Patterns, textures, and other treasures - a guide to starting your own collection

Patterns and textures are pretty much everywhere around us.
A pattern is a repetitive set of marks, strokes, or designs on a surface. Texture refers to the surface–level characteristics, or qualities, of a real thing. Is the surface soft or hard? Is it coarse or smooth? Dark or light? Dull or shiny, or maybe translucent?​

Texture relates to what a material looks like, how it feels to the touch, and how it functions.

When we create something that is three-dimensional, like a sculpture for example, we can incorporate tactile texture, which means a texture we can actually touch, in addition to visual texture, which means what something would feel like if we could touch it. Naturally, when we create something that is two-dimensional, like a drawing, we can only use visual texture. We can’t touch the surface, but our mind can visualize the exact feeling we would experience if we could.

Evoking the sensation of touch arouses an emotion, and that makes the drawing a lot more exciting and engaging. Texture in a drawing gives it a more realistic look and can convey a certain mood or atmosphere. It can also help in catching the viewers’ attention and directing it to a certain area in the image that we wish to be the focal point.

Patterns and textures can be used to balance the composition of our drawings. When used correctly, they can complement and elevate other components, add visual weight, depth, and beauty, and really give life to an image.

Many different methods and techniques can be used to imply texture in a two-dimensional work. You can learn how to turn a pattern into a texture, how to render textures on forms, how to shade using various materials, and so on. There are excellent courses and teachers out there, and it’s all doable, with patience and practice.

Recently, I transferred my pen & ink patterns and textures to a “library” (which is basically a little high-quality notebook I bought on a trip), and would very much recommend you do the same. Knowing how effective a good pattern or texture can be in a work, I just felt it was time to make sure I hold on to the useful ones I stumble upon or come up with along the way. As time goes by, these little thumbnails we make while working on a drawing, all the little notes with a quick scribble of a texture we used, tend to get misplaced. Sometimes we like a pattern so much we are absolutely certain we’ll remember where we saw it, but over time there are simply too many, and some will be forgotten or lost.

And so, I guess this isn’t just a call to start your own pattern & texture library for pen & ink drawings, but rather to start putting together in one place anything of this sort that you create or that inspires you, and that you might want to use in the future.
You can call it a reference chart, a library, or simply a collection, but hold on to these useful little things — they are priceless.

Personally, I only have one (unrelated) collection other than my new pattern & texture for pen & ink library (my husband is the collector in our family), but I can’t think of a better collection to invest in.

Should you decide to start your own pattern & texture library, here are a few tips I have
found useful. I think most of them would apply to other libraries of this sort as well.​

1. Decide on the size and format — Are you more comfortable looking at all the variations of a pattern or a texture placed side by side on a chart, or does having just one or two items on a page make more sense to you? There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but it’s worth taking the time to think about what works best for you.

2. Make it easy to find what you’re looking for — This might sound trivial, but consider numbering the pages and the items. Over time, as your collection grows, it will be easier to refer back to your library from your work and visa-versa.

3. Pay attention to what you see around you — Nature, what people are wearing, the work of other artists — the world is full of patterns and textures. Once you start looking for them, you’ll see them everywhere.

4. Small variations can make a big difference — You never know which variant will find its way into your work in the future, so if you like it, take the time to add it to your library.

5. It isn’t about quantity — You can always find more patterns & textures, but it’s best to add only those you really like and think you might want to use some time. Your library is yours to curate. Only you know what rightfully belongs in your collection.

6. Take your time — No good collection of any kind is built up overnight.

7. Leave notes to your future self — Your library will only get richer and more useful over time. When creating a multi-step pattern or texture, consider leaving yourself little notes and tips on how you got there. This way you can recreate them again easily even years later.

8. Keep references to your library while working — Write in your sketchbook or on the back of a drawing the numbers of the page and item you used from your library. I find this to be super helpful, especially when creating multiple variations of a pattern or a texture from my collection.

My small library is already growing. At the beginning, there were quite a few items I wanted to add all at once. After that first stage, it got easier, Now I just add one or two items every once in a while. I find my collection to be well worth the effort.

I hope you find these tips valuable, and that you consider starting your own collection. There’s a good chance that when you’re in need of a solution as you’re working, or in search of a good idea or inspiration, your library will be a very good place to start looking. After all, it will be comprised entirely of things you liked and were excited about at one time or another.

You are all welcome to visit MA.KE by Maya Keshet website at: https://www.mayakeshet.com