List of visual effects and textures and its expression

The texture is one of the visual elements more important in the paintings. We can use textures to enrich the works, represent reality, add expression and to create visual sensations and relations between the elements of the work.

We have an infinite repertoire of textures but we are going to do a basic list with the most interesting textures taht we can use and add in a picture to make it more attractive and expressive.

List of visual effects that can be copy to create visual textures on the canvas. Ideas to add attraction and expression to the painting.

By consulting the list, we can choose and decide which texture will work better according to the feelings and expression we want to add in our artwork.

Should not be forgotten the influence of the colors in the texture, which changes its expression. I will define the expression of the texture only from the forms of the texture character itself.

List of names of the visual effects or textures and their expressiveness

Texture effects	Features, Expression and Feelings	Photos and paintings
-1 – Water textures	Water generates smooth effects, blurs, transparencies, optical color mixing, depth with large shadows and surfaces that reflect light, so the play of color and light is varied. Generally, the water textures reflect a lot of vivacity and interest, providing a rich visual element, and with plenty of appeal or beauty.
1-1- Splashing water and dotted.	Dotted and small forms of water being splashed by a moving force generates a sense of surprise, stimulation revival while some repair, care, caution and reverse. The feeling is strong but not appealing. The view is deconcentrated with the amount of wild forms in suspended motion.
1-2- Water Slides	The transparencies and the depth produce a concentration effect on our vision because the visual texture contains much enrichment color. Generate attention, attraction, abundance, intensity, energy and concentrated silence.
1-3- Sea texture, waves, swirls, cascades	Moving water, with plenty of white foam, reliefs, twisted, curved shapes, lots of variety and contrast. Expresses life, movement, moving energy, danger, speed and directionality (which moves the view in the same direction that the painted water). The sensation goes from a soft activism towards a nervous activity.
2- Blurry textures and forms clouds	The shapes very soft, abstract but with great play of color and light. Patterns, gradients, textures and background colors with contrasting colors over mixed softly with contrast and harmonious at the same time. They express change, transience, air, and expanding horizons. You can play with an expression of clarity, hope, joy, fear or storm. Anyway, the color range is harmonious, because the forms are repeated and interrelate.
3- Ground textures	The ground generates texture on the pictures, sometimes painted, sometimes played with materials themselves, like ground, sand, lime, ground pumice and many others materials that are a small size and can be mixed with a binder that hits the canvas , cardboard or wood. The relief forms of the land is a strong expression, which draws much attention and sometimes make you want to touch them. Very attractive especially with well crafted colors. They are a great enrichment in the picture because the material or because the extra volume that becomes more tangible in the visual work.
3-1- Grainy texture (sand, pumice, gravel …)	The rounded and small shapes provide a balanced texture. It expresses stability, stillness, consistency, it gives confidence a warm, close and tangible character, sturdy and strong at the same time.
3-2 -Rocks, bricks, flooring, painted asphalt, tiles, etc..	Forms of painted structures that produce realistic or figurative visual effects, with definition of light and shadows. It generates an attractive steady element, and the work gains a great visual weight. The forms will be more or less contrasted but there are always some shapes defined. It adds a consistency and stability to the work, has gravity and downward direction.
3-3 – Cracks and holes.	Broken spaces, small visual ruptures that contrast with a stable support. Brittle shapes that influence the mind and express weakness, impermanence, doubt, fear, pain, change, sensitivity, energy and energies dying. Also, the holes, if they are rounded, they generate an attraction of our attention to their depth. Ruptures lines have directionality and therefore movement.
4 -Natural and abstract shapes. Lines, dotted, striped …	Whether they are part of a nature element or they are purely abstract, these revolts shapes are random, crazy, without specific direction, so they are free, very expressive, directional and growth forms. They express freedom, biodiversity, life, slow movement, expansion and abundance. Also bustle, dispersion, concentration and fuss.
5- Stains, fillings with spoonbill, attached forms (simple collage) and layered materials.	Color planes, overlapping shapes, forms that flood other forms and sudden visual impacts. They express surprise, generate attention, if they are not very diffuse. The spots are visual shock, strong contrasts against other elements. Activated and added plasticity imbalance and shock. Impasto has much plasticity and volume, which also express solidity, strength and stability, when they are large flat shapes.
6- Metallic textures, silver, gold, copper, rusty iron …	To add a metal, gold, silver, copper … or a bright element, in contrast to other natural and simple elements, will create a very large, ambitious and sensory visual appeal. The metal textures, the gold, elements with bright lights and with deep colors, they are very special items and therefore attracted the attention from people. They are created with special materials, like the gold, silver or copper leafs. Or painted by simulating its play of lights. Dan too many chances and basically provide plasticity, something that makes you want to be touched. They express richness, abundance, quality, power, energy and a lot of personal feelings.
7- Reflective textures	Crystals, mirrors, crystal waters, reflective metals, and other elements that reflect light and their surrounding forms. They are complex and difficult visual textures to represent, but they add to the artwork an abstract and impermanent space element, a set of forms and light. Express complexity, false forms, games, entertainment, energy lights, mysterious worlds or forms (especially mirrors) and imagination. They are important appealings inside the works, because they provide a lot of information and content.

And this is enough for now, though the list of textures could be endless, and the expressiveness ranges that it contribute to add, they can be from a stronger and more contrasted to the softest and harmonious.