| definition |
| The aggregation of small forms or color mixtures into a continuous surface pattern; the aggregated parts are enough that they do not appear as discrete objects in the composition of the scene. |
| type |
| Color Mixture (motting) - intrinsic surface color contrasts of very small scale in relation to the perceived may be due to hue, chroma, or value, alone or in combination. |
| Light and Shade - the color contrast particularly in value, created by differences in lighting on a varied surface or repeated forms. It consists of the repetition of a lit side, shaded side, and the shadow cast. |
| subelements |
| Grain - the relative dimensions of the surface variations, ranging from large (coarse texture, e.g., coniferous forest) to small (fine texture, e.g., grassland). |
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| Density - the spacing of surface variations creating the texture |
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| Internal Contrast - the degree of contrast in colors or values creating the texture | |
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| suggested vocabulary | |
| Coarse/medium/fine Smooth/rough Uniform/patchy/gradational Directional/nondirectional Discontinuous/continuous Random/ordered Contrasty/subtle Dense/sparse |
Glossy/matte Striated Scattered Dotted Clumped Striped Stippled Granular |
| dominance | |
| Coarse and contrasty textures tend to dominate fine-grained textures of low internal contrast. | |
| variable effects | |
| Distance - internal contrast and the apparent grain of the texture is lessened with distance - - coarse textures of coniferous forest may remain visible at up to 8-10 miles, while fine textures of grassland may disappear within 1/4 mile of the observer. | |
| Atmospheric Conditions - haze, cloud, dust, etc., reduce the distance at which textures disappear and lose internal contrast. | |
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Illumination - light and shade textures are most obvious in side-lighting and when light intensity is strong, casting distinct dark shadows. Strong side-lighting increases distance-range within which textures remain visible
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