Lesson 7 · Level 4

Texture

Learn how different marks represent different materials.

Recommended wood

Pine

Pine's visible grain teaches you to work with the wood's own texture.

Recommended tip

Fine point

Short, repeated marks need a small footprint. In the studio: Fine Tip.

Heat level

Scorch to Deep

Vary heat between materials — water light, bark dark.

Technique

Every material has a mark

Wood grain is long flowing lines. Grass is short upward strokes. Fur is short directional strokes. Stone is random irregular marks. Bark is vertical irregular lines. Water is curved horizontal lines.

Stay consistent

Keep one mark language per material or the surface stops reading as that material.

Leave white space

Unburned wood is your highlight — texture without gaps turns to mud.

Demonstration

Six squares that each read unmistakably as a different material, even at arm's length.

Practice board guide for lesson 7: Texture

Digital practice exercise

1.Fill each square: wood grain, grass, fur, stone, bark, water.
2.Compare them side by side and fix any two that look alike.

The practice board loads as a reference overlay on the wood canvas — set the wood, tip and heat above, then burn over the faint guides.

Beginner challenge

Burn a small landscape containing grass, a tree, a rock and water — each with its own burning pattern.