Texture

Putting texture into a drawing or painting can be a difficult task. When drawing, especially, texture is most commonly added by altering one's marks. That is, smooth line or rough line, continuous line versus interrupted lines, and so on. 

"Mailboxes," ink on paper, 11x14

"Malboxes" is a pen and ink rendering of a line of rural mail boxes along an overgrown rail fence. In this drawing the challenge was to represent each material--wood, metal, foliage, etc--realistically. That meant employing line and shape, mostly. The darkest areas were inked with a brush but the majority of this drawing was done with a dip pen. 

Notice that the lines follow the contours of the mailboxes. The posts and fences called for a different approach to emphasize the cylindrical nature of the posts and flatness of the planks.