Inspiring examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor

Real-world examples of creating texture with watercolor

Let’s start with the fun part: concrete, real examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor that you can try today. No fancy gear, just paint, water, paper, and a few household items.

Imagine you’re painting a simple landscape: sky, mountains, trees, and a path. That one scene can hold half a dozen textures if you know how to build them.

You might use dry brush to suggest rough bark on a tree trunk. In the distance, a salt effect can hint at snowy peaks. The path might be spattered with paint to look like gravel, while soft clouds in the sky appear thanks to lifting paint with a tissue. These are all examples of watercolor texture that work together without screaming, “Look at this trick!”

Below are some of the best examples of texture techniques, plus how they actually show up in real paintings.

Salt blooms: a classic example of watercolor texture

One of the most popular examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor is the salt technique. It’s simple, unpredictable, and perfect for beginners.

You lay down a juicy wash of color—say, ultramarine blue for a night sky. While it’s still wet but not puddling, you sprinkle regular table salt on top. As the paint dries, the salt crystals pull pigment toward themselves, leaving starburst textures.

Real examples include:

• Starry skies in galaxy paintings
• Frosty texture on winter branches
• Speckled stone or rough concrete

The key is timing. Too wet, and the salt effect is mushy. Too dry, and nothing happens. This is a great example of how watercolor forces you to pay attention to moisture levels, which many art schools and workshops emphasize when teaching watercolor basics. For a broader foundation on watercolor materials and techniques, organizations like the Smithsonian American Art Museum often share educational resources and artist demos that highlight this kind of experimental play.

Dry brush texture: an example of rough, broken color

Dry brush is a beautiful example of creating texture with watercolor without any extra tools. You simply use a brush that’s slightly damp, loaded with pigment but very little water, and drag it lightly over dry paper.

The paper’s tooth grabs the paint in broken streaks rather than smooth strokes. This gives you:

• Scratchy, bark-like marks on tree trunks
• Windswept grass in a field
• Weathered wood on fences or boats
• Textured fur on animals (especially rough coats like dogs or foxes)

One of the best examples of this technique is painting rocky cliffs. You can paint a light, smooth base wash first, let it dry, then run dry brush strokes over the top with a darker color. Suddenly those flat shapes start to look craggy and three-dimensional.

Many art programs, such as those offered by community colleges and universities listed on sites like USA.gov’s education resources, introduce dry brush early on because it teaches control, pressure, and brush angle in a very tactile way.

Lifting paint: examples of carving light back into dark

Lifting is one of the most underrated examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor. Instead of adding more paint, you remove it.

You lay down a wash, let it sit for a moment, then use a clean, damp brush, tissue, or cotton swab to blot or scrub out areas of paint. This creates lighter patches with soft or hard edges, depending on your tool.

Real examples include:

• Soft, fluffy clouds lifted out of a blue sky wash
• Highlights on waves in seascapes
• Light streaks on shiny metal or glass
• Mist in forests or mountains by lifting along the tree line

For instance, paint a mid-value green forest, then lift vertical streaks with a damp brush to suggest shafts of light cutting through the trees. It’s a subtle example of watercolor texture that adds atmosphere more than obvious pattern.

If you want to understand the chemistry behind pigments, staining properties, and how easily they lift, many art schools and museums reference materials from educational institutions like MIT OpenCourseWare that explain how different pigments behave in solution. Understanding that helps you predict which colors will lift cleanly and which will stain.

Granulation and pigment choice: natural texture built into the paint

Some of the best examples of creating texture with watercolor don’t come from tricks at all—they come from the pigments themselves. Certain colors are naturally granulating, meaning the pigment particles settle into the paper’s texture and separate slightly in water.

Examples include many earth tones and some blues, like ultramarine blue or certain burnt siennas (check your paint labels or manufacturer charts). When you paint a wash with these, they dry with a mottled, grainy look.

Real examples include:

• Rocky cliffs painted with granulating neutrals
• Stormy skies with a mix of granulating blues and grays
• Old stone walls or brickwork

You can enhance this texture by tilting the paper, using more water, or glazing a transparent color on top. Modern watercolor trends in 2024–2025 show more artists leaning into this, choosing specialty granulating paints and even “super granulating” collections marketed by major brands. If you’re curious about how pigment particles and binders work, university chemistry departments and art programs, such as those you might find via Harvard University’s online resources, often share accessible explanations about suspensions and particle behavior that parallel what happens in watercolor.

Spattering and splattering: energetic examples of watercolor texture

Spattering is one of the most expressive examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor. You load a brush with watery pigment and flick it onto the paper using your finger, another brush, or a stick.

This gives you random, organic dots and sprays that work as:

• Stars in a night sky (white gouache or masking fluid spatter over dark paint)
• Sand or gravel on a path
• Texture on a rocky shoreline
• Leaves and blossoms on distant trees

A real example of this in action: paint a soft green wash for distant trees, let it dry, then spatter darker green and a bit of warm yellow on top. Instantly, those blobs start to read as foliage without painting every single leaf.

Spattering is popular in contemporary illustration and children’s book art, where artists want a playful, energetic feel. Many professional illustrators teaching workshops through universities and arts organizations (often listed on .edu or .org sites) recommend practicing spatter on scrap paper first to control direction and density.

Masking fluid and resist: crisp examples of hard-edged texture

Masking fluid is a liquid resist that you paint onto the paper to protect the white surface. Once it dries, you paint right over it. When you peel it off, you’re left with bright, sharp shapes.

