Robin Williams Handmade Design Workshop: Create Handmade Elements for Digital Design

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PART 2

Texture

your Surface

One contribution of handmade

design is texture. I love texture. I love

the tactile feel of papers and walls

and stones and sand and fabric and

pudding and animals and sculpture.

And I enjoy visual texture. Texture

gives two-dimensional design an

engaging perceptible appeal that

draws the audience into the piece. It’s

the quickest and easiest way to add a

human touch to your digital design.

I encourage you to read about,

experiment with, take notes on, and

create your own handmade textures.

Then scan these into your computer

and use them in your graphic design

work. Or perhaps collage various

hand-textured items together before

you scan the whole piece. It’s very

satisfying to get your hands dirty

this way!

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7 Texturize with

Modeling Paste

Modeling pastes and gel

mediums are basically

acrylic paints without the

pigments. Apply them to

a variety of surfaces and

then comb, scratch, swirl,

or brush other elements

into the paste to create a

variety of textural e ects.

See pages 38–41.

8 Create a Patina

A patina is an acquired

change in the appearance

of a surface, usually

produced by age or

weather. You can fake

the process for a project.

See pages 42–45.

9 Peel the Paint

The look of peeled paint

can add a sense of history

to a modern piece.

See pages 46–49.

10 Rub and Rag

Darker paint rubbed into

the more textural areas of

a piece further enhances

the tactile appeal.

See pages 50–55.

6

Crackle the

Surface

Want that aged look of

crackled paint? It only

takes a few minutes

to create and can give

your piece maturity.

See pages 34–37.

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Textures

Background surfaces that have some texture

add depth and richness to digital work.