Intro to textures: brick, stone, wood

Texture Series: How to color textures with Copic markers

Today’s Feature:
Introduction to Brick, Stone, and Wood

Hello Copic readers! In our previous blog, we wrapped up our series on how to color a forest by exploring a variety of seasonal palettes. In today’s blog, and to start off a new mini-series, we’ll be giving an introduction on how to create natural textures, such as brick, stone, and wood with your Copic markers. So, without further ado, let’s get started by gathering our reference images and materials below!

The first thing you’ll want to do before grabbing your markers, pencil, eraser, and ruler is to gather three reference photos of various brick, stone, and wood patterns that you like (nine images total). This can be done around your own house, neighborhood, on Pinterest, or anywhere else online (as seen in the above image).

Once these photos are gathered, you’ll need to print the above template from our line art gallery on a sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch marker-friendly paper (we recommend Neenah Bright White Premium Cardstock 65 lb., or something similar). Then, using your pencil, lightly sketch in each of the rectangles one of the texture reference photos you’ve gathered. Perhaps, the one you like the most! 

The above image is an example of a brick, stone, and wood texture; and if you don’t want to draw each area yourself, this template is also available on our line art gallery for download.

Now that we’ve found our reference images and drawn in each texture, it’s time to make a color palette! The above swatches were made by looking at the reference photos shared at the beginning of the blog, and by checking my personal collection of Copic markers. I chose colors that closely mimicked the reference images, knowing that I liked the appearance of the photos and wanted to closely replicate them. With that being said, I chose to reference the top brick photo, the middle stone photo, and the middle wood photo.

Now that all the prep work is done, let’s start coloring each texture with a single layer of the lightest color, or in the case of the stone, the background. For the brick and wood, I used the long, flat side of the Medium Broad nib of my Sketch or Ciao marker and colored from left to right. For the stone, seeing as how organic all the shapes are, I used the Super Brush nib, outlining each stone with the tip of the brush, then filling in the excess background space.

The next step after adding the base layer of color is to apply your lighter mid-tone color, paying attention to where all the shadows are. For the brick, that means adding E04 to the left and bottom side of each brick. For the stone, that means adding T3 to random stones spaced apart from one another throughout the pattern. Finally, for the wood, that means adding E34 randomly throughout the individual wood panels, alternating which side of the Medium Broad nib you’re using to create thicker and thinner lines.

Next up, you’ll want to apply your darker mid-tone color, following the same direction of the shadows as the step before. For the bricks, add a thin layer of E17 along the lower bottom and far left sides of each brick. By doing this, you should still be able to see a little bit of E04 from the previous step, as well as the dominant (and base) color YR27.

For the stones, simply apply YR24 scattered throughout the pattern, the same way you did with the previous light color T3. Lastly, for the wood, add E37 to random places throughout each panel, just like you did with E34. *Note: you can have E37 overlap with E34, as well as E34 with E31. The more you layer and have each color cross-over into the other one, the less uniform and “factory made” the wood will look!

Now that the mid-tones have been added, let’s add a dark color to each texture! For the bricks, it’s a bit difficult to see, but a very thin layer of E19 (the darkest color in this palette) was added to the bottom and left sides of each brick; exposing just a tad of the E17 and E04 added before it.

For the stone, add the third stone color of the mix, E99, and scatter it evenly throughout the stones, leaving a few left for the final (and darkest) color. Finally, for the wood, go over everything again with the lightest color, E31. This will soften the blends between all three colors, and enrichen the depth of the wood so it doesn’t look so light and flimsy.

Oh wow! We’re getting close to the finish line now! 🤗The next step for the brick is to add another layer of E04 to almost the entire brick. However, be sure not to cover the top and right areas of each brick! By leaving these small strips with only the first layer of YR27 exposed, it creates a nice highlight, making the brick pattern appear more realistic.

For the stone, we’ll wrap up this pattern by adding the final and darkest color: E59. For the wood, in similar fashion to the bricks, add another layer of E34 on top of the areas that already have E34, as well as overlapping some areas of E31. Again, the more these three earth-tone colors overlap, the more realistic it’ll look in the end!

Almost there! The second-to-last step for the bricks is to add another layer of – you guessed it – E17 to the bottom and left sides of each brick. The contrast should really be popping out at this point!

For the stone, add another layer of every color throughout the entire pattern. This will enrich and darken the entire composition, but it will also soften any marker streaks from the first layer of color. *Tip: if you colored the stones vertically before, try adding the second layer horizontally. This is a trick I use all the time in my own illustrations to make areas loose their streak lines!

Finally, for the wood pattern, add as many thin layers of E37, E34, and E31 as you want, spaced sporadically throughout. The more layers you add of each color, the darker the pattern will get. At this step as well, add E37 vertically to areas at the end of each panel to emphasize the pattern/where each panel starts and stops.

The final step (WOO HOO!) is to add the darkest color in each texture one more time. For the brick, that means adding another thin layer of E19. For the stones, that means a thin layer of W8 (you read that right, I actually added another color to this palette for each stone’s shadow) underneath each stone. And for the wood, more layers of E34, E37, and E29.

I added E29 at the final step of the wood for the same reason I added W8 to the stones: to create more contrast. I realized at this point that the color I was using to be the darkest one was no longer dark enough to create the contrast I wanted, so I found an even darker shade. I used the Super Brush nib of E29 (for the wood pattern) to add distinguished panel lines by pressing my hand down to the paper with more or less force to create uneven lines for a more organic look. I also used the tip of the Super Brush nib to press lightly to the paper in small, short areas for the same reason; to create contrast with E37, formerly the darkest color in the palette.

Now that you’ve seen how to color each texture, want to give it a try yourself?! If so, print the above template here on an 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock or marker paper (one that’s suitable for alcohol-based markers and layering), and put these instructions to the test! In addition, once you’ve colored your own version, share it with us on social media using the hashtag #CopicWithUs, or tag us @CopicOfficialUS on any social media platform! We can’t wait to see what you create!

That's a wrap on today’s blog! 😊 Stay tuned for our next one, where we’ll be going into detail on how you can color 3 different brick patterns. Until next time!