This is a powerful example of creating texture with watercolor when you want hard edges:

• Sparkling highlights on water
• Snow on tree branches or rooftops
• Texture on fish scales or dragon skin
• Intricate patterns on fabric or tiles

One of the best examples: ocean waves. You can mask out thin, broken lines where you want the foam, paint a deep blue-green wash over everything, then remove the masking. Those white lines instantly feel like churning water.

Because masking fluid contains chemicals that can irritate sensitive skin or lungs if misused, it’s smart to check safety recommendations. General art safety guidelines from organizations like the U.S. National Library of Medicine and NIH can help you think about ventilation and skin contact when working with any art medium, including watercolor additives.

Plastic wrap and household textures: dramatic examples for abstract work

If you like bold, dramatic patterns, plastic wrap is one of the most striking examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor.

You paint a wet, colorful wash, then press crumpled plastic wrap onto the surface. As it dries, the paint pools in the wrinkles of the plastic. When you remove it, you get angular, crystal-like patterns.

Real examples include:

• Abstract backgrounds for lettering or journaling
• Cracked ice or broken glass effects
• Veins in stone or marble

Artists in 2024–2025 are using this technique a lot in mixed-media work, combining watercolor textures with ink drawing or digital enhancement. You’ll see these kinds of textures in backgrounds for social media content, art journaling, and card design.

You can do similar things with other household items:

• A sponge dabbed into wet paint for foliage or coral-like textures
• A crumpled paper towel for mottled, cloud-like effects
• A piece of lace pressed into damp paint for delicate patterning

These are all real examples of watercolor texture that rely on simple tools you probably already have.

Scratching and scraping: examples of linear texture and fine details

Scratching into the paper is a more subtle example of creating texture with watercolor, but it can be very effective for fine details.

There are two main approaches:

1. Scratching before painting
You can use a blunt needle, stylus, or the back of a knife to lightly score lines into the paper. When you paint a wash over it, pigment gathers in the grooves, creating darker lines.

Examples include:

• Fine branches in winter trees
• Hairline cracks in stone or pottery
• Wood grain lines

2. Scraping while wet
With a damp wash on the paper, you can use the edge of a credit card or palette knife to scrape out lighter lines. This pushes pigment aside, leaving lighter streaks.

Examples include:

• Highlights on blades of grass
• Sparkles on water
• Rain streaks on a window

These are subtle but powerful examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor when you want to control line direction without using a brush.

Layering and glazing: soft-focus texture built over time

Not all texture has to be loud or obvious. Sometimes the best examples of watercolor texture come from quiet layering.

Glazing is the process of painting thin, transparent layers of color on top of a dry layer. If you vary the brush direction and color temperature with each layer, you build up a soft, complex surface.

Real examples include:

• Skin tones that feel alive, with hints of warm and cool patches
• Foggy forests where distant trees blur softly into the background
• Old paper or parchment effects using multiple warm glazes

In 2024–2025, you’ll see a lot of artists combining glazing with more dramatic textures like salt or granulation. For instance, they might start with a granulating wash for a stone wall, then glaze warm browns and cool grays over it to deepen the sense of age and wear.

Universities and art schools often teach glazing in both watercolor and oil painting because it trains your eye to see subtle shifts in value and color. Educational institutions listed via resources like Ed.gov often highlight how layered approaches help students understand transparency and light.

Pulling it together: mixing multiple examples of watercolor texture in one painting

The real magic happens when you start combining these examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor in a thoughtful way.

Picture a coastal scene:

• The sky: a smooth wash with a bit of lifting for soft clouds.
• The sea: granulating blues, with dry brush and scraping for wave highlights.
• The rocks: plastic wrap or salt textures, glazed over with earthy browns.
• The foreground sand: spattering for tiny pebbles and footprints.

Each area uses a different example of watercolor texture, but they all support the same story. The trick is to vary scale (large vs. small texture), intensity (bold vs. subtle), and edge quality (hard vs. soft).

As you experiment, treat your sketchbook like a lab. Label pages with what you tried: “salt on semi-dry wash,” “dry brush over rough paper,” “granulating blue + lifting.” Over time, you’ll build your own personal library of the best examples that fit your style.

FAQ: examples of watercolor texture techniques

Q: What are some easy examples of creating texture with watercolor for beginners?
A: Start with salt blooms, dry brush, and lifting. These examples of texture are forgiving and don’t require special tools beyond salt and tissues. Try them in small swatches first, then apply them to simple subjects like trees, skies, and rocks.

Q: Can you give an example of using multiple textures in one small painting?
A: Yes. In a mini forest scene, you might lift out light beams in the background, use dry brush for bark, spatter darker green for foliage, and scratch in a few branches with a knife. That’s four different examples of watercolor texture working together in a piece that fits on a postcard.

Q: Do I need special paints to get good texture?
A: Not necessarily. Many examples of creating texture with watercolor depend more on water control and technique than on fancy paint. That said, granulating colors do give you extra natural texture, so it’s worth adding one or two to your palette as you grow.

Q: Is textured watercolor safe to use with kids or beginners?
A: Most student-grade watercolors are considered safe when used as directed, especially if you avoid ingesting paint and wash hands afterward. For general safety information about art materials, you can check resources from organizations like the National Institutes of Health or the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Always read the labels on your specific products.

Q: How do I stop texture techniques from looking overdone?
A: Think of texture as seasoning in cooking. Use it to highlight areas you want people to notice, not everywhere at once. Choose one or two main examples of watercolor texture for each painting, and let smoother areas balance out the busy ones.

The more you play with these examples of examples of creating texture with watercolor, the more you’ll discover your favorites. Some artists fall in love with crisp masking fluid edges; others prefer soft, lifted clouds and subtle granulation. There’s no single right way—only what supports the mood and story you want your painting to tell.