Tutorial

BASICS | Wood Texture
  • tool: markers
  • difficulty: medium

This time I want to talk about something less figurative and instead I decided to cover how to go about a certain kind of texture, wood. We all know what wood looks like, and we all have something made out of wood at home somewhere. Wood pattern have such a great variety that it is hard to cover all, nor is it really necessary. In case you want to imply a particular type of wood, it is best to look for reference pictures. Though if it doesn’t matter as much, it is perfectly fine to imitate a made up wooden pattern.

Below are two examples with two different approaches to the wood texture. The one on the right only hints at the pattern, but lacks the subtle details. It is a tad too simple to portray the ‘weight’ of wood. The picture on the left is what I want to aim for.

A tutorial on how to create a wood texture with markers.
Step 1

I applied the first layer with ‘Starfish’ (limited edition ProMarker) and while the colour was still wet, I quickly added the main pattern of the wood with ‘Nutmeg’ (O527) and its brush nib. Due to the first layer being wet, the second colour dissolved into it, leaving no harsh lines. This was the base for subtle colour changes in the wood texture.

A tutorial on how to create a wood texture with markers.
Step 2

After the second layer had dried, I picked up ‘Nutmeg’ (O527) again and darkened some of the lines while using Starfish again to blend it into the colour beneath. I also tried to be random in this step, since I wanted to avoid an ‘even’ look of the  texture.

A tutorial on how to create a wood texture with markers.
Step 3

Again I added more details to the texture with a slightly darker brown, ‘Cinnamon’ (O427). With the brush nib I picked a few place in which I applied the colour just like in the previous step. I also used Nutmeg to blend the Cinnamon into the existing colour layer.

A tutorial on how to create a wood texture with markers.

 
With the main marker colouring done, it was time to bring out some coloured pencils for that last touch of the wood texture. Since the overall colour looked rather reddish, I decided to pick two less saturated and more neutral browns, ‘burnt ochre’ and ‘burnt siena’. First I used the burnt siena pencil in order to define the ‘lines’ and to add a bit of shading. With the burnt ochre I softened some of the edges of the burnt siena. Violà, all done.

A tutorial on how to create a wood texture with markers.

 
As you can see, it is possible to simulate a wood texture in very few steps. Now it is your turn to try it out. Until next time!

 
© Aileen Strauch, first published on the Letraset art blog in 2014