real texture creates presence. It gives the work weight. When you use a thick material, the painting literally changes shape. It becomes an object instead of just an image.

Real texture also changes the viewer’s experience. When people encounter Shellcracker, they often lean in. They want to study how the eggshells sit on the surface. They want to understand how I glued them, painted them, or layered them. Texture sparks curiosity.

Another painting of mine, Casbah, shows this in a different way. In that piece, I used thick pumice across the blue fields. The pumice creates a grainy, stone-like surface. It looks like aged architecture. It feels ancient. But the painting remains abstract, so the viewer reads the texture emotionally rather than literally.

Real texture also reacts to lighting. When you move around the painting, shadows shift. Tiny highlights appear and disappear. The artwork becomes dynamic even when it hangs still on the wall.

Why Artists Use Implied Texture

Implied texture supports storytelling without adding physical material. It helps artists create depth and realism. You only need paint. You don’t need glue, rocks, or sand.

Illustrators and representational artists often rely on implied texture because it keeps the surface smooth and clean. Kids learning to draw also start with implied texture because it encourages close observation. You learn how light behaves. You learn how contrast forms. You learn how to make something look believable with only simple tools.

Implied texture also adapts well to digital art. Many digital artists use brushes that mimic fur, grass, or rough stone. These effects look convincing but remain entirely flat.

How Real and Implied Texture Work Together

Artists often mix both. You can create a painting with real texture in one area and implied texture everywhere else. The contrast helps draw the eye to the textured zone. It creates emphasis.

In Shellcracker, the real eggshells provide a tactile center. The painted white field around it contains implied texture created by knife strokes. The two types of texture push and pull against each other. They generate energy.

In Casbah, I combine pumice with implied marks and scraped layers. Some areas look textured but feel soft. Other areas feel jagged and thick. That combination keeps the viewer exploring the entire surface.

How Texture Changes Emotion

Texture influences mood. Smooth, polished surfaces feel calm. Rough, chaotic surfaces feel energetic. Soft transitions create peace. Sharp edges create tension.

Real texture often feels honest and raw. It shows the physical process of painting. It exposes mistakes and surprises. You see the decision-making in every layer.

Implied texture often feels controlled. It shows planning, observation, and technique. It brings clarity and precision.

When you understand both, you can shape emotion exactly how you want.

Tips for Working With Real Texture

Use small amounts at first. Let the materials guide you. Notice how they mix with paint. Try thick mediums like modeling paste or pumice. Explore unconventional materials like eggshells, as I did in Shellcracker.

Test your texture under different lights. View it from low angles. See how shadows form.

Seal fragile materials so they last. Eggshells and pumice need protection. Varnish helps.

Tips for Working With Implied Texture

Study how light hits objects. Squint to see values. Practice drawing simple textures like wood grain or woven cloth.

Use contrast to create depth. Use varied lines to suggest movement. Build layers slowly.

Also, observe real textures often. The more you understand them, the better you can mimic them.

Conclusion

Texture opens the door to endless artistic expression. Real texture gives your paintings physical presence. Implied texture gives your images believable depth. Both forms enrich your work in unique ways.

As an abstract artist who embraces physical materials, I love how real texture transforms a flat surface into an object full of life. However, I also admire the challenge of suggested surfaces and the illusions other painters create. When you blend both, your art gains more impact, more emotion, and more personality.

Both Shellcracker and Casbah show how real texture can anchor a painting. And implied texture brings balance, clarity, and visual rhythm. Together, they expand what a single canvas can communicate.

Texture is more than a detail. Texture is an experience.