Recipe + Use of Textures

I created this illustration last 2009 for Halloween, entitled Recipe. I know they look like Thumbelina and Tom Thumb together, but the teacup-slash-cauldron is the overscaled one. This illustration was created using Adobe Photoshop CS2 and textures from deviantArt.com.

I do have a fascination for textures. I love using textures in my illustrations, it give the shapes, vectors, and colors that additional spunk. Textures make the vectors more “tangible”, for the lack of better term, and realistic. It also does wonders with the colors- from plain jane to a myriad of astonishing hues, depending on the blending option used.

I work with layers upon layers of masks because I try to use different textures for every vector shape. Recently I have discovered that sometimes one grunge paper texture can make a lot of difference, especially for illustrations that is meant to come out clean and simple.

The secret is to experiment with the blending options, choosing the most unique but fitting effect of the texture(s) on the illustration. More tips on using textures coming in the following posts!

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• Recipe + Use of Textures (klacenklaiart.wordpress.com)
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• The Whys And The Hows Of Textures In Web Design (smashingmagazine.com)
• Creating Textures in Photoshop (photofocus.com)
• A Collection of Retro & Vintage Design Resources (noupe.com)
• Fall Glimpse: Texturize It (fabsugar.com)
• Lotta Nieminen Illustration (likeellebelle.wordpress.com)