Crinkly or Smooth?

I like to experiment with painting on different surfaces to create various textures. The illustrations above have a similar subject and style, but one I painted on crumpled tissue paper and the other on heavy watercolor paper. I can’t decide which I surface I like better. I guess it would depend on the mood and setting of the story.

One of my favorite picture book illustrators is Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Grouchy Ladybug). I like the way he uses a combination of painted patterns and layers of paper to reproduce the rich textures of the natural world.

Another favorite of mine, Georg Hallensleben (Fox, And If the Moon Could Talk, by Kate Banks) uses thick, broad brushstrokes to create depth and lushness in his illustrations.

David Kirk’s illustrations in his Little Miss Spider books have a very different texture. At first glance I wouldn’t have guessed his paintings were oil on canvas. They have a sleek, shiny finish typical of airbrushed art. I don’t think the roly-poly Little Miss Spider would have been quite so friendly looking if she were more rough and ragged.

A work of art might have an actual texture as a result of the materials used, or a visual texture that is an illusion made by the way the art is rendered. Either way, texture can convey more than just surface characteristics.

My post title, Crinkly or Smooth?, made me think of potato chips. Why do people prefer one over the other, if the ingredients are exactly the same? Or if they’re like me, does it just depend on their mood?