I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that I use a lot of watercolor textures in my digital artwork. Often these are textures that I’ve created but occasionally I like to include some that I’ve picked up from an online marketplace.

What to look for

When I’m searching for textures to add to my paintings, or creating my own, there are a few things I look for and keep in mind:

Gradients

I love watercolor washes for a wonderful gradient to a painting. These can easily start out the base layer or be added on top later. This set is a perfect example of a nice graduating texture.

Edges

Often I need interesting edges in my work and watercolor textures are the perfect solution to adding just a bit of natural texture. One of the beautiful things about working in watercolor is the variety of shapes and textures you can find and to me, that is what makes it unique. Using real watercolor textures helps to add to that realistic variety you might not find in brushes.

Basic paper

I feel just a basic paper texture should always be in your folder for adding just a hint of that organic texture that comes from using traditional media. If you don’t have a watercolor paper texture here’s one to get you started.

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